Lesson 109. Hold your head high and don't loose your fight or your joy in living.

I just received an email that brought me to tears. It simply spoke words of wisdom from one who knows me best. It was from my loving and proud father.

My Dad is a hero. He loves his family and he does right by everyone he can. He fights for justice and he cares in the best of ways. My Dad has always been and will always be the most heroic man I know. He's honest even when its hard and his love grows more evident within the raw statements he shares.

I've been fighting uphill battles. I know you're so aware of it because I tend to yabber on, but I've been really feeling it the last few days. It's silly because I have so much, but I feel like I have to be straight up with you because it's a part of my heart that is as real as the part of yours that hurts too. I've lost faith in myself and I've fallen into habits of retreat. Gone are the jutting of the jaw days and here seem to be the cowering the corner days. My Dad spoke words of great encouragement tonight. He told me that he was proud, that he loves me, and that he admires who I am. I don't think I've ever been more touched by a message in my mail.

He finished with a statement that rings true for all of us. "Hold your head high and don't lose your fight or joy in living" So take it from Greg, I tell you he's a wise one.

Lesson 108. Appreciate yourself.

Oh, don't I sound awfully narcissistic. Heavens! Easy with the accusatory tone you've got going, I'm not suggesting any sort of mirror watching love yourself fest, I'm simply explaining something that I've learnt is beneficial to existence.

Friday night I had the house to myself, so naturally I made a video of myself doing funny things and emailed it to my missing flatmates. I've watched it numerous times and I still think I'm quite a hilarious lass.

Laugh at yourself, love yourself for your crazy, it's not something that comes naturally to us. We will often simply shirk off the thought that maybe we are something special for our wild ways but next time don't, next time, just appreciate yourself.

Lesson 107. Remember the proper grocery bags.

Today was a glorious day. We learnt from last weeks debacle and made sure to include the proper grocery bags in our weekly shop. Life was much simpler, there was no breakage or even concern for the welfare of our goods. We could trust our trusty grocery bags.

It's remembering the basics that can often save us. Remembering the things that have made life easier in the past that can make life easier now. We've all faced trials, and we're all still standing (or sitting, or leaning, or grooving, really just existing) and it's because of our grocery bags. The simple things that have walked us up Queen St, through the doors of 441 and swiped us up the elevator. Remember the proper grocery bags.

Lesson 106. Try extreme mattress sliding.

Oh dear. I fear I've become too comfortable with our relationship and taken you for granted. Never again, here goes rekindling the flames. I'm about to give you not one, not two, but three blogs in less than twenty minutes because I told myself I'd make bed before midnight. How are you? I hope you're doing swell.

So Friday was a day of great exhilaration and many adrenalin rushes. My flatmate and I were 'home alone for the weekend and were planning on having some friends over for a sleepover, unfortunately they never showed so we made something quite spectacular of their cancellation. We made a mattress slide. Three mattresses, two girls, one sleeping bag, way too much fun for a Friday. And that's saying something because Friday is definitely one of the most jovial weekdays. We initially began by simply sliding, but then decided to do ourselves one better and increase the wild times with a sleeping bag. This ultimately created an excellent slippery slope (not the bad kind, the excellent kind) which we both thoroughly enjoyed. We were already having fun, but that one little thing made things so much funner.

Go the extra mile. Do yourselves one better. You say it's going well? Make it go better. I promise, extreme mattress sliding is so much cooler than just plain mattress sliding. Try extreme mattress sliding.

Lesson 105. Someone's dancing.

First things first, I've just realised that the people in my life are of premium quality. I'm currently winning. 

Daily anecdote begins with three of these top notch individuals. We decided to scoot on down to a open mic night. Greeted by various veterans (of all varieties) and a room dominated by semi seedy males, we voted backseats were best and took up our places. Time ticked on and our ears endured quite the sound smorgasbord. Eventually, the time came for one of our own to grace the stage. The tavern was quite noisy and it was hard to gauge a response from the audience, all bar one girl. 

A german fraulien (who later proceeded to have a cosy chat with one of my friends, he's got game) stood at the front, through all three performances and was almost always slightly mobile. With a jiggle there and a drink pump there, she was constantly dancing. Although easily overlooked, this is no easy feat. Constant dancing requires energy and enthusiasm, both of which she very much had. It was to say the least quietly encouraging to each of us, in a sort of peculiar way.

When you feel like life gets noisy, remember that someone is dancing. Someone is dancing for you, and that's someone to be proud of. I don't doubt for a second that you have your german girl somewhere, whether mother, brother, sister, or your best friends cousins ex girlfriends baby daddy's nephew, someone in your life is always dancing. Always enjoying you, always loving you and spurring you forwards. Believing in you enough to put a little booty into it.

Someone's dancing. 

Lesson 104. The time is now.

I put things off. I procrastinate. I like to think timing will be better a little later on. When the weathers better, when everyone can make it, when pigs are frequenting the sky and I'm athletic and 100% socially capable.

We're confronted by a series of life changing moments throughout our walk on broken ground. We're then faced with two responses: We grab ahold of with two hands, scream joy for dear life and prepare to kiss the dawn, or, we shrug our shoulders, look nervously to the left, kick an imaginary stone and mutter to ourselves about how another time would be better. We don't have a lot of time. The time is now. Stop being scared you silly goose! Speak your heart, do your dreams, don't hold back. The time is now.

Lesson 103. Do something you love.

I was rehearsing with a friend today for a performance tomorrow night. We walked down the corridor, took the last left and landed by the piano. We went over the song multiple times and by the end my heart was lighter. I realised how much doing something your heart is in can change the state of it. Losing yourself in a moment, being captured by something else, following your feelings through and singing your heart out 'til your voice has stripped back to your soul. It's such a release to sing something you feel.

For a moment, forget about where you are. Forget about the dizziness of the day or the weariness of the night, and lose yourself in something you love. Write about it, sing about it, talk about it, dance about it, do something about it. Do something you love.