Tag: post-grad

14 days into 2017…

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As I write this, it is midway through January. I, like many others, have been back to work for two weeks after the holidays concluded. It’s been two weekends and 14 days into 2017. I have already felt a range of emotions, been bombarded with a few unexpected incidents… and recovered (or, in the process of recovering). I have seen a few friends, texted a few others, and hung out with my parents. In a nutshell, that’s how 2017 is going so far. Normal, I suppose.

I’m not sure I’m doing a ~fantastic~ job on my resolutions, but I am more than halfway through a book (!), well on my way to contributing to a theatre production (!), and attending TWO art-type events this weekend (!).

I did something a little different this year: I tried to “map” my year through a future log (i.e. bullet journal). I thought about all the goals and tasks I wanted to do every month and I wrote it down. I want to be on some-type-of track this year. I don’t want to be bogged down, however. I just want a little direction.

Think about it: How is your 2017 going? Is it going the way you thought it would, two weeks ago? What do you hope to accomplish by the end of these 365 days?

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2016 Reflection

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Everybody lived their year this year and as always I have reflected a lot on the past 12 months. In fact, I’ve been reflecting since Thanksgiving. I’ve spent the last six weeks thinking about 2016 and gearing up for 2017. Pondering the lessons I’ve had this year and wondering what lessons the new year will bring. I think I am setting high expectations for myself to be organized and successful next year.. but when you really think about it, it’s just another loop around the sun like any other loop.

Anyway, 2016 was a year of endings (college, childhood, living at home) and beginnings (adulting, moving into my own place, first job outta school). It was a year of lessons. Learning about how to adult, learning about myself… I hope that I can take what I’ve learned so far and apply it to the next chapter.

I don’t want to dwell too much on 2016, mostly because I feel like I summed it up in the previous paragraph. I really feel like maybe this year wasn’t that spectacular aside from graduating. Graduating opened up the floodgates to so many new opportunities and they are gradually flowing into my life now. So I’ll focus on 2017 now and how to make it one of my best years yet.

For more life tidbits, please follow me on Twitter @marissamaym or check out one of my Instagrams @marmaym (personal), @sadwalletshappytummies (food), and @paperstonehearts (writing, journaling).

Some Things I Am Thankful For This Thanksgiving

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  1. Cookies and other baked goods
  2. Hugs
  3. Water. Clean water.
  4. My dogs
  5. My voice
  6. Everyone who stops to listen
  7. A warm home to protect me from the cold
  8. A job I really enjoy, working with cool co-workers
  9. Lotion and soap and make-up that help me feel good about myself
  10. Green tea

Even though Thanksgiving is this week and December soon follows, I still can’t seem to shake the feeling that summer was just last week. I still think about summer like it just happened, but in reality, it was three months ago. Three months have gone by, Fall is passing by, and yet I still hold on to Summer.

It’s kind of wistful. Or wishful. Or foolish. Or perhaps merely symbolic of my life as a fictional victorian novel. Whatever way you look at it… I’m still floating around in that Summer place. I think it’s probably denial; me denying myself that my life is actually moving forward after five months of sulking.

I’m not actually sulking, but it’s a kind of strange feeling. Transition. (Humans hate change and they love control. But they love the change that they can control. Sometimes you have that power and sometimes you don’t.)

In this time of transition for adults in their early-twenties and transition for our country, be thankful for what you do have! Think about what you do best (walking your dog, making rice, splurging on yourself) and try to apply that to those who don’t have half as much. Just think about it.

Bring It All Back

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PART 1
Recently, I’ve been watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. I had watched the first four seasons a few years back, but I stopped watching it because I got a little bored of the outrageous character personalities. Now, I really did enjoy watching it because I liked the storyline and the storytelling is original. So I’m on season six now (no spoilers, pls).

PART 2
I just stumbled upon a cover of S Club 7’s Bring It All Back. For your memory, the chorus goes like this:

Don’t stop, never give up
Hold your head high and reach the top
Let the world see what you have got
Bring it all back to you

PART 3
In the last two months, I have graduated from college, moved out of my parents’ house, moved into my own townhouse, and submitted over 50+ job applications (not including the 50+ apps since March). I’ve been to five interviews and for four out of five, did not move forward in the process. Now, I’m crossing my finger for the fifth one, but…

In HIMYM, the whole storyline is about how these adults figure out their lives. There’s a few episodes/seasons where things kinda suck for them. Older Ted seems to always be narrating “It wasn’t a good year for me” or “Robin just got out of a serious relationship” or something else to that effect.

Combine bad years and relationship problems with Bring It All Back’s catchy and upbeat message… you get a thoughtful reflection on a few things:

  1. Admitting that things are rough right now
  2. Being okay with it
  3. Keeping your chin up
  4. Never giving up
  5. Finding new opportunities to grow

I guess that’s post-grad life for me so far. It’s a weird, transition-y time right now.

P.S. I wrote this blog post kind of like a HIMYM episode. Just imagine the camera swishing back and forth between clips of me watching Netflix and YouTube and going from one job interview to the next.