After a week of being home in Pittsburgh (due to the passing of my grandmother, Nana) it really made me reflect on life. I tend to get so caught up on social media. I am always thinking about what my next post will be, snapchatting, interacting on social media, editing and drafting… it can be so exhausting. I must say a week of not doing any of that was so nice. Although it was nice to be with my family through this difficult time, it was actually the most awful week of my life. I have never lost someone so close to me before. I wish I could say I hope none of you ever have to go through that but unfortunately it is a part of life we all have to deal with. It is so sad to see family members mourning but in a way it brings us all even closer. We have wonderful memories, pictures and videos to cherish. It makes us truly appreciate that we have each other and that no one gets out of this thing called “life” alive. To fully live in the moment and regret nothing. To always keep moving (like my Nana did).
Flying back to NYC right now and writing this really puts a lot in perspective for me. It made me ask myself so many questions like what is most important in life? What am I most passionate about? What is MY purpose? All questions us 23 year olds ask ourselves, right?! Overthinking to the point of major anxiety is normal too?! I know I am not alone in this (I hope!). But what I do know is that I am nowhere done with NYC. As tremendously hard it is to be away from my family, boyfriend, and life-long friends, I know I am so lucky to be living here and can only grow so much more. Living here for almost two years has opened my eyes to things I would never see anywhere else let alone experience anywhere else. It has made me mature faster than I ever thought I could, be stronger than I ever thought I could, and smarter than I ever thought I could. The most important thing I have learned is to be HAPPY. My dad always tells me, “the moment you are not happy, change it.” People are going to remember how YOU touched their life. If you leave a footprint or an imprint, leave a positive one. One of my favorite quotes I live by from Maya Angelou is “I learned people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
I am posting some pictures I haven’t shared on my blog and because my Nana loved this fur of mine!
(I think this post was subconsciously a therapy session for me without even realizing it, haha!)
Many XO’s,
Alyssa
