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 Birthday OSG!!!
I have been reading for about 8 months now and find this blog so inspiring in my own journey of finding balance.
Thank you so much for all you do to inspire others like myself.
happy birthday to OSG!
my passions? spreading self-love, empowerment, justice for all human beings. my website ( http://s.rvxn.org ) is turning ONE years old soon!! :] seems like there are a lot of blog birthdays near the end of the year. either way, exciting!! :D
I am learning to love myself and make time for myself and what I like to do – instead of doing everything for others.
Love your site! So inspiring…and lots of delicious ideas!
Uh oh… hope OSG doesn’t go through the terrible 2’s ;). I have discovered a passion for fitness in the past couple of years – running because it is FUN, lifting to see myself get strong, and trying new activities (like biking & snowshoeing) as a way to have adventures! It’s part of why I love reading when you try new things like mountain biking… new adventures! :-D
HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY! Here’s to many more awesome years :)
Over the last few years I’ve worked on, and come to like, the things I dislike about my body. I don’t necessarily love my wavy hair or “big” arms but they’re a part of me and I embrace and appreciate that. My arms are strong and most days I let my hair dry naturally instead of straightening the crap out of it, it’s nice being more relaxed about this stuff… There are bigger things in life to spend my time on.
I have learned to love that my athletic legs are a reflection of the hard work I ask them to do every time I go for a run. They are also a distinguishing characteristic of my father’s side of the family, I love them therefore I love my legs.
Throughout college, I had a hard time trusting my own instincts and being okay with loving myself. I was faced with a lot of people who felt that, if you weren’t up to their standards, you weren’t worth talking to. After graduating, I found the blogging community and realized that not everyone has these expectations. That people can have differing opinions and still be friends. It’s only been a few months but it’s been a great few months where I learned to be more confident in myself and my opinions. The greatest feeling was when a close high school friend told me that I seemed more self-assured :)
Happy Blogiversary Angela! I’m so glad that you started this journey. You’re such an inspiration whether it’s to get outside running, to learn to take better photos, or to make amazing food. I have to agree on the creative writing. I’m trying to work my way through an undergrad and really struggle with papers. I think my issue might also be the stripping out my own voice and personality. Thanks for that bit of insight. Keep up the amazing work that you do–for yourself and the rest of us!
Happy Anniversary OSG!
I decided to follow my passion soon after a loved one passed away. I had always felt something was missing in my job in the Finance industry and 4 years ago decided to volunteer more. I found I got more satisfaction from volunteering than I did with my full time job. It was then I decided to make the switch and seek employment with a non-profit organization. Best decision I ever made !!! Happy Halloween to all!!
Happy Birthday OSG!
My journey began with learning what real food was. I grew up eating fast food, candy and soda daily. When I turned 16 and got my driver’s license it was my parent’s opportunity to have me pick up “dinner” almost daily. Then when I moved out on my own it was the same thing. I already knew how to bake and so I always had treats on hand. I learned how to cook but mostly subsided on canned, frozen and unhealthy meals. My last job before I graduated from college was at a sort of health food store. I learned a lot about fresh foods and started cooking better for you meals. Finally, at about 22, I decided to give up soda and fast food. I feel like my whole life snowballed from there. I started walking at work during my lunch with a friend. Then I started reading food blogs. Once I started learning about healthier options I cut out the bad things. This eventually led to my learning about and going vegan. I now make maybe 85% of my food from scratch and feel fantastic!
Happy Anniversary Angela!
My passion is my daily strive towards health living. It started as a quest to drop a few pounds but about 2 years ago it became about so much more. I wanted to be STRONG not thin, and I came to love exercise in a whole new way. But even more importantly I have discovered a love of cooking natural/whole foods to fuel my body.
I began medical school in August and I believe that my maintained commitment to healthy living has allowed me to maintain a balance. I’m happy and less stressed because I take the time for me to exercise and enjoy cooking.
Congrats again Angela on your anniversary. Your blog is always a pleasure to read in the morning for all of its fun and inspiration!
I’m a newcomer to your blog and I’m HOOKED. How did it take me almost 2 years to find it!? I have a passion for cooking. As a student I find it to be the perfect little vacation from my day to day routine and stresses, and to top it off I always have a freezer full of homemade goodies! Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas :) Good luck with the vid and congrats!
Happy Anniversary!! I love how your blog shows your true passion and inspires me to take those leaps of faith.
My journey is a continual project, and I am always working towards the things that bring me happiness. One thing that I have come to learn about myself is that I am a pretty good cook. That is huge for me, because I was never taught how to cook. I still get laughs from when I was a teenager and was put in charge of making mashed potatoes. I cut the potatoes up, put them in a pot with milk and butter and couldn’t figure out why they were not mashable. That’s right. I didn’t boil them.
But now I have come a LONG ways and have actually made up my own recipes that even taste pretty good! I have definitely redeemed myself and am sometimes still amazed at what I can create in my own kitchen. People turn to me all the time for recipe ideas (and the recipe for your life-changing fries!) and to make dishes for special occasions. It’s a great feeling to be comfortable in your own kitchen!
I too, am growing to love myself more and more each day. I am thankful for the people in my life and I am thankful for my drive, optimism and compassion :)
Happy 2nd YEAR OSG :)
I have a passion for food and fitness…your blog has inspired me to much!
Happy Birthday to your blog! I absolutely love it, especially all the yummy recipes you make! Through my journey I have come to love myself. I see my flaws but don’t dwell on them like I did in the past. I am able to think of more things I like about myself than dislike and that is never a bad thing!
Happy Birthday OSG! I’ve learned to see and love myself the way my husband does – as strong, sassy, and beautiful :)
My passion too is cooking. I’ve learned to love it after struggling with disordered eating (and going through treatment twice). By eating REAL food and not fake fat-free sugar-free food, I’ve learned to be so much happier in life and in self-love!
Thanks for your wonderful blog and recipes! Keep up the outstanding work!
I’ve been passionate about eating healthy for a while but because of healthy living blogs I’m becoming passionate about working out now too! I’m so much more consistent than I ever was before!
Through my commitment to a healthy lifestyle I have uncovered my passion for health and embraced my multiple food allergies. I hope to one day in the near future turn that into a profession as it’s something I love and want to share with others.