Category: Personal

Van Gogh Quotes that feed my Soul

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”

“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.”

“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.”

“Art is to console those who are broken by life.”

“I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.”

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”

“I wish they would take me as I am.”

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

“Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.”

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”

“Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.”

“A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”

“The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.”

My Personal Movie Bucket List

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

I’ve had quite a bit of time to think on this due to social distancing. Yay! So here we go if anyone cares. Maybe you can get a little inspiration for your own movie bucket list.

My Movie Bucket List~

1. The Mr Rogers movie 

Mr Rogers is actually something I grew up on (I’m way to young) but but my mother did. And she, in turn, shared it with me. I’ve also listened to his biography audio book which made me love him even more.

2. Knives out. 

A murder msyerty! Why not? I hear its wonderfully twisted. Sign me up!

3. Probably a couple of marvel movies.

Not exactly sure which ones. Ideally, I’d love to watch them in order but we’ll see. But whatever it is, I’d be starting from scratch.

4. The live action Disney movies (minus maybe the lion king because I just really have no desire. Literally looks like a National Geographic documentary)

5. The Harry Potter movies in order. (I’ve watched most of them but only as a kid/middle schooler so I’m sure stuff went over my head and I really want to appreciate the story now that I’m older)

6. Up

Because I wanna cry.

7. The fourth toy story.

This one is sort of killing me because I grew up one Toy Story. Hopefully it’ll come available at our library soon.

And Also because I wanna cry.

8. Frozen 2 if I get the chance, simply for curiosity’s sake. 

9. And maybe the third how to train your dragon because I loved the first, was okay with the second, so I feel like I need to finish them. 

10. And finally, the Disney Star Wars movies, also for curiosity’s sake due to that fact that I grew up watching the earlier ones. 

11. Little Women, by the suggestion of a friend.

12. Inception

13. A Quiet Place

And That pretty much covers it. Keep in mind, this list isn’t in priority order. It’s a lot at this point, but hopefully someday I’ll finish it. 

Unpopular Opinions of Mine

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Unpopular Opinions of mine

Country music, by large, I find not very enjoyable. 

Chewing with your mouth open is like the vilest thing and it will actually make me dislike you a little bit. I know it’s petty but I’m sorry.

Pop music isn’t that bad sometimes when it’s not annoying. 

Fast food doesn’t taste awful as long as I don’t have tons of it because then it’s kind of gross. 

Rainy days are the best because you can cuddle up in a blanket and drink warm stuff and be happy. 

Musicals can be annoying sometimes. 

Corny shows and movies are actually relaxing to watch. 

Forgiveness doesn’t automatically = everything was the same as before. 

I think cats are better then dogs. 

I like introverts and homeschoolers but I’ll be honest, I think by large, public schoolers tend to be more inclusive.

People who practice inaction get on my nerves every now and then. 

Optimism and pessimism both have their place but both can be stupid in access. 

There are sometimes points in life where giving up is okay. 

British accents are cool and all but SCOTTISH. 

Pencils are the best art medium. 

As much as I have night owl pride, I wish I was a morning person. It seems more productive. (While being a night owl is more enjoyable). 

Buzzards are nice birds. They’re environment smart and without them we’d have corpses everywhere. Recycle!

Coffee is good (with lots of creamer)

Cake isn’t really that great. 

Dark chocolate is gross. 

Sleeping in socks is awful. 

People who are slobs get on my nerves. 

You can be a good friend and still not support someone in everything they do. 

Forgiving someone as quickly as possible isn’t really smart. (Let me explain, I think people just need time to process their emotions and if they just smooth it over, they really haven’t put any thought into their forgiveness which can lead to future hard feelings because you haven’t REALLY forgiven them.)

Oreo cream is nasty. 

Popcorn is like the best dessert ever. 

And bbq sauce is kind of gross too. Like sloppy joes and meat loaf. Blech. 

Hard Health Tips We All Need to Hear

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Health tips we all need to hear (I’m kind of calling myself out too)

-stop drinking coffee for the aesthetic. Drink water. 

-actually make your bed. It makes your entire room look so much more neater. Trust me, I was a skeptic about this too but once you get into the habit, it really improves the feel of your space and gives you a clearer mind. 

-snack less. 

-Procrastinate Less. As soon as you get an assignment, DO IT. 

-it’s okay to buy yourself little treats every now and then. You feel guilty too much. It’s okay to buy that package of new socks for yourself, seriously.

-make yourself a playlist, it really helps. 

-wash your face at night, it can help you “wash away the day”. 

-if you want a warm, comfort drink, I recommend tea. I plan on making a full post on this. 

-don’t play your phone in bed. The blue light hinders your sleep and you want your mind to associate your bed with sleep. 

Just Good Feelings

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Good feels

Waking up to the smell of something good cooking 

A week or day that you’ve been looking forward to. 

Studying so hard for a test and having it pay off

Writing something and editing it only to finally finish it and actually being proud of the finished product. 

That feeling of being out the cold and that rush of warm you get when you walk inside. 

The smell of summers evening mixed with the sounds of crickets and frogs conversing. 

Rainy day where you don’t have to go anywhere.  

Hot chocolate during the winter. 

Listening to a song you love and Getting to THAT part. 

Warm showers that feel like home. 

That feeling that you get after watching a really good feeling in a movie theater and feeling like you can conquer the world. 

LONG CAR RIDES. 

My Personal List of Reasons as to Why I procrastinate & the faulty logic behind them…

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to my procrastination diary. Please enjoy your stay…

1. You’re on your phone.

Major, #1 distraction.

I wish I had an actual reason as to why my phone distracts me. Even when there is really nothing to do on my phone and I’m just switching between the same two apps constantly and refreshing. Frankly, I think it’s because nearly ANYTHING is more interesting then what I’m trying to get done.

2. You have too much to work to do so you do none of it.

Genius, right?

3. You’d rather be doing something else.

In other words, you’d rather be procrastinating. Which in of itself isn’t a fun activity but it beats actually doing the thing, right? Nothing like dying a thousand deaths before actually getting the THING done.

4. Your music distracts you.

Instead of helping you concentrate on your homework, you find yourself having your own personal dance off in your bedroom to whatever soundtrack I’ve downloaded recently.

5. It’s past your bedtime (You’d rather sleep).

It’s 8:00? Sorry mom, can’t study. Past my bedtime. When I need to get something done, I suddenly am on a toddler’s sleep schedule.

6. Your favorite show comes on

Cause I have my priorities straight.

7. You are too busy writing a list of reasons of why you procrastinate.

Impulse Control

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

I was thinking, what would my past week have looked like had I no impulse control. It’s a scary yet interesting question. 

I think I would have thrown a head of lettuce in my sister’s face. 

I would have told that girl her dolphin earrings were cute and that lady that her highlights were spot on. 

I would have said hello to that person I thought I recognized and asked that girl who was crying at the library if she was okay. 

I would have randomly turned left as I drove out of our driveway and would have skipped work. 

I would have gone to the coffee shop and just drawn with charcoal all day. 

I would have told the barista that I wanted the sweetest drink she could concoct and I would drink it in one gulp. 

I would have woken up at 3 am to take a walk outside at night.  

I would have punched a wall once and a fake friend twice. 

I would have bought myself a new dress and shoes and would have danced in front of the mirror just to watch the folds of fabric shimmer and wave. 

I would have dyed my hair how I always wanted and maybe even cut it short. 

Until now, I haven’t realized fear has stopped me from doing so many things. Some good and some bad. 

Graduation Thoughts

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

“We ARE rich,” said Anne staunchly. “Why, we have sixteen years to our credit, and we’re happy as queens, and we’ve all got imaginations, more or less. Look at that sea, girls—all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen.” 

Let me tell you something. This quote is everything. Never have I felt something that so perfectly mirrors what I feel about looking back on high school. 

High school has been hard but it’s like any time period of your life. You take it: for the good and the bad. 

If I had any regrets in my high school experience, it would probably be the very thing that this quote seems to express. 

I wish I had spent less Monday’s wishing it were Friday. I wish it didn’t take me this long to figure out that I’m happy as a queen. 

But better now then never.  But I guess that’s just how life works. Especially when you have eighteen years to your credit. You finally realize how rich you are. And knowing this makes facing the uncertain future all the easier. 

It’s that Time of Year…

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

I came to a realization the other day. The phrase, “it’s that time of year” is suitable to proceed any sentence and make sense. 100% of the time you follow up what someone says with, “it’s that time of year”, they’ll nod in agreement and know exactly what you mean. Because apparently it’s ALWAYS that time of year. For example:

Person a: my banana went bad on the counter in just two days.
Person b: it’s that time of year.

Or

Person a: my Christmas tree shed all over my floor.
Person b: it’s that time of year.

It works all the time.

Why I Like Rain

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

It’s so calming

I will always treasure The memory of sitting on the porch, the cold air nipping at my nose and a warm drink in hand. Complete peace before the chaos of the day. 

And finally I can drown in something that isn’t my stupid thoughts of how things can go wrong and how I’m going to mess stuff up.  

And the smell. Good glory,  the smell is amazing. Fresh air, newly cleansed, crisp and so utterly perfect it almost stings to inhale. The smell of starting over. The smell the growth. The smell of everything becoming more alive amidst the storm. 

And The sound is music to my ears, more comforting than a thousand lullabies. The gentle, rhythmic thrum of rain on grass or on the roof, almost as if you are hearing the heartbeat of the sky. 

And it somehow comforts me as I watch the grey come and go. The heavy clouds come and leave. And no matter how chaotic and dark the storm, the sky still manages to pull itself together and becomes a vibrant shade of blue. It may take it an afternoon or even a few days but it will return to its original hue.