the right way to be opinionated

If I could blush, I'd be blushing right now. Thank you so, so much to everyone that answered the question on my last post. On that note, if you haven't yet told me why you read Danielle Abroad, please comment below. I'm trying to improve and would greatly appreciate it :). Truth is, I blog for you as much as I blog for me. I certainly enjoy exploring my thoughts through writing, but I also wish to share my personal experiences and discoveries with you--to inspire, to relate, to comfort, to entertain.

Unlike many other bloggers, I can honestly say that my family barely reads my blog. My parents are hardly tech-savvy and spend very little time on the internet. And I am always surprised to hear of friends and acquaintances outside of the blogosphere that read religiously. Maybe it's because I didn't actually announce that I had a blog until about six months into this adventure of ours?

Whatever the reason, it really is all about you. You, and the thrill of understanding our opinions. Now, please hold that thought while I explain...

I spent last week at home while I was sick. Not purposefully, (even though my mom is an amazing caretaker,) but because my brother was home for the holiday and I wanted to spend the weekend with him. Then, when it came time for me to leave, I started to feel more and more under the weather. So I stayed home. I slept a lot, tried my best to work, and enjoyed many a bowl of healing chicken soup. I also acquired a friend crush on Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers.

My blog reading habits have changed so much in four years; I began with healthy living blogs, moved onto food blogs, added in some design, humor, travel, and inspirational blogs... and now read a little of everything. If you're interested, you can take a look at my current blogroll here. While I was sick, I hopped around to a few new blogs too, and found myself enjoying PBFingers.com the most.

As I read through her archives, I stumbled upon a quote from Professor ToughLove that really resonated with me: “Your opinions are valuable, and it’s important that you have them, about all kinds of stuff. But having an opinion means being responsible for understanding it: where that opinion came from, what influenced it, and how much of it is based on what you yourself have learned about the world vs. what parents and pundits are shouting at you.”

Being that I was simultaneously republishing archives of my own, I realized promoting understanding of opinions is exactly what I've been trying to do.

I couldn't agree more with the words of Russell Simmons (yes, I am quoting Russell Simmons): "If you write everything off that seems to foreign to you as 'wack' or 'weird,' you might never see the inspiration that's intended for you. You might not be familiar or comfortable with the world outside your experience, but there's a very good chance that's where your gift is going to come from."

"That's why we must have the courage and conviction to run to the world and embrace all of its inspirations instead of hoping that that energy will somehow find us." And so I seek new places, try new things, and blog all about it.

Last week, on the first morning I woke up without a throat that was killing me, I drove upstate to Hemlock Hill Farms. As you saw in the first photo on this post, my mom was out of milk and half-and-half, and I wanted fresh apples and eggs.

I know, most of the time, neither of us will be able to get such products from a nearby working farm. I'm aware that we often lack the opportunity to first, travel, and then spend enough time in a new city or country to fully appreciate its culture. I am all too familiar with the constant balancing act between an active social life and an active lifestyle. And, let's be honest, my days aren't always good either.

I am not unlike any of you actually... except that I have this blog. And I love the fact that you read it. Thank you, again, for joining me as I navigate my way through life, and sometimes, around the world. P.S. If you haven't already caught on, not feeling well and reading through my own archives made me especially mushy and reflective. It also made me crave comforting childhood breakfasts like Multigrain Cheerios with milk. The coffee alongside it was a just because.