B

B : banter
Nothing beats a good laugh. Your abs benefit, your brain benefits, and the spirits of you and those around you benefit as well! Banter - rowdiness - is my favorite "b" word because it plays such a big roll in my life.

I'm currently in California visiting my little cousins and boy am I getting a run for my money. Little kids are constantly being playful and silly and I love it. Us adults can get pretty serious at times and forget what it means to truly have a laugh. The fact that these two little boys find such enjoyment in butt jokes and seeing who can fart the loudest blows me away (couldn't help myself..). As nasty as they may be, I love how they make me laugh. Not saying I have a little boy's humor or anything but just seeing someone experience so much joy from something so stupid is funny in and of itself. We gotta laugh more, play more, and get silly!

The picture above is from my NYC trip with the girls over winter holiday. We all went to FAO Schwartz to show Isabel what childhood in the city is like. Eyes widened and Christine and I's memory jogged as we walked through the store. The giant teddy bears, massive candies and whimsiness of the whole store made us giggly with excitement. Nothing feels as fun as reverting back to childhood does sometimes.

Take some time to do something silly or stupid or reckless because the more laughs you have, the happier a life you'll lead! And that will help you deal with the boring stuff...like Accounting homework....

A

A :  adventure

One of the trillions of reasons I love writing / the English language / communication is the sheer amount of different ways to say the same thing. Honestly, who needs 10 different ways to say 'awesome'? Let alone over 100 different adjectives to describe snow...thank you Eskimos. But in all seriousness, having a vast vocabulary has always been something I prized. It can be persuasive when manipulating your employer to give you a raise. It can give sight to someone without vision. And it can be the handiest trinket in your tool box for self-expression and inner growth. Therefore, I'm dedicating this post series to my favorite word(s) for each letter of the English alphabet. And maybe if I get bored, I'll throw in a few Chinese characters that have spoken to me.


Today's word, however, is simple. A common thread in human lives. It's the thing that makes people tick; the thing that allows us to enrich ourselves in knowledge and clean our windows of perspective. It's adventure. You hear so many stories - especially in college - of wild adventures leading to all sorts of outcomes. The Great American Challenge, for instance, lead many to obtain interesting stories of testing their limits. While others find adventure in simply walking around the city and trying a new ice cream parlour. In order to embrace this adventurous spirit, I have become a "yes woman". Yup, it sounds just like what it is. I'm openminded to all sorts of opportunities - even if they seem completely far fetched/reckless/dangerous. But quite frankly, the more far fetched/reckless/dangerous the opportunities are, the more exciting they are. Obviously you have to keep it all in perspective and aligned with your values, but I've learned not to hesitant when testing my boundaries. I've explored northern India and challenged my ability to navigate a completely foreign country. I've gone zip lining in the treetops of Chang Mai, Thailand to get my fix of speed and overcome my fear of minimum security. I've gone cave diving in Ixtapa, Mexico to see how long I could be a mermaid for before my lungs exploded. And you know what, every one of those experiences has made me more daring, comfortable, and confident with myself and my abilities to do anything I set my mind to.

Long story short, do crazy things. Be a yes person. Hate heights? Go up in a hot air balloon. Never eaten Greek food? Save your pennies, grab a friend and take a spontaneous summer escapade to Athens. Never worn less than 3 layers in the dead of winter? Do an undie run. Basically say yes to life and whatever it throws at you because if not now, when? You are your experiences. Go add to your box of recklessness and thrills and try new & wild things. After all, the last thing you want to be is the only granny in the old folk's home without any good stories to tell.