Spring Break and New Beginnings!

Hey everyone!

I'm taking a sort of "Spring Break" to do some renovations to my site. I'll be back on March 20th (first day of Spring) with some amazing new changes that you definitely don't want to miss out on. In the meantime, follow me on my social media for daily tweets and writings. I'll talk to y'all soon ❤️

~Tea

Sunday Scribbles: Enough

Happy March!

While last month was the shortest of the year it definitely felt long. However, I want to thank everyone for over 200 page views on this blog, over 100 new followers on my twitter, over 50 on my Instagram, and over 30 on my Facebook. In order to celebrate that I want to share a new poem that I wrote. February is usually a month full of love and happiness thanks to Valentines Day. I am fortunate that I get to spend it with a woman that I love more than words on a screen can express. However, not everyone has someone to spend that time with. Some by choice, some not. This is for those whose choice it's not.

Enough
I know sticks and stones may
break my bones but fuck you because
words
hurt
too.

Words like "I love you"
"I miss you"
"I'm sorry but you made me do it"
"If you didn't [this], then I wouldn't [that]".

Lies.
Lies are what those are and it's
Lies that hurt.
Lies tell me that you don't respect me enough to tell me the truth.
That you think I'm dumb enough to believe you and
That I'm dumb enough to stay with your sorry ass.

I might be.
I might stay with you for now or
Take you back a second, third, fourth, and fifth time.
But you can only hurt me so much.

You can only break me so much before I am broken.
No. Before I am beyond broken.
Before the woman you once knew is nothing more than
Fragments of the shell of a human being
That too have been crushed into obliteration and
Spread so thin that I've lost parts of me
That I will never get back.

And then what?
You keep living your life, find some new chick
to make your marionette and weather your abuse,
believe your lies and I'm just supposed to what?
Cry?
Well, duh. I mean, isn't that what you do when you are hurt?

So, I will cry.
I will cry until every piece of you that is still
a part of me is gone, and you know why?
Because enough drops from the ocean pieces back together the sand.
Enough particles of air can produce rain, sleet, and snow.
So maybe, just maybe, if I cry enough tears
I can cry myself back into being whole.
2/24/15

~Tea

Tea Time Thursday: Happiness Vs. Money

Almost one year ago exactly, one of my best friends packed up her whole life and moved from Philly to LA. She didn’t have a job, a car, or anything lined up. All she had was a couch to crash on and ambition in her heart. With the anniversary of her moving coming up we have been speaking often about some reflections over the past year. Did she accomplish everything that she set out to accomplish? No. Not even half way. But what she did do is make it to her dream city and begin taking steps to live out her dreams. 

Why am I telling you about a mysterious friend that I have? Because, she left a good job where she had security and a steady income to take a risk. Sometimes that’s what life is all about. 

So often we think to ourselves “I wish I could…but I have to (excuse)”. Then we tell ourselves “Well maybe once I…then I will be able to."

NO. 

Truth is, there is never truly a “perfect time” to do anything. There will always be something holding you back and a little nagging voice saying “what if I leave my security and go after my dreams and fail?” What if you do? You pick yourself up and start over, right? 

Now, I’m not saying that you should just go to work tomorrow and tell off your boss. Nothing like that. If anything, you just never want to burn those professional bridges. But there are a few things that you can do if you truly want to bring about a change, soon, so that you can live out your dreams. 

1. Make a plan

• Having a plan is so important. It’s one thing to say “I want to become a doctor” but you have to educate yourself on the steps that it takes to become one before you just quit and decide to go back to school. Having a plan makes you aware of the time and possible financial commitment that it will take in order to fulfill dreams so you can be prepared now versus trying to prepare while you are in the midst of chaos.

2. SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!

• Once you know how much going after your dream is going to cost, give yourself a deadline to save up at least an 8 month emergency fund (Thanks Suzy Orman). Sometimes leaving one job means taking a pay cut so that you can pursue other avenues.  You want to make sure that you can still support yourself while you are chasing your dreams. 

3. Give yourself a deadline. 

• If you give yourself a set time, once you’ve left your current situation, to fulfill your dreams/take certain steps that will create a sense of urgency. If you know you only have 3 years to make your old salary in your new field then that will make you work that much harder. If at the end of the 3 years you still haven’t gotten there, it’s time to reevaluate. Maybe doing that full time isn’t as lucrative as you thought. But perhaps you can still do it part time and get another job to offset the cost. 

Ultimately, you never want to look back and think “what if”. We only have one life to live so at some point, even if just for 6 months or 3 months, going after your dream and doing what you truly love will be something you never forget. If you’re one of the lucky ones already living out your dream then kudos to you. For the rest of us, never give up, never stop trying, and never lose sight of your happiness. 

-Tea

Sunday Scribbles: A Winter Nightmare

** This was written either my freshman or sophomore year of college. I believe the prompt was to write a brief scenario about waking up and being cold and finding out that there is no heat. Enjoy! **

Waking up was nearly impossible. My Eyelashes were dusted with individual icicles, my breath frozen in my lungs, and my blood chilled in my veins. I struggled to sit up. I attempted to open my car door and it wouldn’t move. Apparently the temperature had dropped so drastically after the storm last night that my car had frozen solid. Shivering did no good. A cold body trapped in a makeshift igloo, moving swiftly in the freezing air was a fail. I brought my knees to my chest under my shirt and hugged them with my arms that were awaiting them, hoping this might help me preserve any body heat I had left. I covered myself with my jacket, which felt more like a blanket of snow. Even my nose hairs had ice on them. I closed my eyes and imagined this must be how Eskimos who went streaking felt.

My internal body temperature was still around ice cube status. I closed my eyes and waited for the sun to rise and hopefully thaw out my day. Until then I sat in fetal position trying not to fall back asleep for fear of my life freezing away on this harsh February morning.

**Sorry so short, the prompt was to be brief and we only had 15 minutes or so. Everybody reading from the Northeast stay warm!  These snow storms are no joke. Don't forget about my Poetry Challenge . Let me know if you're joining along. Talk to y'all real soon :) **

~Tea

Sunday Scribbles: Operation Write Every Day

Welcome to my first entry for my Sunday Scribbles. As some of you may know, I have been writing poetry ever since I could hold a crayon in my hand and make letters on paper (or the walls...sorry Mom.) So for my entry into my Sunday posts, I have decided to do a writing challenge.

I have been having a horrible case of writers block lately. I don't actually think I have written a complete poem since 2015 began. While scrolling Instagram I came across this page @mads.words where she writes in a little notebook, numbers them, and then posts pictures online. I thought it was a great idea so I decided to do the same and challenge myself to write something everyday. I may not post what I write everyday, but as long as I'm writing, it's a start.

I'm sharing this with you so if you want to join along you can. All you will need is a simple notebook (I got mine from Forever 21) and whatever your chosen writing utensil is (I fancy Pentel RSVP in medium).

Once you have that, simply open to the first page, number it and start writing. The beautiful thing about this challenge is that you can write whatever you want to. It can be a quote, a sentence that is stuck in your head, part of a poem, random thoughts, whatever you want as long as you are writing something. Write from your heart. You can never go wrong doing that. If you mess up (as you will see I did below) just scratch it out and keep going. Nobody is perfect, I don't even try to be.

The Challenge will run from now, Feb 15th, through March 31st. Share this with all of your friends and writing buddies. I want to get as many people's creative juices flowing as possible and hopefully together we can all create something beautiful. If you want to share your entries with me on Instagram or Twitter use the hashtag #TeasPoetryChallenge so I can read them and follow you. I'll be back next Sunday with some more of my writing. In the mean time, follow my twitter or instagram (linked above) to see some of my daily writings and to share motivation tips and keep each other going.

Here is my first post that was written literally 20 minutes ago.

Remember, if you join me and share your posts, use the hashtag #TeasPoetryChallenge so I can read your work as well. Comment below if you're excited for the challenge! I'll talk to you all soon. 

~Tea

Wednesday Wisdom: Use the Storm to Prepare for the Sun

In The midst of a Storm

How in the world did it become February already? January completely flew by and this being a short month I’m sure will go by even faster. That being said, let me get right into my Wednesday Wisdom post.

I had planned a bunch of posts for last week but then life through me a curve ball. Then it through another, and another, and eventually I felt like I had completely struck out all in a matter of 24 hours. Normally I keep it all together but a person can only handle so much.

I have a two-part philosophy for times like this. Whenever something happens in your life you should first allow yourself to feel whatever emotions you have and then figure out what to do next. There is a time and place for those emotions to come out but holding them in will only make matters worse. I journal, exercise, do yoga, talk to friends, family, my girlfriend, gorge out on food, whatever I have to productively get my emotions out, I do it.

So after calling my parents and talking to them and talking to V and my friends I felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders and was ready for the next part of my philosophy, which is “What’s next?”

Now this part is tricky because usually the “What’s Next?” phase happens a day or two after life falls apart and a lot of emotions are still fresh. But, you have to think about all the things you can be accomplishing in the time that you are essentially in the “eye of the storm”. What lessons can be learned from your situation and how can you take those lessons and channel them in a positive and productive way?

My first ever tattoo was a symbol for “Fate”. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and we don’t always know what that reason is when it’s happening. However, using that time when all you want to do is lay on the couch for a week and eat strawberry cheesecake ice cream and watch musicals and Broadway plays to instead make a change and make plans for what’s coming next is essential.

Being in the eye of a storm means you know there is more to potentially come your way. But by preparing for what is to come next and then preparing for what is to come once the storm passes (and it always passes), you have not only helped get yourself out of a rut but also now you are two steps ahead of the game.

There are 4 questions I ask myself to help prepare for sun when I’m still in the midst of a storm:

1.      What exactly is happening/has happened?
2.      What lesson(s) can I take from this?
3.      How can I apply those lessons to my life going forward?
4.      What do I WANT to do next?

It’s usual to feel down and drained after any storm in your life. It’s important, however, to make sure that whatever comes next is something you want to happen and something that will make you happy. It’s never a good idea to leave one negative situation and put yourself right back into another. But by sitting down and thinking about those four questions and answering them honestly and truthfully for yourself, I promise that when the sun comes out you will be ready to go and better than ever.

Let me know how you all overcome bumps in the road, hardships, or just unexpected bad news in your life and what you do to make yourself feel better. (Does anyone else like musicals and Broadway plays? If so tell me your faves below so I can check them out)

Talk to yall soon,

Literally an hour later

~Tea

Wednesday Wisdom: Don't Stress What You Can't Change!

 

You know how people say “Learn from my mistakes”? Well that’s what this is. I’ll share some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way so hopefully others can learn from them. I may only be 25 but I like to think I’ve lived a lot for my age. 

 

Today’s Lesson Learned: 

 

Don’t stress over things that you can’t change!

 

As with any life lesson, this is 100% easier said than done. You oversleep and start to panic about being late to work/class. You hit submit on an assignment and then you realize that you forgot to add something in one of the paragraphs. Perhaps while trying to make a joke you wind up offending your partner or friend. You have that initial moment of screaming four-letter words silently to yourself. You’re panicked. You’re in flight-or-fight mode. 

 

Now what? 

 

The thing that helps me take a deep breath and relax is to think of the saying “Shit happens.” I once had an undergrad philosophy professor base his entire syllabus around this saying. Essentially, there are some things that one just can’t control or change. 

 

If you’ve already turned your assignment in, it’s done. You can’t un-turn it in. If you oversleep you can’t magically add those minutes back. If you offend someone, you can’t un-speak those words or undo those actions. Stressing over those things leads to “what ifs”.

 

Why worry about “what ifs”? The stress will get you nowhere (Trust me, I know). Instead of worrying about what may happen or what could happen try these things: 

 

If something has already happened: 

·         Try to figure out what was the reason that this happened. Was it something you forgot? Was it a technical error? Did you forget something was a sensitive topic for someone?

·         Think about how you can prevent this from happening again in the future. 

·         If you realize you’re going to be late, let someone know ASAP.

·         If you’ve already submitted an assignment, consider emailing the professor (this won’t work with every professor but usually ones who don’t mind will let you know up front their leniency policy).

 

If something is going to happen:

·         Figure out what you think may happen and why.

·         Is there anything you can do to prepare for this? Can you alert anyone? Do you need to get anything documented (doctors note etc.).

·         Mentally prepare yourself for any consequences. 

 

Nobody is perfect so why waste time trying to be? We are all human. We all make mistakes. That being said, there are always consequences for our actions. All we can do is try our best and own up to when we mess up and accept whatever consequences come our way. Besides, I heard a rumor that stress gives you wrinkles and who wants to accidentally create those? :)

 

~Tea

 

 

Tea Time Tuesday! Glad you could make it...

If you follow my social media then you should be expecting this tonight so here I am!

Anyone who knows me knows that there is always a method to my madness. My blog is nothing different. Each day has a theme, which will be revealed as my posts come along. Today is Tea Time Tuesday! (Come on, I can’t have “Tea Time” in the URL and not make time to have tea with my readers.)

What is Tea Time Tuesday?

Tea Time Tuesday is simply a day where I can be candid with my readers. I want it to feel like it’s just us relaxing and talking about random life things. It’ll feel like we’ve known each other forever. Just watch. I will share things like:

• Books I’m currently reading
• My latest travels
• Juggling work, grad school, life, and blogging
• How I handle personal issues that I think may help someone else
• How I organize my space
• Cute findings in my city
• Highlights of bloggers, writers, artists, and anyone else dope that I come across
• Anything else I can think about!

I can’t promise that it will be every Tuesday, maybe every other Tuesday. Just know that on Tuesdays when you come here

be prepared for the unexpected.

~Tea

P.S.

Don’t worry, you can still visit on Tuesdays even if you don’t drink tea J 

P. P. S. 
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