1st of July 2012

Hi Friends!


I'm starting this blog because now and then my life gets a little interesting..... Also I seem to have an opinion on everything so I figured I'd never be short on something to write about. 

Usually my life is that of a typical 22yo living in Melbourne, beautiful friends, great bf, enjoying the night life and renowned restaurants and bars that our city has to offer; I also like to try things off the beaten track a bit, cute vintage shops, new designers, random little dwellings in our side streets and crannies that we never seem to take the time to explore. 

Beauty, health and well being is a big part of my life- being a part time model ensures that I stay in shape so my little page will cover different things I discover about trying to keep that balance between fun, good health, luxuries, budget and time! 

Now that little intro is covered (I hate writing those things) I can get into why I chose today to start my blog- I've been putting it off for a few months despite having some great adventures that I wanted to write about because I felt like I needed some kind of theme to start it off... Now that it's July I realised that I have Run Melbourne (22km half marathon through the city) coming up as well as Chris (my bf) and I deciding to do Dry July! (I'm having so many regrets already- for some reason I actually woke up craving a glass of red wine just because I knew I couldn't have one!) 

So July is becoming a bit of a health boost month but not only that, both of these challenges are to raise money for charity and good causes so it's a good time to reflect on small ways in which we can help and give back.

There are so many causes that I feel I want to help but with no idea about how to start trying to make a difference or even which cause to support! Every street corner in Melb has some poor soul begging, and on the footpaths and knocking on our doors we have people recruiting us to donate for red cross or amnesty; we turn on the tv to tales of cancer patients or animal cruelty.  It seems to me we are so in undated with these causes that to prevent the guilt of not being able to help everyone it's sometimes easier to switch off our conscience and let it wash over us. Eventually this makes us feel worse so when we  see a story of a homeless person with cancer who lost their puppy we end up in tears, snuffling into a box of tissues, eating ice cream out of the tub and sobbing why didn't we DO something? 

Well that's the dramatic version anyway. The reality is that it is easy to contribute without feeling overwhelmed, the trick is to just think of things that suit your lifestyle, the things your most passionate about and set a realistic goal. 

If you want to help the plight of the homeless but don't have bottomless pockets full of change then put a spare muesli bar or snack  in your bag so on your way to work when you see that person in their blanket on the street corner you can give them something small that will actually help them.

My friend Katelyn volunteers her time one day every fortnight to walking dogs at the RSPCA, it's only a few hours  but to those poor dogs it's their favourite part of the day, being let out of the kennel. (good way to keep fit as well) 

Things like shaving or colouring your hair, the 40 hr famine, Dry July, Movember etc are all set up to help various charities and to make it a personal goal as well. We all love a theme!!  So many guys I know will grow a moustache but never actually realise you can earn money for a cause as well. 

Us girls are constantly updating our wardrobes and throwing things out but why not take your old clothes to the nearest op shop instead? 

We'd all love to be able to donate hundreds of dollars to charities and take off on a life changing trek for a good cause but realistically it's not an option for most of us so we figure we have nothing to offer at all- this is so untrue! Tiny adjustments in each of our own busy lives can make such a huge difference to the bigger picture and make us feel good as well. Karma comes around! 

I'd love to hear what other people are doing to give back and other good ways to help!!

So I'm signing off from my first entry, it's a much more serious start than I was planning but I'm sure my next lot of shenanigans will balance it out :P 

I'd like to end it by saying I'm off for a training run and being healthy but to be honest it's raining outside and  I'm curled up by an open fire with a cup of tea!

Xxx