optimism

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. words will just ruin it, so I won't bother with them... it was just perfect.

yesterday I went for a walk along the beach after dinner (we live about 1 minute's walk from an awesome beach that we don't take advantage of as often as we should). the sand was so clean, and the water was impossibly clear. there were families playing, couples swimming together, half-dressed football teams training, old ladies walking furiously, dogs running/playing/swimming/chasing... but it felt so peaceful and quiet. the sun was almost setting - the shadows were long and the light was delightfully flattering - and the temperature of the water was absolutely perfect.

I ran home, quickly got changed, then ran back down to the beach and shattered the gentleness of the lulling waves. after awhile (read: when I started to shiver) I begrudgingly stalked out of the water, and sat myself down to watch the last of the sunset; running the sand through my fingers and listening.

those kind of moments inspire me. I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but those kind of moments clear my headspace and make me hopeful. 

  

I've come across a cool website that is full of pretty, inspiring, dirty, cute, yummy, funny (please feel free to continue) photos that people have liked on tumblr or flikr or some other type of photo-gathering website. they always tend to put me in an optimistic sort of mood, and often make me hopeful and excited for things I am yet to uncover.

as a curious, open-minded, optimistic young individual, I am desperate to travel overseas. I want to see everything, and know the stories of everyone in every city, everywhere. I want to immerse myself in different cultures and meet people that are different to the ones I see everyday. I want to eat foods and go shopping and do touristy things and.... everything. anyway... while I'm waiting to save up the money, I've decided to stick to reading travel blogs, and looking at photos from every whichway around the world. I've come across a set of inspiring videos by Albin Holmqvist promoting the Education First Language Schools which are running all over the world.
these three are my favourites (click the place-names) - they make my belly ache with sadness for these places I've never seen, but excite me and inspire me to take steps in the direction of my goal. oh, you know I've already ordered the brochures.

Paris

Barcelona

London

if all these fail, try music. try people-watching. try a cup of tea. try volunteering. try walking a dog. try meeting a baby... it's comforting to feel hopeful and inspired. it's easier to do the monotonous routine when you know that there's something more exciting waiting for you to discover it.