Was this week super long for anyone else? Whew. I am just happy we made it to Friday, but it was a rough week for me. My mental health hasn’t been the greatest lately and Valentine’s Day is always a tough holiday for me (even though I wish it wasn’t), so I’m just happy I made it through and now I can focus on the weekend. It will be a good weekend, I hope, with the right amount of downtime and social time. I think part of my mental health struggles has been spending a little too much time alone, so I think this weekend should rejuvenate me.
Today, I’m continuing my Friday Questions series with five more questions from the Real Talk Radio podcast. Enjoy!
1) Tell us some of the best advice that you’ve ever received.
“What is meant for me is already mine.” I saw this quote on an Instagram post a few years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. It reminds me that I won’t miss the things that are meant for me. I can’t pass them by. The soulmate I ache for, the book I want to publish, the travels I want to do… they will all be mine if they are meant to be mine. For someone who has an anxiety disorder and loves to worry about every little thing, this quote gives me so much peace. We are all on the path we are meant to be on, even when it looks vastly different than what we thought it would look like.
2) If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, what show would it be?
This one’s easy – FRIENDS! I have been rewatching the show recently (I never watched it straight through) and each episode makes me laugh and takes me out of my life for a bit. It’s a comfort watch, a show I turn to when I need to just forget everything for a while.
3) Of everything you’ve spent money on in the past few months, what’s the one purchase that’s made you the happiest?
This one is hard because I find it enormously difficult to buy things. A little bit of guilt or fear always accompanies my spending. I would like to say that the purchase that has made me the happiest is my flight to Ireland but I was actually really apprehensive to buy the tickets and I’m still very nervous about it. They’re good nerves but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m happy, at least not yet. Maybe when the trip starts to feel more real and we have more things booked. (And my credit card doesn’t look as scary as it does now, heh.)
But I think the purchase(s) that made me happiest (and yes, cheating a bit here) were my Secret Santa gifts. I ended up drawing the name of my girl, B, same as last year, so I had to really get creative with my gifts and find stuff that was different than my usual picks for her but that she would still love. And every time I found something for her, I felt so happy thinking about her reaction.
4) What’s something that only those in your close inner circle know about you?
I am pretty transparent on my blog and on social media, especially about my struggles, so I wasn’t sure exactly how to answer this question. I don’t keep too much to myself, but there are also a lot of things in my life that I’m not comfortable talking about online. For example, while I’m happy to talk about my dating life in broad terms, I don’t get into the nitty-gritty of it. I won’t talk about the dates I’m going on or the people I’m meeting because that feels a little too personal. I will vent about problems at work or issues with my family to my friends, but I keep both of those off my blog because it’s not the right place for it. So, while I try to be as transparent as possible online, I am not here to tell anyone else’s stories or air any dirty laundry.
5) What’s something you’re not doing or haven’t done yet because you’re afraid?
There is this cool literary group in my city that I’ve been dying to join, but my fear has prevented me from doing anything about it. My fear is two-fold: the fear of not being good enough and the fear of joining a new social group. They also run a silent reading event once a month and I desperately wanted to attend it this month. For weeks, I had saved the date in my calendar but when the day arrived, I chickened out. I’d love to join this group and get more involved in the literary scene in my city but damn if my fear hasn’t stopped me from doing anything more than glancing at their website and Facebook page every few weeks and wishing I had the guts to join.
What TV show would you pick as the only one you could watch for the rest of your life?
The one tv show question is tough. I think I’d have to go with Sex and the City, though. I love that show so so much! I haven’t watched it in the a long time but I have all 6 seasons so I can watch it at anytime. It’s such a comfort show for me as those 4 girls feel like friends to me!
Valentine’s Day can be hard as a single gal. I tried to spend it with my nephews when I was single, which helped! I’d offer to babysit and we’d get a heart-shaped pizza. Those were some of my best Valentine’s Day! This past one was not great… We met with an attorney to work on our will over lunch which was an important task but not exactly fun/romantic. And then Paul got the stomach flu when we got home from work/daycare. Womp womp.
I relate so hard to #5! It is so, SO hard to put myself out there. And it’s almost like this is doing it double, because you are putting yourself out there socially and putting your beloved writing out there for criticism. I hope you can figure out a way to make it work, because I think writing with others is so valuable. (Not that I’ve had the courage to even LOOK for options around me…) But I bet there are also online writing groups you could try if that’s more comfortable! I know you will figure out what’s right for you.
Friends is so good! I could totally watch it over and over and never be bored. I could probably watch Grey’s Anatomy forever as well. It’s a tough choice!
I too, can relate to #5! I’d love to join a running group but meeting new people is so awkward and stressful for me… Plus I feel like I’d be intruding, which only adds to the awkwardness. (Which I know isn’t the case at all.) One day!
This one is hard because I find it enormously difficult to buy things.
^^ oh my heavens, ME TOO! ughhhh. I have been working on this but holy crap do I ever feel guilty when I spend money…which is dumb because I work hard for that money! I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we are paying back debt, honestly. Maybe I’ll feel better about it when we are debt free?
As for TV show I would watch…that’s freaking hard. Honestly? Likely something like Brooklyn 99 or the Office. I love both these shows so freaking much.
I feel the same about Friends! I have never watched it straight through but have been watching re-runs and they always make me feel good. I often laugh out loud and sometimes J can’t understand what’s so funny, but to me the show is LOL funny!
Friends is so, so good and I feel like it’s one of the few shows that really holds up. It’s still great. BUT, it would be impossible for me to pick just one show to watch for forever. Maybe Friends? Maybe Riverdale? Maybe Schitt’s Creek? It depends on the day!
I LOVE that quote – thank you for sharing it! I collect quotes that speak to me, for lack of a better description, and really love to think about what they mean for me, and why a certain quote might stand out to me at a particular point in my life.