What Being 23 Has Taught Me So Far;

1. You don't have to have your life figured out yet

This year I graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Family Consumer and Human Development. Considering how much I hate doing homework, this was a large accomplishment in my life. During my entire college education, I was under the impression that when I graduated I would have everything figured out. I would be married to this dapper man who cooks for me because I hate cooking and thinks I'm cute when I make a fool of myself daily. I would have an amazing career where I don't have to do a whole lot, but people value my opinion so much, that they pay me a lot to do minimal work. (Ideally I would be a food critic of sorts or something where I get to try a lot of stuff for free and then give my opinions about it.) I would be living on my own and have absolutely no student loans to pay back and of course I would be filthy rich because I invented some tool or robot that makes it so people don't have to take out their trash, because who likes to do that? However, turns out... that's not real life. I am 23, single and do not have a clue what to do next. 

Since graduation, I have been asked constantly (mostly by curious adults) what my next move is going to be. Will I pursue a Master's Degree? Will I be getting married before I'm 30? Am I going to move to a different state? Am I going to have a better paying job? Am I going to live with my parents for forever? What's next in the life of Sarah Nowell? This is probably the most stressful thing in the world to me. First off, I am a person that struggles with making decisions. Anyone who knows me well knows this already. So when you add the pressure of parents and constant questioning of friends, family and acquaintances of what I am going to do with my life, I want to hide under my covers with a slice of pizza and watch Netflix till my eyes dry up. 

Mom, don't worry. I won't do that. (Very much.) Although I don't believe in being a bum and doing absolutely nothing with my life, I also don't think that I have to have everything figured out just perfectly right now. College taught me that my brain isn't even fully developed until I am 25. So how could I possibly know everything I want and how to get it at 23? If you are finding yourself in a similar situation, don't stress. Prayer is really helpful with this, and so are dads.

2. Just because you're single at 23 doesn't mean you're a spinster

Although, let's be honest,  I have considered many times to buy 700 cats and live alone forever. But my nose is quite sensitive to cat pee, and I don't enjoy having a liter box or having to pay for other people or animals to eat. So I probs won't do that ever. However, contrary to popular belief in Utah, you don't have to be married at 23 to be happy or successful. Right now the average age for women in the U.S. to be married for the first time is 27, and for men is 29. (Google told me that, so there's a chance that that's true.) So... shout out to my parents and grandparents and ward members who keep asking: Until I am 27, you can't make fun of me or think I'm too old to be single. I'm average!

Don't get me wrong. Marriage is a wonderful thing. I have several of my best friends who are either already married or getting married in the near future, and they seem thrilled with the idea! And if we are being honest, I am also thrilled with the idea of being married. I cannot wait to one day marry my best friend and be sealed to him for eternity and start a family and be the funniest group of kids you've met. However, just because I am not there yet, does not mean that I am doomed to a life of loneliness. I'm dating! So there's that. 

3. Spend all the time you can with your dad

Dad's are probably one of my most very favorite things that Heavenly Father created. Especially mine. I have always been a daddy's girl and wanted to be as cool as my old man. The more that I continually get to know my dad as I have gotten older, the more I have discovered that we are just alike. Which is kind of saying a lot! (I'm adopted.) 

But really, the more that I have included my dad in my daily struggles, accomplishments, thoughts and prayers, the more that I have come to notice and appreciate the role that he has played in my life, and the funnier his jokes have become. Also, let's be real, dad's give the best advice and then they buy you ice cream when you feel sad. Or... in my case, whenever I mow the lawn. My dad is my best friend.

4. You still have time to develop talents

I remember when I was 12 and in the Young Women program at church, I often looked around at all of the other girls my age and older than me, I thought, "Wow. Why the heck did my parents never put me in sports or help me find a hobby, because now I'm a loser who can't make friends because I don't know what to tell people when they ask what my talents or hobbies include." This is true. I really did think that at 12. Which is kind of sad now that I think about it... But now that I am mature and stuff, I have come to realize that I have a ton of talents. Like a ton! It's typically not my personality to point out all of the things that I liked about myself, but I'm going do this right now for you so you can see what I mean. 

• I taught myself to play the Uke and guitar
• I taught myself to free-hand cross-stitch
• One time I crocheted a rug
• Never having voice lessons, I auditioned for a choir on campus, and made it!
• I'm fairly good at painting
• I can mow the lawn in under an hour
• I am proficient at the piano 
• I can work with youth with Autism 
• I can alter old junk into cool junk
• I am good at decorating
• I can make bubble noises with my mouth
• I can bowl pretty decent

I am proud of these things. Also I hope if you are reading this, I hope you will find another talent you have this week because you are one cool human being and I'm sure there is 7,867,922 cool things about you. At least. 

5. Surround yourself with friends who lift you up

I mean this both literally and figuratively. Mostly because if I ever decide to go on vacation with all of my friends and we rent a boat from a nice Italian man who lets us take it for a spin on the water and I decide to have a competition of who can do the highest toe touch while jumping off of a bench and I accidentally get too excited and jump off the side of a boat, I would hope that I have strong enough friends who could lift me back into the boat. This is important to me. 

But in that same sense, friends that lift you up emotionally, mentally and spiritually are even more important. The past year and a half or, I have seen some of my darkest days. If it wasn't for friends that continually encourage me to keep going, uplift me when I'm feeling low, make me laugh when I'm sad and inspire me by the way they live their lives, I would be one very depressed human. You need people in your life that can mend your broken heart. Shout out to Devin Jackman, Hillery Brown, Kiela Jackman, Heather Harris, Ali Horton, Natalie Tea, Brantz Woolsey, Tristen Fagg, Becca Parson, Phillip McCullam, Hunter Jensen, Kristina Perrenoud, Ryan Erwin, Mariana Felix, Ashleigh Lish, Jeremy Clark and Stephen Compton for rocking my world and being some of the greatest friends who help me when stuff sucks/ed. You rock and everyone knows it.

6. You won't remember it, so write it down

I have the worst memory ever, so keeping a journal is probably one of my most favorite things. Turns out I haven't written anything in my journal for months, and the sad thing about that is I probably won't remember all the details of what happened all these weeks! If your memory sucks like mine does, you should write down the little stuff that happens throughout the day such as: what is on your mind, who made you happy today, did anything embarrassing or hilarious happen, did you meet someone famous, did the really attractive guy from your stats class happen to be your roommate's brother, did you win the lottery or have a crazy intense dream? These are good things to write down. Just take my word for it. Besides, several prophets say it's a good idea too. So I'm pretty sure I'm right. Someday when you read them again, you'll figure out things about yourself you never understood before. (This happened to me.)

7. Be open and honest about your feelings

I am still working on this. Hard. But it's a good thing to do. Being open and honest about how you feel with the people you care about is a huge step in becoming a real adult, I've decided just recently. I am still yet to achieve such a goal, because turns out talking about how you actually feel about something or someone (especially in relationships) can be the scariest thing ever. However one thing that I'm becoming quite skilled at, is meaning everything I say. If someone asks my opinion about something, I tell them honestly what I think. In the past, I have struggled with changing what I would actually say to make the other person feel good. I found myself telling people what they wanted to hear instead of what they were actually asking me. If someone asks me if I mind if they watch TV while I am playing the piano, you bet your bottom dollar I will tell them that I do mind. But nicely of course. If someone asks if I am happy or sad or upset, I will tell them, because being honest with others often starts with being honest with yourself.

8. Love your body

"It's really hard to be objective about your own body -- so when someone says something nice about you, you should believe them, because they probably wish they had that nice thing for themselves."

I think everyone struggles with body image. When we see someone else's body and find something that we wish that we had, slowly but surely, our self worth becomes more and more diminished. This is not healthy. Because A) No one has a perfect body B) Most people can think of at least one thing that they don't like about their body C) God only made us one body, so we should be happy with the one that we got! 

I have always thought that my birth parents screwed me over with terrible genetics. I can't see worth crap, I had terribly crooked teeth and had to get braces not once but TWICE, have biggest bones ever, weird ache, strange periods and I will never be smaller than a size 10. But how terribly silly that is to limit my worth to such trivial things. There is a lot of great things about my body too! I have really long eyelashes, my skin heals really quickly, I am extremely flexible which meant I got a lot of solo parts in dancing, I have some great hair and pretty brown eyes. These are things I love about my body and definitely would not want to change! The more that I treat my body kindly (drinking enough water, exercising, getting enough sleep, eating the right foods) the more that my body cooperates with me. I am slowly starting to love my body and I think you should too. Yours I mean. Mine is already loved by me. Also stuffed crust pizza is the most delicious thing on earth. And artificially grape flavored anything. If you have yet to try these things, treat yo body.

9. I can't do it without my Savior

If there is one thing that has stood out to me this year, it's that I have a Father in Heaven who absolutely loves me and is constantly looking out for me and guiding me to where I need to be. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that I can constantly change and become better than I was yesterday. The temple brings a light of peace and hope in my life and I am so appreciative that I have the choice to attend it whenever I want to feel of my Savior's love. I know that my Savior wants me to include Him in all of my decisions. How lucky am I that I have a constant friend and companion like the Holy Ghost that helps rid my mind of fear and loneliness. I have only come to know these things as I have completely put my trust into my Savior, stayed in the boat and have had faith in every footstep. The Gospel is true!

Being 23 rules. 

Wake Up & Live!

The Strange & Silvery Square Box;

I realize I'm perhaps a smidge late to talk about New Years Resolutions, but it's still January so I'm calling it good.

I'm going to have to be honest and say that New Years Resolutions have always kind of been a joke to me. I remember growing up we had this strange and silvery square box that I think my mom got as a gift from the middle east. Every year my parents would make us come up with a resolution to put in the box. There it would stay there until the next year when we would read all of resolutions aloud and evaluated whether or not we reached our goal(s) for the year. What I remember most is there being a lot of complaining involved in the process, and perhaps that's why we stopped doing that as a family tradition years and years ago.

After contemplating how to organize this post, I was inspired to seek out that shiny silver box and see what was inside. I'm laughing as I type because upon locating the box, I found the small white folded papers that laid neatly inside the black velvet lining. Well, all of them were neatly folded... except mine. It was the only folded piece of paper that the edges didn't align perfectly and it definitely had the worst handwriting. If I was using my best guessing skills, I would say that I couldn't have been more than ten when it was written. After no consideration at all, I was compelled to read what everyone wrote. It clearly had been a long time since the last time that we put the papers in the box because my grandma, who lived with us at the time, even had a resolution. She has now been passed away for over a decade, so reading her resolutions was really special. In fact, all of the resolutions were special. They were quite ambitious and even talked about renewing their relationship with God or the family or being a better student. Here was mine: "I will help grama when she needs help. I will help resolve dis-agreements with... my friends." Although I feel that my resolutions were somewhat admirable considering my age, I since then, would like to think that I can come up with some more in depth and sincere goals. I have grown to admire New Years Resolutions and definitely don't groan when it's time to come up with goals I have set for the coming year.

I've said it once, and I will say it again, 2013 was ROUGH. It has brought me some of my biggest challenges thus far in my life. 2013 also provided some of the most awful heartache and emotionally challenging year yet. But even among the negative elements, there has been SO much opportunity for growth, understanding and complete reliance on my character, friends, family and most importantly my Father in Heaven. Never in my life have I had to dig to the root of my soul and decide what I wanted and how I was going to reach my goals and move forward with my life. I have never felt so proud and accomplished of the progress that I have made and I can never thank the people in my life enough for giving me the strength and motivation to get through it.

To keep up the progress that I have made, this year I am particularly excited about New Years Resolutions. After careful thought and consideration, I have come up with a list of 5 resolutions that I believe cover the most important aspects of my life and will bring me the largest amount of happiness and fulfillment. Although I don't feel it is quite necessary to write about my personal goals on my blog, I do feel it is necessary to remember the importance of not only making goals, but writing them down somewhere. I am certain that this is a staple in making change or improvement in your life because it commits you to the goal and helps to motivate you if you read and ponder the reasoning behind the goal when times get tough. 

The new year brings excitement to people because it makes them feel like they can recommit themselves and have a fresh start on regaining control of their lives. In reality, I am a firm believer that anytime is a great time to makes changes you want to see in your life happen, but the new year is a great place to start.

I can't wait to see all of what 2014 has to offer. Although I am not particularly sad to say goodbye to 2013, I'm celebrating it by making a video with good music, pictures, videos and remembering all the important people who got me through. 

2013, stay golden.


Stay Golden. from Sarah Nowell on Vimeo.

Wake Up & Live! 

Good Things To Be Had;

Today I'm writing a post from Starbucks on a cold November late afternoon. It's cold and windy and I can feel that the snow is about to come; but I don't mind. I'm feeling particularly sentimental today. That could be because it's cold and I'm not feeling well, or perhaps that's just the caramel apple spice talking. As I watch the people around me I can't help but reflect on this past year. It has been full of growth, discovery, heartache, beauty and insane serenity. I have had to completely lose myself to discover who I want to be. I have never felt more comfortable with who I am until this point in my life. I decided to stop planning and let my life follow the course it's meant to by me making the decisions that I feel are best for me. Fortunately I've learned so much along the way that I feel might be useful to someone who might be in a similar situation and is happening to read this post. Although I have had a lot of experiences I could write down, I chose to generalize my experiences with 6 different things I've learned.

(As a side note: An amazing friend shared a talk by Elder Holland titled "How Do I Love Thee" I'm going to pull quotes throughout this entire talk because I believe that they apply. I'm also going to strongly suggest if you're reading this blog, to read that talk. If you've already done it, read it again. Even better still, listen to the words of Elder Holland. He talks about relationships of all kinds although he focuses most on romantic relationships. Regardless, it's worth listening to.)

1. Life Keeps Going:
No matter how hard life is, no matter how many assignments or quizzes you have next week, no matter if someone is angry with you, no matter if you feel like your life is falling part, life keeps going. Tomorrow is still going to come and time will still continue to press on. I have found that no matter how much anxiety or insecurity I feel, the event is still going to come and eventually fall behind me. I have felt it has been good to remind myself that "This too shall pass..." even if I have to keep saying it my mind over and over again. Elder Holland says it best, "Some things in life we have little or no control over. These have to be endured. Some disappointments have to be lived with... These are not things anyone wants in life, but sometimes they come. And when they come, we have to bear them; we have to believe; we have to hope for an end to such sorrows and difficulty; we have to endure until things come right in the end."

2. Assume the Best:
Life isn't perfect, and unfortunately neither are the people around us. In all aspects of any kind of relationship that you are in, assume the best. Assume that the people around you are not trying to hurt your feelings; assume that people are genuine. Give people the benefit of the doubt and don't assume that everyone knows how you feel or how to treat you when you feel like you're not being understood. "Think the best of each other, especially of those you say you love. Assume the good and doubt the bad." Applying this in my life has made all the difference. It makes you slow to anger and quick to responding to conflict in a loving and compassionate way. It makes you recognize and appreciate patience in your life and puts into perspective what is and what isn't important to be upset about.

3. Being Yourself is Most Impressive:
It is okay to have a different opinions than those around you. It's okay be different. It's okay to be authentic. It's okay to question. It's okay to stand out. It's okay to be quirky. It's okay to like what you want to like. Boy have I learned this lesson the hard way. My entire life I have been weighed down with people categorizing me into a slew of different things that I took offense to. Weird. Quirky. Boring. Unoriginal. Strange. Different. Loud. Quiet. The reality is that I get to decide how I label myself, and as it turns out I am really happy with the person that I am! I am content with the fact that I am different from the average person. I love that I like movies, music, ideas and people that are considered obscure. In fact, I embrace it. I see so many people around me that fear being themselves around new people or certain friends. How sad that someone has to hide who they are and what they love in order to fit in. My life has certainly changed since I decided to embrace who I am.

4. You Can't Do It Alone:
"One of the great purposes of true love is to help each other in these times. No one ought to have to face such trials alone. We can endure almost anything if we have someone at our side who truly loves us, who is easing the burden and lightening to load." I do not know how I've been so blessed to have so many people in my life who are on my side and are there for me at any given time. I am in constant awe with people who send a text or show up in my life right when I need them most. It's okay to rely on friends and loved ones to help lift you up when you're struggling. In that same breath, it's so rewarding to be that person in return when your friends need it. The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

5. Do More of What you Love:
If you like to read, listen or make music, paint, create, go to a record store, write, bake, work, study, be with people, serve, relax, or whatever it is that you are passionate about, DO THAT and do MORE of it. I find that there are so many times in my life I get so caught up with school and friends that I forget to take the time for me to do the things I love to do. When I finally do the things that make me most happy I think to myself, "I should do this more often." When I am doing the things that I love consistently, other parts of my life fall into place and I feel like I am grounded, I am humbled and I'm one with everything.

6. The Trouble is You Think You Have Time:
Procrastination in any form is a huge downfall of mine. I often feel like I am able to put things off for long periods of time that need to be dealt and addressed with now. Even more than that, doing the things that I love, preparing, spending time with people who important... these things will not always be so readily available. Like I said before, life keeps going. It doesn't stop for anybody and we only have so much time in a day. Personally, I love to be with people so if I have a chance to spend time with someone that I don't get to see very often or that I miss, I will drop everything I have to be with that person. While I realize sometimes that can be unhealthy, I have learned that how and who I spend my time with is extremely precious to me. If you find yourself saying "I'll be happy when..." at any point of your life, decide to do what it takes to be happy now with the time that you have.

Wake Up & Live!

Change;

I'm back to blogging and it feels so good. Lately my life has been in constant change. Nothing has remained constant for months. Some days are easier than others but I'm still working as hard as I can to become the best I've ever been. 

"Change. We don't like it. We fear it, but we can't stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. It hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn't is lying. But here's the truth sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is everything." -Grey's Anatomy

I am obsessed with changing. 

Some changes are hard and unwanted, but they are necessary for growth. How can we ever get better if we always remain the same? There is a lot of aspects about change that I don't feel are completely utilized in our lives. 

I really enjoy the quote, "If you don't like where you are, move. You aren't a tree."

It's easy to forget that we have absolute control over our own actions. If I am not happy with how my life is, I can change it. 

I can grow and develop into the person that I want to become all because I chose to change. 

"And you have your choices, and these are what make man great. His ladder to the stars."

I believe that change keeps us grounded, constant and refreshed. 

"Life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change." -Jim Rohn

These past couple of months have been the hardest months of my life. I have never felt so much heartache and loneliness. However for every hard thing that has happened at least five good things have replaced it. I have never felt so much support from my friends, loved ones and Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for those in my life who have remained a constant positive influence. I'm incredibly blessed and indebted. 

Wake up & live!

I Can Be Alone, Yeah;

I don't know when it started or how it came about, but it has been brought to my attention that I care a LOT about what people say, think or feel about me. I have become so wrapped up in what "everyone else is doing" that I often forget to focus on me and what I think and feel. When I am so focused on other people's thoughts and opinions their tendencies, interests and opinions slowly morph into my own. This makes it very easy to lose sight of personal goals, values and interests that are completely my own. 

Lately I've spent more alone time than I probably ever have in my entire life. 

Feeling friendless, I began feeling sorry for myself because I wasn't out doing things with people. Even with the friends that I have, it's been really hard for me to feel that I have a place, that I can fit in, and feel like someone wants me around. Other than the support of my family and boyfriend, I can't think of the last time that I have felt so alone and friendless. Most days I try and find ways to entertain myself when I have down time or I try to pick up extra shifts any time that I can at work.  Over time this can become very redundant and saddening. 

However, the more time I spent alone, the more I have noticed that alone time is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I have to come to realize that alone time is crucial to help sort out your own interests, personal priorities, and just to have that time to yourself to kick back and relax. 

I have constantly been feeling like I always have someone in my ear telling me that I'm doing something wrong, acting poorly, or not being exciting enough; when in all reality it's perfectly fine to like what you want to like, feel how you want to feel, love who you want to love and be the person that you want to be.

Letting go of those feelings of caring so much about what people think has really opened my eyes in my steps toward becoming my best self. Thoughts and opinions of others can tie you down so you don't have the opportunity to grow and develop. It's so important to surround yourself with people who are willing to let you be yourself and bring out the best in you, while still allowing room for individual character flaws and differences.

I am thankful for one friend in particular that is a perfect example of always being himself. He acts completely the same around any group of friends that he's in, and always remains true to his core values and beliefs. He is silly when he feels like it and doesn't care who's listening or watching when laughing or expressing opinions. I am so thankful for a friend that is not only completely comfortable with being himself, but willing to let me and others around him be comfortable with themselves as well. 

 

Although I know that I have a long way to go, I am thankful for the true friends that have stuck by my side when I have needed friends the most and who truly inspire and encourage me to be my best self. 

Wake Up & Live!

Make a Difference;

{It was my senior year at lunch time. I was with my two best friends cruising on main after eating some deliciously greasy and fatty burritos. One of my friends was venting about her old boyfriend and what he had done to her that week to make her upset. As good friends do, my friend and I replied with comments like:

"Oh yeah, he's so stupid."

"He said that? What a jerk!"

"Oh my gosh boys are so dumb."

Somewhere in the midst of our conversation, we pulled back into the high school parking lot and came up with a terrible idea. We would take our garbage from our greasy lunch and put it on the ground by the crappy boyfriend's car so that he wouldn't be able to get into his car without tripping over a pile of trash. 

At the time, we thought that we had concocted a genius plan.

Who would of thought that years down the road, I would never feel more guilty about anything in my entire life!}

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In honor of EARTH DAY/WEEK, I decided to write a post about the thing I'm most passionate about; environmentalism! 

Now you may be thinking... oh great, a tree hugger... I don't want to get involved in this. 

Believe me, I've been in that position! I used to think it was a silly waste of time and caught myself rolling my eyes when someone brought up recycling or highway cleanup. However, I feel that most people are simply unaware of how environmentalism directly effects YOU. After taking an energy class at USU, I was not only interested in going green, but it turned into something that would be a new hobby and passion! 

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It's so incredibly easy to participate in Going Green! The smallest things matter! 

Coca-Cola website said, "Throwing a can into a recycling bin may feel like a small act—but if everyone in the U.S. did the same; we’d save enough energy to power a dazzling 16,916 bulbs continuously for a whole year."

Here are some of my most favorite ways to make a difference:

• RECYCLE... holy cow it's so easy. Just do it! It makes a huge difference!
• Pick up trash on your walk home, while you're at a park, walking around campus, hiking etc. 
• DO NOT.. I repeat DO NOT spit your gum out on the ground! Ah! People don't realize this is LITTERING! Gum won't decompose over time. The sidewalk will begin to have black dots everywhere. (You've seen this before.)
• Invest in a reusable bag! They're super cheap and save you from a cupboard full of plastic bags.
• RECYCLE your cupboard full of plastic bags! You can do this at most grocery stores. 
• Stop idling! The DailyGreen.com says: "Every moment you spend idling your car's engine means needlessly wasting gas, as well as rougher wear on your vehicle. Idling for more than 10 seconds wastes more gas than is needed for startup. Overall, Americans idle away 2.9 billion gallons of gas a year, worth around $78.2 billion."
• Turn off your computer! You can save up to $90 a year just by turning your computer off after using it.
• Plant a tree! It's actually really fun. My best friend and I planted a tree at our high school our senior year and we go back to check on it regularly. 
• Most importantly...STAY INFORMED. So many people are just completely unaware of what they can do/are doing that make a big difference for good/bad. Stay up-to-date and have an open mind. 

Finally I want to share one of my FAVORITE websites about recycling. 

This website lets you calculate the amount of energy you can save from each product you recycle! It's a neat way to see how you, individually, can make a difference. There are also a lot of great facts and ideas throughout the website that are really interesting and fun!

Check it out!: Coca Cola Recyclometer

 I know that finding something that I am so passionate about has really helped me move closer to becoming the best version of myself! It has helped me feel like I am making a difference in not only the community, but in the world. By going green and informing people on the changes they can make, it makes me feel like I have something I can offer to the world!

Make a difference!

Wake Up & Live!

Time to Heal;

So... last night my iTunes deleted ALL of my music and playlists.

If anyone knows me really well they know that is one of the WORST things that could happen to me!!

I have a playlist for literally every mood I could possibly be in.

Because all of my playlists got deleted, I am starting from scratch. This reminded me on my efforts to be my best self.

Sometimes you have to literally start from scratch to get where you want to be. There will be hard times and easy times and tender mercies throughout. One tender mercy in regards to my music was that all of my files were saved, so I just need to download my music back onto my iTunes.

See? Tender mercy #1.

So for today's I want to express how thankful I am for good music.

In difficult times, music is a great way to relate others' troubles and triumphs to our own lives.

Music is a perfect way of not only connecting with yourself, but others around you too. In fact I'm quite certain that good music brought my boyfriend and I together! And that's worked out for about four years now!

I've put together a small (my idea of small) list of songs that I believe everyone should know and listen to often because of their healing properties.

These are some of my most favorite treasures:

Don't Know Why -- Norah Jones

Josh McBride -- The Head and The Heart

The World Spins Madly On -- The Weepies

Patron Saint -- Regina Spektor

Rocketman -- Elton John

Danny's Song -- Anne Murray

River's and Roads -- The Head and The Heart

Wonderwall -- Ryan Adams

Such Great Heights -- The Postal Service

A Lack of Color -- Death Cab for Cutie

Free Fallin' -- John Mayer

Ghosts -- Laura Marling

When You Were Young -- Benjamin Frances Leftwich

Hallelujah -- Jeff Buckley 

Let it Be -- The Beatles 
Seat Beside Me -- The Head and The Heart

Upward Over the Mountain -- Iron and Wine

Landslide -- Fleetwood Mac

Wake Up -- Arcade Fire

Chasing Rubies -- Hudson Taylor

Lovers' Eyes -- Mumford & Sons

The Way I Am -- Ingrid Michaelson

Samson -- Regina Spektor

Down in the Valley -- The Head and The Heart

Comes and Goes -- Greg Laswell

Welcome Home -- Radical Face

Won't Turn Back -- Needtobreathe

Gosh. There's so more I could mention than that.. but I will stop! 

I am extremely interested in hearing your favorite songs that mean something to you!

Feel free to share by leaving a comment! I promise I will listen to every/any song that gets posted.

Wake up & Live!