On October 31, 2008, I was just a girl grasping for hope.
I was struggling with disordered eating that still lingered despite my best efforts to beat it. I felt like I had made a lot of progress, but there was still a missing piece to my puzzle.
Self-love.
I fought a daily battle of self-acceptance, depressive thoughts, and anxiety. Despite the smile on the outside, most days I felt like I was crumbling on the inside. I was simply going through the motions of life and the days were passing me by. Indeed, I was truly thankful for so many wonderful people in my life, but the one thing I couldn’t be thankful for was myself.
I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get to that place of self-acceptance or happiness, but I decided the first step was going to be writing about it.
And so it all began with a simple Boo on Halloween day!
I have always loved writing because it comes to me easier than expressing my thoughts out loud. It is just me and a keyboard or piece of paper talking to someone out there and thinking things through. Writing is a way for my inner voice to be heard when often it is silenced by all the thoughts swirling through my mind. Writing gives each thought a chance, each thought a moment to be heard and I often clear my mind or work things out as I write.
I guess this is why I was never meant to be a researcher. While I did spend most of my time writing in grad school, my writing was very very formal, scientific, and sterile in many ways. I felt suffocated when I wrote a research paper and I always felt like I couldn’t express my true self. In a paper, there was little room for jokes, sarcasm, stories, or occasional curse words (trust me, I could have used them many times!). It was all too structured.
I wanted to set my thoughts free.
Starting this blog was a way for me to have a creative outlet at a time when my creativity felt stifled in many areas of my life. OSG was the one place where I felt like I could express myself fully. I would simply write about what I wanted to write about, just like in my Creative Writing class in high school that I loved so much. My teacher had us make Creative Writing journals in high school and we could write whatever we wanted to in them. Personal stories, clippings, drawings, poems, deep thoughts, jokes, and anything that we wanted to share. I absolutely loved this journal and I would talk about my struggles with disordered eating, my love for delicious healthy food, animals, exercise, running, the desire for happiness, and whatever else I wanted to talk about.
Over the past two years, I have found that missing piece of self-love. Even on the days when I can’t find it and I am having a bad day, I know that it isn’t far away and it will come back to me. I have met amazing people along the way and I have been touched by the support and kindness of others.
Today, I write because I am truly thankful for these past two years, for sharing my life with you, the ups and the downs, and the discussions, inspiring words, and support. My hope for the blog going forward is to give back as much gratitude, love, and inspiration as I get from writing each day.
Thank you for letting me come into your lives each day and also, for allowing me to come into yours.
As a small token of my appreciation, I am going to do some giveaways!
1) Draw for $25 Glo Bakery gift certificates to be given out to 5 random people
2) Draw for a homemade batch of cookies, Glo bars, or muffins (any from my recipes page!) shipped to your doorstep.
3) Grand prize draw for $100 Glo Bakery gift certificate to one random winner
If you’d like a chance to be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment below telling me anything about your own passions, journey, or perhaps something you have grown to love about yourself. Contest closes Monday Nov 8th.
I’m off to the kitchen to shoot my video for Challenge #7! Hopefully there aren’t as many flops as last night. ;) Happy Halloween!
Happy two years! What an amazing story you have behind this blog. My passion is also writing and in more recent years, photography. I love being able to communicate with people through the written word, but I have also learned that this can be done without words, through pictures. You are inspiring, Angela, and here’s to another two years (and more) of OSG! :)
These past 3 years have been quite the journey for me. I fell in love with a Spaniard and moved to Hamburg, Germany so we could stay together. I applied to grad school at the University of Hamburg and will begin writing my thesis this month (in German! Yikes). I ran my first marathon this year and am gearing up to train for my second. I discovered food and healthy living blogs. The journey hasn’t always been easy but there have been some great moments and discoveries in between. I often turn to OSG for inspiration and motivation. Thank you so much for sharing :-)
Happy 2 years! Here’s to many more inspired years to come :) I’ve really come to appreciate and love the strength and power of by body over the past year. I took up running and trained for a marathon this year, something I never thought was attainable for myself. I have become proud and confident in my daily life through running. I hope to keep working on my self confidence, but I know I’ve come so far from the girl I was in high school.
I’m definitely become more confident and positive this past year, and now I’m just *glowing.* What a good year 2010 has been! Happy Birthday to OSG :-)
Happy 2nd bday!!!! this must have been an amazing journey to you and to see something YOU have created to blossom like this in only 2 years… I have no idea how it feels :)
I have to thank blogging and people who write these amazing blogs that I have found my path in eating, exercising and educating myself about food, nutrition etc., I care much more about what I put into my body, how I exercise and if I ever have a guestion or are in doubt there is always someone who can help me with it. I love it!
Happy 2 year anniversary! It has been a joy to get to know you through your blog. You have inspired me to open my own vegan bakery some day (hopefully in the next few years). I love to bake and creating things that make people smile and happy. That is why I am passionate about baking.
I hope for many more great years for your blog. :)
Happy Blogversary!
I am nearing my final year of undergraduate studies and am learning to accept that it is okay to not know what comes next. As a definite type A, I have struggled with a constant need for order and perfection.
Each day, I am trying to be kinder to myself and remind myself that there is no end point to my journey – it is how I live each day that matters, not reaching an arbitrary final point.
Happy Birthday OSG! Your blog is amazing and inspires me everyday to try new healthy recipes and to not be afraid of certain ingredients. I’ve learn to love every flaw about myself because they are what make me, me.
My journey is ongoing. I think often and at great lengths about my passions in life and how I might steer them into something that could pay the bills. Unfortunately, I haven’t quite figured that out yet, but I still have hope. Reading about real people who’ve found their way only makes me feel even more hopeful. So keep writing! ;)
Happy birthday, OSG!
I am a BIG people pleaser. I used to be hard on myself about this, and I would actively tell myself to stop doing so many favors and trying so hard to please others. Over the past couple of years, I’ve grown to love that side of me. I’ve realized that what makes me the most happy is to make others happy.
Happy Birthday to an excellent blog (and awesome blogger! :D)
Two years ago as a college senior I switched from Pre-Vet to entomology. It was super scary because I was already accepted into vet school… but I realized I’d been so blinded by the “drive” of the journey, it’d been hard for me to see what I really wanted — which was to study bugs! So, I switched and started a M.S. in aquatic entomology… and couldn’t be happier! It was scary, especially knowing I’d have to go for a M.S. first and couldn’t jump directly into a PhD program, but I think it’s been worth it. Little buggies make me smile. :)
Something I love about myself is that I am very adventurous and open-minded. I love trying new things that are out of the ordinary. Always makes for interesting time! Congratulations on the two years, Angela! Love your blog!
Congratulations on being readers choice as well as celebrating 2 YEARS of your blog! Your blog is truly inspiring and on days when I feel like it’s impossible to smile, it happens! Reading about your ups and downs in life and the delicious foods that you may try to make 10x before getting it perfect have taught me to keep patient and determined and good things will come my way. It has taken me much patience in the last few years to figure out what I wanted to study in school, but I finally was able to look deep inside and I realized I had known all along. I am passionate about being healthy and fit, and most importantly promoting this to other people! I wasn’t able to completely decide what I wanted to do until I stopped treating my body terribly with the late night binging, while still trying to convince myself I would be able to help other people with their problems like mine. I have grown within the last year to love my body and treat it with respect, an now I am at school HAPPILY learning about how to promote Fitness and Health into the lives of others :). I can’t wait to be able to have a positive effect on individuals lives some day soon! :) I know that with the help of your blog Angela and others that I was able to get the support I needed and understanding I couldn’t find in my life, to move forward. I hope to use my passion now to help support others and help them achieve their goals in life!
Have a great Halloween and Good luck with creating your video for Challenge #7!
Hi Angela! Happy blog birthday! Like you, I’ve come a long way in the last couple of years. I left a lucrative yet unfulfilling career in banking to pursue my passion and head back to school for a PhD. Although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the paycheck every now and again, waking up each day excited about what I’m doing and where I’m heading assures me that I’m on the right path. As a fellow vegan runner, I have really enjoyed following your story and trying my hand at your yummy recipes. All the best in the next year and all the years after that!
Happy Halloween – what a fantastic giveaway! And look at how far you’ve come in the last two years :-)
Blogging has really changed me too. It’s changed the way I see/think about myself and has led me to meet some of my very best friends! :-)
Happy birthday OSG!! Angela, I’m so happy I found this blog – it’s been wonderful to wake up and find a new recipe or something to think about. And your blog helped me become a vegan – something I never thought I’d ever do!
Your blog has actually inspired me in a way I never thought possible. I also find it so freeing to write, especially since most of my friends don’t really have the same thought process that I do, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. :) So, I’m going to open my own blog about music and the music industry, something that is very important in my life. While it may not be a life changing work, I think it will really help as a start of all the other goals I want to accomplish in my life. So, thank you Angela, and happy birthday to OSG!
Great post. After repetitive running injuries, I have finally learned to appreciate the times I am healthy and to be happy that I am LUCKY enough to lace up my sneakers during those times. I have also learned that Globars are awesome and I would like you to be my personal chef.
I’ve grown to love the fact that I am who I am! My confidence and can do attitude make my life simple!
Thank you for righting such an amazing, thought-provoking, and DELICIOUS blog! And congrats on your 2 year blogiversary!
Although I still struggle with self-love, I have definitely come a long way from where I was several years ago. I am much more forgiving of myself, and have learned to love my body for what God has blessed me with.
Happy blog birthday my dear!! You and I started at just about the same time, and I’ll never forget when you sent me an email to the extent of “i’m just starting out a blog, come check it out!” and here you are!!!
Blogging has led me into some truly amazing friendships and opportunities!