A Moment of Self-Actualization

The other day in my Personality Psychology class we talked about Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs.  The most basic needs are at the bottom and as those needs are fulfilled, the individual can then devote time and energy to fulfilling the next level of needs.  For example, if someone is starving or homeless, he/she is not really concerned with being loved or maintaining self-esteem.  The very top of the pyramid is Self-Actualization.  This is when an individual realizes their full potential and desires to become the best that they can be.  Common characteristics of self-actualized people are:

• spontaneity 
• freshness of appreciation
• acceptance and realism
• external problem-solving
• occurance of peak experiences

As I walked out of the class, I was so happy.  I had this overwhelming feeling that humanity is good and can do such great things. I had this great desire to be really nice to everyone I meet and make them all feel wonderful about themselves.  Something just clicked in my head and I stopped caring about little details that don't matter, like whether or not my earrings really match what I'm wearing or whether I'm wearing glasses or contacts.  I stopped caring about whether others liked the music on my iPod, as long as I liked it and it made me happy.  I detached myself a little from the cares and pulls of the world and focused just a tiny bit more on who I am and what made me happy.  I put this into practice for the rest of the day as I sat at a welcome table and made an effort to reach out to people and be friendly.  It felt so good to smile and get people to smile back. I was so grateful for this realization and for the step closer I was to becoming the person I want to be.   

Rain Boots

Shortly after I moved to Boston, it rained for three days straight.  Due to Wellesley's lack of sufficient drainage on paths and sidewalks, there were large puddles all over campus.  Because of this, I decided my converse were not sufficient and that I should invest in some rain boots.  I went on Target.com, found a design I liked and ordered them.  The website said it might take 1-2 weeks for them to arrive, but I didn't mind.  I anxiously waited for my pink and orange rain boots to arrive.  Weeks went by without any sign of rain or boots.  Finally my boots arrived.

I ordered them on October 6.  They arrived on December 8.  It took 8 weeks and so I promptly used them as snow boots.  

Mohawks

The other day my family was talking about hairstyles.  My grandparents were recounting some of the ridiculous things young people have done to their hair.  My grandpa then chimed in, "The other day, I saw several people with tomahawks."  I just about cried laughing.

Chromosome Switch

The other day my friend was telling me about how he and a bunch of guys once combined a log, some gasoline and fire in someone's backyard.  I replied that that was a dumb decision because something could have exploded/they could have killed themselves.  He then replied with "Don't judge.  It's an XX chromosome thing."

He works for NASA.

The Secret of Life

I started going to bed around 11 and waking up at 7.  Its the best thing I've ever done.  Seriously, my life is so much better.  I have more energy and can stay focused for longer.  I can think more clearly and more objectively about what is going on and what I need to do.  Honestly, its changed my life. 

If you want to improve your life, go to sleep.  :)

Natural Highs

1. Falling in love
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts
3. A hot shower
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance
6. Getting mail (ps-this is one of my favorite things ever!!)
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer
11. Chocolate, Vanilla or Strawberry milkshake
12. A bubble bath
13. Giggling
14. A good conversation
15. The beach
16.Finding a $20 bill in your coat from last winter
17. Laughing at yourself
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. running through the sprinklers
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful
23. Laughing at an inside joke with friends
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep
26. Your first kiss (the very first or first with someone new)
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones
28. Playing with a new puppy
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams
31. Hot chocolate
32. Road trips with friends
33. Swinging on swings
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger
35. Making chocolate chip cookies
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies
37. Holding hands with someone you care about
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you
40. Watching the sunrise
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day
42. Knowing somebody misses you
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think

Never a Dull Moment

My chemistry teacher my freshman and sophomore year in high school drank her coffee from a beaker and used giant syringes as water guns in class.  How much cooler can you get?

Hasbro Games Fail

I am mildly obsessed with Jigsaw Puzzles.  If I could, I would spend my entire life solving them.  I especially like the 3-D variety.  They require a little more brain power than 2-D puzzles and take up more space once completed, so naturally, they are not as popular.  I've found that people will buy them, realize they are not what they expected, and then give them to Salvation Army or sell them at their garage sale.  Then, I come along and buy them for two dollars.  There might be missing pieces, but with two dollars, you get what you pay for.

I once bought a 3-D puzzle of Notre Dame Cathedral using this cheap and effective method.  As I was nearing the end and it was almost completed, I determined that I was missing four or five pieces.  Fortunately, there were diagrams of the structure and all the included pieces.  On it, it said if there were any missing pieces, to clearly indicate which pieces were missing on the diagram and send it to the company and they would send the missing pieces free of charge.  I took great care and put a lot of effort into indicating which pieces were missing and promptly sent off the envelope to Hasbro Games.  About a week or two later, I received a curiously flat envelope for Hasbro.  They thanked me for my interest in their product but were sorry to say that the puzzle I had had been discontinued.

My puzzle sat on my shelf above my desk for years, holes and all.   

Breathing Underwater

During my sophomore year of high school I was in an Honors English class.  My teacher was not always the most profound individual and occasionally bordered on crazy.  My friend Claire and I were in the class together and would always talk about what crazy things would happen.  One of our topics of study was the classic medieval poem Beowulf:  
Teacher: "What are some of the supernatural elements in the story?"

Me: "Breathing underwater" (in the poem, Beowulf falls down a lake for hours and then fights a monster with a sword that suddenly appears in the underwater cave)

Teacher: "No, not really.  That wouldn't be considered supernatural.  Supernatural things are things that would require magic, are unusual and cannot be explained."

Oh I forgot.  Breathing underwater for hours and not dying doesn't require magic.  My bad.  This same teacher also said on a different occasion that you don't learn anything in college and that you don't need to study for finals because you already know everything from the class.

Public education at its finest.