Day #2 (3/31): The Sweet Science

I've always loved boxing, and today I was able to watch a boxing documentary about up and coming fighters in California, and end my night with a few chapters of a book about the world famous upset of James "Buster" Douglas over Mike Tyson.

The sun is also starting to shine, which brings me back to the days when I'd lounge around outside at Stromovka park in Prague listening to Bastille's "Pompeii" on repeat (before it got popular) and reading AJ Liebling boxing essays. The 'Sweet Science' and it's colorful history will always have a special place with me, and its days like today that really remind me

Day #1 (3/30): Music Appreciation - Trying out the Bass Guitar and Remembering Rush

Music has always played an integral role in my life. From the road trips to Lancaster with my Dad, to the family parties and beach trips with my Mom, it was always at the center of everything. From the catchy hooks of Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow to the blue collar, sentimental passion of Bruce Springsteen, I've always been surrounded by it. And something about it just resonates with me. I've always had a fascination for musical knowledge, facts, and statistics.

Today, I was able to watch a documentary about Rush (one of my favorite bands of all time) as well as get a little playing in. You see, a week ago, I impulsively bought a bass guitar (I'm a lefty, so I had to look online for a cool looking, cheap one), picked up a cheap amp off of craigslist, and took a free lesson. I've been playing for about 3 days. I've only been able to master an easy little 12 bar blues, but I'm happy I got to mess around with it today. This is the start of a new musical adventure. I'm pretty clueless now, but I'm proud I was able to lock that riff down!

"Your Vacation is Over...Welcome to the Real World!"

So I've noticed a few friends and social media connections posting things that make them happy with the hashtag #100happy days. As someone who has read pretty extensively about mindfulness and the law of attraction, this little phenomenon piqued my interest. This morning, I decided to see what this was all about, so I checked out the website. The timing couldn't be more perfect for me to try something like this.

As many of you know, I spent nearly 2 years living in Prague, Czech Republic (2011-2013). I earned my TEFL Certification, held down some cool jobs (guidance counselor, social media copywriter, tour guide, pub crawl guide), made a ton of friends, traveled to numerous countries, fell in love with the city, thrived on the positivity and curiosity of my expat friends, and lived a life far more exciting, stimulating, entrepreneurial and eclectic than what most twentysomethings describe the 'real world' as. I thought through living in Prague, that I somehow avoided this seemingly vacuous, soul-sucking time in the life of most twentysomethings. I was already picturing a life of constant travel, constant stimulation, constant happiness, and constant entrepreneurial success.

Why I'm doing this: After I came home from Prague, I had $210 to my name, I gave most of my clothes to goodwill so I didn't have too much luggage, no apartment, and no car. I had my childhood bedroom at my Dad's house, my laptop, a few tennis businesses that I was to join forces with, and the memories of a life that I missed and felt extremely distant from. "Your vacation is over." My brother told me. "Welcome to the real world!"

Needless to say, I felt desperate to play catch up. I figured that since I'm now living and working in the States, I need to buckle down, make up for all the fun I had abroad, make some sacrifices, figure out exactly what I want out of life, and save some money so I could start my adult life at 26.

I have a lot to be happy about and a lot to be proud of these days, but I feel like deep down, I'm still trying to mentally recover from my 2 years abroad. In my quest to follow my strengths, obtain total job satisfaction and conquer this 'real world' that I'm now experiencing, I've lost sight of the many things I should be thankful for and happy about. I'll be posting here every day for 100 days in an effort to appreciate the little things. To reveal myself to myself in a way. 

Enjoy!