buddhism – Page 26 – Living off Leesh

What I’m Thankful for

Published on November 24, 2015May 27, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hey all, so I hope you all are having a good Thanksgiving Holiday. I left for my aunt’s house yesterday and I am so happy to be on this break. My aunt took me shopping for all of the vegan and gluten free food I could eat which I’m very thankful for and she even bought me some soap so i didn’t have to lug my big pump soap dispenser all the way to Phoenix. She is working a half day today, so I have spent my time relaxing, cuddling with her 3 puppies, watching real TV and not Netflix (1st world problems I know) and doing aa bit of homework. Since there are 2 days until Thanksgiving, I’ve decided to beat everyone to the punch of saying what I’m thankful for. For starters, I typically never think about what I’m thankful for, because I’ve been pretty lucky in growing up. Granted I don’t have my own car or go to Harvard or can always be buying whatever I want, I always have had a roof over my head, food on my plate, and a loving and caring support group of family and friends who are always there when I need them. I remember one year, my mom, sister, and I went up to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving weekend to visit my mom’s best friend and her family. On Saturday they did their Thanksgiving dinner and after we went around the room and said what we were thankful for. One of the ladies had recently gotten laser eye surgery and said that she was thankful for being able to see. One little girl said she was thankful for puppies that exist because her dog recently died and puppies made her not miss her dog so much, and someone else said they were thankful to not have to work on Thanksgiving for the first time in 10 years. I can fully admit that I have taken each and every one of these things for granted in my life. I have 20/20 vision and the only time I can’t see is when my eyes are closed. Puppies are such a gift and despite my depression, going into a pen filled with puppies can lighten anyone’s day, I’m telling you try it sometime. I’ve never worked on Thanksgiving. Granted I have only been a nanny but had the parents both had to work on Thanksgiving, I might have had to do that. It’s so funny. All the things we take for granted and things we never really appreciate until other people don’t have them and we notice it on them, or we don’t have them ourselves.
I’m thankful for so much, it’s not even funny. I’m thankful that I wake up everyday bright eyed and bushy tails (not all days) and am given the opportunity to go to a good college and learn to further my education.
I’m thankful that I have clean drinking water and can brush my teeth, shower, and drink something so pure and clean.
I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to travel over halfway across the country for college and that my parents and grandparents are helping me and paying for most of it.
I’m thankful that I have a nice warm bed to retire to at the end of every day and that no matter what, it will be there
I’m thankful that I have a roof over my head and food on my plate. Not everyone has both. Not everyone has even one of these things and I’m so thankful that I was given a life where both are not seen as luxuries
I’m thankful for my family, friends, peers, acquaintances, random hot boys I have seen at coffee shops,etc. I’m thankful for all of you because, you have all impacted my life in some way, even if just in the slightest sense.
I’m thankful for electricity. Thank you computer, iPhone, iPad, TV, etc for existing because you make my life so much easier. While you have created an antisocial society, you have helped me write essays, capture moments, and stay in touch with family despite being 2500 miles away
I’m thankful for animals. I love animals. I love how I feel when I am around animals and I’m thankful that animals have given me the inspiration to pursue a career with them in mind.
Finally, I am thankful for myself. Why? I am thankful that I have a good head on my shoulders and that I have dreams and aspirations and that I can do anything I set my mind to. I love you self
That’s a bit of what I’m thankful for. Talk to you all soon
Alicia

Life Away from Home

Published on November 7, 2015June 25, 2016 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hey everyone.

So, a big question that I’m asked often if how do I do it? How do I spend months away from home. So far away from home my parents have to take a plane to get to me if they want to get to me that day or week. Do I get home sick often and how do I cope with being completely on my own? How do I miss my sister’s basketball game and dances, etc.?

To be honest, I don’t know. I ask myself how I don’t miss anyone or anything on the daily. I think it’s because I still keep contact with all my friends and family. And also because I wasn’t like inseparable with anyone in high school. My dad and I are pretty close and so are my sister and I but when I said goodbye to my sister I was half asleep and didn’t really realize I was saying goodbye for 4 months and my dad cried when I said goodbye so I cried then too. My mom and I really aren’t close and rarely talk and when we do, we yell. So, us being separated I feel has actually benefited us for the most part.

I have seen my family. My parents, sister, and grandma came to San Diego for parents weekend and then I’ll see them again at Christmas. I feel like since I know that I’ll see them I don’t have to dwell on the past of missing them when I can look forward to the next time I get to see them all.

Do any of you college peeps miss your families? Or are you cold and heartless like I am?

Talk to you all soon

Alicia

What’s crackalackin?

Published on October 30, 2015May 27, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

I apologize for my horrible blog post title, but it grabbed your attention, didn’t it? maybe it was to see if I am as lame as my title and perhaps you’re correct. Well, I suppose the thing to do in all blogs when beginning is to say who I am, what I’m going to talk about, basically the answer to the “how are you?” question that no one wants to hear but always asks anyway.

For starters, my name is Alicia and I am 18 years old. Currently I reside in San Diego, California, however I was born and raised in a little suburb about 10 minutes away from the City of Chicago. I chose to come to San Diego for college and it has been probably the greatest idea of my life. Ever since I had hypothesized about attending a university in California, many people have questioned why. Why would I go to a school over 2000 miles from home and can only see family 3-4 times per year. In complete honesty I felt as though I had to get away; from the toxic people around me, from my parents, and just to start fresh in a new city that I can call mine and no one else’s. Some people are content with living in the same city for their whole lives, and raising a family in their childhood homes and never seeing the world but I’m not. I yearn for the day when I can travel the world and see all the continents and be a tourist and just live life in the moment. And I presume that since college is expensive no matter where you go, I figured I’d start my touring in college, in San Diego.Once I complete undergrad, I hope to go to grad school on the East Coast to further my knowledge of the US.

But enough about my need for travel, I guess I’ll talk about other aspects of my life. I’m a double major in Spanish and ______________. I’m still deciding between business, biology, journalism, and chemical engineering. I also have a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies which I am getting since I am in the Honors College at my school. Some possible career choices that I have are: editor of a magazine, engineer (my aunt and uncle work for Intel so they said they can get me a job), wildlife rehabilitation center worker/ owner, or maybe some random thing may occur where I decide that 8 years of babysitting haven’t exposed me to enough runny noses and crying children and I may decide that I want to teach English to children in Spain.

I am starting this blog because I have decided that I want to change myself. And I feel that the best way to do that id to have a support group of people who will listen and comment about challenges they have faced as well and to give constructive criticism and support along the way. By the title of this blog, you can see that I am a buddhist and a vegan. Well, an aspiring buddhist and vegan. I eat no dairy or gluten at the present moment, however after my roommate made me watch this video, I have decided to change my ways. After seeing what happens to these animals, I realized that I cannot eat them anymore. I also have always wanted to become a buddhist. I don’t believe in God, but I want to believe in myself, which is basically what buddhism is. So, that’s me. I hope to post at least two times a week, but being in college and all, I have zero motivation and zero time, so we’ll see how it goes.

Talk to you all soon

Alicia