I am excited to announce that I just started up a new blog called The Path Towards Pura Vida! I've been feeling so colorless lately, like I'm just drifting by in life and not actually accomplishing any of my goals. This is why I created a new blog based off of the Costa Rican catchphrase "Pura Vida."
If you check out my new blog, you can see what "Pura Vida" means and why it is important to me. Basically, the writing is going to be about my journey in reviving my life, enjoying the little moments, and working to make my dreams come true. This blog will be for anyone who wants inspiration to get out of being stuck in a rut or who loves to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Come follow me and be a part of my journey... Pura Vida!
Caylee
Photo credit goes to my best friend, Keri Brousil!
This song, "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, always makes me happy. Hopefully it will add a little sunshine to your life as well! In my opinion, it has a kind of Western or old fashioned prairie feel to it. So catchy. What do you think?
A little over a year ago I wrote my last blog post saying that I was back from my blogging hiatus and ready to share some inspirational thoughts and quotes with you. Well...obviously that never happened! When I look back on the past year I am seriously shocked at how quickly time has passed. Not only that, so many life-changing events have taken place in this period. I am now with the guy of my dreams, and my career and entire life trajectory is entirely different from what it used to be. I couldn't be happier though!
To ring in a fresh new start to this blog, I feel like I should reintroduce myself and my writing focus.
I am currently in my third year of college at the University of Georgia studying anthropology and geography. My focus is on the cultures of South Asia, particularly India. It's my absolute favorite thing in the world to travel and learn about the small, intimate aspects of other cultures. Other than that, I have three main passions— all of the creative arts, the organic/local/healthy food movement, and women's rights around the world.
On this blog, I plan to write about all of these subjects and share with you things that deeply inspire me. I hope you enjoy the new content, and I can't wait to get your input!
I'm not talking about going downtown to a bar with your girlfriends and stressing about guys the whole night. I'm talking about carefree, unadulterated, joyous playing. When you are concentrating on the true fun you're having and nothing else. For some of us, the last time we had a memory of a time like this is around when we first became a teenager. When I was ten, my friends and I would all run around playing hide and seek for hours in the woods surrounding my house, even after it got dark. In the pool, we would all giggle as we made up creative and funny new ways to jump in the pool. It was so great!
Around the teen years though, most people got stressed from more difficult schoolwork, became infatuated with their first loves, and get involved in more mature past times which makes it easy to forget about the pure happiness of our past. One day, years later, some of us may wake up and realize with regret that we haven't been enjoying life as much as we should be. I am calling on everyone to change that. Befriend your inner child, and give it the attention it wants!
I dare you to...
- Get a big sheet of white paper and finger paint! - Go outside and blow bubbles! - Make a gingerbread house! - Take a friend to a playground and swing! - Enjoy some chocolate milk (I do this everyday!) - Fly a kite! - Make a sandcastle! - Color in a coloring book! (I find this very nice and soothing) - Run around in the summer rain! - Visit my new blog about living the good life! (x) - Take silly pictures with a friend! - Watch your favorite childhood movies! - Make cupcakes! - Take an energizing dance class! - Create a "secret" space for reading and imagining! (x) - Go rollerskating!
Double dog dare: Paint or draw on one of your walls to make your own personal mural!
The point is, just let it all hang out and have an awesome time! One of the greatest traits in most children, aside from their carefree happiness, is how curious they are about everything in the world. There are so many amazing things to discover, so while you're at it, embrace this quality of your inner kid too! If you have any other fun ideas or opinions, let me know!
I am so incredibly happy right now! Wanna know why? No? Well I have to tell you anyways. I have spent the past couple of days tediously writing papers for my literature essay portfolio that was due earlier this evening. At this point, my brain is fried, but I am so relieved to be done with it all! Though tomorrow I'll begin studying for the rest of my college finals, right now I'm going to focus on my relaxing evening!
So I've been on a roll with my senses inspired posts, and I love writing them, but something came into my life the other day that I must write about... THIS INSTANT! I've always been inspired by caravan living, although I had forgotten all about it until I stumbled across some of the most amazing little campers. Maybe you think I'm crazy for wanting to live out of a tiny movable box, but something about it speaks to me. It symbolizes freedom.
I imagine myself pulling up to a beautiful seaside location, all of my most treasured belongings being carried right behind me. A friend comes along, and we strum our guitars while watching the sun disappear into the sea. It's just me, my charming caravan, and whatever friend is adventurous enough to come with me on my journey, enjoying life for its simple pleasures. We experience different towns, foreign roads, and new people on our trip towards nowhere in particular. At night, I fall asleep to the waves softly breaking on the rocks below, and if I look out of the window above my bed, I can see a million twinkling stars. In the morning when sunlight washes over my little home, I go outside to breath in the fresh, pristine air, and I think about how great it feels to be alive.
That is my gypsy living fantasy! I really hope to own a caravan someday, even if it's only used for short vacations or as a secret area for crafting and reading. Wouldn't that be so nice? People have started to remodel old Airstreams, as well as other brands, and they are amazing! I am even more completely in love. Here are some other cute photos that I have found:
I would love to know what you think of this post! Would you like to live in one of these movable homes too? Who wants to come with me? :]
Hey! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving last week! To keep on going with last week's senses inspired theme, I want to share with you my favorite part of having the sense of sight, watching movies. I am soon beginning a TV and film production degree, with a minor in film studies, so visual media is definitely a major aspect of my life. Of course, almost everybody enjoys seeing films, so I'm sure you all can relate too. A quotation from A Clockwork Orange perfectly describes how I feel about this subject (viddy = view/watch): "It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen."
Sometimes, real life seems like an illusion. Everything passes by so quickly, people get into habits and become numb to small, yet beautiful, human experiences. Emotions are dulled, not appreciated. Things sometimes turn out the opposite of how we want them too, and often there aren't inspiring moments where you suddenly find your true self and your inner happiness. But life in movies is different. The best ones seem to bring out potent emotions in people which they struggle to conjure up in their real lives. For instance, if you have ever seen American Beauty (If not, go see this masterpiece!), you know how Kevin Spacey's character cherishes the little details of life. He says at the end, "It's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst...and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... You will someday."
This is one of my favorite movie monologues ever. But the point is, when watching this film, people (including myself) actually get emotional over the beauty of the world. It can make one appreciate even the most insignificant seeming of things, such as the fluttering of leaves on a fall day or the warmth of the sun on your skin. A movie is able to make people feel gratitude like that! Incredible, isn't it? But guess what? A majority of people leave the theater or pop out the DVD and then immediately stop feeling thankful for everything again. Life goes back to being robotic, and the wonder of our senses is diminished and forgotten... Until the next movie, of course. If you are able to see the beauty in life, that is a a rare and amazing gift. For those who may go through the world on mental cruise control though, getting lost in movies has a crazy way of making one feel truly alive (while watching them). In the fantasy world of film, human experiences and emotions strangely seem more real and less like the odd dream of life. I find this fascinating.
Anyways, I think that everything in existence is beautiful and that film is too. I am so thankful for my sense of sight. To add onto this topic, here are two great (very) short films I have found for you.
Please let me know your thoughts on the short films! I would also love to know how you feel about the rest of my post. Thank you for taking the time to read it!
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