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!
It’s because of your website that I realize there is very much a passion missing in my life…I’ve gone from a person busy and involved to someone actually trying to sit down and think “what am I interested in??”. It’s been a struggle, but just tryingn to get outt here and try as much as possible to discover what my passion in life truely is going to be.
What a great giveaway! I have to say I have finally learned to love my legs. I used to hate that they weren’t long and thin but now I am proud of their strength and how much they can do.
Congrats on 2 years! You amaze me daily with your lovely photos, recipes, advice and thoughts. You are definitely a role model in many ways for myself and for many others.
I also have a passion for living a healthy, wholesome life. I became passionate about running about 8 years ago as it was a way to relax, unwind and sort out my thoughts. Since I decided 8 years ago to throw on a pair of sweat pants, some sneakers and put one foot forward on the sidewalk, I haven’t stopped. I’ve since ran 5 half marathons and many other races.
This passion has also led into a passion for a healthy eating lifestyle. Running has made me more aware of what my body can do when I feed it good food. It has also shown me how I feel when I eat unhealthy food. Your blog, along with the other wonderful bloggers has opened up my eyes in ways I never imagined. No more eating food-like “foods”, no more thinking non-fat/low-fat this and that is good for me. Instead I make almost all my own food, I put good, wholesome ingredients in and I am proud of how far I have come. I know I always have more to learn and I look forward to what you have to teach me!
Congrats again.
I have loved reading your blog since I discovered it almost a year ago! It can turn a bad day good and usually gives me a new outlook on the day. Keep up the positive energy and the great work!
I have been training for my first half marathon and it has been the best experience.
Congrats! I’ve been reading your blog since January 2009 and I can’t believe how fast two years flies by! Thanks so much for all your fantastic posts!
happy blogiversary!
I love that I got to be a questbridge national finalist and have the option of applying to Ivies now :)
Im still working on self acceptance… but I know that its a long way coming… but Im getting there
It’s amazing how much evolution can happen in two years! I hope you take great pride in the inspiration and positivity you provide for so many readers – the love from all these comments should be testimony to that!
Life paths are so meandering, and I’ve readjusted mine quite a few times. I’m feeling rooted right now in a way that I haven’t before, ready to commit to environmental justice in .the South and, universe-willing, a family. It’s a far cry from the high-paced, high-profile life I once thought I’d have, but I feel more at peace than I have in a long, long time.
Happy Blog Birthday!
I’ve only been following your blog for a short time, since I met you at the HLS in August. You were so nice! I love your photography and your recipes all sound so delicious. In the past 2 years I’ve discovered that I do have a true passion for healthy living and fitness. I’m hoping to be able to work that passion into my career in pharmacy.
Thank you so much for your blog. My sister suffered/suffers from an eating disorder, and your blog has given me some insight that I think has helped me understand what she’s going through better. Also, you haven’t posted a bad recipe yet. I’m making some crispy vinegar chickpeas as I type. :)
You’re an inspiration. Keep up the good work.
I’ve slowly begun to convince myself that everything in life is going to be okay, no matter what. It always is.
Happy Birthday OSG! you have no idea how glad i am that you were born:) as someone who is currently struggling to recover from an eating disorder, i often lose hope, feel like giving up, and wonder if there is a light at the end of the long, dark, lonely tunnel. this is where you come in OSG, i am motivated to move forward each day because i am afforded the opportunity to see into the world of a woman who has an obvious healthy appetite for life. your delicious creations inspire me to nourish my body and your passion to follow your heart inspires me to nourish my life. because you have allowed me to peek into your world, i now believe that recovery is possible and slowly my own appetite for food and for life is returning. you are a true testament, and all the proof i need, that self-love and self-care really does make you glo from the inside out. you made me realize that there IS a light at the end of my tunnel too – that light is my own glo. thanks a million for giving me something to look forward to!
Hi Angela,
I have been religiously following your blog for a couple of months now and I’ve always wanted to leave a comment but never knew exactly what I wanted to say. I just wanted to tell you how much you inspire me and how much you have helped me. I too have suffered with disordered eating and over exercising. Last year, I became anorexia due to friend and family issues. In came around to bite me in the end because I let down my family, friends, and most importantly, myself. I got help and gained weight back. I decided to exercise for fun and eat when I was hungry. This summer though, I became allergic to all dairy products and have a mild allergy to gluten. My mother raised me as a vegetarian so meat was never an issue. I lost a lot of weight again when I completely took dairy out of my diet. When I found your blog, I decided to truly become vegan and realize that calories are not important when you eat so healthy! I also now give my body a rest when it needs it. You are an amazing person, and I hope you know how many lives you have helped!
Good luck on your food challenge and HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY!
Happy birthday, OSG! This year, I started running, discovered Crossfit, made a bunch of wonderful new friends, and fell in love with a new-to-me city. Life is good. Life is good.
You’re blog is always a bright light in the blog world!
I’m still on a journey. I’ve grown much more confident in what I do, as a writer especially. I’m still working on being confident in who I am, but it’s steadily improving.
I’m still trying to get get “there” – to self-acceptance. Reading your blog is great inspiration helping me get closer. Thanks for all your work and great posts! Happy anniversary!
Happy second birthday, OSG. :)
I just wanted to say thank you for being so dedicated and bringing us exciting posts with cute writing and delicious-looking photos at the same time. You obviously work hard at anything you do in life, but it’s even better that you get to work so hard at something you love this much.
This year I really grew to love getting the chance to test myself and do things that I would have never dreamed of doing a few years back. Growing up, it was always so hard to never be happy with anything that I did or feel confident in taking chances. I always felt like I was on the sidelines, watching and wishing I could join in too. But now I’ve stopped watching and wishing – now I’m taking chances and I don’t plan to look back. :)
Happy birthday, OSG! You’re a great role model, Angela. You rock!
I’m still working on my journey. I have some food issues, struggle with negative thoughts and body image issues. But I’ve learned to make exercise part of my life and have a healthier outlook in terms of eating properly for fuel. I love this blog because you lead by example and show a balanced lifestyle!
Happy Birthday OSG! Thanks for your creative and interesting posts Angela. I recently applied for my dream job and got an interview!
Yay! Happy 2nd Birthday OSG!! :)
Thank you so much for blogging all the time, it really is a pleasure to read!
My passion is to live a healthy lifestyle although it is still a work in progress!
I need to work on self-acceptance, also.