Living

It’s okay to feel busy sometimes— especially if you’re busy living.

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You know that feeling when you’re driving down the highway right before sunset. The colors around you are so vivid it’s like they came straight from a Bob Ross painting. Windows down. Music up. For one split second you feel like you’re in the opening scene of the coolest movie of the summer.

This is my life right now.

I’m not trying to boast or anything, but I cannot get enough of this crazy life and that’s something worth sharing.

Don’t get me wrong—I am TIRED. Like, drained tired from working quite a bit, and not resting as much as I should. (Remember when I blogged about prioritizing my sleep; yeah still working on it.)

One of my favorite things I was told last year by an interesting bartender who works during the summers but travels during the winters—was to fill your days off with fun.

Let me tell you something; my life doesn’t lack any fun right now. Every day off I’ve had so far has been spent with amazing people either out on a boat, jumping off cliffs into the ocean, eating wicked good food, or having a few too many drinks around a fire.

That bartender told us that those days off are what will keep you going during these crazy busy seasons. And he is so right.

Yes, I am tired, but I am filled with so much love and excitement to go into work and then to have a day off so I can go chase the sun a little bit more.

It was just yesterday morning, I was quite hungover from possibly one of the coolest graduation parties I’ve ever been to—congratulations again Adam—but I was alone sitting on a dock with my toes barely touching the water and something just hit me. Life is good.

I am happy and life really is so good. It’s like I can’t even explain the rush of emotions I get every single day feeling like more good things are coming.

But good energy brings good energy. And that’s what I’ve been surrounded with all summer so far.

There are good people here who believe in having fun and living life to the fullest and when you’re all just trying to live it up; that’s a different kind of good energy.

I don’t mean to ramble or brag about all of this crazy goodness happening in life right now; but it’s been a minute or two since I last blogged and just wanted you all to know I haven’t drowned in the ocean or anything and I’m not just being consumed by work this summer; if anything I’m having a bit too much fun.

Here’s the thing that’s been on my mind this whole time. What makes people happy? Why are these people around me so fricken happy? How am I on cloud nine almost every single day? I truly think it’s a lot about perspective, appreciation, and the simple act of doing what you truly enjoy.

(Scientifically I also think some of it might be being close to the ocean—but I’ll ramble about that another day.)

Don’t get me wrong, I feel extremely LUCKY, but how much does luck really have to do with it? I was very lucky to stumble upon such an incredible place. But taking the jump and committing to the move and taking a chance on a new adventure I knew nothing about—that was all choice. I don’t like to toot my own horn very often, but I made these things happen.

I like to think that I’ve created a lot of the good that I’m surrounded by. I’ve chosen to find the open doors when others have closed behind me. I’ve looked for the positive in the not so great situations I’ve been in in the past. I’ve stepped so far out of my comfort zone and took a chance on this wild life—and what happened next is absolutely life changing; I started living.

Right now, one of my favorite things to tell my tables what I’m doing is living.

Because that’s really what it is. I’m doing as much as I can to create happiness all around me, meet amazing people along the way, and leave a positive impact on them and on every place I land.

Maybe happiness really is contagious and if I can spread that to every person I meet, they can continue to spread it and maybe just maybe there will be a wildfire of nothing but good vibes spreading ferociously across the upper east coast.

Another thing I love answering for people is the fun question, “are you always this happy”? Honestly, I kind of am. But mostly because I’m simply doing what I love, in an amazing place with pretty cool people.

If you’re not doing something you enjoy, in a place you can’t stand, surrounded with people who don’t lift you up—hit the road running because there is so much more to life.

I don’t know what else to tell you other than I really think happiness finds me when I’m doing the things I enjoy. I’ve said this before but it’s one of the things driving my life right now—what if you only had five years to live. If you knew you were going to die on July 8, 2024, how would you spend the next five years.

Would you book the flights and just travel the world, would you start a non-profit or donate money to a cause you’re passionate about, would you see the seven wonders, would you bungee jump in New Zealand or deep see dive near Australia? Wouldn’t you want to spend every last second you had alive feeling the happiest you possibly could?

That’s how you should live right now. I think I can say without a doubt that if I died in five years, heck if I died tomorrow I would die one of the happiest people on this planet. Not just because I’ve gotten pretty lucky to have such an incredible life—but because I’ve spent my days searching for happiness and chasing fun and soaking up every last ounce of good energy around me.

Yeah, if I died tomorrow, I’d be okay with how I’ve spent my 24 years.

I can’t wait to tell you all more about the incredible people I’ve met this summer, the wild adventures I’ve had so far, the insane shifts I’ve worked at Geddy’s, and the memories I’ve made that are now captured in polaroids all over my fridge.

But for now, I’m three coffees deep, getting ready for another shift, already planning what crazy mess I’ll get myself into on my next day off.

Please reach out if you ever have any questions about packing your bags and moving across the united states or even across the world and starting a new adventure. It’s truly changed my life and I would love to help you take the jump and find happiness with every new adventure.