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Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Daily Challenge: A Technology-Free Meal

Posted on by melissaburgess

How many times have you eaten a meal with family or friends, only to have half of the people at the table otherwise distracted by their cell phones? Technology can be a wonderful thing, but… it can also be a pain sometimes. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to sit down and have a nice dinner with someone, only to have them sit there texting, Facebook messaging, Tweeting and Instagraming instead? To be honest – it never really bothered me, and *I* have definitely been that person who uses their phone during dinner…. but I think about it more and more, and in all honesty — it’s pretty dang annoying and slightly disrespectful, and I’m trying to get out of the habit of doing this. To me, it says that you don’t really care about the person you’re sitting down to share a meal with, and you’d clearly rather be somewhere else. Like I said: a little disrespectful.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all just put our technology away and focused on real, intimate, face-to-face conversation, even if just for one meal?

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Posted in Miscellaneous, Uncategorized

Reflecting Back on 2014

Posted on by melissaburgess

In mid-December of 2013, I posted a “reflection” entry, looking back on that year and all the new things I had done. Today, we stand at January 2015, so my apologies for being a bit late with this, but I’d like to keep it going and do a similar reflection entry for the year of 2014.

The year saw a lot of new, wonderful experiences for me. I was also able to re-visit some old places and enjoyed those, as well. I connected with some amazing new people and reconnected with old friends. Overall — it was a good year for me, so thank you, 2014, for treating me so well.

Here is my list, in bullet-type form:

  • Visited four new states (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan)
  • An incredible Washington, D.C. trip including a visit to the Capitol, Library of Congress, Arlington National Cemetery, Georgetown, etc.
  • Solo trip to Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario for a pair of hockey games and sightseeing
  • Added another Finger Lake to my roster (Skaneateles)
  • Visited my third MLB ballpark // first NY Mets game
  • Visited four new NHL arenas (NY Rangers, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings)
  • Got my second tattoo
  • Had the chance to attend TEDx Buffalo (first time)
  • Got a full-time job working in communications
  • Saw a wonderful host of theater, including Matilda: The Musical, Jersey Boys and Phantom of the Opera, all in NYC
  • Purchased season tickets to Shea’s and saw: Evita, Wicked, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mamma Mia, Cinderella
  • Attended many great concerts: Demi Lovato, Cher Lloyd, Fifth Harmony, X Ambassadors, Tokyo Police Club, 5 Seconds of Summer, One Direction

That was my year, boiled-down to 12 bullet points. While that list doesn’t even begin to cover the details, or even cover everything that made the year 2014 a spectacular one, it’s a good start.

I can only hope that whatever 2015 will bring, it will be just as good or perhaps even better. In this moment, I feel as though my life is on a great track, and I am so incredibly blessed to have all the wonderful opportunities I have. I hope that at the year’s end in roughly 12 months from now, I will be in just as great a place as I am now.

 

Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Going Back, While Going Forward

Posted on by melissaburgess

IMG_8643Last weekend, I (briefly) visited Conesus Lake, one of the smaller Finger Lakes. We visited the lake at the very top of it, at a place called Vitale Park.

This was my first time there since 2008 when I first visited Conesus Lake – and that very same park – with my aunt, and it really just hit me how we can return to places and have such different experiences years later, and reflect on how much has changed in that span of time.

For instance, my visit in 2008 was with my aunt, whom I love dearly and only get to see a couple of times a year. It was my first-ever Finger Lakes trip, but I still remember it pretty well. We stayed in the area with one of her friends and their family for a weekend, and the park was our last stop before heading back to Buffalo. It was sometime in the summer – August, I believe. I was 17, newly graduated from high school and heading to college.

This visit, it’s 2014, mid-December, with my boyfriend – his first-ever Finger Lakes trip.

We only briefly visited the lake, as we had spent some time in Rochester, about 30 minutes north. But I suggested the visit because of its proximity, and I thought it would be a nice little excursion before returning to reality. The lake was mostly not frozen and it was just as beautiful as it was back in 2008. I’m 24 now, and so much in my life has changed since that first trip.

Obviously that’s to be expected – it’s six years later, after all, so of course things aren’t the same!

I’ve certainly grown in many ways, emotionally, spiritually, mentally. But my life has also grown, and it is becoming exactly what I want it to be. I’m shaping my life and I will continue to do this as the years pass.

I suppose it’s just a nice feeling to have all of these things changed in my life and yet be able to return to a place I visited years ago and have another wonderful experience there. It’s like I’m constantly going forward and have made so many steps in those years, but I was still able to go back, and on even better terms.

Posted in A Better You, Uncategorized

Progress Doesn’t Just Happen

Posted on by melissaburgess

Sometimes, when I get writer’s block, I venture over to StumbleUpon to see if anything jumps out at me that can spark my writing. Today, I got what I needed: a page from Temple University with a quote that began “Progress doesn’t just happen.” How true is that, really? In any aspect of our lives, progress doesn’t just HAPPEN. There needs to be a spark, something that pushes us along, ignites the way.

We can look at this in any aspect of our lives. Take, for instance, my writing. Progress doesn’t just happen. I’ve been writing for years, and years, and years. Over those years, I’ve become a better writer, more confident in my abilities. In driving, progress doesn’t just happen – it’s simple, but it requires some gas, a foot on the pedal, and a functioning vehicle to get us wherever it is we’re going.

The same is true of life. Progress doesn’t just happen. It requires hard work, determination, and a can-do attitude. You won’t get anywhere if you’re just standing in one place; you’ve got to move, to better yourself, and too keep going, no matter what.

That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today. Do you think two years ago, when I was in probably some of the worst mental shape of my life, I would’ve ever been able to see myself where I am right now? No way. Today, I’m something I call “happy.” I feel more confident in myself. I’m enjoying life, and I can see a great potential in the future, too. It wasn’t an easy road to get here, but I did – with some hard work on my part, determination to see better days, and a strong refusal to give up.

I guess in the end, I feel like I’m ranting right now, but my point is this – in whatever you do in life, keep going. Progress doesn’t just happen; you have to work for it, but if you do, good things will come.

Posted in Travel & Experiences, Uncategorized

Detroit and Windsor, October 2014

Posted on by melissaburgess

After planning a trip for so many months, it’s always a little depressing when you return home and realize it’s over. That’s how I felt after returning from my trip to Detroit and Windsor. That trip was an incredible adventure that saw me visit many new places, including the state of Michigan for the first time, as well as some new parts of the province of Ontario.

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