be happy.

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it." -Elizabeth Gilbert.


If you're wondering who Elizabeth Gilbert is, do yourself a favor and read Eat, Pray, Love. This book is a necessity for any girl trying to figure out life and love. And that's all I'll say about the book for now.


The quote is what I just *have* to talk about.  Over the past few weeks I feel like a weight has been lifted and I have an extra bounce in my step. I am.so.excited to simply live and be happy. However, despite what you may think, happiness is not just handed to you. It doesn't fall out of the sky and land on your doorstep. You actually have to pursue it and then maintain it so that it doesn't slip between your fingers like the sands of time.  Talk about an oxymoron.  But that end result - that ability to relish in all that is positive in your life - is so worth all of the effort it takes to get there. 


A little over a month ago, I was having a bad day and summed up my life to one of my friends, maybe a bit too dramatically. Basically, it went down like this, "I'll be 27 this year (why I couldn't simply say I'm 26 is beyond me), I live in a 10x10 bedroom that is directly across from my parents' bedroom, I live paycheck to paycheck, I'm newly single and so overdue for a good make out session, and I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Woe is me."  A bit dramatic? Of course. Would you expect anything less from me? Ha, of course not. 


Really, Court? Woe is you? Please, save the drama for Bravo.


Fortunately, I'm a fairly positive person, so I didn't let my over the top sob story hold me back for too long. We all need a good venting session every now and then, just as long as we snap back to reality and realize that Robert Pattinson isn't going to sweep you off your feet or Samantha Brown isn't going to back down and offer you her job. So, I did what any girl would do. I got on the phone with my best friends, one after another, indulged in way too much chocolate, drank some fabulous wine, and cried it out. And that was that.


The next day I vowed to get over myself. I needed to let go of the negativity holding me back in order to find peace and happiness with myself. I knew I could either sit and sulk some more about all of my pretty minute "problems" or do something about it. And so I did. I didn't find happiness overnight. But one day at a time, I became more positive and, as a result, happier. I searched on craigslist until carpal tunnel nearly set in to find myself a roommate (so *thankful* for Kaitlin!). I started to get my act together and worked on my master plan (which just so happens to include a little move back to California next summer). I forced myself to go the gym even when we were enduring the 23895357th snow storm of the winter (my arms are toning up quite nicely if I do say so myself). I'm meeting up with friends who I haven't seen in what feels like forever. I'm making sure I take time - make the time - for the people I love and care about. In doing all of this, I have found happiness. Did this happiness simply fall out of the sky? Absolutely not. But the effort I made was worth every minute of my time.


Oh, and just in case you're wondering how I'd sum up my life now...


I'm 26. I have an awesome job and will be going back to school for pediatric nursing or a MPH. I found an awesome roommate and signed the lease for our apartment yesterday. I am single and ready to mingle (cliche? yes, but *so* true!). And more than anything, I am happy.