Tag: adulthood

Early Bird and All That

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

Sorry guys! I wanted to take off yesterday for the holiday…so I did!

Lately, I’ve been getting up early. Which is not the adult me thing to do. When I was a kid, I got up early all the time.

But not since I reached my twenties. So, now it’s weird that I’m finally giving up my sleeping in schedule. It feels like I’m cashing in my adult card. This is what adults do, right? They get up before their alarms go off? They putter around the house with a cup of coffee and read the news? I don’t know actually, I’m asking for a friend…

It just feels like staying up late is something you do when you’re a kid. Until you inevitably get caught by one of your parents, and get sent straight to bed.

But I’ve realized something. You can be any kind of adult you want! You can stay up late and get up early! Which…to be honest, I don’t recommend but you can totally do that. You can stay up late being productive, and you can get up early and be productive. Or like me, don’t be productive during any hour of the day! It doesn’t matter!

Just do what’s best for you and you’ll find that that’s the best you can do.

Love,

Bailey

Can You Play This at My Funeral?

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

I have a playlist on Spotify called “A Celtic Gathering” and it’s all my favorite traditional Irish and Scottish songs, and it’s over 25 hours of music. It’s my pride and joy.

And I want it played at my funeral.

I know SUPER macabre for this blog, but I want my wishes known. As the daughter of a line of cemetery employees, I’ve come to be in favor of the “Good Death.”

If you don’t know Caitlin Doughty, she’s the purveyor of the Order of the Good Death, and I love everything she stands for. I mean, by purveyor, she encourages people to have Good Deaths, she is not a murderer.

And what do I mean about a “Good Death”? I mean, everyone in your family (and your friends too) know what you want at your funeral so there isn’t any questioning or wondering about whether she would have wanted/liked dot dot dot. It’s just there, already known. Do you want to be cremated? Got it. Do you want to be buried with a tree? Cool. Do you want to be blast out of a cannon with glitter? Go for it! But tell someone first!

So, get to planning. And as blog as my witness, I will have “A Celtic Gathering” played at my funeral. But hopefully not before I get to listen to it a few more times.

 

 

A Day of Learning

Bailey Gunn1 Comment

When you’re in school, you get spoon-fed knowledge while you are just sitting here. Study, take a test, repeat. Day in and day out.

But when you’re an adult you have to work for it. Look up a Wikipedia article, read, and fall down a rabbit hole of information that you have to yank yourself out of. And that’s only a couple of hours of learning.

And that’s if what you’re doing has a Wikipedia article for it. Otherwise, it’s the old tried and true method of making a mistake and learning from it next time.

I made a lot of mistakes today. I was busy, and I wasn’t slowing down. But instead of being down on it and beating myself up over it, I’ve realized that when you’re busy, and you make a mistake, it means you’re having a day of learning. Just like when you were in school. And for me, I’d do anything to feel like I was back in school.

So, don’t forget to take some time to learn while you’re busy. Because if you’re doing nothing at all, you’re not making mistakes, and you’re not learning.

Love,

Bailey

Memories

Bailey Gunn1 Comment

Memories are a slippery thing. Your first kiss. Your first broken bone. Your first plane ride. And all your lasts.

Everything you know, everything you are is made up of memories. Pictures and movies in your head that tell you how to act, how to feel from past experiences to shape new ones.

Well, I’m here to remind you that your memories are biased and warped by your emotions. What you remember can be totally different from what the next person experiencing the same thing recalls.

And that’s totally okay. Because you are you because of your memories. From people who claim that they remember being born to people who can’t remember the last 5 minutes, it is the very stuff that makes you who you are.

So, remember who you are by invoking the right of memory. And never stop making memories with those you love.

Love,

Bailey

Here’s Why

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

Here’s why I write BaileyDailey:

It helps me process my day. It helps me to come to terms with things. And it puts a smile on my face time and time again. I don’t think it’s necessarily groundbreaking. I don’t even think it’s good most of the time. It’s short and repetitive and sort of narcissistic. Let’s be honest, I’m not even the only person doing this type of format for a blog.

But.

You might not get an honest explanation from anyone about anything. From your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend. From your best friend. From any friend.

But you’ll get one from me. I’ll explain how life works, how you should stop, how you should start, and everything in between.

I’ll explain it all. And I won’t ever ask anything from you, dear reader, except, to well, read it.

So, please. Keep reading and commenting and liking.

You don’t know it, but it truly means the world to me.

Love,

Bailey

Don’t Answer

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

What happens when a phone rings? You answer it, right?

Well, not me. I have a phone at work, and I was getting wrong number calls daily. The people on the other end were not exactly the nicest after I kept telling them to go pound sand. So, I finally asked my boss one day if I could change numbers or change desks or something to stop them from calling.

And he gave me the best advice, he said: “if you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer it.”

And suddenly, I was free. I hadn’t thought of that, to be honest. At least, I hadn’t thought it was an option for me; I was at work, I’m supposed to be available to anyone and everyone that needs me. Aren’t I?

And that’s when it hit me. In life, you don’t need to answer every call. If everyone expects you to answer every time, then they’ll start abusing that.  If you respond to every emotion you have, you’ll drown.

So, don’t answer every call. Let a few a day go to voicemail. I promise they’ll be there when you’re ready to take them.

Love,

Bailey

 

Nothing Ever Changes If You Don’t

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

Okay, everyone. It’s the end of January. And if you haven’t fallen off of your resolutions horse yet, I bet you’re thinking about it.

I know I am.

But don’t!

I came across this great quote, “nothing changes if nothing changes” and I can’t stop thinking about how true it is. If you don’t change, then your situation doesn’t change either.

Or along the same lines, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Change starts with you. You don’t even necessarily have to want change before you have it. You just have to start.

Love,

Bailey

Jawbreaker

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

As a human, I’ve encountered stress. And my body unfortunately takes the brunt of it. My shoulders and neck become tight and I usually get a tension headache. But the main thing that happens is I clench my jaw real tight. Without even noticing it.

So, imagine my surprise when my dentist saw through me and asked if I had been clenching my jaw. I blinked at her and said yes. She said, “your mouth should be slightly parted at all times. You should never clench your jaw.”

Which, frankly, blew my mind. Now I was suddenly noticing all the times I clenched my jaw without realizing it, and all my focus was on opening my mouth, even just partly.

Which got me thinking about all the things we do without us realizing that actually get us into trouble. Like how we react to things without thinking how our reaction really affects us and those around us. How we eat food without thinking of how it will cause us to gain pounds down the road. How we stay up late at night without thinking about the consequences of having to get up for work the next day.

And so, I think it’s all time we think about these things. Even in a conscious effort to do a little better every day.

I still clench my jaw. But now I know what I’m looking for.

Love,

Bailey

Medium-Well

Bailey Gunn1 Comment

When I was younger, I didn’t really have an opinion about anything. I was a go-with-the-flow kind of girl.

I knew war was bad, the Beatles played good music, and that I liked my burgers well done.

And that was that. Anything else, I was like, “oh, you too?! Me too!” about EVERYTHING.

Now, that I’m older, I realize that making your own opinions in life is how you shape your personality. Finding what you absolutely hate and definitely love is the best part about experiences. It’s the adventure that keeps you living!

Now, I know I like my burgers medium-well, I still hate war, and the Beatles still play good music.

Hey, I’m getting there!

Love,

Bailey

Friendly Reminder

Bailey GunnLeave a comment

This is your friendly reminder…to be friendly.

Yes, everyone out there is fighting a hard battle, and blah blah blah. But that’s not the most important reason to be nice to other people. Actually, why do you need a reason? This should be your default mode.

And you can come and tell me that you had a hard day, and life isn’t going the way you expect it to, and it was one time, but I’m going to reply: you had a choice. You always have a choice.

And don’t misunderstand me. When I say nice, I’m not referring to a doormat. I’m saying kind, generous, and friendly. Even when it’s hard to. Even when you’d rather not. Even when it’s not important.

Be a friend as often as possible. Because we all depend on each other.