All I Want is the Puppy...

The title of this post was a sentence I actually uttered at work last week.

We were looking at a house design magazine we found in the waiting room, and one of the ICC girls was oohing and ahhing over the furniture - it's all the super fancy, uncomfortable chairs that look like they are just meant to be looked at, not sat on - and the only thing I liked in the entire picture was the puppy that was sitting by the chair.

Lately, it seems like all I want is what I shouldn't have. There's no room for a puppy in my teeny, tiny apartment. There's no room in my budget for dinners out with friends, not even the small treat of coffee. I have this "I want, I want, I want" craving, an itch I am just not able to scratch. I want to travel the world instead of studying for finals. I want to get more tattoos without disappointing my family (yeah, right).

Sometimes, though, you just have to forget the "want" and focus on the "have." I have the stuff to bake away my stress, I have friends who just want to chat, and I have a crush. Turns out, I'm a pretty good "have." I am relearning to appreciate my little treasures, to fall back in love with the little things that make me who I am.

I may have lost my way for a good long while, but I'm getting it back. I'm even relearning to love school, to actually put effort into my assignments. One excellent way to keep reminding myself to keep working?

Keep staring at this baby:

No, it's not my diploma (not yet, anyways). It's actually a Outstanding Student Service Award from the English department for all my work on the Oregon Rhetoric and Composition Conference. I was so shocked to win! I didn't even know this award existed, so I'm a little ecstatic!