city strong

As the ever-wonderful Holly so eloquently commented, "i love your blog because it encompasses so many things - health, travel, happiness and of course, food." Firstly, thank you again, my dear. Secondly, I hope you all appreciate the posts that aren't quite about health, travel or food too; Especially as this one ironically falls into that "happiness" category.

A few weekends ago, I was watching Country Strong with Lara. In reality, I was watching it alone at home (unless a glass of wine counts as a companion), while she was also watching in her own home, we just happened to be tweeting at each other. Anyway :) in my opinion, the storyline was somewhat too dramatic, the script was somewhat cliché, and the acting was pretty spectacular. I'll admit that I enjoyed the soundtrack as well and downloaded it almost immediately after. Perhaps the most important takeaway, though, was the way it made me feel.. a lot. The combination of the country ballads and the drama (and the wine) had me completely in tears. The movie was definitely melancholic, but that wasn't even it. It just seemed to elicit all of the "weakness" in my being. I needed to cry. And as much as that may be a sad thought, I beg to differ.

I've been told that I was strong many times in the past year. I know that I've survived quite a few struggles, and with flying colors too. But I've come to realize that the bravest thing of all was allowing myself moments, like the one above, to be weak. Doing so has allowed me to heal. Because for as amazing as life is, it also has it's fair share of problems. It always will.

Far too often we get distracted by trying to fulfill our right to "pursue happiness" and ignore the need to just feel - to let ourselves be scared, angry, disappointed, or hurt. Our bodies aren't invincible and neither are our hearts. It's okay to be upset. And on that same token, it's also very okay to let yourself be happy. If you wake up content the next morning, smiling for no reason at all, revel in that. No matter that the world isn't perfect, you forgot to call your friend back, have laundry upon laundry in the hamper, and skipped the gym in favor of gelato. Real friends understand, laundry eventually gets done, and your body is still just as strong as it was yesterday. Let you (and your taste buds) feel whatever it is you need to feel. Give yourself a hug and embrace those brief tears and that smile. You deserve it.