always and never

this is a hastily compiled list of the wisdom that i have acquired over the past 21 years of my life.
i'm not really sure what has inspired me to document it, but i feel that it's important.

1. check that you locked your door at nightphoto courtesy of
i'm a little paranoid about this. i've never really had a scare, but i sure check as if i did.

2. pick up your shoes. photo courtesy of
i know, my father is right now thinking "huh? who is she to be saying this? that girl hasn't picked up a pair of shoes since thanksgiving 1988!" and yes, he would be, for the most part, right. however, as i was climbing into my bed about 4 minutes ago, i almost broke my neck by tripping over a pair of my shoes. so this little pearl of sagacity is new found. perhaps it will cause a change in me, but probably not.

3. have pretty pajamas. because we all wish we could wake up looking like audrey

this one helps a lot more than you think it would. do you ever wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and scream inside (or outside) because your hair is cowlicked and your eyes are puffy? if you have on pretty pajamas, it makes the shock a little less, and you can write off the cowlick as being pleasantly tousled. it works.

4. dance in public. photo courtesy of

ok, maybe not really in public. like, in an empty isle in the library or grocery store, or when you're on an empty street. dance in private with the possibility of it becoming public. it makes dance parties even more spontaneous and exhilarating.

5. have really good smelling laundry detergent.there are no cool pictures of laundry detergent. this is the best i could do.

don't always go by price. it's like having perfume soaked into your clothes. and it helps.

6. get a theme song. photo courtesy of

a song that makes you feel good. a song that makes you giddy. a song that changes your mood. listen to that song when your mood needs changing.

7. get in a good mood.photo courtesy of

in the words of John Cusack in Say Anything,
"How hard is it to decide to be in a good mood and be in a good mood once in a while?"
just decide, and do it.

8. take naps.photo courtesy of

i feel like this one doesn't really need explanation or persuasion.

9. cryphoto courtesy of

sometimes crying helps. it's like the physical expulsion of your problems. they're literally pouring out of you, and in the end, you feel better.

10. every once in a while, do what you did when you were a kid. photo courtesy of

swing. play monopoly. play barbies. play dress up. make daisy chains. do a cartwheel. roll down a hill. just do something that reminds you of how you felt when you were little.