Month: November 2017

Get Home Safely

Bailey Gunn2 Comments

People always say that others are fighting hard battles and you should be kind to everyone you meet, even if they’re rude.

And I think that’s correct. But I think it could use some editing. Everyone’s facing a hard battle every day and everyone is just trying to get home safely.

We’re all just trying to get through our day so that we can go home and see our loved ones or spend time with people we enjoy.

So if you’re commute is a terror, remember that everyone is trying to get home safely. If someone is particularly rude, they probably would just rather be at home. And if you forget that everyone is fighting a hard battle, at least try to remember that they’d like to get home safely to pet their cats and dogs, to eat the food they bought, and sit on the couches and be comfortable.

Everyone, at the end of the day, just wants to be comfortable.

Persistent.

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We’ve all been told no before. And undoubtedly, we’ve been told not to take no for an answer (right after).

But what kind of psychopath knocks on the door that slams in your face, five seconds later? Isn’t insanity defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the different results?

I get it, now in my old age, more than ever. If you want something done or want something at all, you have to be persistent. You have to keep going, and following up, and reminding, and asking, and checking boxes. And that can be really hard when you’re a timid shy woman who would rather die from starvation than place an order for food on the phone.

But it’s worth it. I promise. You should learn how to persist. It’s the hardest thing you may learn, but it’s the only way to keep going in life.

So practice persistence everyday. And speak up when you can. Even if your voice shakes and you want the floor to swallow you up directly after.

A Hug

Bailey Gunn1 Comment

Never underestimate the power of a hug.

I got one yesterday, quite unexpectedly, and it turned my whole day around. It felt like all the stress and tension just melted away.

And while I’m not saying you should run around your office demanding hugs, it is always nice to simply acknowledge people when you like what they’re doing.

It’s simple. But it matters.

Sick and Tired

Bailey Gunn2 Comments

Sorry about the ghost post last night. I️ was feeling mildly ill, like a cold was coming on, and I️ couldn’t keep my eyes open. So instead of posting, I️ went to bed.

Because I️ was sick and tired. And not just of the oncoming cold – I️ was sick and tired of the routine. Get up, go to work, come home, eat my feelings, sleep off the day. Bad habits on a hamster wheel.

And it’s exactly because I️ was sick and tired that I️ decided to make a change. Especially with my eating routine. I️ actually didn’t eat anything I️ was allergic to this week. Which is crazy, because I’m allergic to most things at this point.

But I️ just think it’s funny that when you’re at your wit’s end, when you’re fed up, when you’re sick and tired, that’s when you’re at the best point to make a change. To do something about your situation. To be a better person.

So if you’re sick and tired, don’t give up. Just get up and make a change.

You’re Not Wrong

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If you ask a math teacher, they will most assuredly tell you that there is more than way to go about doing something. Sure, it may not be the easiest or the best way to do something, but if you get there in the end, then you should be okay. (At least, this is what I️ hoped my math teacher would say to me.)

So in that vein, stop comparing yourself to everyone around you.

Sure, another person’s way may look better or get quicker results, but at the end of the day, if you got the job done, then you’re not wrong. There’s no being wrong in life – only in math. There’s a million ways to go about doing something, and the way you see the world is unique to you.

So you’re not wrong. You may be on the wrong path or walking in the wrong direction for awhile, but what you do can’t be wrong when it comes to living your life. Mistakes can only lead you to a better place and time, even if it takes awhile to get there. But you have to let yourself be human and be able to make mistakes before you can live unwrongly.

The Gift of Gab

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They say that if you kiss the Blarney Stone, you get the gift of gab – you can talk to anyone about anything.

But what no one tells you about the Blarney Stone is that it is on a ledge on the outside of a castle wall. So if you want to smooch it, you need to have the gift of courage too.

Why? Because in order to kiss it, you have to lay down and thrust yourself out into the open air. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll get so much momentum from the slick conditions that you’ll smash your lips and almost knock out your teeth – which has the added irony that you won’t be able to speak and have the gift of gab if you lose all your teeth.

But in the end, I️ didn’t have to worry. Because I️ never got the gift of gab. I️ have a terrible time taking to people. It takes everything in me to marshal my thoughts and to get out the word, “hi.” But other people don’t have this problem! They talk about anything they feel like. They talk to fill the silence. They talk whether you’re listening or not.

And maybe that’s why the world always has two people – talkers and listeners. But I️ can’t stop feeling like I️ got a raw deal. I️ still wish that I️ could have received the gift of gab that day – instead of a sore lip. But no one tells you that getting the gift of gab is about as hard as using it.

The Futility of Trees

Bailey Gunn2 Comments

In case you haven’t been near a Starbucks, I’d like to officially announce:

It’s fall.

Leaves are tumbling, being raked into piles and trees are generally shedding their weight for winter.

But you know what gets me about trees?

They spend their whole life growing. And then they deposit their seeds, their acorns, their tiny helicopter pods. Not knowing where they’re going. Not knowing if they’ll grow up to be trees too. Not knowing even if they’ll land on the ground instead of in some squirrel’s stomach.

But they do it anyway. They drop their seeds anyway. With only hope keeping them alight.

It’s hard to live with hope only. But I️ promise, that if you put some faith into your hope, you will grow no matter where you’re planted.

So drop your seeds where they may fall and reach for the sky.

Anti Book List

Bailey Gunn2 Comments

You know what random thought I had today? I’ll tell you. But you have to promise to remember that these are my opinions because it’s my blog. Got it? Good.

I thought about why does everyone talk about their favorite book? Oh you just have to read (blank)! It’s my favoriiiite. You’ll never guess the ending! Ok, ok I’ll tell you! It’s …

Which is great and fine. But have you ever met someone who hated the same person you did? How strong was your bond over the person you both hated? Like a bundle of sticks: unbreakable!

So, I’m going to tell you my 4 LEAST favorite books of all time, and you can thank me for it so that you can steer clear of them. You’re so welcome. It’s like anti good reads (which I’m not sure why no one has thought of that yet.)

4. The Last Days of Magic

– I was literally shaking my head over this book the entire time I was reading it. It was a complete information dump with absolutely no plot and a terrible ending. I was expecting the best because it was about Irish folklore (my sweet spot) but it read more like a dictionary than a novel. Do not recommend.

3. Catcher in the Rye

– Who is this whiny kid and why do so many English teachers stand by him? Listen, if I wanted to hear someone curse and act childish, I’d watch home videos of myself. Is there anything else that I’m supposed to feel other than frustrated with this kid? Do not recommend.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

– Listen, before you judge or grab a wand, go back and read it. I promise that it wasn’t as good as you thought it was. I actually had to see the movie in order to pick the book back up again when I started it for the first time. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but if there was a way to understand the whole series without the first book then I’d recommend that. But since there isn’t and the books eventually are awesome, I have to mark this one as recommend with reservations.

1. Where the Red Fern Grows

– Oh. My. God. Who let this book be read to children?! I read it in the fourth grade, for crying out loud! The kid in the story saves all his money to buy two hunting dogs and then THEY DIE. HORRIFICALLY. What lesson is this supposed to teach me again? Don’t work hard, kids! Whatever you buy will just die after awhile! Ugh. Do not recommend.

So what about you? What books do you hate?

Be the Moon

Bailey Gunn1 Comment

I get it.

Not every day is going to be a rainbow wrapped butterfly with a cherry on top confection. I know that, and so do you.

But my motto is: if you can’t be the sun, be the moon.

That is, if you can’t radiate goodness and happiness like the sun, then the least you can do is reflect it. Be the moon, reflecting the light from the sun’s rays. Be the moon, and reflect what little good there is in the world.

So if someone is nice to you on a day where you don’t feel like the sun is shining very brightly, then pass it on. Reflect that goodness. And shine a little brighter for it. Even if that’s all you can do — hang in the sky and reflect. Even if all you can do is be the moon.