The Guest-House - Rumi

Whenever my english class gets cancelled (which is starting to seem like once a week) my professor emails us an assignment. Usually it's a boring assignment that just takes up time, but this week was completely different! We had to read a few poems and analyze them. The first couple I read were boring and I couldn't relate to any of them. Then, I found this one and I can honestly say I feel like I have a new perspective on emotions and how I should view them!

The Guest-House

This being human is a guest-house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, 

some momentary awareness comes 

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all! 

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, 

who violently sweep your house 

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably. 

He may be clearing you 

out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, 

meet them at the door laughing, 

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, 

because each has been sent 

as a guide from beyond.

Say I Am You: Poetry Interspersed with Stories of Rumi and Shams, Translated by John Moyne and Coleman Barks, Maypop, 1994.

When I first read the title I expected a poem full of imagery and words I didn't understand painting a picture of someone's guest house. Boy was I surprised when it turned out to be the complete opposite!

The one thing I love about poetry is that everyone can interpret the same exact words into a completely different idea then everyone else! Here are just some things I found powerful in this poem.

Lines 7-12:" Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight." These few lines were my favorite. It took me a couple read throughs to try and figure out what this meant. I finally realized that Rumi was saying that sorrow can so easily swallow us up and drag us down and eventually empty us completely. How beautiful is it that he is able to see this as an opportunity for renewal and a way to start over with new, better emotions.

Lines 16-18:" Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond." I believe that word choice was crucial here for Rumi. He could've easily said that the emotions were simply sent from above but instead he chooses to say that they were sent as a guide. That these emotions weren't meant to fix us immediately but rather guide us to be stronger and joyous.

What did you take away from this poem? 

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

As you may know, one of my favorite things to do is take pictures. It doesn't matter where I am, I always have my phone out and ready to snap a pic. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures with the little stories that go along with them!

Love is Everywhere 

So I'm pretty sure Chinese food id the best food ever, I order it all the time. One day I was eating dinner and I looked down into my soup and this is what I found! I couldn't believe what I saw. It was so cool to look down and see four perfect hearts floating around in my soup!

Dad Doing Funny Things

This is one of my favorite pictures! It was my Dads birthday and we were at Texas Roadhouse for his birthday and when they sang happy birthday they made him sit on this saddle, it was priceless! 

Sunsets

I took this picture of a sunset two summers ago. I had gone to a little ice cream shop in Connecticut with my friends and family. Every summer we spend a week camping and we never fail to go to this ice cream place, it's a tradition! 

All Of The Lights

This was taken at a Fall Out Boy concert in June. I forget what song they were singing but it was so amazing seeing all of these people holding up their phone flashlights and swaying to the song. My favorite part of every concert is that everyone is there because they love the same music! 

Tips to beat the struggle of a long-distance relationship with your BFF

Ever since I could remember Jillian has always been my best friend! Our moms were friends in high school and then we just became friends through them! Only problem is...she lives in Colorado! It's so terrible having your best friend live so far away but I have to say that we are closer than I am with some of my other friends. Here are some of the things we do that keeps our friendship so strong!

1. Keep In Touch- I know this one sounds pretty obvious and it's definitely the most important. Jill and I text all the time and we try to FaceTime whenever we get the chance. With technology now it's impossible not to keep touch, you just have to put in the effort!

2. Pen Pals- Even though I just stressed how important it is to keep in touch with friends through technology, writing letters is also super fun! I love getting letters and packages. It's another fun way to keep in touch and also let the other person know you're thinking of them!

3. Visit- This is my absolute favorite one! There's nothing better than staying at your best friends house for a week and meeting everyone that you've heard so many stories about. Now that I'm older I'm trying to get there as much as possible, which is difficult but totally worth it. 

4. Be Open- Another super important tip! I tell Jill everything...literally, everything. It's the best feeling having someone who knows everything and anything about you. It makes it so much easier to go through everyday knowing there is someone who is able to help me through the tough times because she knows where I've been!

To Be A Kid Again

Do you ever look back on your childhood and wish you could just go back in time? Back to when it didn't matter what you wore,  when makeup wasn't even an issue and you could just leave the house with the messy hair you woke up with? Me too! (Even though I may still do this sometimes...) Life was so much easier!

Now I have to set my alarm super early just so I have enough time to do my hair and makeup. But now, when I look at the young kids I can't believe what they are wearing!! They all have their makeup done perfectly and their hair more straight then I could even imagine. Sometimes I even find my self envying them (Yikes!).

But then I remember how simple life was when I didn't care what anyone else thought of me. I was comfortable in my sweats and ponytail! Part of me feels sad for the younger girls now because when they're supposed to be having fun and not worrying about looks they are constantly stressing over their hair and "acne".

I have to say that I am very grateful for the childhood I had. Free of makeup and stressing about every little thing. I can't believe how much things can change over one generation!

Lyrics, lyrics, lyrics!

Other than watching Netflix, my absolute favorite thing to do is to listen to music! There's something about finding one song and listening to it non-stop and finding something new every time you hear it. My two favorite groups are Fall Out Boy and The Fray. They both have two completely different sounds but I think thats what I love so much about them! 

The best part of every song is obviously the lyrics! There is nothing better than going through something in your life and then you hear a song come on that relates perfectly to the exact same situation you are in.

Whenever I'm bored or super stressed and just need to relax I always go through all of my favorite songs, pick out my favorite lyrics and write them down! In my English class my professor gave us these notebooks and told us to graffiti the front. So, naturally, I put song lyrics all over the front!

I just love the way this one turned out. The colors work together so well and all of the lyrics fit together perfectly! I actually have a notebook dedicated to just song lyrics. It's so therapeutic!

Next time you hear a song or a lyric that stands out to you, write it down! You never know when it may come in handy! 

Ulta Mini-Haul...again

Let me just start of by saying how much I love Ulta and how much I love the picture that I took of all of the wonderful things I bought there! 

1. Real Techniques Silicon Liner Brush:

I had tried winged eyeliner once before and didn't like the way it looked. I tried it again recently and I loved it! One of my best friends is amazing with makeup and she has been giving me such great advice on makeup! She showed me this brush and I just had to get it! At first I thought it was strange that it wasn't made like a normal brush and made of silicone but that makes it so much easier to put the eyeliner on! Plus it was only like five bucks, highly recommended!

2. NYX Gel Liner and Smudger:

I've only used it as an eyeliner and I absolutely love it! it was cheap and you really don't have to use that much to get the job done! It stays on all day and looks great! Also, it comes of super easy with eye makeup remover wipes so, if you mess up it's super easy to fix! Also, highly recommended.

3. Ulta Cheek Color in Infatuation:

I was nervous about buying a blush without trying it before hand but the store was having a sale so I figured I should try it out! I'm not really sure how I del about it. The powder is suuuuper packed in and I feel like I struggle a little bit to even get the powder onto a brush! I might have to try another brand. Any suggestions?

4. Ulta Double Duty Lip Stain and Balm Drama:

I looooove this stain! Its the perfect color for anything! I love stains because you don't have to keep reapplying all day and it never smudges, so perfect! With this stain though you do have to put on a few coats but its totally worth it, definitely recommended, they have a bunch of great colors!

5. Ulta Matte 247:

For some reason their lipstick colors don't have names, just numbers! This one is the top one on my hand. I loooooove this color! I went to grab it to look up the number and I ended up putting it on just for fun (its 11:00 at night, whoops!) I also love matte colors so I couldn't go wrong!

6. Ulta Matte 221:

I love this color too! It's not matte but I love the little bit of shimmer that it does have! It's a subtle pink but it's still completely different than all of the others that I have. I definitely recommend the Ulta lipsticks

Have you tried any of these products? Have any favorite Ulta products?

Also, if you're into makeup or you're not really sure what to do be sure to check out my friends youtube channel 'MissMakeup' for great tutorials! 

Snow Day!

I'll be the first to admit that snow days are the best days! Who doesn't love getting the call or text from school saying that classes are cancelled?! Weirdos, that's who! I love being lazy and having no responsibilities but sometimes I feel like snow days allow for just the opposite!

The second I found out about the snow day I was so ready to stay in bed and watch Netflix all day long (Which I have been doing, don't get me wrong). But the whole day I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind telling me to use this free time to get things done and be productive.

So, after watching a season of friends and finishing a puzzle I figured it was time to get to work. I did get a couple of things done but theres something about snow outside and warmth inside that makes me want to cuddle up and watch a movie.

I feel like I'm fighting to get my work done and it's not really working. Guess my snow days are going to be filled with laziness, hot chocolate and Netflix...poor me...

How do you pass the time during a snow day?