Olivinthelife
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Instagram
  • Photography

One Year Blog-iversary!

5/26/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
 WOW! Exactly one year ago today I created olivinthelife and sat down and wrote my first blog post and it's crazy to look at everything that I have written and that's happened since. I started this blog a year ago because as an aspiring writer I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with the world, and I am so glad I did. The past year has been full of new experiences and documenting them on this website has been a blast and very rewarding. Thank you to everyone who reads these posts and gives me positive feed back, you have no clue how much it means to me. When I started this I never thought anyone would actually read it, and it makes my day when I get texts or comments about how one of my posts really helped or inspired someone. In honor of one year of blogging, I'd like to write a little bit about the past year and my thoughts about time.

A year ago I was just about to graduate high school. I was excited, hopeful,and ready to move on. I wasn't in the greatest place and I wanted to get out of high school and this town so badly. Looking back now, it all seems like another world. As I watch the class of 2016 about to graduate I almost forgot what it felt like to be in their shoes. A year ago I blogged about new beginnings and all of the "lasts" that were coming up for me and now they are just faint memories but at the same time it feels like it was yesterday. A lot can change in a year, a lot has changed in a year. People always say that change is a good thing, and to be honest I truly haven't decided what I think about that yet. I changed a lot, my life changed drastically, and I don't know if that makes me happy or sad. As I reflect on my high school years each year I would say "wow I never thought I'd be here", and I still find myself saying that. The thing about change is that it happens whether you want it to or not, and when you look back the person you used to be is a stranger. 

I never could have imagined as I sat and wrote my first blog post a year ago everything that would happen in the months to come. I went to college, met new people, took interesting classes, joined a sorority, had new adventures, and everything that used to matter suddenly didn't anymore. I've learned that as you get older everything that was important to you or seemed like the end of the world soon won't matter. You find new friends, new interests, you suffer new hardships, but you keep going. I had this idea in my head that after high school my life would stop and begin again with college and that everything was a fresh new start, and while that is true in some aspects, in other ways I was very wrong. Something I wish I knew a year ago was that you can't run away from yourself by moving from one place to another, eventually it's all going to catch up. No matter where you go or what you do, you're still the same person. Our past shapes us whether we want it to or not, and nothing is going to change that. I thought that everything would just magically fix itself, but I learned that nothing just "happens", you have to make it happen. You cannot just sit around and hope for the best, you have to make your life the best.

One year, 365 days, 52 weeks, 8765.81 hours. That's the problem with time, we always think that we will have more of it. But sitting here it's all a blur and I wonder how it all went by so fast. Don't take time for granted, don't wish your time away. People ask me if I miss high school, and my answer is no I don't, but I do wish that I wasn't so eager to get out of there. It's amazing to me how I am already done with my freshman year in college. Life has no pause or rewind button, as much as we wish it did. Life keeps pushing forward whether we want it to or not. We are constantly growing and changing even if sometimes we aren't ready. 

I guess what I want to say is that there's still time to be who you want to be and do what you want to do. There's parts of me that changed for the better and definitely parts that changed for the worse, but it's never too late to start over or to fix things. I've grown so much, but have also made some mistakes. There are things that 18 year old me would be insanely proud of, and some things that she would be horribly disappointed in. When I left for college I just expected everything to be perfect and just to magically transform into the person I wanted to be. But I learned that each day you get a step closer and it's okay if you aren't there yet, you're not supposed to be. Don't get frustrated if you aren't exactly where you want to be, be gentle with yourself, you are doing the best you can. Sometimes you'll take 100 steps forward and then 50 steps back and it is all part of discovering yourself and growing up. You have nothing but time, use it. Spend time with people who love you, stay out late and forget you have class the next day, study for that huge exam even though you don't want to, do something wild, sleep for 12 hours, this is your life and you can do whatever you please. 

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this journey, online or in real life. I know I've been slacking recently and promise to be a better blogger this summer. But whatever your age, wherever you are in life, just know that you have time, and it's okay not to have it all figured out. We think we have so much damn time, and it's scary how fast it all slips away. The past year has been filled with a lot. A lot of great times, a lot of new friends, a lot of hardships, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I've learned a lot about myself and about life and I know that I still have a lot more to learn. But whatever I do learn and wherever I go, I will always be sure to share it. I's funny and bittersweet to look back at old posts and see what I was going through or experiencing, and recalling a memory or seeing how it changed me. So thank you all for reading and I cannot wait to be olivinthelife for many years to come :)

Love Always,
Olivia Jane.

0 Comments

A Thank You Letter To Freshman year.

5/14/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dear Freshman Year,
It feels like just yesterday I walked into an empty dorm room with my parents and new roommate and I was so excited to see what the year had to offer. Now it's 9 months later and I'm again staring at an empty dorm room, but this time when I walk out it will be the last. This year has had ups and downs and I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about life. It's crazy to think how fast this year has gone by and I wanted to properly thank you, Freshman year, for everything that's happened over the past few months.

Thank you for giving me the greatest roommate in the world. That was my biggest fear going into college and I'm glad to say my roommate is one of my best friends. Thank you for the late night talks, all the pregames, the random crying sessions, and everything in between. I am so thankful I did not end up with some psychopath that stole my things or brought a different boy home every night. These few months of summer are going to be strange without someone else in the room.

When I came to college as a wide eyed freshman, my biggest hope was that I would meet lifelong friends. It is safe to say I have met people that have changed my life for the better and I don't know what I would do without them. Thank you for bringing these beautiful souls into my life. Thank you for all the parties, late night food runs, breakfast dates, and everything in between. I never knew how genuine people could be until I met my college friends. They were there for the fun times and the not so fun times and for that I am forever grateful. I did not know what my life was missing before until I met such genuine people over the course of the year. And if I wasn't already lucky enough with my friends, thank you for bringing a group of amazing sisters into my life. I never saw myself in a sorority until I got to college, but it is honestly the best decision I have ever made. It's funny how life finds a way of bringing us what we need just at the right times in our life, and that was definitely the case with my sorority. These girls have brought so much joy into my life and I cannot wait for the next three years. Thank you for the friends on my floor and in my building who were always there to drink, cry, or bring my NyQuil at 2am. Before this year I didn't know what true friends were, but now I will never forget.

Thank you for challenging me and showing me that I am stronger than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for breaking me so I learned how to pick up the pieces and teaching me it's okay to ask for help. I thought that going to college would make everything perfect all the time, and that is not true at all. College is no different than any other time in life, there will be challenges and there will be accomplishments and good times and bad times. I learned that you are never as terrible as you think you are and that you can't always be so hard on yourself. Whether it was a bad test grade, a fight with a friend, or just an awful day, I made it to where I am now and am a better and stronger person because of it. Thank you for showing me that I am not alone in my struggles and that everyone faces their own battles every day, and thank you for bringing me people so that we can conquer our struggles together. It's easy to feel like you are alone in the way you feel or what you are going through, but freshman year showed me that there are so many people who feel the same way and that it's going to be okay.

It's safe to say this year was a blast. Thank you for all the amazing memories and good times. Though some things I can't quite remember, the ones that I can I will never forget. Freshman year is a time to learn and a time to experiment and adventure. Thank you for pushing me outside my comfort level at times but knowing when it's time to stop. I will never forget the crazy bar nights or the wild frat parties. I will always smile when my favorite song comes on and remember dancing with my best friends. Thank you for making me happy and glad to be alive. Thank you for moments that people write books about and stories to tell for years to come. This year taught me that right now is the youngest you'll ever be and as much as we want them to the moments we cherish so much won't last forever. I wish I could freeze time but sadly I cannot. These are the years where we raise hell and learn who we are and someday looking back it'll be a faint memory. But right now, it is everything and this past year was more than I could have ever asked for.

You taught me it's okay to screw up, and that I most definitely will. Making mistakes are a part of life and the only thing you can do is learn from them. This year I realized you cannot live your life hesitantly in fear of messing up, because mistakes are all apart of the journey and they help you to grow. Nothing is beyond fixing and in the end it'll all be okay. I learned that a bad essay or a stupid decision do not define me and that I am not my mistakes. Everyone screws up sometimes, but it's how you deal with it that defines you. Perfection does not exist, especially in college. College is the time to take risks and if you fall down there will be people to help you back up.

But most of all Freshman year, thank you for giving me a home away from home. Thank you for the friends that turned into family and for giving me so many people to miss. Thank you for the amazing memories and endless laughs. Going to college is scary, there is so much unknown. But now I know that everything has a way of working out in the end. Thank you for forcing me to grow up and go outside my comfort zone because it definitely paid off. The lessons I learned this year extended far beyond the classroom. Mostly I learned a lot about myself. I learned what makes me happy and what does not, who is worth my time, and when it's time to call it quits. Thank you Freshman year for being everything and more, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of college has in store.
Love Always,
Olivia Jane
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Hi! I'm Olivia! I am an 20 year old optimist from Cape Cod. I am a writer, yogi, photographer,book lover, and grilled cheese enthusiast. I believe in doing whatever the f*ck makes you happy.

    Archives

    September 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    SUBSCRIBE 

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.