Bollywood and Yo-yos

Hi lovelies! How was your weekend?

Lately, I've been trying on a new wardrobe of activities to find out what "looks good on me." It's sort of been my unofficial theme for 2011. This weekend, I picked up some new finds:

Bollywood Dancing
As my mom says, I was dancing before I left the womb.  But as much as I like to cut a rug, never would I have thought the moves of Bollywood would capture my intrigue. This weekend I took a workshop to learn the dance that has taken the Hindi-film industry by storm, and I loved it. It incorporates many forms of international dance with Indian classical and folk into a bouncy yet expressive dance form. We learned a simplified version of the choreography above. I can't wait to learn more!

Sewing Yo-yos 
I've been bursting at the seams for a craft project lately, so this weekend I headed over to Hobby Lobby and picked up some fabric and a yo-yo maker. Sewing has always been a frustration for me, but right now, I'm drawn to the needle and thread (even if I did get the thread tangled and lose the needle a couple thousand times). I'm hoping I'll get the hang of things quickly, so I can start making cool necklaces like this.

I've been experimenting with lots of new things lately, like crafts and music and dance and yoga. I think this is because I'm afraid of my life becoming boring. Or worse, complacent. Do you think this is a healthy outlook? Have you tried anything new lately, and why?

Happiness

I'm currently reading the book The Geography of Bliss, where reporter Eric Weiner travels to the world's most happy countries, searching for the source of bliss. (What a cool job!) I'm only two and a half chapters into the book, but I can already see where this is leading: There is no formula to happiness.

In the U.S., we put such an emphasis on being "happy." But in this seemingly hopeless pursuit, we often find ourselves falling short of our goal. Why do you think this is? Do you think happiness is impossible to achieve? Or maybe it's just overrated?

I'm beginning to thing happiness is arbitrary. We can decide to be happy or not be happy, but from there, we still have to live life. What is the heart of the matter? That I'm still trying to figure out. Maybe goodness or sincerity. Or faithfulness. Maybe happiness is part of the equation, but not the solution we need to find.

Unlike Weiner, I'm no expert on the subject of happiness, but I've learned a thing or two about it in my failed attempts to achieve it. Here you go:

• Happiness involves people. There's a reason we live in community with one another instead of in isolation. In a life apart from the people we love and trust--or are merely getting to know--we are unable to receive or spread joy.
• Happiness involves nature. Have you ever felt the weight lifted off your shoulders as you turn off the tv/computer/cell phone/iPad and take a step into the natural world? Stomp through leaves in a forest or let the waves of the ocean tickle your toes. You'll see what I mean.
• Happiness involves food. OK, nothing quite makes the perfect day as a sushi dinner followed by Jeni's ice cream--but that's not what I mean. Happiness comes when our basic needs are met ... not indulged ... met.
• Happiness involves God. If you think you are on top of the world, you're only setting yourself up to fall. (It's the law of gravity, friends.) Knowing that there's something bigger than yourself in control should not only bring relief. It should bring happiness.
• Happiness starts on the inside. You can't put on a smile and fake happiness. You'll never fall for your own charade.

What are your thoughts on happiness? How do you achieve it? Photo thanks!

Moving Forward: Gain and Loss

I drink prophetic tea. Mostly because it tastes delicious, and partly because the tea label imparts words of wisdom like this:

For every loss there's an equal gain. For every gain an equal loss.

These words couldn't ring more true for me in this part of my life, where it seems like every decision I make yields amazing joy yet requires immense sacrifice.

You could say I've moved out of the "honeymoon phase" of life, so to speak. The idealism of my teenage years and the glory days of college have passed in a whirlwind, and tiny bits of reality have seeped into my thought process. (What a bummer!) Don't get me wrong, I still possess an unflinching hope for the adventure ahead, but I also know that every move I make not only takes me a step forward in that adventure but also causes me to leave something behind.

Recently, that step forward has been "nesting" in my current town: committing to organizations, branching out to meet new people ... to put it simply, planting roots here. In the year-plus since I've moved to this place, I haven't allowed myself to do that. I've clung to my original roots--old friends, old hobbies, an old way of thinking--and that hindered my moving-on process. While all those things I held on to were (are!) wonderful in their own right, place and time, I allowed myself to linger in them, which caused me to sacrifice the relationship I have with this new phase of my life.

The 20-something journey is a little like adolescence. You're no longer the "kid" you once were, but the idea becoming a settled adult seems preposterous. Letting go of the comforts of the past is difficult--I'd even go so far as to say a little heart-breaking--but a sense of freedom comes in relinquishing control and allowing new opportunities to prevail.

Good things have come out of the few weeks since I took that step forward, saying to myself, "I'm going to be happy here (here being the physical city I live in and the time of life I occupy) until it's time for me to move on." I'm sure the gain won't come without its struggles, but that's all part of the adventure, isn't it?

Photo thanks!

Reconnecting

In the grand scheme of things, seven months is not all that long. But when you’ve been disconnected, cut off, seven months—more than half a year—can seem like a lifetime. That’s right, the reason I have not written you since (ack!) May is because I have been wireless, as in without wires.

As in, without anything. No cable. No internet. Nada.

Well, friends, I sucked it up and am paying an extravagant bill (it really is quite pricey!) every month so that I can be here with you on a regular basis. Gosh! I really have missed it.

My first day back online was filled with so many horrors. What did they do to my Facebook profile? What the hell is a Groupon? I can’t remember my Blogger password!!

But it also brought the delight of opportunity. The chance to reach out to friends new and old. The nudge I needed to plot out the next steps in this crazy life adventure.

To tell you the truth. The past seven months, I’ve been coasting. Not only have I let this blog fizzle, I’ve let my attitude toward this great journey of ours grow rather dull, as well. So the next few months are going to be about experiments. Digging into life in this no-longer-new town of mine that still seems so new. And reworking this blog so it suits the adventure.

Please don’t mind the mess as I experiment with new design styles and figure out this blog’s niche. In fact, feel free to give me your input along the way. It would be great to reconnect.

Photo thanks!

Lessons Learned

Hello dear bloggy friends!

Words cannot describe how very much I've missed you over the past couple months. As I sit here and type this, I'm actually getting a little weepy-eyed over how negligent I've been of this blog and of you. Amid getting wrapped up in my no-longer-as-new life in this no-longer-as-new city, I've forgotten that part of the fun of the journey is to get to share it with you.

Well, that negligence stops now!

So what exactly have I been doing since I last left you? (Oh my, we last spoke March 30!) Well, here's a quick little recap. (Hopefully I can remember the deets ... it's been such a blur.)

1. I finished a majorly huge project at work. It ate up a lot of my hours and a lot of my energy, but all the hard work paid off. The website I've been working on since... well... since I started my job, is finally off the ground! After spending so much of my life (4 years college and 3 years post grad) preparing for such a feat, it's refreshing to see the fruits of my (and my wonderful co-workers') labor!

2. I ran my 3rd half marathon. And we started the race in a thunderstorm. Epic! The race was amazing ... despite having thrown out my back (doing yoga, of all things) a mere week prior, I ran my easiest, fastest 13 miles yet at 2:12. Best of all, I reunited with my college running buddies and had my favorite guy and favorite mother cheering me on.

3. I got a cat. I adopted a 5-year-old kitten from my friend's soon-to-be hubby because she's deathly allergic to animals. The cat's name is Ringo, but I affectionately call her "Kitten." Actually, she was pretty much MIA for our first month together. (A bit of a scaredy cat, I'm afraid.) Just recently she's come out to play and cuddle ... and jump on my table top. (Bad kitten!)

4. I officially became a PC user. It's not something I'm proud of, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I still keep my little iBook on hand if I need to stroke its glossy white casing or feel the urge to drag-n-drop. Maybe, just maybe, I can one day return to the days of Mac bliss (maybe if their prices drop a couple hundred), but for now this PC gets the job done.

4. I nurtured a long-distance relationship. Three hours has been more difficult than I imagined, but completely worth it. We're going three months strong. Coincidentally, three months ago is when my blog posts became more sparse. I swear this is merely coincidental, but I give you permission to throw a little blame in his direction. (Wink.)

5. I bought Ikea pillows. This really needs no explanation. Ikea is awesome and the pillows are pretty.

Of course, all these events are not just moments swept under the rug. The past couple months have challenged me in many ways and I feel like I've really grown through these experiences (especially through the Ikea pillow-buying). Here are my (dum dum dum)...

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Never (I mean NEVER!) launch a website and train for any physical competition at the same time. When you have to choose between checking an item off your exponentially growing work-to-do list and running 10 miles, and the hour is reaching 8 p.m., you are not in a good place. I'm not at all skeptical that this mental and physical stress revealed itself in a rather painful back spasm. (Oh, the hard lessons we 20-somethings must learn.)

2. Cats aren't dogs. I'm utterly swept up in dog envy, but due to apartment constraints and the inability to be a good mommy to a little sweetie pie of a puppy, a cat seemed like a good compromise for pet companionship. While the cat and I are warming up rather nicely to each other, she doesn't fulfill my longing to add a dog to the family.

3. I can live with a PC, but I need to buy my own Internet. Confession of a blogger: I stole Internet from my neighbor for about 6 months after moving in. Well, they moved and I'm unconnected. About a month later, I'm starting to feel the burden. Sometime in the near future, I'm going to suck it up and become a real adult. An adult who doesn't steal. (Stealing is bad.)

4. Ikea is awesome. The second time I visit, I will allow myself more than 2 hours to browse the apex of affordable home decor.

5. I will never leave you again. Ok, I can't make complete promises --life does indeed happen sometimes. But this oath I will give to you: You are important to me, and I will go the distance to share this journey with you.

Tell me, dear friends: What has life thrown your way lately?

Photo thanks!

A Somber Season

I've decorated the tree. I've wrapped the gifts. I've experienced the craziness of the Lexington mall. I've made candy and played Christmas carols and watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas." And as I write this, I'm bundled up under my fleece blanket. I am spirited as much as the next person, yet it feels as though the spirit of the season is missing. Why?

Please don't tell me that the tradition of Christmas dies with your childhood. That all the magic that comes with drinking hot cocoa and opening gifts and seeing houses decorated with twinkle lights fades aways because we get old. I won't hear of it.

Perhaps this is one of those 20-something rights of passage. You get a job and move away from your loved ones. Thus, you must suffer a year of being "the new kid in town" -- and live out all the lonely trivialities that entails. Or perhaps it's the consequences of working so hard and not realizing how quickly the time is passing.

I've still got joy in my heart, though (not to sound canned or cheesy) so perhaps the spirit will pop its head around my corner soon. There's still 9 days left.

Are you feeling Christmas this year? What are you doing to get in the spirit?

Photo thanks: trackchick

Got Energy?

Do you ever have a low energy week? What do you do to get revved up?

Do you set yourself a goal to keep motivated?
Do you perform a certain exercise?
Do you eat a particular food?
Do you make sure you go to bed by a reasonable hour?

Share with me your secrets, please! Nothing I do this week seems to be lifting this veil of grogginess. Not caffeine, not three-mile runs or yoga, not multi-vitamins ... and there's just not enough time in the day to go to bed before 11 p.m., so you can forget that.

On a side note, I've heard wheat grass is a great way to boost vitality, and lucky me, I have some growing (really fast) in my windowsill. What do I do with it? Wheatgrass juicers cost like $200, so I don't see one of those gracing my counter in the near future. Help please!

(I'm really needy today.)

Photo courtesy marklarka

It's Not Easy Being... You

In his book "It's Not Easy Being Green," Kermit the Frog (a.k.a. Jim Henson) writes a list of good things about being a frog:

• Being green
• Sitting in the sun on a lily pad
• Having thousands of brothers and sisters
• Going to the hop
• Playing leapfrog
• Having bears and pigs and dogs and chickens as your friends
• Getting kissed by princesses hoping to turn you into a handsome prince

As we have all learned one time or another, sometimes it can be tough to be you. But despite all the obstacles, you have to list the good points about the person you are. Here's my list of good things about being the new girl in town:

• Getting to ask a lot of questions
• Making each day a new adventure
• Doing yoga on Sunday and Wednesday nights
• Having great friends who are willing to make the drive
• Growing an herb garden in my windowsill (soon!)
• Finding time to write for me and no one else
• Seeing possibilities in every opportunity

Who are you and what is your list of good things about being you?

Photo courtesy justina-m

Life's Detours: Lessons and Tolls Thus Far

It's both funny and obscure to think of the distances we travel in a short amount of time. Often it feel like time goes by so slowly, but then you step back and wonder how you got to where you are. I've been in transition for two years now, and I've definitely seen my fair share of big orange signs labeled LIFE DETOUR.

I cannot skulk at the outcome so far, however. My first week into my "real world" job that the J School of Ohio University so diligently prepared me for, I've truly begun to realize effects those little bends in the road have had on me. Along the way, I wondered when that realization would set in, and though I've yet to reach the "I'm too old for this" point in my life, it's interesting to note the changes I see in myself.

I've lost my stamina. In college, I'd get up for class at 8 a.m., run across campus for lectures and meetings, drain my brain of creativity and coherent thought, study at the library or copy edit at the paper until two in the morning, chat and sip tea with dorm mates until 4 a.m. (no really, it was tea, I was a lame excuse for a college student) and started the process all over again the next day. How did we do it back then? Two years of barista-ing, traveling and the like, and I've turned to mush. It's time to build that endurance back up.

I've gained the capacity to live life alone. I was the girl who turned into a social hypochondriac if I was sitting alone on a Tuesday night. Evil thoughts swirled around my head. Why does everyone hate me? Have I turned into that weird little blob on the social anxiety disorder commercial? I had to be busy at all times. Lunch dates. Evening engagements. Extra-curriculars. It boosted my confidence or something. Well, one year in Cambodia cured that. Now, I'll gladly redeem a day at the office for a quiet evening at home. (As long as Facebook can join, of course.)

I do not fear ambiguity. Although college taught me lessons in expecting the unexpected, nothing could have prepared me for life the past two years. My conversation with LIFE went a little like this:

• You want me to pour coffee for guys in suits this morning and blend icy cappuccino drinks for teeny boppers tomorrow night? Ok, I can handle that.
• You want me to drive across the country in my barely moving vehicle and live near the beach for three months? Alright, it's risky but worth the adventure.
• You want me to fly across the world with only a suitcase in each hand to a country where I don't speak the language and figure it all out once I land? You're crazy, but what do I have to lose.
• You want me to sit around all day, making no contribution to the world? (Not even to my savings account?!) That, is where I draw the line, my friend.
  

Muscles I never knew I had were stretched and strengthened. The warm-up is over and now I'm just waiting for the real challenge.

I've gained patience. I used to be a "RESULTS NOW!" kind of girl who got her panties in a ruffle if things didn't go according to plan. Ok, maybe I'm still a little like that, but looking back up to that ambiguity thing, I've come a long way. Now I'm a "things going awry?, take a step back, breath a little, RESULTS NOW!" kind of girl. (Hey, that's improvement.)

Yes, it's cool to browse old photo albums and think about how our life's path led us to THIS exact spot. And when things start seeming tough (like you spend 8 hours at the office messing with a finicky content management system), you can think that this is just another one of life's detours, and keep on trucking. I especially love to keep in mind this quote I found via naturally nina from an unknown source:

"As you journey through life, choose your destinations well, but do not hurry there. Avoid the shortcuts... wander the back roads... enjoy the scenery. And remember that the true worth of your travels lies not in the destination but in who you come to be along the way."

So life is sorta tough at the moment (like the whole wanting to crash at 8 p.m. thing), but as Emily mentioned on the last post, it can be difficult the first couple weeks, but things will get easier. Luckily, I've evolved to the point where I can endure. Cheers to that!

Thanks all for all your encouraging words along the way (via OUA and other modes of communication). If my posts seem a little sparse in the short while, don't shed a tear. I'm just passed out on the couch and will be back soon.

In the meantime, take a step back. What has life taught you in the last year? Two years? Five? TEN???

Packing Dilemmas

This morning I began packing - the real packing. You know, the books and knick-knacks off the shelves type of packing. The rummaging through the years of accumulated junk kind of packing. The "do I save this shell with my zodiac symbol on it because my best friend bought it for me on her vacation when we were 12?" type of packing.

It's tough because I've never packed before with the thought that this move is going to be permanent. (Fingers crossed.) Difficult decisions need to be made. Do I take this lamp with me because, well, I need a lamp, but it looks so good in my "old bedroom"? Do I really need to take ALL my photo albums from over the years with me RIGHT NOW because chances are I will be moving again before the "buy a house" stage of my life?

Luckily, the move isn't all too far a distance, and some of these questions don't have to be answered today. Not that I want the moving process to be too gradual, but it's comforting to know I can postpone answering some of the unanswerables until post-move.

These dilemmas make me feel so materialistic, though. Deep down, I know I'm really not, and part of me wants to say "Fuhgeddaboudit!" and throw all the junk out. The other part needs to keep them so I can remember my history. My life. I'm putting my life into boxes. This is weird.

Do you remember your first real move? Have you done it yet? What advice do you have?

Photo courtesy Heather

Ode to 20-Somethings

I love this ode 20-somethings by Jamie Cullum, but I love the video even more. The gray skies today have got me feeling a little gloomy. Donning my rainy day PJs and listening to some jazz makes things a little cozier.

What's your favorite cure for a rainy day?

Ordinary Vs. Extraordinary

A longtime friend of mine and I got together this weekend for some great conversation. (Aren't great conversations with old friends the best?) Amid our talk, we decided there are two types of people in this world: the ORDINARY and the EXTRAORDINARY.

We decided that ORDINARY people aren't bad people - in fact, they tend to be quite nice and pleasant people - but the lack a certain passion for life. Their lives fit in pretty packages. They do what they must to meet the status quo, but they don't always enjoy what they do. Their dreams are simply dreams. These people live to just be.

EXTRAORDINARY people's lives, on the other hand, tend to look messy at times - a little rough around the edges. Often, they don't meet the status quo (perhaps they defy it), but they don't care because they enjoy what they do and they work hard at it. They sometimes make unexpected choices, but their decisions work for them. They set goals and do what it takes to see them through - even if it takes years. They revel in the small moments perhaps even more than in their successful achievements.

It's not what one does or accomplishes that makes a person fit into one category or the other. It's the zest for life they possess and the precious sparkle they add to the world.

Maybe it was my friend's and my desire to figure out what we want out of life that steered us to take on this topic, but reflecting on this conversation, I intend to make sure I live life in the EXTRAORDINARY category. We only get one chance to pursue all that the world has to offer, so why should we waste time trying to fit into a little box? Maybe I can learn from my friend Katherine, who couldn't figure out how to fit into the world around her, so embarked on a personal mission called "Project New Box." Overall, I don't want to meet people's expectations of me, I want to exceed them - perhaps throw in a surprise here and there.

I've been known to, at times, gripe because I'm not where I think I should be in life. (I am, after all, my own worst critic.) But the truth is, as messy as my life has been the past couple years, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've experienced life outside of what I've always known. I faced hardships when things have always come easy. My life has for sure taken some unexpected twists and turns. Slowly but surely, things are working themselves out, better than I could have ever planned. Best of all, I haven't compromised my goals, dreams, values or desires to become the person others think I should be. I'm living life for me. It's been an amazing adventure.

Jordan Christy, author of How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World, includes a quote in her book from an unknown source that speaks to this ideal:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

We can choose to live an ORDINARY life or an EXTRAORDINARY one. What about you makes you EXTRAORDINARY?

Photo courtesy scarabuss

Sunday Break

Let's face it. I'm an extremely impatient person, and the economy perpetuating my incessant job search has been a true test of that patience. Waiting for decent job openings. Waiting for callbacks. Waiting for job offers. It's all waiting waiting waiting.

All the waiting has made me antsy, so I've been traveling around for this that and the other. If my posts seem few and far between, this is why. I profusely apologize for my lack of dedication lately, but this past week has been a lot of fun. I've caught up with my best friends, had dinner with my cousin who just started at Xavier University and attended friends' Sara and Nick's housewarming.

Luckily, though, it's Sunday and I can take a break. A break from the waiting. A break from the running around. A break from reality. That's why I love Sundays. So I'm sitting here in my kitchen, watching the typically drab Ohio clouds blanket this crisp, cool day, drinking my Earl Grey tea and uploading new music to my iTunes. (I'm especially loving Lucinda Williams' album Essence.)

I hope your Sunday is as nice and cozy as mine!

Photo courtesy Christos Stavrou

Feeling 24

Another year older, another year wiser. Last night I celebrated my 24th - a delicious evening full of old friends and older friends followed up with some good ol' southern boot scootin' boogie. It was a fun time, but as the clock struck midnight on the eleventh day of the eighth month of the year of the ox, I felt a strange mix of contentment and discontent.

Twenty-four feels nothing like I once imagined it as a little girl. When you are 8 years old, 24 is fun and exciting. It's living in NYC. It's painting your favorite wall of your new apartment red and covering it with your favorite photos. It's juggling a schedule full of editor meetings, lunch dates and happy hours. It's feeling hopeful about the next step. What it is not is this.

It's not sleeping in the same bed you slept in as that 8-year-old girl. It's not scrolling through sparse job listings. It's not watching your friends move up in the world while you still remain clueless.

Yet this - what 24 should not be - feels so real. Along with 24 comes a wisdom few understand. You are still new enough in the world to possess a fresh perspective, a longing for the adventurous life. But you've been here long enough to comprehend the harsh realities of everyday living - that economies suck, that people are disappointing, that life isn't the fairytale dreamworld that you once pictured (though there's still that possibility it could be).

As I approach another year as a 1985 baby, I am no longer worried that the next step I take is right or wrong. Though the unpredictability of the future can be unnerving at times, I relish in the scenic route of life, knowing that I have the strength to cross the next bridge, however long, narrow and wobbly it might be.

I wanted to find a poem to include here that would celebrate another year of life, but they all ended up sounding cliche and cheesy. Instead, here's some words from Hafiz, to all you 20-somethings who aren't where you once thought you would be:

God
Disguised
As a myriad things and
Playing a game
Of tag

Has kissed you and said,
"You're it -

I mean you're Really IT!"

Now
It does not matter
What you believe or feel

For something wonderful,

Major-league Wonderful
Is someday going

To

Happen.

Photo courtesy Urban Spirit

Identifying With mY Generation

I was reading (of all things) this week, a floral industry magazine that talked about the quirks of today's 20-somethings, more formally known as Generation Y. Of course, this particular magazine talked about how we up-and-comers differ from our parents and our grandparents when it comes to flower shopping and working as flower arrangers, but it got me thinking: How does my generation's perspective affect the way I live my life and approach my future career?

If you ask me, we 20-somethings are a spectacular species with a unique spin on life. Here are just a few ways the experts define my generation:

• We want our activities (including our work) to be meaningful.
• We value a work-life balance.
• We take pride in social responsibility.
• We work independently but appreciate a structured overhead.
• We are optimistic about the future.
• We expect immediate results.
• We question unnecessary rules and traditions.
• We are tolerant of diversity.
• We are expressive and our point needs to be heard.

(For a more defining look at Generation Y, Generation Y: The Millennials is an amazing source.)

Am I, by this definition, a Gen Y-er? Absolutely.

All you have to do is take a look at my approach to job searching for a clear example. I graduated from university two years ago, and yes, I would have liked to be working in my profession immediately following that June 2007 commencement date (hence the instant gratification that my generation craves), but my life took small, unexpected diversions.

I was not willing to settle for a job to "pay the bills." I needed to find myself working in a place where I connected with the people and was passionate about my work. This find doesn't come easy, so as a result I lived at home, worked in a coffee shop, drove cross country to live in California, flew across the world to live in Cambodia, and two years later I might finally be circling in on that first "real job."

Along the way in finding the position that suited me, I've learned about the world and all the amazingly different people who reside in it. I've taken an interest in new hobbies, like making my own yogurt and herbal shampoo. I've been able to read more books and learn more about politics and, in turn, analyze my own view of the world. I've begun to blogging, allowing myself to be heard.

How many other 20-somethings do you know who are living this life of displacement? I'm sure you can think of at least one or two. The 20-something way of engaging in life as the adventure it is rather than settling for the status quo set by our preceding generations is a counter-culture ideal affecting the way the world operates. We see things differently. We hear things differently. And we do things differently.

If you are a 20-something, do you find these qualities in yourself? Can you identify with the other members of your generation or do you feel like an outcast?

For those of other generations, what do you think of our generation and how does it compare to when you were a 20-something?

Photo courtesy Veer

Success in Life

It's an age old question. Great philosophers down to humble thinkers ponder it. To some of us we want to scream and rip out our hair trying to reply. Many people believe they have the answer while to most of us the answer is as clear as the foggy sphere of the universe.

What is success in life?

Is it being in the throws of a fascinating career? Earning lot's of money? Having people to love? Traveling the Earth's farthest distances? Discovering a scientific secret?

I've said it many a time and I'll attest to it as long as I possibly can - life is hard, but life in your 20s is even harder.

Not only during this time are you beginning to uncover the mysterious details of your own personality, you are expected to have life figured out. You're supposed to know what you want and it's at this point that people begin to put you in one of two categories: successful or not.

Who started this notion and why?!

I, in less than a month, will be 24 - that's well into what one might call your "mid 20s." I am a true 20 something. Thus far I would say I've had a pretty successful life. All the goals I set for myself I've conquered and with fairly adequate ease. I went to my dream college. Got a degree in journalism. Lived and traveled abroad. Was published several times. Was blessed with a huge and amazing support system.

However, I feel like the deeper I venture into my 20s the more despondent I become. I have nothing tying me down, yet I have no direction. I'm unemployed and living with my parents. I have no idea what I want to do or where I want to go. I'm broke and in debt. Even simple things, like old hobbies seem lost as I discover new things about what I like and dislike.

The world tells me that all doors are open and the world is mine to conquer, but in spite of that I've never felt so completely goalless, indecisive and hopeless. If there's such thing as unsuccessfulness in life (though I think that is still up for debate) it probably feels about like this.

I know, I've only been home from Cambodia for about week. Everyone tells me that I need to be patient, let things sink in and give the job search some time, especially with the way the economy is right now.

But that's so not me. I'm a results girl. I set goals and I achieve goals.

The goalless thing is hard.

So to turn this pity party into something more constructive, I'm introducing the next phase of my "UNBELIEVABLE Adventure."

The adventure is my 20s. During this adventure I will explore the many aspects that make these years probably the most exciting yet most difficult time of life and share them with you on my blog. I'll account my incessant job search and relay how I cope with life as a struggling ______ (insert to-be-determined profession here), especially as "economic crises" make it difficult. I'll share with you my hobbies and my new discoveries of life. I also hope that this space will serve as a forum where we can discuss our views on difficult issues. Perhaps you can share your own 20-something hangups or tell me how things have changed when you were of that decade.

Let's kick off this new adventure with the question at hand:

What is success in life?

Each day I ask myself this question, the more I believe it's getting to share the little moments with people you love. Being able to look at old photographs and saying "Those were happy times." Getting butterflies in your stomach when you smell the familiar scent of years past. Having hope for the future. Knowing that the person you once were is the strongest influence on the person you will soon be. And, of course, always having a new adventure to look forward to.

I know this is only a part of the answer, but it's the chunk I've been able to wrap my head around thus far. I'm still working on the heart to follow. What's your take on a successful life?

Photo courtesy Michelle.