Some weeks are tougher than others. It was a lot easier flipping over to even out my tan lines this summer than to finish a week’s worth of assignments in two hours during the middle of the semester. That’s why its important to recognize the consistent blessings in your life that make you smile a little brighter, hug a little tighter, and be a stronger fighter when life challenges you. Positivity is contagious, and you’re about to catch something really strong.

Introducing my list of reasons to wake up joyful, excited, and ready to seize the day!

My age

I absolutely love being twenty-one and everything this age has brought me. It symbolizes entering the gates of adulthood through buying my first vacuum, paying for my utilities, and even doing a trial and error with hair conditioner! Exciting, isn’t it? The real world has brought me mental and emotional growth as well as many tough nights without my mom’s shoulder to cry on. It’s challenged me to either own my beliefs and opinions or branch out and change them. I’ve learned to depend on myself to overcome tough situations, just as much as I have learned to love myself in times of celebration. It's an age that can be carefree and fun along with being trialing and developmental. I love late nights with friends that are followed by early morning networking events. I love messing up a recipe just as much as I love actually creating something worth eating. I love being able to grow and watch myself become a full functioning and independent adult.

Humor

I would have to say that ninety five percent of my best memories include laughter. It’s one of my favorite sounds and by far my favorite feeling. Holding my stomach with tears in my eyes and a bladder that keeps getting weaker and weaker is priceless and I can’t imagine my life without endless giggles, over-exaggerated accents, and my mother’s attempts at impersonating Shakira. One thing I was taught is to never take myself or anyone else too seriously, which is why my humor has played such a big part in molding who I am. Sometimes we have to step back, lighten the mood, and laugh it off. So if you ever need to cleanse your heart of stress along with a good ab workout, turn on a John Mulaney or Iliza Shlesinger special and watch the magic happen.

Balance

The solution between having too much work and too much play. Although working hard is a must, we cannot get burnt out on spreadsheets and essays. My theory is that this is how Margarita Mondays were invented, but that’s another story for another article. Luckily, I have created an almost perfect schedule that allows for pleasure in between working thirty-five hours a week and being a full time student. Not to mention the three executive board positions! I am also eternally grateful for a boyfriend that helps me escape the stress of school through frisbee, vacations, and a constant reminder that “I’ll get em next time.” He also balances my confidence in such a delicate and effective way. Although he always reminds me to stay humble and give credit to my support systems, he never allows me to believe that I am not capable of anything, ever. He keeps me grounded while building me up. 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

“I’ll be there for you, we were on a break, 15 Yemen Road, Yemen, OH MY GOD, Pivot, could I be wearing anymore clothes?” This will always be the greatest show in the world and I wouldn’t waste your time trying to argue with me. As a Carnival Cruise F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Trivia Co-Champion, I am not the first to say that this show has changed my life. I used to sit next to my mom, three years old, and watch the beginning seasons of this show. Of coarse not understanding most of the jokes, but falling in love with the characters. My mom and I quote this like a third language and I associate the voices and humor of this show to the comfort and love we share. Any time I have moved into a new apartment and am all by myself, I put on an episode. Any episode, it doesn’t matter which one. I feel like my mom is sitting next to me, laughing at the jokes we have heard a million times. Rachel, Monica, Pheobe, Joey, Chandler and Ross are my friends and introduced me to confidence, originality, humor, and love.

Roommates

Not everyone gets this lucky. Although I have had my share of incompatible roommates, I ended up living with two of the best people that don’t just treat our apartment as “a temp college space”. Our apartment is flooded with love, encouragement, laughter and incredibly cute decor. When one has a hard week, the other two take care of her. When one starts to feel sick, the other two put on scrubs and nurse her back to health. We have family dinners, movie nights, and late night tears because college is really tough. College would be a lot tougher if my roommates didn’t have such big hearts and a love for life. I adore you Loryn and Katie!

Videography

My most recent and favorite hobby! The process is a challenging and lengthy one, but so worth it when you are reliving your favorite memories over and over again. My travel video to Bulgaria is my favorite souvenir and made me appreciate my homeland in a completely different way. After 13 years, my friends got to see what I see every summer in a fast paced and upbeat video that captured sweet summertime through the beach, wine, and family. My new camera arrived last week and I cant wait to go to Chicago next month so I can shoot, edit, and create a video from one of my favorite cities. I appreciate and learn through visuals, which is why videography is so appealing to me. I can not only visit beautiful places on this Earth, but capture them to show others. How incredible is that?

Kalina 

The most important component of happiness- yourself. It has been a journey of acceptance and a constant reminder that I was made this way for a reason. Now, I wake up confident in my skin, ready to take the world by storm every day. Loving yourself and appreciating the way you were created will grant you a completely different perspective- and a completely different life experience. I wouldn’t change my nose, my child like hands, my dark complexion, my height, my laugh or any other little thing about me. I’m not necessarily in love with every feature but every feature makes Kalina who she is. And I love Kalina. She is loyal to the people in her life, compassionate, energetic and an extreme go-getter. She also gets carried away, is overly persistent, and is learning with every mistake and every success.