insta-toast

Something interesting happened on my instagram account this past week.
Well, it was interesting to me at least. 

Here’s the story.
Get this: it was a normal morning. I had walked my dog, and, as always, strutted my stuff on the elliptical machine. I continued to make my usual morning smoothie and toast. After I drank my smoothie, I started buttering my toast.
But this, this buttering of the toast, is where things start to get interesting. 

“This is inspirational and beautiful.” I said to myself. 

“No it’s not, it’s your endorphins talking.” I retorted back. 

Drama heightens. 

Butter melts. 

Inspiration flickers off of said butter. 

Before you click out of this post because you think I’m actually psychotic, no, I didn’t actually have this internal monologue. I mean kinda sorta, but not this dramatic.
Have you ever heard of a joke?
No?
Well, allow me to explain. It’s something that makes a story more vividly interesting. It allows the reader to feel engrossed in the plot. Ok? We’re on the same page now? Great! 

Moving on. 

I decided that my toast was, in fact, gorgeous and I felt the need to share it on my Instagram account. Something about the way it looked was perfect, in my opinion. Part of me felt weird about posting it, but the other half couldn’t have cared less. I mean if someone thinks it’s a weird thing to post then they can unfollow me as easily as they followed. Right? Right. But you know what? Somehow, some way, this picture of toast has almost 200+ likes. How? Honestly, I have no idea. But it does, and the numbers don’t lie. I’m slightly embarrassed by it because a picture of my face got less likes than a picture of toast, but you win some you lose some.  Not that likes matter, because according to some sources, likes are leaving the app any day now.

Actually, I think I might know why it got so many likes, comparatively.
Instagram is monotonous. And boring. And uninspiring. And while this picture of toast might not be that inspiring, it is different than everything else that’s posted on people’s feeds. So I think that’s why it gained likes and comments. Not because it’s that great of a photo, but because it’s unique. And people inherently like unique things. 

So go post some weird sh*t on your Instagram. If it doesn’t get likes, stay cool because it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Unless you’re like the president of the United States…. hah, wait no, it still doesn’t matter apparently. Boom roasted. 

Moral of the story? Do what you want.

Thanks for reading,
chloe 

virtual weight off my shoulders

Read receipts. To be, or not to be? THAT, my friends, is the question.

It’s something I’ve been battling with these past few days. Sure, to you it might seem trivial, unimportant, or a total waste of energy, but to me it’s a grueling mental debate that I’ve been having with myself for approximately the past 39 hours. So what else does one do with this information? They blog about it. Why? Because it will allow me to put my thoughts and feelings out there, and like, three of you, will enjoy reading about what goes on inside my beautiful mess of a brain. So, to the three of you, you’re welcome. To the others of you, just keep scrolling down or go read your other favorite blog (if there’s even such a thing). Kidding.
Kind of.

Anyways, I digress.

I’ve had my read receipts on my text messages for the past year and a half. I thought it was nice to let my friends know when I had seen their texts, and it just felt, honestly, powerful. It made me feel like I didn’t care if someone knew I had read their message and didn’t respond. It made me feel like people knew that I hadn’t read their message, but I would respond once I saw it. I don’t know, something about it made me feel some type of way. But a good some type of way.

But a few days ago, it hit me. When I have my read receipts on, it makes me feel like I have to respond. It made me feel rude if I opened a text, the person on the other side knew it, and I didn’t respond. I hated feeling this sense of a responsibility to respond. It started to make me feel some type of way. But a bad some type of way. Honestly, texting became a chore. And a game. A chore of a game.

So since I was feeling overwhelmed with this conundrum, I decided to turn my receipts off. And you know what? I feel better about it. I feel liberated. I feel like I can end a conversation without feeling like a jerk. I feel like I don’t have to rush to respond to a message after I read it. I felt like a virtual weight was released from my real life shoulders. Dramatic? Maybe, but you don’t make the rules around here.

So, what’s the lesson from this post? Is there one? Maybe a small one. We can either choose to feel defeated by our digital devices or should I say deVICES (heh) or we can tackle them head on and remind ourselves that we control them, they don’t control us. Again, yes, I realize this is dramatic, ok?

Anyways, I’m curious, do you have your read receipts on or off and why?

thanks for reading!
chloe

gift guide 2019

This year has flown by. It’s insane. I think, of all the years I’ve been alive, this is the year that has consisted of the most change. For better or worse, everything has changed. If you asked me a year ago where I’d be I would have stared at you like you were the devil. It was a question that freaked me out. I had no idea where I’d be or what I’d be doing or who I’d still be in touch with. In the past year I’ve graduated college, began and ended friendships and relationships, moved to Alabama to live with my grandfather, started, ended, and searched for jobs. I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, and I’ve cried while laughing. It’s been a lot, but mostly in the best way possible. Not to get cheesy or dramatic but I think the holidays are so special because it’s the time of year where we reflect upon the past and make goals for the future. It’s kind of like a reset and a revamp if you will. Plus, it’s nice to be surrounded by family and friends.
I really love the holiday season if you can’t tell.

That being said, the holidays can be stressful when it comes to gifts. I know we all like to believe that the holidays aren’t just about giving and receiving gifts, but we all know deep down that they are a big part of it. It’s how we show our appreciation and thanks to those that we love. And, I don’t know about you, but I love to give people the most perfect present ever. I’ve compiled a set of gifts that I think would be perfect to give any woman in your life. Whether it be for your mom, sister, cousin, aunt, grandma, etc. There’s a range of prices and reasons in this guide, but I hope that they can at least inspire a gift for someone that you love + maybe make it a little easier on you as well.

Happy shopping!
chloe