Trust that an End is Followed by a Beginning

Free People Blog

I love new beginnings, fresh starts, new seasons, resets, a new chapter, turning a new page...whatever you like to call them, these times in our lives are filled with excitement and anticipation of the unknown. Personally, I am love with the beginning of a new season, more specifically Fall and Spring. They are great seasons that aren't unbearably hot or bitterly cold. They produce new color in the world and are monumental changes for those who change their closets over like I do. Who doesn't like walking through the leaves in new boots and a great sweater while sipping a great pumpkin spice latte, or running outside in fresh air with a sweatshirt and shorts first time in months? Oh, these are my favorite times of the year. I detest the cold, bitter Winter (excluding Christmas of course) and the hot, humid unbearable heat of Summer (unless I am on a beach with my toes in the sand). If only it could be Fall and Spring year-round.



Boston Common - September 2014

But then these seasons wouldn't be season. I honestly do not know if I would look forward to them like I do now if there wasn't a change in season. So let's think about beginnings carefully... Why do we really like them so much? They're a change, a shift of energy. It's typically something ngeative to something positive. Sorry to get all scientific on you, but this is an example of the world's equilibrium, balancing negative energy with positive experiences.

I mean, really. Think about it. Has there ever been a time when a beginning isn't preceded by something life-changing? This happened to me this past month. A co-worker and dear friend of mine decided that she needed a fresh start. After much consideration, she decided to move to a new city thousands of miles away; life-changing decision for her, professionally and personally. And a life-changing for me, her friend. I will now have to get used to not seeing her every day and possibly not even talking to her every day. A bittersweet ending...


Boston Calling - September 2014

Literally, the day she left was the beginning of Fall, which we have already established is my favorite season. Mix of emotions, but a new beginning. This past Monday may have been her last day in Boston, but it was the first day of Fall... My equilibrium was not affected. Yes, my life is still adjusting to life without my friend in the same city that I reside, but my favorite season is here and so are the pumpkin spice lattes.

So though life brings changes, and yes some can be life-altering, know and trust that an end is always followed by a beginning.

xoxo~ Sarah

From One Red Door to Another

If you’re a renter, a college student or live in a college town, more than likely you noticed an influx of people this weekend. Yup, it was that time of year again, moving time. And this year more than any other year, I felt like part of the majority. Luckily I have a great new landlord. He let me and my roommate move in early. For those of you who have not had to move on the busiest move-in day of the year, this was a HUGE help. I was settled in before the Tufts students even packed their cars. Needless to say, I was able to enjoy the end of my Labor Day weekend while others were still laboriously lugging furniture and boxes.

It was during this arduous process that I noticed a fun, but interesting coincidence about my new and old apartments. Our first apartment was the bottom floor of a house. It was spacious for three people. We loved the character that it has, great hard wood floors and original doors. The only downside was the plaster walls. They made it very difficult to hang anything of substance on the walls. The new apartment is about a mile away from our cute little three bedroom. It is a two bedroom (got to LOVE downsizing!) in an apartment complex. It has a small balcony, not nearly as much character, but has good walls that can hold anything. The one thing that these two “homes” have in common is a red door…

Old diggs...

New diggs...

I know what you’re thinking. Who cares about the color of a door? It doesn’t matter; it’s something that you walk through, that keeps unwanted “guests” out. That is true. But let me explain... I love color. I feel like it's one of the best forms of self-expression. For those of you who follow color theory, red is a warm color associated with positivity, strength, and a will to survive. According to the website empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com, the color red is “energizing…excites the emotions and motivates us to take action.” In other words, it is a strong color emitting confidence and a passion for life.

To me this means something. As a person who has officially been a college graduate for over a year and living on my own for almost a year, it makes me feel like I am on the right path. Let me back up. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but a sign from God that I am doing the right things for me at this moment. I may be young and living a hectic life, but for right now, I think this is the path that I am supposed to be on. I am making the right choices passionately, whole-heartedly. I am trying to figure out who I am, why I am here, my purpose in life, all the while motivated to live every second of life, good and bad. And as stupid as it sounds (at least I have the confidence to admit it) the color of my door gives me hope, strength. I am still chugging, still pushing through, thriving. I am still here, living, wanting, needing, learning, growing. And for now, that’s all I need. Be young, but mature. Love with your whole heart. Take risks, open up with the energy and determination that others around me have shown their entire life. Laugh with every ounce of your being. Live with the warmth that you would want from others. And above all embody the color red.

Still Here... Adapting....

If you live near the East Coast, you’ve either been seeing huge rain drops pelting your street or feeling what may be the last official heat wave of the summer. Needless to say, with my complete disdain for heat AND humidity in the same place at the same time, I was lucky enough to experience 90 degree temperatures with dew points reaching into the high 60s. Lovely.  Walking from the Park Street T stop in Boston to office on Boylston Street is usually light and fun. This week it left me feeling like I needed a shower, a trenta iced coffee, and a nap. But for me, that isn’t what I hated most about the heat. It’s trying to sleep in it without AC.

This may be one of the last times I have to do so as the new apartment that I am moving into has a wall unit (SCORE!), but it did not change the fact that I was utterly uncomfortable laying in my bed wearing as little clothing as possible. All I wanted was that cool spot on the pillow, that one section of mattress that was still untouched by my heat-radiating body. Alas, I always ended-up throwing my blanket off in the middle of the night, just so that my fan could blow a breeze DIRECTLY onto my body. So comfortable…

tumblr.com

Yes, this sleeping pattern seemed all too familiar to me. Why do you ask? Because not only am I trying so hard to sleep comfortably by moving my foot around the bed, searching for the one thing that will give me releif, but I feel that I am doing the same in life. I want to live comfortably. I am trying so very hard to become comfortable with myself. Yet, no matter how hard I try, how hard I try a different approach, I feel like I’m still searching for that "cold spot in my bed." I’m coming up short, searching for that one thing that will finally yield a more content and comfortable person.

I know we’re not supposed to have it all figured out by the age of 24... I’m not delusional. But why is it so hard to get there? I am not so sure that I like the person I am or who I am becoming, which right now seems to be a workaholic, exercise/healthy eating fiend who has big dreams, but limited time to pursue them all…

Don’t get me wrong! It’s fun living on your own, making your own decisions, truly being independent. But it’s scary too. Part of me still felt like I was going back to my beloved alma mater this fall. That this last year was just a year-long internship and that I would move back into a dorm room with my best friends and have the world at my fingertips. But recently, I feel like these ideas are slipping away, just like the cool spots from my bed…

So alas, I turn BACK TO THIS BLOG. To share my feelings of adapting with you, whoever you may be. Maybe your having the same feelings, maybe you have "been there, done that." But bare with me as I figure it out myself. 

I will leave you on a happy note, with my new favorite song that gets me amped for another day! Enjoy!

Looking Up

Looking up in New Hampshire after Hurricane Sandy, 2012

 

 

What a phrase... It's been used as a title for Michael J. Fox's book, "Things are Looking Up," described the behavior of the most powerful "super man" in the comic book world, and even featured in song lyrics like Selena's "Dreaming." But let's break it down for a second... The word "looking" implies the use of eyes to view something or someone. It requires one of our five senses, the sense of sight. Second, the word "up" gives the notion of something taller, bigger, or above a designated subject. Together this phrase can have multiple meanings.

It can have a literal meaning. "Joe was looking up into the eyes of a giant bear." Physically, Joe's head was tilted back to look up into the eyes of the bear which stood taller than he. Many of us look up to see things, whether it is to see a bird flying in the sky, a street sign, or, in my case, a friend that is taller than 5'5". We all have eyes that are positioned in the middle of our head; we have to look up to see anything above our heads. And if we never looked up, odds are we would never see the magnificent height of trees in a forest, the looming buildings of a cityscape, or the beauty of a flying bird.

"Looking up" can also have metaphorical meanings. Many times it is used to describe the behavior of someone who has recently experienced a traumatic or upsetting event. This could be a death in the family, the loss of a job, or even a bad grade in school. The most common response to one of these events, "Keep looking up," or "Keep your chin up. It will all get better." In this situation, "looking up" refers to keeping positive. Move forward, as hard as it may be. Stay confident, things can and will get better. In this type of situation, a negative situation produces positive support. The phrase used in this way needs a negative event to happen first. "Looking up," then, can have some negative connotations attached to it.

However, it can also have positive connotations when used with metaphorical meaning. Life may not necessarily be on the downward turn for you to start "looking up." Growth, change, opportunity. Dreaming of bigger and better things. "Looking up" can mean wanting more...

This is why I am currently "looking up." I have a great life; I have a job with great coworkers, a wonderful family, gracious friends, a caring and supportive boyfriend who loves me, and I'm living in a city which has been a dream of mine since the age of 5. Yet, I am looking up. I feel like I'm in a rut. I feel like I'm ready for a change. I'm ready for a challenge. I may not know what it is just yet, but I'm dreaming and hoping that it's one I can grow from.

So here's to looking up, growing, and knowing your full potential. Have faith that things will get better, that you will grow in the areas of your life that you feel are lacking. And never be afriad to look up and see thosee birds flying above your head...

Boots, Scarves, and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Courtesy of Mack's Apples in Londonderry, NH

It’s that time of year again, my favorite time of year. Fall! I celebrated this weekend by apple picking with my boyfriend, Phil (see his picture above...) I ceremoniously wore my boots to work today, I just couldn’t help myself! This is the season for apples and pumpkins, costumes and scarves. I usually go into hibernation mode, eating apple crisp, apple pie, and apple tarts all while caring less about the calories and fat content. Bring it on!

Autumn. Who can resist the mixture of cool and warm temperatures? Perfect for drinking a cup of coffee outside on the porch or sipping a glass of wine on the back patio… The mornings are cool and the afternoons, mild. It’s the perfect running season, which makes me more than happy (no longer do I have to worry about sweating profusely or not being able to breathe correctly due to the extra moisture in the air). These spectacular temperatures are caused by the Earth non-tilt; fall is characterized by an equinox, when Earth is neither tilted toward nor away from the Sun. (Yup, you can call me Sheldon…). Our equator is in perfect line with the Sun.

The weather that is created from this non-tilt creates instances when a light jacket and an accent scarf are not only considered fashionable but serve a purpose, especially here in New England. I love wearing a sweatshirt on a Sunday afternoon watching my beloved New England Patriots plow their opponents (more recently choke, but it’s early in the season people…don’t lose hope!). This behavior only feels right in September, October, and November. (I know that the football season extends into winter, but watching a game at Gillette is so much better when you don’t have to don 16 layers of clothing…)

Now, I know that Spring is supposed to be a time of new beginnings, but for some reason I feel this renewal in Fall. The world changes, from a world of green and luscious plants to a dreamscape of bright colors. Most trees release chemicals causing their leaves to change, chemicals that only exist when the weather changes from sweltering to cool. Yes, the leaves may fall off the trees, but it makes way for new life, new beginnings. It rids itself of the old and paves way for the new.

So here’s to a new beginning. Enjoy the weather fellow New Englanders! Buy a pumpkin spiced latte. Wear those boots proudly. And know that life keeps moving, changing, closing doors to one season and opening others to different opportunities, positive changes and exciting prospects. Here’s to Fall!

Gotta Love the...

...nice cool breeze today. It's a small glimpse into my favorite season...Fall or Autumn depending on how politically correct you would like to be... But there was no better feeling on my bike ride this morning than this same cool breeze cooling me down as I huffed up the three hills on my route.

www.boston.com

Today on my commute into Boston, we passed the two of the newer wind turbines on route 93. These huge structures serve a purpose; they are a clean way of collecting renewable energy for consumers in the suberbs of this historical Massachusetts city. To some they may be ugly strcutures, defiling the Boston skyline. To me they give me hope that we, as a society, are opening our minds to new and innovative ideas; today the turning of the blades gave me hope that things will continue to turn, move and change.

Last night I was a little down in the dumps. Just one of those moods. I was a little upset that my plans to go for a bike ride with a friend were canceled. And this lead to feelings of discouragement at the fact that I was still living at home. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and am so thankful that they let me come home after I graduated college. I just saw myself living in Boston if I had a job there. And I'm not...A girl can get sad every now and again right?

But this windmill on my way to work this morning opened my eyes...life keeps going, moving, changing. It creates different expereinces, memories, and energies. And I need to stop thinking about how my "life plan" isn't playing out like I thought it would. I need to float, be flexable, move with the changing winds. Stay positive, stay strong, and keep the hope that I've had all my life; everything will work out!

My Life-Long Dream...

This week I was a stalker. Yup, that's right. I was a full-fledged, Facebook-creeping, blog digging psychopath. And not with an old crush or ex-friend, with someone I barely know...

When I was a freshman in high school, there was this older senior. She was a star basketball player and wanted to study Communication. Yet, she did what many from my small town are scared to do; she left. And not just go away to college, but full on took the world by storm. She went to school in California, did a semester at sea, traveled the world. Now she is living her dream, working for one of the top women's magazines in New York City. As an outsider looking in, she is living her dream; she has surpassed her goals and seems to have found something we all strive for, happiness. 

Sifting through all of her posts on her blog, I came to the realization. I must, need and most of all want to travel. By seeing the world, my former schoolmate was able to find out who she was and what she wanted out of life... I feel stuck...I have a job with people that I love, working to make a change in my local community... But what else is out there? What am I missing out on? 

As a result, here's my list. The top 10 places I want to visit. Absorb. Touch and be touched by the cultures and the sights. These are by no means in an order of attainability. Just the top 10 places that intrigue me:

1.  Petra, Jordan

2.  London, England

3.  Tuscany, Italy

4.  Grand Canyon

5.  Botswana

6.  Bermuda

7.  Panama Canal

8.  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

9.  Santorini, Greece

10. Great Wall of China

It's a random list yes, but a girl can dream can't she?

1910 Map of the World
(emersonkent.com)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain