Smiles spread faster than cooties

I was talking to a friend just the other day and said something to him that really stuck with me:

We do not live in a vacuum.

Other people affect our lives so much, whether we want them to or not. Their actions and words have great consequences, as do ours. It’s something that made me realize two things: one, I cannot change other people, but I can change how I react to them; two, I need to be more careful myself.

First, I cannot control others, but I have full and complete control over how much power I give other people over me. I cannot count how many times I have been happy and in a great mood only to have it instantly reduced to soul crushing depression by someone else. But that is not living a blessed life. That is not being grateful for what I have. That is giving other people undue control over myself and my emotions. Of course, I will get upset, sad, or pissed off because of other people, but I can’t let that get carried away. Especially when those people don’t matter to me. I am thinking of one person in particular, but this is a universal truth. I don’t have to let them make me so upset or mad. I can take a minute to stop and acknowledge my feelings- which I think is an important thing to do, since we need to validate all of our feelings- and then move on, not sit and stew in the depths of despair. “For to despair is to lose sight of God” (or something along those lines).

Second, I need to constantly keep in mind my influence on others. Moods, feelings, and energy are all contagious, especially when negatively charged. I have seen it work so many times, how my bad mood or attitude instantly sours another’s. And of course, the opposite is true as well. Laughs and smiles spread faster than cooties. So, what sort of impact do I want to have on those in my life? How do I want others to view me? Do I want to be the one people avoid because I am always complaining and bringing everyone down with me, or do I want to be the one people can’t wait to see because I’m a freaking ray of sparkling sunshine and rainbows all the time? I’d rather be annoying for being a happy person than just plain annoying.

So now, when something upsets me or gets me down, I’m going to feel that way for a few seconds and then move on. Because eff that noise, I have better things to do with my time. This is what I’m working on right now. Wish me luck and have a beautiful day! (If you live in the Lansing area, go out and enjoy the weather)

Hi! My name is:

So I have made several stunted forays into the world of blogging, but I never seem to be interested enough to keep updating. Life changes and moves on, and I move away from whatever blog I happen to have at the time. I always start new projects, but rarely do I seem to finish them. Maybe something about blogging seems odd to me, that someone would actually be interested in reading what I write on the interwubs. I am vain enough to start a blog, but too self-conscious to keep it up. But, lately I have been reading other people's blogs, and I have been told time and time again that it is important for a writer to do things like blog to keep them writing daily or at least weekly. And writing is something I have been trying to do lately, even if I wasn't so successful with NanoWrimo this month. At least I am writing something. It's good to be grateful for the small things.

I am not quite sure what my goals are for this blog yet. Perhaps it will just be me commenting on my daily life, or perhaps a bit of philosophizing, or maybe just me discussing my writing- although it gets tedious and redundant to keep complaining about writer's block. Whatever this turns into, I hope it will be at least a little entertaining for myself to read- and anyone else who finds this and takes the time to peruse.

Basically, I just wanted to welcome whoever is reading this to my new blog. Hopefully, this will last longer than my other blogs have. Hopefully, you will not regret coming to visit this page. If you are reading this, you probably know me, and I hope that this will be a good way for us to keep in touch and that it will spark new thoughts in you. I am a very hopeful person today. Hope is good.

And now random jump to the typical introductions (don't ask me for perfect transitions; this is a blog, not an essay):
My name is Jinkyong, or Julia, depending on whom you ask. I am a graduate from Michigan State University (go green) who received my B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I love reading and writing and all things English. But I also love a multitude of other things. I am half-Korean (hence the two names) and still live in the Lansing area of Michigan. I am unsure of what the future brings, but doesn't that just make things more exciting? After all, plans rarely work out as we imagined, so isn't it better to just go along with the flow? I am currently working on an impromptu novel I started writing for NanoWrimo, but am nowhere near finishing, even as the month draws to a close. I am also working on being a better, happier, and more thankful person. Today is Thanksgiving, and I am very grateful for many things, but I want to be grateful every second of every day. I don't want a holiday to remind me that I have a lot in my life. I want to breathe that knowledge. I read my horoscope yesterday, and it really seemed to apply to me. It suggested that I not try to start over, but rather just jump into the middle of my new life and skip the tedious, hard, and often violent beginning. I think that's a great way to look at things. I'm done saying that from now on, I'll be better, I'll do better. Rather, I've already started my new life. I'm already in the middle of being who I want to be. There's much less pressure that way, when you're already doing it as opposed to having to start doing things right. And there's no allowance for my tendency to always procrastinate. My birthday is next Tuesday, and I'm not so thrilled about being older. But 26 won't be so bad. I'm looking forward to discovering what my 26 year-old-self will be like. Nothing like a birthday to reinvent yourself.

So here's to wishing everyone a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving and a happy weekend. Try to stay out of the holiday shopping madness. The season is about love, not presents after all. And sometimes sleep is more important than Black Friday sales. Good day!