Thanks, I Needed This

Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.

Julia Cameron

3 Questions & Some Answers..

A good friend once shared some insight about how to tell if you're content. It can be gauged by 3 questions.

Do you love what you're doing?
Do you love where you're at?
Do you love who you're with?

If you can answer "Yes" to two out of the three questions, then in general, you're a little more than content with your life.
It's high-stress time for me right now and it makes me think about these things.

I love what I am doing. I love my internship and the little, humbling part I play in the organization. It brings perspective into why I do what I do and why I want to do it. It brings me outside of myself and into the world. But I don't just love the work that I do. I also love what I am doing for myself and the plans I am working hard to make happen. So I love that all the things I am doing brings some balance between what I want to do and what it is I am meant to do.

I am learning to love where I am at. When I first visited Washington DC, I was 13 and it was such an exciting time for me! I was learning the in's and out's of the political buzz. I did another stint in DC when I was 20. That time, I was learning about why American's hate politics. I am back here at 22. This time, I'm learning to love living here, making a life for myself here. I think DC is one learning process at a time for me. Love doesn't always come as easily as we'd like for it. So sometimes, we have to learn these things.

Who I am with.. I suppose this is where it gets tricky. Let me start with this: I am so, very blessed to have family and friends on all sides of the world to be the support system I need and more. Whether they are a 350-mile to an upward 6,000-mile phone call away, I can always count on someone to pick up. But the real question here is, "Do you love who you are with?" As in, physically, alongside, in company of. I try my best to not confuse being alone with loneliness. For the most part, I am good about it. But it does get confusing when you are in desperate need of a hug, a real shoulder to cry on, someone to bake you cupcakes, someone to enjoy gin or vodka tonics with, or someone to not have to worry about awkward silences with.

I suppose I answered Yes to one-and-a-half of the questions.
Honestly, it's not easy being here. I have such a hard time with figuring out the things I need and the things I want. I cannot understand how I always end up in a place with cold weather when I know I absolutely dread it. I miss having friends within, at the very most, a 15 minute walk/drive from me.

But I am right where I need to be and I'm giving it my all.

The Answer Must Be In the Attempt

For some reason, I've been thinking about the movie Before Sunrise for the past couple of days. This clip has to be my favorite part of the movie.

But isn't everything we do in life only to be loved and then more?

About a year ago I posted Celine's monologue here.
Maybe this time of year has me thinking about this kind of stuff..
the stuff where Love, Responsibility, Future, and God intersect.

Really? It's not the weekend yet?

So the past week has been rough..
.. from losing 14 hours of hard work on a presentation, very long nights at the office, losing my main prospect for a job, & minor health issues.
& rough weeks aren't complete without the usual cherry on top situations like waking up late, walking into walls, tripping, forgetting your phone and wallet in one day (leaving you stranded).

Christine Hassler wrote a blog for Huffington Post. 

Are You Having a Quarterlife Crisis?
It seems pretty silly to think that I could be having a crisis. I did answer "Yes" to most of those questions.. but I also know I could have answered "Yes" to even more of those questions when I was ten. No lie. Sometimes, I can be an overachieving mess.
I'm not having a crisis and this is not me trying to convince myself that I'm not having a crisis either.

But not all is bad, right? I've been through worse. I'm over anxiety attacks and emotional breakdowns anyway.
I can find solace in the decent weather, acts of kindness from strangers, good news for & from friends, constant support from my family and my efforts don't go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Also, I really think God is saying, "It'll Be OK," when I put my iPod on shuffle & three of my favorite songs play back-to-back. So I know I'll be more than OK.

Internship : Save the Children

It seems silly that I haven't talked about my internship considering I let it consume a lot of me..

It hasn't quite been a month yet that I've been interning at Save the Children. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit.. generally my favorite. I am in the Washington D.C. office which buzzes nicely in the nation's political center. We also aren't terribly far from the headquarters in Westport, Connecticut.

Save the Children's mission is to create lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. With that being said, Save serves over tens of thousands of children all over the U.S. and over 48 million children in over 50 countries. Their work range from education, maternal & infant mortality, food security, health, and beyond.. all while working to be intentional and innovative in the ways it attempts to create positive impacts in children's lives.

I am their Public Affairs and Communication Intern. Among other things, my main responsibility is collecting all their media mentions. So I get to read the news, see what the organization is doing, and read about some of the amazing (and sometimes not so amazing) things going on in the world. It has to be one of the easiest ways to learn about what the organization does & what current events effect children & the organization's programming.

I don't know where to start about how excited I am to be there. Even after my time at JumpStart, I am still self-conscious about working with children but I think this distant, behind-the-scene work suites me well.
A fault of mine is that I easily get wrapped up in tasks and to-do lists.. a robot of sorts. But at the end of the day, I always feel inspired. I'm brought back to the mission, its values, and the potential they're constantly pushing at to ensure better lives & futures for children around the world.

Here are some of the corporate campaigns and partnering:
Frigidaire, Intel & this has to be my ultimate favorite, Bulgari. I can write a lengthy entry about this, but you should just check out the Bulgari's Anniversary site & auction for the event in December.

even Barbie thinks Save the Children is amazing!

But these campaigns are not the only reason why Save the Children has been successful, it's through the dedication, perserverance and extremely hard work individuals put into making children rights a priority.



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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Danica Iglopas.

Travel Love.

I'm getting this restless feeling of travel again. I know I just moved and I still get to look at this place as a travel destination in itself. But I'm not talking about uprooting myself & resettling; I'm just looking for a different type of adventure.

It's this unsettling, longing feeling that dances at the bottom of your heart. I end up having dreams of desired destinations. I start studying and exploring favorite foods, books and music. All your senses are heightened when you hear its name and yet you're distracted by quick flashes of fleeting thoughts. Everything seems to make sense when you run into an opportunity to be closer to the destination, as if you were meant to find it and it was meant to find you; it's the world coming together! This feeling, it's not something that can be helped; it's something that just lingers in everything you say, do, and want.

I wonder if this is love..
or at least the precursor to it.

Pakistan & Afghanistan has been on my mind a lot lately.
Also more of India.

Moved In.

I'm finally moved into my apartment for the duration of my internship.  I'm staying at the Fenestra Apartments which is conveniently located in a town square in Rockville, Maryland.  I won't lie, it's a pretty bomb living situation. Very chic..

2 bdrm, 2 bthrm; fully furnished; cable; internet access; gym; pool..

Literally on the same block or around the corner from all your needs (grocery stores, banks, metro station) & your other recreational pleasures (shopping outlets, restaurants, bars theaters, gym, & more) & right across the street is a library!! 

To be honest, I can see why my family & I had to struggle to pay the pretty penny for this living situation.  But, I feel quite uncomfortable living in such a nice area mostly because it's  well beyond my means of living.  Don't get me wrong, I can see myself living in an area like this.. but not right now.  Right place, wrong time? Definitely.  

Degree: Hard-Knock Living

Minor: Reality

I guess I'll be working on my minor for now.. 

I definitely won't be taking this for granted..

pictures later..

changes

we are writing down days when bills need to be paid, sending emails to old friends, wondering if we'll receive our checks in time, choosing between job benefits or companies that align with our beliefs, getting excited about new office supplies, keeping track of our professional image, worrying about whether we'll be the other woman or if that even matters. we're trying to figure out if we're growing apart or growing together.. or if we're growing at all. 

mostly battling between what feels right & what is practical. 

image via ffffound

but i'm turning 22 & most days i feel like finding what dress to wear is still the biggest problem in my life.

so maybe things are a little more complicated then i'd like for them to be. but, i still get excited about ice cream, laughter is still always the best medicine. i still love watching animated movies, i will always have my best friend, my family still drives me insane, sun rises & sun sets are always so beautiful, i still cry at the end of Titanic, i still giggle when i talk about boys, i still have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning & love is always amazing. 

i'm leaving home in 22 days. i usually don't count down, but this time feels different. i don't know what different means just yet. i'll save that for another post.

so when i'm in the midst of change & i'm feeling scared & apprehensive.. i know there are some things that never change & i can find comfort and familiarity every where i go. 

Fred Forever

e.e. cummings

On Boys with Girlfriends

Aside from it being complicated, some boys need to grow some balls & some girls need to get over their insecurities. 

I mean this is just one perspective.. 

I suppose.

".. she can kiss my ass, alright!"