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Life

Happy Friday // 05

February 17, 2017February 16, 2017 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 12 comments
Happy Friday // 05

It’s been awhile since I posted a Happy Friday post. The last time I sat down to work on one of these posts I hit myself in the head with my computer. Yeah, let that sink in for a moment. I have no idea what happened, but somehow I hit myself in the head with my computer. I’ll paint the full picture for you: it left a bump and it hurt enough that I was told an ice pack might help. (If you follow me on Snapchat, you’ve already heard this story.) The ice pack was so helpful that I took it home for the weekend… and by home I mean my sister’s house, because I was dog-sitting. While I was there I came down with the flu, so I spent a week away from the blog… and life in general. I basically slept all week. And that brings us to  this week. I feel like I am on the road to recovery, but sometimes you’d wonder when you hear me talk.

Anyway, this post has been put together over a two-week span.

(Also, here’s a photo of The 4onthefloor who I saw the day before the plague hit.)

Happy Friday! What inspired you this week? // dreams-etc.com

Gratitude

A lazy weekend that allowed for plenty of rest, and I needed that rest once this week rolled around! (This was written before the bump on the head and the plague.)

My puppy, because she always makes me happy, even on the longest of days.

Coffee, because… well… if you saw my Colombia vlog, you’ll know how I feel about coffee. (Also, since I wrote this I haven’t really had much coffee. I don’t like drinking hot coffee when I don’t feel well and I haven’t gone out to get iced coffee. I got some today–thanks to a friend who stopped by work and brought a cup in–and it’s amazing how much it revived me.)

An exciting TBR pile. I’m reading a book that I’m really enjoying and a few other books came in this week that I’m so excited to get to!

[Tweet “What are you thankful for this week? #gratitude #petitejoys”]

Read

8 Tips for a Better Work/Life Balance  |  Summer gives some advice for creating a better work/life balance. This is something I need to work on and I’m sure I’m not the only one!

Kindness Goes a Long Way  |  Love Chrissy’s post on kindness–something that’s so needed in today’s world!

Satisfying Your Restlessness Locally  |  A great read from Joy Lynn, especially when the wanderlust is hitting hard.

[Tweet “Catch up on these articles from @summertelban, @brave_wanderer and @joyandreasen1!”]

Watch

Reading Short Stories: Where to Start  |  Jen Campbell and I have very different taste in books, but she’s one of my favorites on Booktube because of her passion for stories, which comes out in each video that she posts. I absolutely loved this video and thought it was a great introduction to reading short stories, if short fiction is something that you’re interested. If you don’t read a lot and would like to read more (something I hear quite a bit) and feel like time is an issue, I’d recommend checking out short stories. You don’t have to track through a 400 page novel, so when you have time you can read a cohesive story, put it down and pick up the collection again later.

I was going to include some of my own short story collection recommendations in this post, however as I thought about it I realized that it should probably be its own post. Look for that in the next week or two. This might also give me time to finish two collections that I’m in the middle of. There are some short stories in each that I’ll want to talk about. I have a soft spot for short stories, so I’m excited to share some of my favorites with you.

Pursuit of the Week

Survival. And I think I’m at a point where I can say I’ll probably survive this plague. Let’s hope the next few weeks are a little more productive in terms of creative pursuits.

What inspired you this week?

[Tweet “What inspired you this week? #happyfriday”]

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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12 comments

  1. Sheryl @ How to Make a Life says:
    February 17, 2017 at 8:44 am

    There are some weeks where it just seems everything happens! Wishing you better health quickly!!!

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      February 28, 2017 at 11:17 am

      Thank you Sheryl! I’m mostly on the mend, I just have a little cough left. I’ve been told by others who had this that the cough lingers for awhile, but I’m hoping it’ll be gone soon. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Angela Tolsma says:
    February 17, 2017 at 12:42 pm

    I hope your head is okay and that you are feeling better. Love the kindness article, good read.

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      February 28, 2017 at 2:24 pm

      Thank you! My head is better and I have mostly recovered from whatever bug I got. Still cough a lot, but I’ve been told by others who also had this that it lingers.

      Reply
  3. Becky @Disney in your Day says:
    February 17, 2017 at 12:45 pm

    I’ve been suffering from really awful anxiety the past month, so I’m just thankful that it seems to slowly be getting better and that I have a new medication to try. I want to feel like myself again!

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      February 28, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      I bet! I hope the new medication helps with the anxiety and that you feel like your self again very soon!

      Reply
  4. Lindsay @ The Flynnigans says:
    February 17, 2017 at 3:57 pm

    Hey love,

    It sounds like you got that death plague that was going around my workplace. We had some people feeling like crap for weeks on end. Thankfully I remained unscathed. šŸ˜‰ the one one positive? Mina was probably happy as a clam with you home, too. šŸ™‚

    Have a great weekend love. Xo

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      February 28, 2017 at 2:28 pm

      Yes! That’s totally what I got. I’m glad you were able to avoid getting it. It was awful!

      Mina was so happy, though! I always say she likes it when I get sick because I stay in one place and she happily curls up by my side. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Jessica Bradshaw says:
    February 17, 2017 at 8:15 pm

    My puppies are always making me happy too!

    This week I am thankful for chocolate. šŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      February 28, 2017 at 2:28 pm

      They’re the best!

      And chocolate is definitely something to be thankful for! šŸ™‚

      Reply
  6. Charlotte says:
    February 19, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Awwww, I hope you are feeling better! I had something recently (NO idea what, but completely hit me and left me in a similar non-moving state for a few days).

    Also hitting your head on a computer? Sounds like something I would do, honestly šŸ™‚ I once had a chair land on my nose and that was basically the last time I tried to go down in the storage room, lol–no mas!

    Anyway, glad you are on the mend and sending you puppy kisses!! XOXO

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      February 28, 2017 at 2:29 pm

      Thanks Charlotte! I hope you have recovered from whatever you got. šŸ™‚

      Haha, I’m glad I’m not the only one! Everyone giggled when I told them and I was like, “I know it’s funny, but can you wait till my bump goes away?”

      Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily ā€œI love you’sā€ are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
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And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

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It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
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