Day 3

Today, I learned some pretty impressive advice from a fictional character in a play that I thought I would hate. Polonius, in Shakespeare's Hamlet, gives his son advice before he leaves for France. Here is the original text:

"And these few precepts in thy memoryLook thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,Nor any unproportioned thought his act.Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar.Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,But do not dull thy palm with entertainmentOf each new-hatched, unfledged comrade. BewareOf entrance to a quarrel, but being in,Bear ’t that th' opposèd may beware of thee.Give every man thy ear but few thy voice.Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment.Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,But not expressed in fancy—rich, not gaudy,For the apparel oft proclaims the man,And they in France of the best rank and stationAre of a most select and generous chief in that.Neither a borrower nor a lender be,For loan oft loses both itself and friend,And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.This above all: to thine own self be true,And it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man."

Now, I know what you're thinking. Too long, didn't read, right? Well, for those of you who are not English scholars (which I most certainly am not), here is the No Fear Shakespeare interpretation.

"And just try to remember a few rules of life. Don’t say what you’re thinking, and don’t be too quick to act on what you think. Be friendly to people but don’t overdo it. Once you’ve tested out your friends and found them trustworthy, hold onto them. But don’t waste your time shaking hands with every new guy you meet. Don’t be quick to pick a fight, but once you’re in one, hold your own. Listen to many people, but talk to few. Hear everyone’s opinion, but reserve your judgment. Spend all you can afford on clothes, but make sure they’re quality, not flashy, since clothes make the man—which is doubly true in France. Don’t borrow money and don’t lend it, since when you lend to a friend, you often lose the friendship as well as the money, and borrowing turns a person into a spendthrift. And, above all, be true to yourself. Then you won’t be false to anybody else."

Better, eh? I thought so. haha.
 My favorite part of this speech is the last few sentences. Be true to yourself, and, inevitably, everyone else will see the true you as well. That is my goal for this new year. To be the true me all of the time, and I challenge you to do the same.

Day 2

Today, I learned that there is nothing better than an unexpected trip to the store. My mother and I went to Walgreens for a calendar, of all things, and came out with Nutella, a bag of popcorn that was the size of a toddler, some silly shower gel, a toy pig, and a sore belly (caused by laughter, of course). Fellow shoppers looked at us like we needed some kind of professional help, but we didn't care. Mom and I were in our own silly little world. In that moment, there was nothing else I would rather have been doing. It made me see how lucky I am to have such a loving family. Oh, and did I mention that we didn't get the calendar?

Day 1

Today, (which is meant to be January 1st, I'm just late. haha) I learned to never overlook the small things. The touch of your lover's hand, for example. I was napping with my boyfriend today, whom you will hear a lot about, and I laid completely still and listened to the beat of his heart sing me to sleep. I felt his hand touching only one section of my skin. I listened to his breathing. Those are the simple things that I would have overlooked had I not been paying attention. And because of that, I have a memory, a picture of him forever embedded in my mind now.
Smiles. Smiles are one of the greatest gifts we are given. There are all different types of smiles. Fake ones, big ones, sarcastic ones, hidden ones, and genuine ones. Paying attention to someone's mouth really can have a big affect on a person. For instance, today at my church, a new Christian was getting baptized. I have been friends with this girl for around 4 years, but I have never seen her smile the way she did today. She looked so carefree and relieved.
So, all in all, my point for Day 1 would be to always appreciate the smallest things, to be observant, and watch the world with new eyes everyday.

First of all...

Hi. I'm Olivia, and I am completely new to blogging. I feel it is beyond important to learn new things each and every day. So starting January 1, 2012, I will be posting (hopefully) every day about an important lesson I have learned. My whole reason for doing this is to be able to look back and see how blessed I am. I hope it will help you realize all of the "everyday" events that we sometimes overlook are really helping to shape our lives.