No, I Didn't Fall off the Face of the Earth + Book Reviews

Welcome back!
It's been quite a while since I have written a new post on here and I am genuinely sorry about that.

I know, I know, I'm a flop.
But here's a picture of a smiling sloth that'll hopefully make up for my absence.

Now that's over with,
Here's a quick update on what's been going on in my life...

I have been working like a mad woman to complete and upload, my new Spring collection on my Etsy page, which you can shop here: Wild Peony Co.
I'm currently doing a huge giveaway to announce the launch so you can check that out on the Wild Peony Co. Facebook or Instagram.

I have a "slight" obsession with Trader Joe's Candy Cane tea + I am not afraid to admit it.

I still have no idea what I want to do with my life, and that's totally okay.

Barenaked Ladies +  Dave Matthews Band have been on constant repeat on my Spotify lately.

+ I have a newfound love for audio books, which leads me into today's post.

As a child, (okay lets be real, until about last year) I hated reading. I felt like there were so many other things that I could be doing with my time, and sitting in silence reading words on a page felt more like homework than a "fun activity".
But over the past year, I discovered that it wasn't the activity itself I hated, I just wasn't reading the right books.
Lately, I have hit the jackpot.
In my spare time I have found myself picking up a book or listening to one instead of watching TV or aimlessly scrolling through my phone.
It has become something that I genuinely enjoying doing.

So here are some of my recent favorites + current reads.

P.S. I'm going to link all of the books to Amazon so you can swoop those babies up.
Trust me. You'll want to.

Let's start with I've been listening to:

Not That Kind of Girl • Lena Dunham 

This book easily takes the place in my heart for one of my favorite books I have ever read. Not That Kind of Girl features a collection of essays through Dunham's early childhood years and 20's. She covers everything from self doubt, falling in love, and feeling alone, to her college life and hookups. It's a book full of laughs, tears, mishaps that turn into learning experiences, and all the shitty parts of life that no one wants to talk about but should. It's honest, raw, and witty, in all the best ways possible. I highly recommend it for any young woman. 

If that hasn't sold you, this is Dunham's view on "living the dream":

"I am thinking particularly of a shower I took where the lower half of my body was under the running water and the upper half was laid out on the bath mat, eating a loaf of bread."

Binge • Tyler Oakley
For those of you who don't know, Tyler Oakley is a well known YouTuber with a following of over 8 million subscribers. He hosts a podcast, is associated with the Trevor Project, which aims to prevent suicide in the LGBTQ+ youth, and is undoubtedly freaking hilarious. I came across Tyler Oakley a couple years ago with my sister + cousin, when we had watched this video which legitimately almost made us pee our pants. Binge features a collection of essays which include a "shocking number of personal mishaps and shenanigans" like experiencing a legitimate rage blackout in a Cheesecake Factory, negotiating a tense standoff with a White House official, or one of my personal favorites, crashing a car in front of his entire high school, in an Arby's uniform. I promise you will be in tears from laughing so hard by the end.

Furiously Happy • Jenny Lawson

"A funny book about horrible things". This is my most recent read and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm only two chapters in and Lawson provides a gaspingly funny and wonderfully inappropriate insight into the real nitty gritty's of life. As Jenny says, it's about "taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they're the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence. It's the difference between "surviving life" and "living life". It's the difference between being "sane" and being "furiously happy".

FYI: I use http://www.audible.com in combination with the Audible app to listen to all of my audio books.
I have found it to be the cheapest with a wonderful selection of books + you usually can start a 30 day trial and get your first book free.

What I've been reading:

The Soul Searchers Handbook  • Emma Mildon
I'm not a religious person (however, I have the upmost respect for people that are) but I think it is so important to have something, no matter what it may be, that makes you feel grounded. This book has helped me tremendously in discovering that. With its wrinkled pages + over abundance of sticky notes, it has become my go to guide for so many different aspects of my life. Featuring everything from aromatherapy and numerology, healing crystals, to meditation, and mantras. Through Emma's experiences and the actual layout of the book, she leads you on a refreshing journey to your soulful self. It's honest, entertaining, filled with wisdom, and won't make you feel like shit if you don't get something right on the first try. Her experiences from her soulful adventures inspires + encourages you to try new things, but assures you that it's okay not love everything too. As long as you have an open, heart, mind, and soul, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a little searching in all aspects of their life. 

Tiny Beautiful Things • Cheryl Strayed 
I am a huge Cheryl Strayed fan. I think she is an incredible woman that provides wonderfully beautiful insight on a variety of topics + is an eloquent storyteller. Tiny Beautiful Things includes never before published articles from Strayed's once-anonymous online column Dear Sugar. Through Strayed's "life can be hard" motto she combines, insight, humor, compassion, and pure honesty into her responses. I love this book for so many reasons, but one of my absolute favorites is that Dear Sugar is an advice column like no other. While Tiny Beautiful Things is written in the typical question + answer format, she replies to her reader's questions in typically "unrelated", but absolutely related insight from Strayed's own life, that babbles on in the most beautiful unique way possible. Everyone should own a copy.

Until next time!

2015: What Actually Happened?

I got a new job. 

I made the decision to reduce my meat consumption dramatically. 

I opened an Etsy business: Wild Peony Co.

I found new passions in life.

I had a tough battle with mental health. 

I fell in love with the stars.

I focused on quality not quantity. 

I transformed my fear of being alone into a necessity. 

I discovered new things about myself.

I went blonde.

I embraced uncertainty.

+

I decided to major in happiness.

I created, I loved, I lived.

Tuesday Tunes

Weekend Wisdom

Have a lovely weekend! 

8 Ways to Be a Happier You

From a girl who has struggled herself. 

1. Live in the present: 
We spend too much time worrying about what happened in the past + what is going to happen in the future. It is so important to embrace the now + enjoy every moment for exactly what it is.

2. Ease the negativity:
Sometimes you need to take a step back + realize who you are + where you want to be. Certain people or certain things will commonly bring discomfort into your life, it happens to everyone. Change what you are able to, but as one of my favorite quotes says,

--- One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage 

to let go of what you can't change. 

3. Find your support system:
It is so important to surround yourself with people that genuinely care about you + your well being. Know that those people are always there for you + would be willing to be there, if you just asked for a little help.

4. Get outside:
It is medically proven that being outdoors will improve your mood. A study showed that as little as 20 minutes outside during good weather will not only improve your overall mood, but broaden your thinking + improve memory.

5. Put down your cell phone:
It is more common for us to be seen looking down more than we ever seem to be looking up. Instead of enjoying the day for what it is, we spend the majority of our time on our cell phones, checking Snapchats, updating statuses, or even missing out on genuinely enjoying a moment because we are too busy capturing it for Instagram. Technology holds many advantages, however,  it comes with just as many, maybe more, disadvantages. With apps like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram + Snapchat, we are continuously exposed to the lives of others. Which leads to unhealthy feelings of jealousy, envy + loneliness.
➳ I have challenged myself to reduce my social media + cell phone usage in general, dramatically + have undoubtedly noticed a change in my happiness. I sleep more, not being consumed with checking my phone constantly, I enjoy genuine conversations with people without interrupting them to check notifications, I don't compare myself to others + the greatest advantage I have found is to enjoy the moments in life for what they are. It's like having secret memories that are not shared with anyone but myself.

6. Give back:
We often forget how good our lives are. Even when they're not perfect, they could also be far worse. Connecting with other people + feeling like your a part of something larger than ourselves takes us a long way towards happiness. Just do small things with great love.

7. Find inner balance:
Whether it be spiritual, meditative, or just finding a few minutes of quite time for yourself every day. It is so important to find your center to help clear + calm your mind, so you can be a healthier, happier you.

➳ I have personally been loving the Calm app which offers a selection 

of guided or timed mindful mediations.  

The website calm.com also offers a 5,10,15, or 20, meditation break which is great for working long hours on a computer.

Meditation has been proven to improve focus, clarity + attention span. Long span meditation has also lead to improvements in participants compassion + self awareness, as well as reduced stress. 

8. Do what you love:
My biggest tip on your journey to happiness is to always do what you love. It is vital to take a little time every day to spend time on yourself, to be drawn by the strange pull of what you love + to embrace + enjoy every moment of it.

I promise to you, that in that moment, all the worries of the world will disappear. 

--- There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.

One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow,

so today is the right day to love,

believe, do and mostly live.

Dalai Lama 

Tuesday Tunes

View the previous Tuesday Tunes: HERE

Weekend Wisdom

Have a lovely weekend everyone!