Bridget Jones-ing it

I’ll admit it: I look in other people’s baskets at the grocery store. I steal a peek now and then to see what my neighbor in line is buying and yeah, I judge them a little. It all started when I was in middle school, and my mother remarked about a girl who bought nothing but matches and Clorox, “I hope she isn’t going to drink that bleach when she gets home.” And now I feel as though it is almost my duty to spy on grocery store purchases. (Don’t even bother asking how that makes sense…my mind can be a confusing place.)

Moral of the story is that when I’m looking into other baskets, I wonder what people would think looking into mine. Last night, my basket told a sad yet familiar little NYC story. Last night I was the stereotypical single girl: sugar free Jello, Lean Cuisines, soy milk, bag of lettuce. To top it off I did laundry when I got home, then lit a scented candle (creamy nutmeg, yum!) and cried my way through Legends of the Fall. 

I get this way sometimes. I hunker down for the winter with books and movies and television. Then I consider taking up a hobby, but it usually ends up being knitting or crochet, and then I may as well adopt five cats while I’m at it. From now on: plans. Friends. Bridges of Madison County is going back to Netflix unwatched.

that much closer to 30

Today, I turn 24. Normally, I have a mini-breakdown about growing older because I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything in my life. This year I feel differently. I’ve learned to appreciate the good things about myself, and even the not so good. I have survived over two years in the hardest city in the world. I got my driver’s license this year. I resisted the urge to physically harm my former roommate (this in and of itself is a miracle). I read really good books, watched a lot of TV and saw great movies. I made new friends who have become near and dear to me. I lost people this year too. I took risks. I learned to put on eyeliner. I lost weight. I let New York grow on me.

As sappy and inspirational as it may sound, I learned to embrace myself this year. Yes, I use commas excessively, and I am judgemental, and I have no verbal filter to speak of (unless I’m in a work environment). But I am also intensely loyal and always willing to listen. I’ve accepted that I’ll never be one of ‘those girls’. You know, those girls with the perfect hair and the great outfit who eat nothing but fried food all day and don’t gain an ounce and are casually elegant. That’s just not me. But I am proud of the fact that I don’t hide behind a facade. What you see is what you get. It is far too much energy to waste trying to be someone I’m not. I am a take it or leave it kind of girl, and if you decide to leave it, that’s really fine by me.

So today, perhaps for the first time in a long time, I am celebrating me. Me at my best and at my worst, because the highs would mean nothing without the lows. Thanks for celebrating with me.

 

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Things I am excited about:

-The new Britney video premieres tonight. I have already set my DVR.
-Baking cookies this weekend, even though I have neither the time nor the calories to spare
-Going home next weekend (and hopefully stopping by Linvilla Orchards)
-Smarties in the office next to mine. Honestly, I don’t think I’d had them since I was 10.
-Jillian Michaels: 30Day Shred coming tomorrow from Netflix. I’ve heard nothing but good things.