Life Update!

Hello! It’s been a little while since I’ve given a film update, so ~allow me~

I’m back home for Thanksgiving break and super excited to announce that I’ve finished production on two films, titled “Anx-eye-ty” and “Ego.” They will be set to premiere this December 22nd at 7pm in my hometown like I did this past August (so hello my hometown heroes hehe u know who u are)! 

Small disclaimer, “Anx-eye-ty” had to be released on YouTube for external reasons, so it’s technicallyyyyy already out. HOWEVER, if you’d like to be a GEM and wait until December when it’s ~officially~ released in person 😌 I’d owe u one (ssh I won’t judge either way)!

Anywho, I’m super excited for this next release - it will be a double feature plus some bloopers once again! These films feature some familiar stars of mine, so get extra excited!! 🥰

One Day At a Time

Another weekly reminder that you are so appreciated! 

I know this time of the year is exciting with the holiday season coming up, but I also know this can be stressful. I feel like the weeks leading up to the beginning of school breaks are so chaotic. You’re made to feel like you have to rush everything to get it done. It’s like we’re on a gerbil wheel and we just keep spinning until we burn ourselves out. Today I found myself, even in still moments, feeling rushed about getting all my work done. 

So my goal for this post is to tell you that it’s okay. You’re okay. You’ll get everything done - you always do (don’t lie to yourself).

If things get too overwhelming, like I know they do, take it one day at a time. You’re doing a great job. A fantastic job actually. And I’m proud of you for pushing through, and your work will pay off soon! 💘

The Power of You

So I guess I have a thing for motivational sweatshirts huh! Today, I’m here to remind you of the power of you :)

Recently, my semester has been pretty chaotic. There’s always a ton of deadlines and due dates. Just when you think you complete once assignment, there’s another looming. It can be easy to feel swept up in it all.

So today I’m giving you the pass. I want you to do something for yourself, whether it’s watching a Halloween movie, hanging with a friend, or treating yourself to your favorite dessert - do something that makes you happy. It can be as small as listening to some music. Anything.

Trust me, even if you feel like you don’t, you deserve it. You’re a human, you’re not a machine. You shouldn’t be made to feel like you can’t take a breather.

Your presence - on this earth is powerful. You are someone’s world - trust me. You are the reason someone keeps pushing through their day. You make each day better. The world is a better place with you in it. And I’ll keep reminding you of it until you believe it yourself :)

Be kind to yourself please ❤️

Advice From a College Senior

Hello again :) it’s me, your collegiate big (or little) sis! I’m virtually here tonight to tell you some little insider tips I’ve gathered throughout my penn state experience so far! I know many don’t go to psu, so this info can be applied generally as well!

My first piece of advice, is to forget the advice. That’s right. Sike! Forget the advice. This is what I want you to do instead. Take a second to sit back and look at how far you’ve come - doesn’t matter what part of life you’re in! 

Take a second to appreciate all you’ve grown and improved on. All you’ve worked so hard for pardon my ~français~ but you’re kinda absolutely the shit! 

Okay now for the actual advice part. I could sit here and list off all my college faves (which I’ll totally do if that’s a request), but I want to connect in a different way with you. The reality is, nobody’s an expert. Literally everyone is just making it up as they go - and that’s okay! 

Sometimes I find myself getting stressed out about people’s advice of “make sure you do this,” or “cherish this or that because it’ll be gone in a heartbeat.” That advice is still so dependent on the future. It’s preventing you from living the now, because you’re so focused on how you’ll feel in the future and if you’ll regret anything later. 

So I’m here to say, take a deep breath. There is no “proper” way to do things. There’s no one way that’s better than the other. All you can do, like I’ve said before, is your best at the present moment. And you are! I know you are. I can FEEL it. 

If you’re nervous you might regret something later, laugh through it! If you’re scared you aren’t getting the experience you think you should have, change the narrative. Remind yourself you’re only human, and you’re handling things in the ways you can right now. You got this!

And as always, as your big sis, I’m here for you. Whatever it might be, consider me a listening ear (and if you psu baddies actually want some recommendations - just suggestions not end-all-be-all’s, I gotchu hehe). Be kind to your mind please😘 I love u very much so!

I’m Proud of You.

I’m proud of you. Four words I think a lot of us could hear more often.

I recently polled my Instagram, and the next blog topic chosen was mental health. For some people, mental health could be something easily talked about. For others, you may never know what’s going on under the surface.

In either scenario, I think it’s important to remind ourselves how far we’ve come and how much we’ve progressed from our past experiences. And I know it’s easy to say,”Be proud of yourself!” or “Reflect!” but I actually mean it. Allow yourself to be proud for a second. It’s okay, you deserve it!

Whether you’re satisfied with your present or not, we can only move forward. Unfortunately (as we obviously know), life doesn’t slow down for anyone. But that can be a beautiful thing!

Think about how much you’ve accomplished in just this past year alone. Whether it was the best year of your life, or the worst year of your life, you got through it. You handled it. You managed yourself in the ways you could at the time. That’s HUGE! Like…huge. Really. And now you get a chance to experience another year full of new experiences!

I don’t think we often give ourselves enough credit for how we go about the world, handling our own collective mental healths (health, healths? grammar yikes). Everyone, even those who seem to have it all together, has something going on in their lives. Something is affecting them, something’s on their mind. I unfortunately think mental health sometimes has an awkward stigma around it. People are made to feel that if they share how they actually feel inside, that it’s showing some form of weakness (which is total bs in my humble opinion).

I truly think some of the strongest people in this world are those who own their feelings. That doesn’t mean you have to go spreading your every emotion to every person, but it does mean that you’re honest with yourself. You allow yourself to feel (trust me, I know this is hard). You don’t underplay or invalidate your own feelings. You give yourself a break. You give yourself time and space to heal or relax from whatever could be going on.

I believe mental health should be treated like physical health. If you’re not feeling 100%, you should be allowed space to breathe. That’s A-OK! You don’t have to be at your best every single day - that would be exhausting!

Overall, I am proud of you. You deserve all the hype in the world. You’re crushing it. You are doing the best you can, and that’s something to celebrate. I have full faith that everything will work out for you, and if you need someone, you know I’m always here. Be kind to yourself please 💜

The Side You Don’t See

Hello again!! It’s been a little while, but I thought I’d take the time tonight to share with you the side of me you usually don’t get to see. If I’m being honest, the past few weeks have been super exciting, but they’ve also been very challenging.

I know I’ve talked about my health issues in previous posts, and I just want to reiterate that I, in no means, want to come off as looking for pity or complaining, since I know there are plenty out there who suffer much worse than I do. And they are stronger than me and always will be.

I just want to keep the theme consistent of trying to be as authentic as I can on this blog - including sharing both the good and bad times.

Recently, I’ve really been having a lovely time at school! I really think this will be a great year :) However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t now severely struggling with all my food allergies/intolerances (refer to June 13th’s post for the full rundown). Since the last time I’ve given an update, I’ve sadly found out that my gut health has only declined further.

Now I love being positive and happy. I love encouraging others. But I don’t think it’s healthy to pretend that everyday is complete sunshine (you’ve been there with me through this realization because I’ve written about it before hehe).

However you may know me, you may not know all sides to the equation here.

The side that gets frustrated. The side that tries to mask how anxious she’s feeling. The side being told daily there’s a new food to avoid. The side that sits in the ER for hours passing out from intestinal pain (unfortunately, not a joke). The side that blinks back tears to her mom on the phone, scared of how weak she feels. The side I don’t always want you to see.

The sides that are my reality are the sides I try so hard to ignore. But recently, I’ve found myself opening up way more and letting people in to see the “not-so-hot” sides of me. And it’s been so overwhelmingly positive, I’m so touched just thinking about it!

So my overarching message is this: everyone has multiple layers to them. Including struggles. Especially struggles. If you’re comfortable enough, I encourage you to share your struggles with just one person. That’s it. If you’re not there yet, that’s fine too! There’s no clear-cut fix to all our life struggles.

But I promise you, you’ll never be a burden. You are so valid as you are (all your sides included), and I hope you come to realize that sooner than I did :)❤️:)❤️:)❤️:)❤️

The Double Feature

Omg!! Thank you SO so much to those who came out to my double feature premiere tonight! These films are so incredibly close to my heart, and my head is still reeling from getting to share them :) Thank you to the cast(s) for all your hard work (you make my job easy hehe)!!

That being said - my brand new documentary Why-omissing, and narrative short, Convergence, are up on my YouTube channel now, as well as linked below!!

Let’s talk about the films:

Convergence - I wrote this script for a film class my sophomore year. I based it on my minor, Sociology! I’ve always found it super fascinating how people in society all affect one another, in sort of a chain reaction, whether we know it or not. So, with the help of my lovely friends at school, I wanted to emulate that concept with a story about fictional college students! I aimed for the beginning of the film to be chaotic, and the end, towards the resolution, to be more mellow. So I hope you enjoy, I know we had the best time filming it!

Why-omissing - I’ve always wanted to make a documentary, however, I never knew what I wanted to focus on. While I was home a couple summers ago, it occurred to me that there was something special about the place I grew up in. I couldn’t quite put it into words the sentiment this place held for me, so I thought I would put it into visuals! This resulted in me asking my loved ones the simple question, “Why?” Why live here? What’s so special about our town? Why do you care so much about it?

And it makes me want to cry thinking about how this little town means so much to so many!

Overall, I’m beyond the MOON getting to share these projects with you! It’s a little piece of my brain I can share, and I’m forever grateful I have a digital diary of sorts that I can look back on with fond memories :)

Cherishing

Today I was almost seconds away from getting into a bad car crash. Seconds. That’s not an exaggeration either.

Now don’t worry, the key word here is almost. Luckily, me and everyone else on the road are totally fine. Nobody got hurt. Nobody crashed. I am incredibly fortunate and beyond thankful to the universe that everyone was okay. Truly.

(Btw if you’ve been in an accident before, you may not want to read the next paragraph. Although an accident didn’t happen, the last thing I would want is for me to bring you any unneeded anxiety ❤️).

Basically, a few cars in front of me, a car had a big merging error that caused multiple cars to come to a complete stop in the middle of a major road. The backup happened so suddenly that it caused the cars in front of and behind me to nearly miss sandwiching my car. The car behind me managed to swerve enough (mind you, at 70mph) to save all of us from crashing. And for that I’m so so incredibly grateful.

Now the point of this post is not to discuss the almost-accident. It’s to talk about how it shifted my view on things. We’re always told to cherish every moment on this earth. We’re told that we only have today, this exact moment. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. And until now, that fact hasn’t fully resonated with me. I realize how crazy lucky I got. I also realize how others out there unfortunately have not been so lucky.

I think now more than ever, I am encouraging you (and myself because I simply need to take this advice) to live for today. I know I’ve touched on this before, but whatever you’re holding back on doing? Go for it. Start a new passion. Take a leap of faith. Tell people how much you love and cherish them. Go take yourself on adventures. I’m serious. I know how easy this is to say and not mean it, but I mean it more than ever now.

I chose this photo to accompany this post, because it was a moment of true happiness. I felt alive, I felt in the moment. Hunting for waterfalls with my mom are memories we made that I’ll always cherish. Moments like those are moments I’m gonna keep chasing the rest of my life.

I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is live as authentically as we possibly can. If we value people, we tell them. If we like something, we do more of it. I think as long as we keep that goal in our minds, we’re bound to cherish as many moments as we can. I love you and I’m so so thankful :)

Still Kickin’

In my on-going attempt to be(e) as authentic and open as I can, tonight I’m sharing something I never thought I’d share.

I’m going to share the words that have haunted me for years.

Now obviously, disclaimer: hurtful words are not a one-size-fits-all. What hurts me might not hurt you. What hurts you might not hurt me. I’m sharing this for a purpose: to free myself of its hold on me.

Because I’ve learned a hell of a lot from it.

I was once told that I was an extra body. That’s it. an. extra. body. here.

Those words, while they’re something that should never be said to anyone, may not mean much to you. And that’s expected - we’re not the same people. However, it unfortunately impacted me. And trust me, I’ve already beaten myself up about letting it affect me so much. But for some unexplainable reason, this one stuck with me.

It hurt like crazy. It made me insecure. It made me truly question if I was just an extra body that doesn’t mean anything to anyone. I’d be lying if I said that it doesn’t still cross my mind. I’d be lying if I said that I don’t feel like an extra body sometimes. Quite frankly, I oftentimes feel overlooked. I sometimes even feel completely invisible.

However, over the years I’ve come to realize that whatever you give power, has power. Words, people, situations, they can all have power. Simple as that.

But this works both ways too. If you give yourself power, you are powerful.

Who gives a flying shEEt what people say you are?! Your opinion of yourself is what matters. Sure, words are painful. They may never go away completely in your mind. But you know who you are better than anyone else on the planet. And that’s never going to change.

I haven’t let these words change who I am, so why start now? I know I’m not an extra body. I refuse to let those words take control of me anymore.

I’m still kickin. I’m still me. Whatever has been said was said. That’s it. That’s all it’ll ever be because I refuse to let it slow me down.

New Films!!

I’m SO excited to announce that I have two more original films coming out!! A short narrative film called “Convergence,” and a documentary film called, “Why-omissing.”

They’ll both be premiering live on August 10th in my hometown and August 11th on my YouTube channel: Mary Bee Films! I can’t wait for you to see what I’ve been working on! ☺️❤️

A List of Things I Haven’t Said, But Should Have

I’m not a confrontational person. I like to keep the peace. When things go south, this unfortunately means I keep things inside me. I hold things in. I don’t even confront myself. 

I also overthink. I constantly beat myself up over everything. I blame myself for everything. I mask my emotions and convince myself nothing should be bothering me. And I don’t deserve to do that to myself anymore. I have to remember, no matter what, I need my own support the most.

So I’m finally saying things, not that I should have said to others, but that I should have said to myself a long time ago. 

• You are enough. You’re not too much, you’re not too little. Period. 

• You don’t have anything to prove. 

• You’re doing the best you can, stop pressuring yourself to be a certain way or feel a certain way. 

• Start thinking of yourself more. Putting others first so much so, that you forget your own needs, is toxic. 

• Let things go when you can, but remember your worth. 

• Don’t question your decisions once they’re made. 

• Do more of what makes YOU happy. (And actually do it, no cheating).

• Celebrate small victories each day. 

• Stop seeking outside validation, your opinion is the most important. 

• Stop chasing people. Seriously. 

• Wherever you are, is where you need to be right now. 

• Embrace your feelings. Stop lying to yourself that you have to be happy 24/7.

• You have plenty of time to achieve all your goals. You’ve already begun!

EARTHLY For the Planet

Do you know someone who’s changing the world? Cause I do!

Let me talk about my favorite brand for a second. My dear friend started this clothing brand as her senior thesis project at Penn State. And (excuse my French) like the badass she is, she decided to continue the project after graduation and make it a real brand!!

EARTHLY’s mission is all about sustainability. Each item is up cycled or made from donated & thrifted clothing, with an emphasis on being as eco-friendly as possible! Inclusivity is also a huge mission of EARTHLY. The company truly feels like a community supporting one another. It’s a brand that you can basically feel the genuineness coming right off the clothes! 

So here I am, gloating about the best people and best brand, in hopes that you’ll support their mission of saving the environment one item at a time :) You truly won’t regret it!! (btw: I am wearing their cropped polo tank in size S) 💚♻️

Here’s the link to their website: https://www.earthlyfortheplanet.com

Dancing in the Rain

It was raining today. It’s raining in this photo. But I chose to dance in it. I chose to jump in the puddles like a little kid. 

In attempts to keep my promise of posts prior, I am going to be as candid with my emotions as possible. Not many people are aware of this, but this past school year included, mentally, one of the hardest years of my life. 

Now I know, unfortunately, I am not alone in that experience. However, like I promised myself, I’m going to stop invalidating my emotions. So I’m saying right here, right now, it wasn’t all smiles and sunshine. And honestly, not all of the pain I felt has completely gone away. And I’m learning to deal with that each day. 

And that’s just the thing. I’m learning each day. I already know that no matter what has happened, or what will happen, I’m still standing. I’m still jumping in puddles in the rain. I’m still sitting here, writing this post, knowing my experiences have made me nothing but a stronger person. 

I can choose to be sad that it’s raining, or to dance in the rain. And while, the second option isn’t how I feel all the time, I know that my emotions are valid. They’re okay. We’re not robots that feel one emotion our entire lives. 

I know who I am. And I promise myself I won’t change no matter what obstacle is thrown at me. I’ll just grow like the plants after a rainstorm. 

That’s what I call learning to dance in the rain of life. And I’m damn proud of it.

Disaster

Let me get you to think dramatically here for a second. I want you to picture your disaster movie moment.

Ya know, the point in the plot where everything seems to go wrong. The world as you know it is quite literally spiraling out of control. You’re being chased by a sharknado, or you’re somehow inside a volcano that’s about to erupt. Think ~drama~ here for a moment…

Who are you turning to in this moment? Who are you looking for? Or, I guess in sharknado terms since you’re fight-or-flight, whose presence would calm you down? Who are you jumping in front of that train for?

If you immediately thought of an answer, first off, go give that person a hug or something cause, man, they must be COOL cool. But more importantly, did you think of more than one person? Did you think of a place, rather? Did you think of yourself? Or maybe you couldn’t think of anyone, anything - and that’s okay too! 

Let’s back up for a second. The word disaster obviously implies some sort of ~doom~ ….duh. But what if we looked at that word from a more literary perspective (yes, I know, I’m John Green, just trust me for a sec I’m getting there). 

A disaster can be a singular event in life, or a series of events in someone’s lifetime that constitutes some form of disarm. But if you step back from it, everyone thinks of a different definition. Not everyone has the same disaster standards as weird as it sounds. A disaster is literally just a plot twist in a timeline.

Now, back to your movie moment. We only ever see the current moment through our eyes. We only see one plot at one time on screen (hehe film❤️) - and how could we not! It’s literally all we can do. We can’t be multiple places at one time. But what we can’t see is often what’s most comforting…that there’s multiple plot lines happening at once. Always. 

Remember when I asked who/what are you looking for? Ultimately, you’re looking for comfort, for answers. You could feel like you’re the only one being chased by a raptor, but look to your right! There’s probably someone running from the same raptor, or their own dinosaur. Rawr. 

What I’m trying to say is, if you feel like you’re in disaster mode, take a step back. Step outside your own head for a sec. Think of the big picture. The ~grand scheme~ of life. If the big picture doesn’t work, then think about those around you. There has to be someone else going through struggles as well. 

You’re not alone, no matter how isolated you may feel. I promise. And I hope that’s something you keep in mind :)

Tunnel Vision

Sometimes I think it’s hard to not to have tunnel vision. We’re so focused on the future and pushing ourselves to achieve our goals - which is obviously great, we need to keep looking forward or else we won’t get anywhere.

However, I think it’s easy for the future to be overwhelming for people. Obviously, each individual experience we face shapes who we are now and who we become in the future. 

But we shouldn’t try to force ourselves to completely set up our future today. The future is unknown! And while that’s a daunting thought, it’s also very exciting! We don’t have to know everything. We don’t have to have it all together. We’re not supposed to! All we know is now. 

Who is supporting you now? Who do you hold on to when life feels crazy? Who is cheering you on today? These questions are how we figure out the now. 

So wherever you are in your journey: maybe you’re confused in your present or scared for the future, give yourself a break! You’re doing the absolute best you can at this given moment. As much as it feels like everyone has it figured out, they don’t. You don’t need tunnel vision to the future to be successful right now and neither do they. 

Everything will be okay. I promise. And if it’s not? You’ll know what to do when the time comes. You always do.

Today

I often times feel myself holding back from sharing things that make me upset on my blog. When something goes wrong, I usually tell myself that my issue isn’t as big as someone else’s, therefore, not as important. I think about those who have it worse than me, and start to invalidate my own pain. Obviously, there are those out there with more things they have to deal with than me. There always will be. I am very fortunate and thankful for being on this earth, living my life. 

However, this mentality that my pain is not valid because others have it worse is destructive. It’s toxic to myself. There has been an overarching issue in my world that has really taken over the past 10 years of my life, and I want to share it. So today I’m going to, regardless of what my brain tells me. Frick that. 

I know I don’t want pity and I want to stay as genuine on this blog as possible, including sharing my bad days. I’m sharing what makes me insecure, because who knows, maybe this message will reach someone.

Today was not like this photo. I actually chose this photo specifically to show that. Today, I spent the majority of the day curled up on the floor, in fetal position, grasping my stomach. I was having allergic reaction number 6789000+, and that seemed to be the only way I could exist comfortably. 

When I was little, we started to notice something was up with me. I started having stomach aches constantly. This began a really really long journey to try and figure out what’s wrong with my digestion.  A 10. year. journey. 

We visited countless doctors, ran all types of blood tests, and even visited the ER. I kept losing weight and we weren’t sure why. The result was finding multiple new food allergies, and stomach lining issues. I switched my diet to discard all the foods I once loved, and began a life as the “allergy kid” that was no fun to take to restaurants (lolol).  

I don’t comfortably eat anymore. I get scared to try new foods. I stress over ingredient lists and cross-contamination. I have to be uber aware of food labels. I feel hungry all the time, but when I eat, I feel sick. Like today, I often feel helpless. I have reactions all the time. If I’m being honest with myself, I haven’t gone a day in 9 years without my stomach hurting in some capacity. I get embarrassed having to explain all my medical issues, when I don’t even 100% know we found all of them yet. Something that used to be one of my favorite things ever, sharing a meal with my friends and family, has become a nightmare. 

Now why am I sharing all this? Because I know, like today, I feel sad that this is reality. Like today, I feel exhausted after trying to be okay with this 24/7. Like today, I get insecure about this being a part of my life. Like today, I struggle with some not-so-hot days. 

But what I also know is that like today, there is so much to be grateful for. Like today, I choose to share with you what I want to share, without worry that it’s not valid or important enough. Like today, I have gotten through everything thrown at my way thus far, thanks to the help of those who love me. Like today, I know the insecurities that affect me, won’t matter to those who truly love me. Like today, I am content knowing that there are many things going right that make life all the more beautiful, and it will be okay in the end :)

So go ahead, share your insecurities, who gives a literal sheet! We all have them, why not talk them out? 

The Backstory

The other day, my uncle started asking me about my films. As we got talking, he asked me a question I hadn’t really thought hard about before. He said “What was the moment you knew you loved film?” Its such a simple question, but it really made me think about my life and my influences, so I thought I’d take a second to fill you in on some of the motivating factors along my little film journey so far. This is a little elaboration on my very first post ever on this account ;)

As you know (or maybe not woops who knows), I am a Film Production major. My friends and I grew up putting on little plays and shows for my parents all the time. Once I realized i could record these little shows and save them, I was hooked. I’ve been making these little home videos since I was 12 years old.

When I got to high school, I never thought I could pursue film as a major. I didn’t think it was “practical” enough. I didn’t necessarily believe I could make it into a career. I remember I pushed myself to take a film class my junior year, because deep down I knew it was still a passion of mine. I started thinking more critically about what a future in film could look like. I think the moment I knew I was hooked was when I was watching a movie, and I wasn’t paying attention to the cute heartthrobs or the drama, I was looking at the framing and cinematography of each shot. From then on, my mind became a constant running movie. I started seeing life through the eyes of “What can I film?” or “Ooh that would be a cool shot!” And boom. Mary Bee Films was born! :) 

On the flip side, I have a minor in Sociology as well. Now for many people, this combination of film and soc does not make sense. But for me, learning about what people like vs. dislike, what makes people feel certain ways or not, is super helpful. My only goal as a filmmaker is to make my audience feel something. Anything. And this all helps me make my films better.

(That being said, little shameless plug here, today I released a trailer for my new film, “Convergence.” It plays on Sociology, combining both my major and minor, and focuses on how we all affect each other whether we know it or not. Link below)!

Just Like a Flower

This post is a simple one: it’s to remember all that you are! Just like a flower, you are unique. You are special (I don’t care what the world has made you feel, you are special). 

Just like a flower, you matter. Your presence is needed on this earth. Someone’s everyday life is better because you are here. 

Just like a flower, you’re a beautiful thing. You are a very specific mix of talents and qualities that no one else on this planet exactly replicates. 

Just like a flower, I’m glad you exist. The world would be a pretty bleak place without you. Please remember how much you matter, because I won’t stop telling you until you do! ;)

Extra, Extra!

Let me start off by saying, yes. These photos are probably some of the most extra things I’ve made yet (and you know how much I love “extra” photo shoots). But hey, I had fun! 

This got me thinking about the concept of “being extra” - what it constitutes, why we stress over it. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s obviously a time and a place for everything. If you’re living your life unauthentically for the purpose of just showing off to others, maybe yes, that is a little extra of you. 

However, I don’t think extra has to be a bad thing. In the moment I took these photos, I was having a ton of fun! Yes, I felt a little weird rolling up to my neighborhood park in a body-con dress....BUT I intentionally knew this was for fun. Shoutout @pinterest for this one hehe! 

It’s hard not to get caught up in worrying about what other people might think about you. But there’s something I like to keep in mind that I want to share with you:

People who know you as an authentic, kind, creative, passionate, whatever-adjectives-that-may-describe-you person, will see you as that person no matter what clothes you’re wearing! The superficial parts of the photo won’t matter to those who care about you the most (in fact, they’ll most likely hype you up in the mean time lol)!

Now those who don’t know you personally? Well yes, lucky for us, social media lets just about anyone judge your content. While everyone has the right to their opinion, we have the power to filter which opinions we will or will not affect us. And honestly, at the end of the day, who gives a shEEt anyways! Once again: if it makes you happy, post it! Simple as that. 

Overall, I think the opinions of those who love us no matter what we’re going through, stressing over, posting about, matter the most. We should give our time to those who cherish and value it (read that sentence again). And I think looking at life like that is pretty a cool thing :)

Keep Your Head Up

I thought I’d talk about something that I haven’t before (big shoutout to my friend Teddy for the idea hehe). Long-distance friends!!

Let me explain my situation currently. Most of my close college friends live in different towns than me. Even those who live closer, I don’t get to see all the time because life is so busy! Time with my high school friends, who are obviously from the same area as me, is limited. 

As I’m getting older, it’s starting to hit me that in a short year, I won’t get to see my friends as often. The real world, jobs, and different cities will unfortunately be our reality. Of course I can always visit friends, but it’ll just be different. 

Luckily, I have a TON of experience with keeping friendships with those many miles away - so if you’re worried about maintaining friendships after school, I got you! 

The thought of being far away can be daunting, so here’s what’s helped me the most: your friends are your friends for a reason. They’re not going to forget your existence overnight (or they shouldn’t at least). No amount of distance should change their care for you. 

So keep your head up! It’s easy to worry about if you mean the same to others as they do to you. Not being able to see your people 24/7 is hard, but just focus on how much of a blessing it is to have them in your life in the first place! I know I’m beyond blessed with the friends in my life (hehe hey buddies ily), no matter the distance :)