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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Here's to The Good Ole Days

As I’ve been catching up on my blog reading this week, I can’t help but notice all of the “Fall Fashion! Back to School!  End of Summer” type of posts. Umm... when did that happen? 

Last week I was playing soccer, as I do every Monday night with my summer league, but by the end of the second half the girls and I were squinting to see the ball because all of a sudden it was dark at 8 pm. The season is coming to a close, but this time, this summer, it feels like something more. 

Autumn is my absolute favourite season. It’s when we chose to get married. It’s the beginning of the school year (for Canadians at least). It’s when I can whip out my favourite wardrobe items, like blazers  and boots and scarves (oh how I love scarves! I have about 15, no joke), and layer my outfits without dying from the heat.

So while I’m certainly looking forward to the next season approaching, there’s a part of me that feels like with the end of this summer it’s almost the end of a chapter for Matthew and I as well. Like when we’re old and wrinkly we’ll look back on this time and say to each other, “Hey hunny – remember those three years we spent in our ghetto-fab one bedroom apartment in Ottawa, never further than 10 feet away from each other, plugging away at full-time school and work, drinking way too much wine and eating way too much cheese, having slumber parties in our living room and watching movie marathons on the weekends? Remember the good ole days?”

happiness
Goofing around at a picnic in the park on the weekend
Life right now isn’t exactly perfect. Matthew has classes to worry about, my job is meh, and there are bills to pay. But is life ever really perfect? We’ve got each other and our first year of marriage (almost) under our belts. We’ve got wonderfully supportive families and truly amazing friends. We’ve been talking about some really big changes that are coming up soon and they’ve prompted us to take a minute to pause and reflect on everything that’s going on. Sometimes we complain and sometimes things don’t exactly go according to plan. 

That being said, more often than not, life is good. We’re living in “the good ole days” right now. And I’m so grateful for that. Like my new blog friend Erika says, “Gratitude is a perspective – a way of seeing the world.” For me, it’s also about being mindful and being present. I’m learning to stop jumping ahead to the future and think about how one day we’ll have this and this and this and then life will be so great. Instead, I’m learning to appreciate that life is great right now. You know those times when you’re surrounded by fabulous company, or you’re reading the perfect book on a Saturday afternoon, or sunlight is streaming through the windows as you enjoy a late morning in bed? It’s during those times that my heart swells and I smile, take a mental picture, and think, “This is what contentment feels like. This is perfect.”  

It’s during those times that I pause and think, “I’m livin’ the good ole days right now.”

PS: Taylor recently wrote a really wonderful post about this topic which actually sparked the inspiration for me! Read Taylor’s take on it here.


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4 comments:

  1. Who is that Girl Mo?August 24, 2013

    You guys are so cute! :-) I agree with living in the right now and enjoying what you have. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Have a great weekend!!

    Mo

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    1. Danielle @ The-Lifestyle-ProjectSeptember 10, 2013

      Haha we try, we try. And things have gotten even better now that I'm no longer at my previous job :) Hope you are having a fabulous Tuesday afternoon as well!

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  • Erika from ChimerikalAugust 27, 2013

    Danielle -- thank you so much for mentioning/quoting me! How cool!! :))

    And also, just about this post in general... oh man, you said it! Now is such a time of transition... it's funny how the seasons mirror the different seasons in life. And transitions can be kind of scary, but you're right -- they are best handled by us being present and not thinking about what would make a moment so much better, but what makes it so great already. And it sounds like the time you guys have shared in your apartment has been really wonderful. Too much cheese and wine and TV marathons? Sign me up, please! :)

    --Erika
    http://www.chimerikal.com

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    1. Danielle @ The-Lifestyle-ProjectSeptember 10, 2013

      Erika, your comment is bang on - exactly why I quoted you in the first place lol! You have such a way with words. And yes there is always extra wine and cheese at our place... just a short trip to Canada, right? hehe

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