My Best-For-Last Philosophy

I've always been a best-for-last person, someone who saves the best foods and outfits for a later time — as if today isn't quite as worthy. Most of my favorite dresses and shirts I've only worn once or twice because I'm always waiting for the perfect occasion, the “just-right” moment.

And lately I've realized that my best-for-last philosophy isn't, well, the best.

The thing is, I'm forever trying to hold back from being too future-focused, forever stepping away from the lists and plans and calendars I fill out across every medium because I know that it's important to stay in the present. I know that it's important to make the most of a moment, to see the present as more than just a stepping-stone toward something else. Because really, why isn't right now good enough?

I'm not sure I'll ever let go of my save-for-later habits entirely, but I am making a conscious effort to give the present its due — to choose the best for myself right now simply because I deserve it. Besides, otherwise, I may be waiting a really long time to wear my favorite sweater, scarf and boot combo again.

The Value of Class

Lately I've been thinking a lot about class; class in the sense of courtesy, respectability, and decency.

Class, more than any other trait, is what I treasure most in a person.

  I don't necessarily mean "class" in some sort of elite, high society sense. What I mean to say is that I value thoughtfulness. Graciousness. Politeness. 

I value the sorts of people who are caring even when no one's watching, who are honest about their own faults, who speak up for themselves when it's relevant, while maintaining respect for the person they're speaking to. 

I value people who are loyal and genuine, who selflessly build up other's successes and then humbly, accept praise in return. Those who are compassionate and considerate, people who remember to call on birthdays and random days, too, just because you crossed their mind.

I value people who realize that some occasions call for something more than a text, something more than an e-mail. Who will send a song or a quote to somebody they care about because they just know that they'll appreciate it.

I value people who can admit their mistakes and I value people who learn from them.

I value those with the heart to forgive, with the guts to hold on, with the empathy to understand another person, or even the willingness to try.

And for the record, I'm not always the person I want to be; a person with consideration and dignity and, yes, class. Sometimes I fail. But I try to do my best. And I can hold the world to a higher standard, because I do think we have it in us. And I believe we deserve nothing less.

Today I believe...

That a cup of coffee (or two) can be great and all, but sometimes you just need to drink half the pot.

That a simple hello can sometimes, in some ways, be even harder than goodbye.

That Mat Kearney's song "Down" is still one of the most captivating songs I've ever heard… 

even after listening to it almost daily for three years.

That the hardest conversations can sometimes be the best ones.

That it's never too early to start listening to Christmas music or to order a Starbucks holiday drink.

That every once in a while, it's important to ditch all your plans and just do you.

That the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is one of the greatest gifts we have in this world. 

And that confidence comes most easily not from looking a certain way or knowing certain people or having certain things, but from pursuing that certain passion so fully that your days just seem to snap into place.

Gateways to Adventure

As I sat at the airport last week waiting for my flight to Seattle, Washington, I realized just how much airports captivate me. 

Perhaps it’s the noise of baggage wheels clacking on the moving sidewalk, the rip of a boarding pass being torn off, or the sound of a passport being stamped. All are comforting reminders that I am either almost home or soon to be somewhere new and exciting.

 Perhaps it’s the atmosphere. Airports are filled with so much raw emotion. Joyful reunions. Tearful separations. Anxious faces.

Perhaps it’s the feeling of being surrounded by other individuals who are also leaving their homes behind, hungry to discover what else the world has to offer them.

For me, an airport serves as my escape. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life at home, but there is always something exhilarating about leaving what you knew behind and discovering something new. A change in scenery, if you will.

To put it simply, airports are my happy place. I’m the girl who likes to show up at least three hours before her flight — international or domestic, it doesn’t matter — just to spend a bit of extra time in the terminal. I could probably spend the entire day there and never get bored.

You see an airport begins, continues, and ends a journey. They are gateways to infinite possibilities. Gateways to something else, something exciting, somewhere new, and maybe somewhere better. We start in one city to end in another hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Enter from a desert and exit into a blizzard. In from familiarity, out into something completely foreign.

As soon as you step into an airport, a whole new chapter to your story begins.

Dear October,

Dear October,

It's really good to see you. Don't tell the others, but you've always been my favorite. Your warm, golden tones and crisp weather fill my heart with nostalgia and my mind with memories of pumpkin picking and cool nights curled up with a blanket and hot apple cider.

In only two weeks, I turn twenty one. Goodness. Where does the time go? I thought I would feel a little apprehensive. Twenty one sounds like an age where I'm supposed to have everything together, know what I want in life and where I'm going. 

But alas...I don't have everything together, I still have no idea what I want and I don't know where I'll be an hour from now, let alone the years to come. 

But I think that's okay. Instead, I feel incredibly appreciative. I'm happy to be where I am. To be able to appreciate the fall breeze that is softly brushing through my hair as I write. So here's to the little things. To being here. To appreciating every second.

I'm ready for you October, lets make twenty one the best yet.