As with everything in life, there are two sides to this story. On one side is the lesson that we must accept these challenges and the negative feelings that come with them as a part of life. This will never change. But I’m not here to dwell on that side of the story. I’m here to share with you the lessons I’ve learned about the other side–the side of the story that teaches us how to unlock happiness.
Right before the official start of summer, Jen rounded up some of our favorite things of the season—a list of to-do’s and items to make your summer more festive. This year we’ve emphasized the importance of goals, but if you’re like us and your world has recently been turned upside down (hopefully for the better) you may have lost track of what you set out to do in 2014. At the end of January, we took a look at your Single Girl Goals and shared some themes that resonated throughout your boards. We love to celebrate victories big and small (heck, we love to find the celebration in everything!), so I found another great excuse for you. Read on for challenges you can set for yourself this month, inspired by your 2014 goals, before our season of sun is over… then pat yourself on the back for your tiny wins.
Let me preface this with a little story about the time I started tearing up on a treadmill while listening to Tiesto’s “Footprints” mid-run (or I guess “mid-jog,” who am I fooling?), and no, I’m not making this up (trust me, I almost wish I was). It was shortly after he released A Town Called Paradise, and I was fresh off seeing him at Electric Daisy Carnival, New York. While listening to the lyrics, something resonated with me.
“We are the old, and we are the young, a million strangers, we move as one.
Won’t wait a lifetime, it’s our turn to put our footprints all over the world.”
I heard the song before, but never really listened. Listening to this beautiful bridge, I had a moment of realization: This is the real culture of festivals,joining people from every inch of the world who share the same love for music that you do. It’s an insanely powerful feeling—knowing that in a sea of sweaty, dancing bodies everyone is connected. We’re all listening, we’re all feeling, we’re all experiencing the moment. And each person is crafting it differently for themselves, making each part of the song unique to them.
For me, it was those lyrics that hit a heartstring, and I lost it. Music is such an incredible force that propels us to move, think, and feel free unlike anything else. It’s always during this time of year that I get extremely excited for music, because Outside Lands is just around the corner. It’s one of the few festivals that doesn’t exist as a “see and be seen” atmosphere, which so many have sadly become.
After reading Catherine’s post on burning out and her first Coachella experience, I couldn’t help but connect the dots on how music may have played a role in freeing her soul. (It’s not an idea too far-fetched seeing as she is absolutely obsessed with Sara Bareilles.) There’s no question music has the capacity to move us both physically and spiritually, and it happened for me at the same time on the treadmill. Luckily, it was an off-peak hour so no one within my peripheral view saw, but there was a legit tear forming as I listened to “Footprints.” It got me even more excited for us to attend Outside Lands together with our Bay Area family and friends. I couldn’t wait to dance again, not in the desert, but in the forest (which is equally as fun).
So that said, it’s time to grab your girlfriends and your dancing shoes, then head to these acts for the best tunes to shake your hips to (because twerking in Golden Gate Park is most likely prohibited).
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Single Girls we’re looking to you to lend us a hand by nominating The Single Diaries for Forbes 5th annual round up of the best websites for women. Each year the publisher curates a list of sites which ‘provide take-away information and tools that directly benefit you. [Sites that] will cultivate your career, inspire change, or maybe just make you think a little differently.‘ To give you a better idea, here’s a look at last year’s list.
When we launched our site we did so with the mission to advise and inspire young women like ourselves to grow with the challenges we face each day. Though we call it The Single Diaries, we use ‘Single‘ not as a way to define relationship status but as a way to emphasize the importance of having strong and healthy relationships, starting with the one you nourish with yourself. We hope that we’ve been able to deliver content that not only entertains you but also helps you learn something new, motivates you to accomplish your goals, and inspires you to dream bigger.
If that is the case, we would truly be honored to have your support as we strive to accomplish this big dream of ours. To cast you nomination, simply
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This month marks the 1 year anniversary of The Single Diaries and we couldn’t imagine a better way to top it off than to join this list. We appreciate all the love and support you’ve shown us the past 12 months and hope to celebrate this accomplishment with you all!
Superbly Single,
Jen
This week I take off for a 10 day trip to Europe to visit two countries I’ve yet to explore. First stop–Cannes, France where my boyfriend and I will meet up with a group of his old college friends. Beach days, bike rides, and shopping the open air markets are all on the agenda. From there we head off to Vienna, the current residence of one of our travel mates. With no formal plans, our main mission is to soak up the city like a local.
France and Vienna fall somewhere on the list as the 32nd and 33rd countries that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Most of my travel was done in college through study abroad, service trips, and a short stint interning at an airline. Though post-graduation, I’ve made it a point to spend time abroad at least once each year.
All of this to say that, over the past decade or so, I’ve grown into a fairly well-seasoned traveler. While I don’t claim to be of Samantha Brown or Anthony Bourdain status, I do have quite a few travel tips and tricks up my sleeve. One particular area I’ve learned to master is the art of packing.
5 years ago when I paid my first visit to Europe, I brought with me the largest suitcase I could find and had it packed as full as it’s zippers would allow. Trust me– you only make that mistake once. My new rule of thumb is to never pack more than a carry-on. Of course, with limited space and TSA rules to abide, this poses a certain set of challenges, especially when it comes to packing beauty products. However, I promise that with the right know-how and a little creativity you can pack everything you need without upgrading to a checked bag.
Read on for 8 of my favorite tricks on how to pack your beauty products. And if you’re wondering what to pack make sure to check out my favorite beauty travel essentials!