Better Luck Next Time...

Well, you can't be the best at everything right?! Sadly, I did not have the best essay in the Real Simple essay contest I talked about in my last post. After constant refreshing of the website, a new page finally appeared last night, shortly after mid-night, naming a woman from Arizona the winner. So congratulations to Andrea Avery Decker - her essay will be in the March issue of Real Simple - I'm looking forward to reading it, comparing writing styles, and learning about when someone else realizes that they've grown-up.

If anyone who reads this comes across any interesting writing contests, please let me know! I'll give you a piece of the prize when I finally win! :)

Anxiously Waiting...

So I entered an essay contest with Real Simple magazine last fall - the essay was due the first of September, and required a response to the following question: "When did you realize you had become a grown-up?" Think about that for a few minutes. Some people may base it on a tangible experience, like when they moved out of their parents house, or found the first gray hair. Or maybe it was an experience of losing someone - maybe you still haven't grown-up!

I entered this contest, that has a grand prize of $3,000 - a fully expenses paid trip to NYC, and most important - meetings with the editors of Real Simple magazine. I remember when I entered thinking that it seemed like forever until the would announce the winner - but now the time has come. The winner is supposed to find out after January 3, 2010 - and the results will be posted on the Real Simple website after January 8th - TOMORROW!!

There's a piece of me that's holding out hope that I could be the grand prize winner - another piece of me is saying that if I had one, I would know already. Nonetheless, I've been checking the Real Simple website 10 times a day for the last 7 days, just to see if there is anything new. So far, no dice.

Regardless of whether or not I emerge the big winner, I gained a lot from writing my entry. I'm not necessarily going to go into all the details, but long story short, I wrote about a very challenging and personal time that I went through with my family. There were a lot of emotions involved that I hadn't previously experienced, I saw my parents from a different viewpoint, and as a family, I think we all grew a little closer - despite some scary times. Writing about the situation forced me to relive a difficult time, but also to recognize the ways in which I grew from it, and the ways in which we all evolved into bigger, better, people.

I shared the essay with my parents before submitting it, which was also a learning experience. I think the degree of emotion, as well as subject matter may have caught them a little off guard, but all in all, it was beneficial to have everything out in the open, and revisit a difficult time for us all.

My conclusion was that I've grown-up by way of these type of experiences. The ones in which you have to take charge, take a role, and take some type of responsibility when others might not necessarily be able too. At the same time, I realized I'm going to continue to grow - and that I might never be fully "grown-up" - because really, what's the fun in that?

Keep your fingers crossed for me, I'll let you know what happens...

New Year, Same Girl.

I've always been a list maker. I've always been the one to write down my goals at the start of a new year. It doesn't matter how big, or how small the goal, I've written it down. From flossing my teeth daily, to running a marathon, to the obligatory "lose 5-10 lbs" that most women put on their list for the new year.

The start of 2008 I made a huge list of goals. Some larger then I ever imagined. That year I managed to achieve everything on that list. So what next? It's a little depressing when you realize you've achieved everything you wanted to, and still haven't figured out what's next. It kind of left me feeling lethargic, like I did all I needed too and didn't have much else to accomplish. Sad right?

The start of 2009 I took a different approach. After going through a rough spot in my mid-twenties, I decided I would take the pressure off myself. I didn't write a list - I didn't write my yearly goals. That's the first time I can remember that I didn't start my new year off with a list of goals. But you know what? It worked out ok. Without feeling the pressure to complete something, without having to figure out what comes next, I just let my year happen - and I still managed to accomplish big things, pursue big things, and learn to like myself more then I ever have.

So here we are. January 1, 2010. A start of a new year, and a new decade. This year I'm going to take a new route. Rather then list all the things I want to achieve, I'm going to write a mission statement. One filled with words I want to live by, words I want to shape my life around. I'm going to create a personal mantra that I hope will inspire me, inspire others, and support a happy, healthy, and prosperous lifestyle. Forget the pressure, forget the "I have to" and focus on the "I get to."

If I get brave enough, I might post it. But for now, it's for my eyes only.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope that it's filled with strength, happiness, and peace.

Simplify... Let it Go.

Letting go isn’t easy. It doesn’t matter if it’s an ex-boyfriend, or your favorite pair of shoes. It doesn’t matter if it’s something tangible, or just memories that won’t stop floating through your mind.

Letting go is finalizing something. It’s putting an end to the work, the energy, the thoughts, the memories, the stress – any emotional and physical attachments – it’s releasing all the attributes you associate with something, or someone, and moving on.

But how do we really let go? After we give something away, it’s hard to not reflect on the happiness, or perhaps frustration, that “it” brought us. Maybe there are unanswered questions, maybe it didn’t go the way you wanted it to, maybe you weren’t ready to let go, but forced to because there was no other option.

When we let go, how long do we get to hold on? After releasing the situation, releasing the item, the person, whatever it may be – how long do we get to hold on? Hold on to the memories, good or bad; hold on to the questions, good or bad; hold on to the “what if’s” and the “why me’s” - how long do we hold on?

I process things slowly. I think through a number of scenarios, I think about the cause and affect of getting rid of something, I think about the potential outcome and how it might affect me in the future. And then after I’ve made the move, gotten rid of whatever it was that needed to get rid of, I struggle with the aftermath – the part of fully letting go. Letting go of the questions, letting go of the memories, letting go of my emotions – I always want some type of closure – which doesn’t often is impossible to get. I visualize putting all my feelings, thoughts, memories, and ideas about “it” in a box, tying it up, and then putting it on a shelf. That means it’s still there – I haven’t gotten rid of it until I’ve tied up the box, stomped on it, and sent it through the recycling of to someplace far far away. Only then have I really let it go.

I know I’m not alone in the struggle to “let it go.” Whether it’s an argument with a family member, a picture from a relationship long since past, a ticket stub from your first concert, or the tupperware from your next door neighbor. What I know, but still have a hard time practicing, is that letting go will simply MY life. It will simply MY feelings. It will allow ME to move on to the next big thing that comes along. If I let it go, I’m the one that comes out ahead.

What has Google done to us?

I read an article not too long ago how the internet has corrupted our way of getting to know people. With so much information available in so many virtual spaces, we’re able to find an extraordinary amount of “stuff” on people we don’t even know. How that affects are perception of people can sometimes be really negative, or really positive. Take Google for instance. I love it, don’t get me wrong, and I’ve become a pro at Googling things… jobs, vacations, men, myself. You can type in anything you want in that little search field, and the results you get back are unimaginable – current employment, personal profiles, road race results – everything short of a social security number. Companies now google job candidates, and individuals now Google potential dates (I KNOW I’m not alone in this people – you know who you are).

But do you know what I’ve realized? I don’t like it. I don’t like knowing what I’m getting before I see it for myself. It’s like when you’re a kid – you want so badly to know what you’re getting for Christmas, or your birthday – you scour the house, under the bed, high on closet shelves, kitchen cabinets – anywhere you can think those hidden gems might be stashed. When you finally find what you’re looking for, BOOM!, there goes the surprise, suddenly there’s no fun in the wait to find out what gifts are in store. Then, when you actually do open the gifts, you’re forced to fake surprise, just so your parents didn’t know you had been up to no good. It’s a lousy sequence of feelings: the challenge of the search (which is the only fun part), momentary excitement when you discover the gift, followed by the let down that there’s no one to share the moment with, combined with the guilt of knowing something you’re not supposed to, and then, and maybe the worst part, having to fake the actual emotions when you finally get the present.

It’s the same with dating. And I’ll fully admit I’ve fallen victim to it. Who as hasn’t done a little “googling” when you meet someone you’re interested in? It’s soooo easy just to type that name in and see what comes up. But at the same time, nothing good is supposed to be easy – so when you find a little nugget of information about someone you don’t really know, it’s easy to misinterpret things, react a certain way, form an opinion, and get yourself all worked up – without even knowing if what you’ve read is real!

We all know we can’t believe everything we read online – if we did, we’d all be at the doctors everyday with a different aliment. So why should we believe what we read, or don’t read, about people we don’t even know?

I’m a curious person. And all of my friends would also vouch that I’m also not a very patient person when it comes to getting what I want. When I find something I like, I tend to want it now (not in a spoiled way, but in a way that I’ll work really hard to get it sooner rather then later). So I admit it. It’s hard for me to sit back and wait for information to come to me, when I feel like I can go out and get it. But then you can’t find anything – or you find too much, and suddenly that feeling of instant gratification leaves a distaste in your mouth. You wish you could put that information back and pretend you never saw it. But it’s too late because you already know, and the surprise is ruined.

Technology is a curious thing. A blessing and a curse. When our world requires a certain urgency for immediate knowledge, the internet can be an amazing resource. Yet, in a world where we need to be patient, relaxed, and let things play out on a natural course, Google can suddenly become our worst enemy. I’m still deciding which one it is for me. The last 24 hours it’s been leaning towards the latter of the two, although I’m not ready to say why. But I’m going to leave it alone awhile, work on my patience, let Google search for things that are actually worth searching for, and leave the surprise to be left a surprise.

Exercise + Money = Not a Bad Gig

Last time I was here I told you about the brand ambassador gig I was going to be a part of for the next month. The one I mentioned that I was going to a training for and would not be wearing anything that I had to shove myself into. Well, turns out I don't have to wear anything embarrassing, just yoga pants and a t-shirt, all day, everyday. Then, I walk 20 minutes to get to the store on Newbury St., and spend 8 hours a day showing people how to use a Wii Fitness game (EA Sports Active Personal Trainer). When there's no one in the store, what am I supposed to do? Use it myself! Which basically means I'm getting paid to work out. Not a bad gig.

If anyone is in the area, let me know - you can come by the store to say hi, and try it out. We're not selling it at the store, we're literally just giving people the opportunity to try out the program, see what they think, and have a little fun. The store is at 156 Newbury St. and it's open until December 15th.

Oh. And in typical Sarah style, my picture managed to end up in the Boston Globe because of it. I didn't plant it there I promise, but a nice little article on "temporary stores" ran this past Monday. As the article continued onto page A10, I was greeted with a surprising large mirror image of yours truly working out.

Here's a little more info: http://www.facebook.com/EASPORTSActive and for the grand finale, a look at how much fun you can have...

Yes. I'm Still Here...

Ok. First of all, if you're reading this, I want to give you a big giant THANK YOU. Because that means you've still been curious about when a new blog post would show up, despite the fact that it's been three weeks (or more) since my last one. Second, I promise I'm going to be more consistent about posting - even though I know I said that before. I obviously want to create a following on here, and I also know I'm being counterproductive by not giving you anything to read!

So as someone who tends to set a lot of goals, here's a new one: Post to Some Girl's Blog a minimum of 3 times a week.

Alright, enough of the apologies and list making, and on to what's been happening!

SG26