Muffin!

Oct 19, 2023
5 min read

Sisterhood, Stories, and Swifties!

This past week has been full of wonderful happy moments for me, and I'm so excited to share some of them today with all of you. First and foremost, I would like to begin by saying THANK YOU to all of you who come back week after week in support of my little project here; all of your texts, DMs, and emails mean the world to me! I feel so lucky to be able to share bits and pieces of my life with all of you in this way. Recently, a number of my sorority sisters have caught wind of this blog of mine, and one sweet girl (and wonderful reader!) selected me as the recipient of Muffin this week! Muffin is the inspiration for what we as a sorority call "the sisterhood of the traveling teddy bear" which is as adorable as it is kind. This sisterhood is one that is always inspiring me to be confident in exactly who I am, and this token of love made my whole week!

The photo above is a picture of Muffin helping me out with this week's blog post which is all about sisterhood, stories, and Swifties. I think each of these components bring so much joy to the world! When I reflect back on my childhood, so much of it was spent with my beautiful younger sister and our fierce girl friends. We created this sisterhood that was all our own where we could be creative and kind and silly and adventurous! When I got to college, I was initially feeling a little lost. I was on my own without my sisterhood of support for the first time in my life. I was blessed to have a stable foundation of what it meant to love and be loved, but it took me some time to find out where it was that I truly belonged. I can say with complete confidence that joining a sorority was one of the best decisions I ever made because I have found a home amongst other radiantly beautiful and confident women who wouldn't want me to be anyone I am not. These women make me feel safe, seen, and supported, and I believe with my whole heart that everyone should be so lucky to find a community like that!

I also had the privilege of meeting another Gracie yesterday, only this one happened to be a very fluffy golden retriever. This angel brought the biggest smile to my face, and I was reminded of an important life lesson I learned recently. I had the incredible opportunity of meeting president and chief executive of the Monarch School, Afira DeVries. The Monarch School is a public K-12 school in San Diego, California that serves students who are homeless, at risk of being homeless, or impacted by homelessness. It was founded in 1988 and was the only school of its kind in the United States at the time. The Monarch School serves more than 400 children each year. It provides an accredited education and cares for basic needs. The school is a trauma-informed and strength-based community where students can persevere through the trauma of homelessness. Every day, Afira is met by children who have already experienced gang violence, extreme poverty, homelessness, and multiple forms of abuse and neglect. And yet, these children and their resilience and their gratitude would shine through so clearly in every story that she told. So I asked her, what are we missing? Why are we so unhappy? I have access to every resource in the world, and I'm still always searching. How can these kids be so happy when I can't even seem to find that strength in myself?

She was wholeheartedly honest with me, and I cannot thank her enough for it. She told me, "these kids, they have nothing, and so they authentically appreciate everything." While I am worried about my career, my schoolwork, and what others are thinking of me almost constantly, these children seem to have it all figured out. I cannot imagine the horrors they must have faced, but they emerge as resilient as I someday hope to be. Afria told me the key to this appreciation is being present in every moment. This brings me back to Gracie. No, not me, golden Gracie! She lives in the moment, she appreciates all the love she receives, and she radiates an abundance of joy. She does not fear what the future holds because she knows how loved she is in each moment of her day. She knows what matters and does not pay any mind to that which antagonizes her character.

The last time I experienced authentic joy in this way was going to see the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie in theaters this past Friday. When I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting for the talented Taylor Swift to begin singing her surprise songs, I was dancing in the middle of the movie theater and screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs. I was reminded of hearing You Belong with Me when I was eight years old and choreographing my own dance to it on the pool deck at summer camp. I was reminded of unironically listening to Shake It Off every morning when I was in sixth grade. I remember Cruel Summer being the first song I played on aux when I finally got my license. I remember screaming the lyrics to Long Live the night of my high school graduation. I remember crying over Never Grow Up my first night in my dorm freshman year after my mom's plane had left. For every milestone in my life, Taylor Swift has released a song which has managed to perfectly encapsulate everything I feel. I was able to see her in concert back in July which was absolutely life changing, and it was incredible to be able to relive that experience this past week!

I want to seek that which makes me as excited as the Eras Tour does!!! When we are passionate about something and we cannot contain our excitement, that's the good stuff. I want to be doing things because I genuinely want to be there, not because I feel like I have to be there. Instead of playing a passive role in my life, I want to be playing an active one! My life is not happening to me, I am happening to the world. The sooner we take ownership of our own lives, the more authentic joy we will be able to experience! I've linked the Spotify playlist I mentioned in last week's blog on finding the perfect love songs here, please feel free to give it a listen when you have the chance! I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by so much love and joy in my own life, and I intend to use that support to find my passion and purpose. I am in no hurry to know exactly which career path to take, but I want to spend more time doing things which make me excited to get out of bed in the morning! I'm making it a goal of mine to experience something new every day, no matter how small it may seem. Because the little things always turn out to be big things, and before we know it, we're just happy to be alive!