Simple Thoughts

Invest in the present moment, in yourself, and not the future. As I drove home from Vegas, one of the guys in the car was talking about this and it really stuck with me. He was talking about how he goes to work at 8am and is not off until 12am, and then continues to do this for the rest of the week. He said that yes, he is setting himself up for a great future however he thinks it is important to invest in the present moment and in himself right now rather then the future. (He then went on to talk about how he has no time for a girlfriend or for anything else because he works too much.)

As I was dozing off to sleep I really thought about how that is no way to live your life. You may be doing all this work now to set yourself up for a wonderful, abundant future however, what if you are still not happy? What do you do then? It is important to focus on the present time that we are in. To enjoy the moment that you are experiencing right now. The future, is the future, and the future turns into the past. Two things that one should not focus on. We only essentially, ever have, the present moment.

This makes me stop and think about people in my life that I am surrounded by that live their life like this. Their are quite a few people that come to my mind-- and these people I thank. It really is a breath of fresh air when I come into contact with these type of people. It is easy to get lost in the normal flow of human life-- whats next? However, when I am surrounded by people who essentially just LIVE, it is so fulfilling. Because, that is just what I am trying to do.. is LIVE.

Festival Love

This weekend I attented the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Motor Speedway in Las Vegas. This was my first pure electronic festival, and it was absolutely amazing and breathtaking. The festival began at around 8pm and ended at 6:30am, and was a 3 day long event. Lets just say it was definetly a struggle to make it out at night. EDC was everything more then I had expected. I am so happy that I went-- the festival culture is just such an amazing culture, that I love to be a part of. I am new to 'festivals,' my first being Coachella 2011. However, I have always had a great love and appreciation for music. After experiencing Coachella, I realized how much I love festivals. The people, music, lights, atmosphere, art, and the culture is inspiring. I love how everyone gets along, if you are standing next to someone often times you chat or introduce yourself. You get lost in the music and don't worry about anything other then the moment that you are in. The lights are jaw-dropping. The atmosphere is like you are home with family and the art and culture is beautiful. No wonder people save up their money and countdown the days until the next festival. A music festival is a place where you can get lost in the present moment you are in and all worries that you once had are faded away. It is therapeutic.

EDC was absolutely amazing and I suggest if their is a festival around you that you go, no matter what type of music it is!

Life's not about whats better than

Life's not about whats better than, an amazing and truthful song by John Butler Trio. I try to live my life with no comparisons. Constantly I hear people complain or compare experiences to each other. I am guilty of it myself sometimes as well. For example if you ask someone how their night was, many times the reply was it was alright or nothing special. However-- why does everything need to be compared? Why can't that night be just as amazing or special as the last. For the most part you are usually always enjoying the company of good friends and good people. You may be meeting people you have never met before, experiencing a new atmosphere of some sort, or tasting a food you have never tasted before. Take those feelings and experiences as they are-- they do not need to be compared to a past experience. They are just as amazing and special. As human beings we are always seeking something else, something better, something greater, something bigger. Nothing is 'good enough.' So take this moment to try and eliminate the comparisons or the 'longing' for something different out of your life and make your present situation good enough, special enough, and amazing enough for you. If it is not enough then change something and make it enough. Life shouldn't be about comparing the past or waiting for something else in the future. Life is about right now, this moment. So make it great.

Myself and a few of my close friends (Alexandra, Cassie, Brianna, Jade, Jenna, and Lindsay) went to Solana Beach last Thursday and explored the Meditation Gardens. The view was breathtaking and the gardens were so peaceful and tranquil. I posted a few pictures from that day.. enjoy :).

Generosity

someone left me a cinnamon roll at Ikea.

Free your mind

This past weekend I went back home to Santa Cruz for a little family time. It was a much needed weekend home and a much needed time to put things that I care about into perspective. Sometimes, I get so lost in the San Diego lifestyle that I forget about the sole reason that I am down here.

Going home was refreshing. Hanging out with my older brother Nick is probably the best curative treatment any person could ever receive. I swear he has an abundant amount of serotonin flowing through his brain because he is always happy. When he walks into a room people can't help but smile and talk to him. He lights up so many people's lives and is the center to our family. Nick has Down Syndrome and Apraxia. Apraxia is a disorder in which he is not able to coordinate movement of the motor movement of his mouth-- in short terms he can't form words so basically when he talks it sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo. Since, I grew up with him I can understand some things however the common person would not be able to understand Nick for the life of them.

However, this being so, it does not set Nick back in anyway. If I could tell you the one person I know who lives their life the way every person wants to and hopes one day to that would be Nick. He finds happiness, love, and passion in everything that he does. His favorite being dance. Nick is the reason why I don't let small things.. even big things get to me. Nick was born with a disability and yet he is able to find more happiness then anyone I know. He literally is an angel that was sent to show people how to live life. He is the most amazing person I know and I am the luckiest person to be able to call him my older brother.

Stop for a minute and think. Is their something that has been bugging you constantly? Are you holding a grudge that you just can't seem to let go? Are you upset by an action of another? Realize, that in a year, even in a few weeks this feeling will not exist anymore, it will not matter-- so do yourself a favor and just let it go. Maybe you can't let it go because then you do not have a backbone. (I have heard this said many times about myself.) Who made up this theory of 'having a backbone' anyways? It is just a feeling, feelings go away, change, and come again. Let it go-- live carefree and happy. Free your mind.

Changing Faces

Change is inevitable. It engulfs our lives on a daily basis. However, sometimes change can be overwhelming and strike you at a time when you may not be ready for it. This time, is now, for myself and many of my close friends.

Many of my friends just graduated college and four of my bestfriends are moving away from San Diego, two of which I lived with for basically four years. It is hard to believe that I will not be able to pick up the phone and call them to hang out whenever I please.

I have been trying to deal with this change and sometimes it overwhelms me with sadness that the best four years of my life are slowly coming to an end. However, I am a very optimistic person and I know that this is not a way to handle life's obstacles. Lately, I have been stumbling upon quotes and self-improvement topics to find something that can help myself and my friends deal with this thing we call change. I have found that yes we are all growing up and moving into different directions of our lives however we are opening the door up to many great things to come.

I know for a fact that every single one of my friends will be successful in whatever they choose to do and now, this part of life is the exciting and scary opportunity to find what we all love to do and what makes us happy. The one thing, the most important thing, is to be happy-- what my mom always tells me.

Change can bring about sadness, and that is okay however it should also bring about excitement and curiosity.

Life is about change, life is about learning, life is about growing and every step of life we are given we need to take it on with positivity and willingness. Where people tend to fail and get stuck is when they do not accept this process.

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. ~Helen Keller

Floral Divine

I really could get used to waking up to the smell of the ocean everyday. Today has been quite a nice, relaxing, and lovely day. I woke up and went on a run around the bay and now am working on a video that compiles all four college years. Going through all of the pictures and videos since freshman year really makes me appreciate what I was given. It amazes me how lucky I am-- to have picked San Diego State and probably had one of the best college experiences anyone could ask for. I made a group of the best of friends and was accepted into SDSU's nursing school. Those are just two, of many things that have made these past four years the best of my life. As Tiesto's song says "I'm blessed, so blessed, so blessed."

The Boat

Finally, we are pretty much all moved into our new place in Mission Beach we are now calling 'The Boat.' We are calling our house 'The Boat' because it basically feels like we are living on a boat-- on one end of our house you can see the bay and on the other end of our house you can see the pacific beach ocean. tough life? How I got this lucky, I am not sure however I am very thankful. Thank You.