Smile, it'll be okay

I always try to maintain a positive tone in my blog posts and writing in general.  While I'm here, traveling Europe and studying abroad, that's not a hard thing to do.  But despite my awesome surroundings, I've had my share of setbacks in these last few weeks, and I can't pretend to ignore them. I'll be honest--some days I just want to sleep or cry or ignore the realities of life.  And occasionally I do.  But I have found that on those days, I need to embrace the healing power of this city.  So I walk. And walk.  And walk.  To wherever I want to go.  To see whatever I want to see.  To shift my focus away from the negative and toward the positive.  To think and reflect and meditate.  It of course doesn't erase those underlying feelings of despair, worry, and loneliness, but it does allow me to go outside of myself and take in the world around me.  Today was one of those such days, so I walked to the Colosseum, took several pictures, sat and enjoyed the view, grabbed a cannoli, and eventually made my way back to the hotel.  Feeling much more refreshed, but of course not 100% better, I walked into my room to find that my roomie, Ana, had written with post-it notes on the wall above my bed, "Smile, it'll be okay."  What a simple, but much needed reminder.  A message of hope and encouragement.  While there are several things in my life that I should be sad about, there are also several things I should be happy about.  And with one comes the other.  I've found that it's so much easier to be positive, thankful, and in touch with friends, family, and faith when things seem to be going well.  It's a very different story when you take everything bad that happens to you as yet another event in a seemingly never-ending downward spiral.  It's hard to pray and have faith when you have no hope of things ever getting better.  But that's when a smile is most necessary.  It doesn't necessarily mean that you're "faking it" or pretending that everything is alright--rather, it means that you have the hope that God will take care of you and open your eyes to see the good in your life.

Quote for the day: "God's plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day."

Photo of the day: Tucker, because who couldn't love that smile?