What I've Been Loving Recently

*please bare with me as I ease back into blogging. I'll try to take some pictures soon to make my posts more interesting :3*

Madeline's tiny list of things that have been making her happy lately:

• the Hamilton the musical soundtrack (its on youtube, check it out). I just love it so much. The songs are beautiful, creative, and witty, but the lovely people who sing them bring them to life. 

• the opi nailpolish color I cannoli wear opi. It's the perfect light grey and it's been staying on my nails beautifully, which is nice because I'm a lazy sloth. 

• writing my thoughts down. I feel weird calling the notebook I write my thoughts down in a 'journal,' and besides I'm including blogging in this pinpoint. But anyway it relieves stress, it helps me think issues out better, and it's insuring I'll be able to remember how I feel about whatever now, when I look back at it years from now. I wish I was doing this a year ago.

• trusting in the Lord. Because, gahhhhhh, it's not always easy. There are so many times when my future looks so uncertain, or I'm worried about friends and people. It's such a comfort to remember it's not in my hands, it's in my heavenly Father's.

-My thoughts today

random tidbit of song I heard while I was writing this:
'it was beautifully depressing, like a streetcar named Desire'

Thoughts on Maturity

Maturity is the ability to realize while somebody may be a great, outstanding person, they can still be a terrible friend.
Maturity is the ability to let something go, to move on without bitterness in your heart.
Maturity is praying for your enemies, and for your own heart towards them.
Maturity is not praying for the downfall of others, but that they will be lifted towards Him.
Maturity is thinking before you answer sharply.
Maturity is knowing others aren't perfect, and you aren't either, but everybody's doing the best they can.
Maturity is knowing everything is a choice, and others can't be blamed for choices somebody else made.
Maturity is forgiveness.
Maturity is love.
Maturity does not have to be solemn and straight faced. Maturity can be fun, joyful, and full of wonder. And it should be so.

-M's thoughts on Maturity

{I love to hear y'alls thoughts and experiences, please feel free to leave them below!}

Thoughts on Salad and Loving Yourself

For a long time, salad was a form of punishment for myself. ''You're eating salad for lunch because you need to lose weight and clear your skin,'' I told myself as I reluctantly ate salad without dressing (or croutons, or cheese--basically lettuce. ew madeline why). 

It's taken a while, but through adventures and mistakes I've realized how wrong that mindset is. I've started caring about my health again and eating better than I have been, but my mindset is totally different. 

''You're eating salad because it's good for your body and you love yourself,'' I've been telling myself. And you know what? I've been eating caesar salad with as many croutons and as much cheese as I want. And I love it.

I love knowing I'm feeding my body what will make it strong for years to come. I eat lettuce and spinach because I love myself, but in the same meal I also eat dressing and croutons and cheese because I love myself. 

This mindset extends from just my lunch. I eat chocolate and sugar because I love myself and I want to treat myself. But at the same time, I don't eat too much of it because I love myself. 

When I eat, my mindset is a loving one. And I hope and pray yours is too. In this world, loving yourself is so important. It's a journey, and it's not achieved over night. Heck, I know my journey is far from done. But please join this loving journey with me. 

-Madeline's thoughts over lunch 

{Comments? Leave them below}