"You may be wondering why I invited you all here today. Well, I had a really great game of Fortnite and you're going to listen to me describe it in excruciating detail. Here's some champagne; make yourselves comfortable."
Congratulations. No, for real. I'm a scientist myself, often enough struggling to get the pieces together and every now and then ending up believing that I'm not smart enough for what I'm doing. I wish I could get more out just for the sake of confirmation that I'm not just wasting my time (and funds). So, yeah, I really understand what that means and what you probably have been through.
Congratulations! My second first author paper is submitted for review and I know the feeling (especially since I’m on a leave of absence for mental health reasons)!
Try not to saddle yourself with too much student debt. Universities are price gouging--being in 120,000 dollars of debt in your 20's is not a good idea. It's not necessary, either--this is the age of information. I understand needing qualification, but do whatever you can to avoid being a debtor.
Mark Dowdy I’m proud of those black eyed peas. I think I will celebrate by making a big pot of store bought ones and just imagine how great they would be home grown. Cheers
My cause for celebration is that last week I was at a crosswalk and for the first time in over a year my first thought wasn't "I could just walk into traffic right now." and I realised that I'm starting to do better.
When I'm having a rough time, I like to listen to a song called My Silver Lining, by First Aid Kit. Since english is my third language, I listen to it while reading the lyrics, and I get overwhelmed with emotion every time. It motivates me to keep going, no matter what. I really hope that things go well with you from now on, and I hope you like the song :)
I love reading all the celebrations in the comments! Here's mine: my sister and her fiance thought that they wouldn't be able to come to Thanksgiving because their dog had fleas and they couldn't board him at a kennel, but the dog is all better and they're coming! Hurray!
Every night my bf and I talk through our high of the day, low of the day, and something we're grateful for. It's kind of like a daily celebration (highs), opportunity for empathy (lows), and moment of gratitude. Would highly recommend!
I had to write my first 2,000 word essay this semester as well. It's a challenge but feels like such an accomplishment when you get it done! Congratulations!
Last week I overcame my social anxiety and went to my Universities career fair. I worked up the courage to talk to the tech companies I wanted to do internships for, and two of those companies gave me an opportunity to do onsite technical interviews. Since last week I have done both interviews, and I think I did okay. I was terrified, and a bit awkward, but I was able to solve the problems they gave me, and I did the best I could. Even If I don't get any internship offers, I was able to overcome my anxiety and fears and actually put myself out there, and I became a stronger person because of it.
My cause for celebration: I have been struggling with health issues for a long time and no one could figure out what the issue is - but recently it became clear what's wrong so now I can finally start treatment in hopes of getting better!
Rosalie Jansen, hooray for finally getting a grasp on this thing, whatever it is. It’s always a relief to have a name for the monster! Good luck & blessings for your treatment. May it go well; may you be well. “Life is good” was my motto through cancer treatment 13.5 years ago (also, “F
My celebration: after years of telling myself I'll finish my novels someday and someday get published, I quit my main job a few weeks ago and actually have done what I said I'll do. I've written at least a 1,000 words everyday since, and it's been a long time since I've felt such satisfaction and happiness in my own capabilities.
In the past year I’ve been diagnosed with cancer, gone through treatment, lost a few friends through it, but came out cancer free and still made the dean’s list at college. I have been pretty upset about how this year has been so thank you for reminding me that there is always something to celebrate 🎉
my teenage years have been filled with ironic celebrations of the smallest accomplishment or mistakes, but even though ironic, they still brought that joy and awareness of my surroundings that i continue to hold dear
For the record, many nerdfighters are sharing their celebratory good news here in comments and it's just so lovely to read about everyone's successes. Y'all're doing amazing, guys. For anyone needing a pick me up, I wholeheartedly recommend giving them a good read. DFTBA!
Little game my family played when we were little; every day we would have dinner together and to inspire conversation we would ask each other "what was the best part of your day?" And the answer could be as simple as "I played with my friends at recess" or "I aced a test" or (the classic) "right now, eating dinner with my family". Now there was one rule: each negative answer meant you had to answer two positives. Whenever other people came, we'd also play this game and my cousins always ask if they can be the one to start it. It's really sweet and simple and made us look at the good parts, even when are days weren't going well.
My husband passed away two months ago from cancer, just before his 30th birthday. Watching this video made me think of the two years he was sick. We were so anxious for him to get better that we rarely stopped to appreciate all the small wins and happy moments. I wish we had taken more time to celebrate while we had the chance. Thanks for posting this, John. My husband was a huge fan of your work and of rituals - and he would have so appreciated this little reminder to enjoy the good things while we can.
Thank you for sharing, we all need reminders like this. I just lost my grandmother to cancer and was reflecting similarly on her last year. Take care and cheers to today, tomorrow and yesterday 💞
You’ve shaped so much of my life. Today I’m celebrating 30 days of being sober and I’m toasting to you for teaching me how to be a good person even when I’m not at my best.
I finished my first trimester of senior year, and I now only have two trimesters of highschool left! The feeling of being so close to graduation, so close to adulthood, is both wonderful and utterly terrifying.
Hey, as someone in their late twenties who was starry eyed and thought they knew how they were going to be an adult, I want to wish you well; I want to go ahead and tell you that you needn't graduate knowing what you're going to do, that you needn't chase the college dream immediately or at all, that if you do, it's alright to take your time, to explore options as best you financially can; to really think about your goals, and take your time thinking about your goals. I wish I'd had people telling me to play loose with my intentions, that I needn't feel a failure from the moment I missed my first set benchmark, or the next or the next in an ever devolving spiral. Do your best to avoid those loans. Know it's alright to rejudge those goals and adjust for slightly more accessibility- know that isn't laziness. And do pay attention to your emotional and mental health. Don't let failures get you down, but instead look for how you can learn and benefit from them. Admittedly, this response is wish fulfilment; I wish I could tell the me that was at your point these things... Just, be easy on yourself. Look for your reasons to love and value yourself. I wish you the best.
Cause for celebration: Recently graduated with my master's degree and landed a job as an occupational therapist treating individuals with brain injury! Survived a month so far and going strong!! :)
I'm celebrating that, despite being very sleepy, I went to an event today that relates to my work as a therapist, and it ended up being a lovely morning. So worth the involutary yawning.
My cause for celebration - I just started teaching undergraduate students, it's the end of the semester here in India and I had them fill a feedback form. Anonymous, of course. There was constructive feedback, sure, but the vast majority of them seem to really like me and my teaching style. Many of them told me how they've never seen certain traits I have in other teachers their entire life and how they wish I teach them in the upcoming semesters as well. It felt great to be good at something you enjoy doing.
I’m feeling joy over my impending birthday. It’s 5 years past the age I thought I’d live. While I still struggle with anxiety/depression (taking a leave of absence from my PhD program), I’m happy I’m here.
That's dope! As someone terrified by public transport I'm very impressed :) Great things to celebrate! (Also the Fans of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing discord is pretty cool, you should come check it out!)
@@thismianeptunis Nice, thank you. Yes, life-hood feels like a bunch of victories! To be proud of all the points between A and B. Awesome, I'll check it out.
I finally found a way to focus on reading for my thesis, after months of dealing with a burn out and low concentration. I don't think reading for half an hour has ever felt like such an accomplishment.
@@Natalie-101 @classymonkee08 sorry for the late reply, I just got notified! I'm sure by now you'll have finished, but for any that are wondering: I tried the pomodoro method, which is setting a timer for 25 mins to work and then having 5 mins breaks in between. It doesn't always work, but somehow telling myself I only have to do something for 25 mins makes it easier to start and to stick with it. Hope it helps you!
This cat that is not mine but lives around the neighbourhood visits us and stays sometimes for severals hours till it's night and my mom wants him to leave... This is a cause for celebration for me everytime. I really do love this cat
@@ampz1466 Sammy (I gave him this name because I don't know how how he is called) is one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen! With yellow eyes and red/orange fur =D (For anyone who'd like to see him there are some photos on Instagram @ patlizblack :'D) Everytime I see him outside I open a door and call him and when he comes running over to me he seems almost as happy to see me as I am to see him :D
My family isn't sure if he's a stray or not but this cat keeps coming to our front porch chaise for sleeping and after a while, I wanna celebrate how a small life finds comfort in something I often look over. (the chaise is stiff and too small for me--oh maybe thats why)
@@elektrotehnik94 Aww, thanks that's so cute! :D Yes, he's a real beauty! And such a good-tempered, confident and playful cat. He even tries to bond with the dog! Maybe I'll catch them on picture some day (:
Taking time to celebrate is a form of self care. In fact, it /is/ self care, in the most basic sense. Reminding yourself that there is joy by means of celebration is a great way to take time for yourself. Also I'm a folklore nerd (technically university major) and calendar customs and rites of passage and other things that are met with celebration are counted among that stuff. It honestly fascinates me that people stopped celebrating so much, and I would love if that started again.
My short film I shot in June got accepted into it’s seventh festival last week. It’s the first thing I worked on with other people after my university course gave me a crushing feeling of not being good enough.
Does it seem wild to other nerdfighters that Alice is going to kindergarten? It seems like she should still be a baby! Congratulations, Greens!! What you said about babies reminded me of the podcast this week (which was so good!! my new fave I think) and babies are such a good reason to celebrate the world and take care of it.
My cause for celebration: earlier this month I was in John’s hometown of Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium to perform at one of the biggest marching band events in the country! It was one of the best experiences of my life!
As a fellow marching band member (going into my fifth and final year of college band next fall), I'm insanely jealous! Glad it was a good time. I bet you'll remember that experience for a long time.
I feel this video on an emotional level. I got a pretty good grade and didn't celebrate, it was when a friend "forced" me to celebrate that I could feel the joy and the accomplishment. We really should celebrate the small stuff, it brings so much joy, happiness and hope. Thanks for the reminder John!
Funny this edition of Vlogbrothers time came out today because today I changed the second set of bushings in my car's suspension. I've been teaching myself mechanical stuff about my diesel Jetta and it was triumph to have it working again. I just drove it home from my parent's place. I'm very proud of myself! My parents and partner ate dinner together afterward. The get together wasn't for me or my work but it kinda felt like it. 😁 Thanks for the reminder John!
Nice! Bushings are a pita. Im not a big VW fan but those Diesel Jettas will get a bajillion mpg if you drive them right. Just keep up with the maintenance.
@restlessharp Thanks! @@herranton Yeah, they're for sure a pain but I learned from the passenger side- don't fasten the ball joint in until AFTER the LCA is in it's place! 😄 @Animal Luvver It's a journey of learning. I wanted to have a vehicle that I can eventually convert to run on vegetable oil. I'll buy the kit and install it myself. It will take a bit of extra time and energy, but the quickest way to learn engineering is to turn a wrench (with a service manual close by, of course!)
Cause of celebration? I'm a breathing and healthy human being, with friends and family that support me and I support them. And also, last Saturday I went up to the ring for a Muay Thai match, and even I lost, I still celebrated because I tried and challenged myself to do it.
Now that me and two of my friends I meet in my freshman dorm are seniors in collage we have been doing something like this! We have a Snapchat group chat and each day one friend snaps how many days are left until the next school break, one snaps us some art, and I snap a happy thing I find on campus. These pictures disappear and are very short lived but I find myself looking forward to these pauses for celebration every morning (and they really help combat senior burn out).
I'm watching The Office, Season 6, Episode 11... And the moment Michael says "cause for celebration" I got a notification for this upload. Consider my mind officially blown. 💥
My cause for celebration, I got an A in an English class despite the fact that my teacher discriminated against me for having dyslexia. But what I am most proud of is my ability to stand up to her.
You're so right, John, and I really appreciate the reminder as we head into "Oh, I forgot seasonal depression was a real thing" season. Celebrating beauty and achievements small and large is essential to maintaining our ability to move forward, especially but not exclusively when times are as dark and difficult as these. It's one of the things that I love most about Judaism, my chosen religion - despite and often because of terrible, terrible things happening, we have a constant cycle of joyous holidays, keeping us grounded throughout the year, and I'm especially grateful for Hanukkah, making a whole week feel light-filled and special in the darkest month of the year. Thanks as always for the reminder, and congratulations on your beans!
I'm old, in less than perfect health, and I have mobility issues. I also have a wife who has been by my side for 49 years. I have cats who fight over who is my boss for the moment. My painting instructor and classmates tell lies about how good my paintings are. I worked for over 40 years as an educator to change the world for the better, and I think I did. (Okay 2 students became lawyers & 1 a professional politician .) Life isn't perfect but it sure has been good.
We do this every night over dinner. We call it "Foodtitudes and Gratitudes." We talk about what we're grateful for and/or thank the people at the table for something specific we appreciate about them. It's conspicuous when we haven't done it for even a few nights and feels very joyous and comforting when we do it/get back to it. Great advice, John!
Cause for celebration: I got my dream job working on video games in Japan. I was really terrified about it (I gave a letter to Hank about it) but it turns out my coworkers are amazingly nice, down to earth people, and I love going every day despite the long hours. I've come far and am in a place I never thought I'd be and I should remind myself to celebrate that more and not worry so much over where I feel I "should" be.
I think the fact that this video is making me tear up in the middle of Banes and Noble is a sign that I don’t celebrate the good stuff enough. Thanks for the reminder.
I don't usually comment on youtube videos but seeing the comments and since it's almost thanksgiving, I propose we all write down our own celebratory rituals. Today I recieved my last high school report (southern hemisphere) and I was so happy I couldnt wipe smile out of my face, according to my friends. Despite my extended family lives far away and my dad being away travelling, my mother, my sister and I all went to the restaurant we like and ate puddim so yeay to cellebrating!
Well, I got my first job last month, I started hanging out with friends I had not seen in years and my best friend is getting married. But what I’m really going to celebrate this weekend is finally catching that shiny gastly in Pokémon !
After returning home from college early due to the wild fires in Northern California, I have an extra two days to explore my childhood city. Best part is my perspective is now that of a curious visitor, rather than a discontent native. Cheers to growing up and coming home.
I wrapped up my 9th and final consecutive year of marching band in high school and college. I marched, I danced, I laughed with my friends (and, eventually, girlfriend) on a school bus. I learned to play tenor sax! Good enough cause as any, I'd think.
Its been raining a lot here lately, and today the weather was sunny, beautiful, cool, and breezy, and I took my arthritic dog on a nice walk and he was hyper and jumping and ignoring his limp. My cause for celebration is the loveliest walk to kick off my thanksgiving break!
Me too! Well, not all day, I'm only just starting out as a market gardener and it's Autumn, so there's not much growing and the business side needs doing and that's an inside job, but enough :D
My cause for celebration is that I have finished my Bachelor of Arts in history after 6 years of studying while battling poor health. I also got into a postgrad program for next year!
I managed to get tickets when I thought all hope was lost because I stayed on the phone despite my phone anxiety and got tickets to the best concert of my LIFE.
This was my argument to have a big wedding and why people saying ‘just buy a house and elope’ drove me nuts. We could afford it. We wanted to have a celebration because we wanted to pause with the people who were supporting us!
We don't have any particular plans to get legally married (because Uncle Sam has fuckall to do with my interpersonal relationships) but my partner and I have often discussed having a wedding-style-party for this very reason.
If you can comfortably do it, and it is what you want, then by all means do what makes you happy. I think the big problem is when people go into debt or are already in debt and spend a lot of unnecessary money because they feel social pressure to do so.
Everyone I'm talking to about my wedding somehow makes me feel guilty about the money we're spending, but we're making informed financial decisions and we can/want to spend the money. It's nice to see other people feel the same way.
An affordable, enjoyable event where everybody gets together and has a good time is a good thing to do. An "oh my god everything must be absolutely (expensively) perfect on the day or my life is RUINED!!!1!!" party is not healthy or fun for anybody. I think a lot of people forget that the better thing to have is the former, and you can't really get there via the latter.
Two celebration things! One is that I just quit my retail job to go back to the only job I’ve ever loved which is subbing at a school. Two after next quarter I will have my associates degree! Side note: I’ve also want to celebrate the fact that I finally decided that money isn’t as important as doing something I love and I’ve decided I’m going to be a teacher.
WE NEED A NERDFIGHTER FESTIVUS. A yearly celebration of joy that There Is Good Stuff, not related to any religion, country or ethnicity. We have other Nerdfighter holidays, I think there's room for one more!
Yeah maybe something towards the beginning of the year! the nerdfighter holidays are spaced out pretty well except we’re missing the first four months lol
Last week, Desert Bus for Hope raised over $730,000, and during its lifetime has raised over $5 million. All for kids in pediatric units and domestic abuse shelters. That's definitely worth celebrating.
Wow you practically just read my mind! Lately I've been trying to embrace all feelings, but today specifically I've been focusing on enjoying the small things. I drove past a field today that looked like a real life painting, I got a really delicious peppermint hot chocolate today (that I totally used to cheer with just now). And even the disastrously packed grocery store I just came back from was kind of fun instead of stressful because I reminded myself everyone there was getting food to share with friends and family, so I smiled at everyone I passed and most of them even smiled back.
I think the problem is also that traditional celebratory moments have been "corrupted" (I don't know how else to put it) so that they bring you more stress than joy. Like having a baby...babyshowers are suppose to be happy and a chance to celebrate, but now there are professional babyshower-planners because they have to be perfect and bring too much stress. Relaxing hobbies have become competitions among friends and colleagues. Getting into a school or getting a job offer is nothing if you haven't gotten more offers than your friends... *Relax and be celebrate every opportunity!*
I am highly thankful for the friends around me including my mechanic friend who made sure my old car is in tip top shape before I drive off on Thanksgiving vacation and also for my friends who drove me around or let me borrow their car while the car was in the shop.
I love working in HR and being able to celebrate every little one of those accomplishments with my co-workers, we make a deal out of everything from babies to degrees to a good score on an internal audit - not enough places do that
cause for celebration: I stopped taking an antidepressant and started taking a stimulant (adderall) and my PHQ-9 score (depression) went from a 10 to a 2 and my GAD-7 (anxiety) score went from a 9 to a 3. I still have things I am working on, but I have never been this hopeful in my life. It’s a good feeling.
This is a great idea! I don’t really have anyone near me to celebrate, so I’ll celebrate it with Nerdfighteria here in the comments: After a long 2 years of bouncing around postgrad, I got my first real, permanent Big Adult Job earlier this month! With a salary and benefits and everything! 🥳
You are so right! My anxiety doesn't let me celebrate anything because I don't have a job (any job) much less in journalism that has been my dream since I was 10 and relatives like my grandma put me down because my cousins are doing better than me. BUT! You mad me see that I do have something that has given me so much joy, last week I met with a lot of bloggers like me who review books also booktubers and bookstagramers and we had talks with publishig houses and we ate cookies with the logos of our respective sites and we got free books to review and that made me/makes me so happy. Because that stuff doesn't happen much around here so I'm so happy that it did.
Last night I edited together a video about my experiences being trans and depressed, and I've been wanting to and failing to figure out how to approach it for like a year now but I think I just needed to be the right amount of happy and have the right amount of care-free attitude about it, and I finally did it last night. It's not done, but it looks really good so far. I've been pretty excited abd confident all day today, after weeks of feeling bored and exhausted.
John this video damn near made me cry. I’m a first year student in pharmacy school which is bananas stressful. I passed my first REAL™️ final today so the timeliness of this couldn’t possibly. Salud.
Cause for celebration: over the last year, science has been entirely changing the way i look at the world (thanks in part to Hank), and i've never felt happier in my life, which my friends and family are noticing as well. Next year, i'll be switching from media studies to physics.
A few weeks ago my mum bought me a bottle of prosecco for getting the first two essays for my masters submitted on time and I made a nice meal for my fiancé thanking him for his help and kindness while I was writing said essays. We ate good food, drank prosecco, and watched the first two episodes of Wanda Vision. It was a lovely celebration
Sometimes I forget that I need to celebrate things. I needed this video so much. It's so easy for me to think about how hard it is- the fact that I live alone, that my boyfriend is in uni in Japan and I don't get to see him often anymore, that my Korean isn't good enough that I feel confident going out and doing whatever I want when I want to do it. But, in itself all of this is a reason for me to celebrate. As a kid I dreamed of moving to Korea. I moved here last year in August and overall I love it. I speak enough Korean that I can ask questions and understand most everything that's going on around me- a huge improvement from one year ago. I have a boyfriend who actually loves, respects, and cares about me, instead of the ex who abused me just a few years ago. I live alone because my job allows me to. I don't have to have to live with someone else and still struggle to pay rent like I have in the past. I have a home and enough money to eat every day. It's hard to remember all these things in the day to day stress of life, but everything I have right now is a reason to celebrate.
In the spirit of this week's Dear Hank and John: "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'” - Kurt Vonnegut
Even a dumpster fire gives off warmth and light.
That's the kind of positivity I'm here for. -John
Great comment!!
Likewise a housefire... or a particularly combustable band of billionaires...
This is the most inspiring thing I've seen all day.
Not the most well timed comment, considering any time someone mentions fire, all I can think of is people getting burned alive in California.
"You may be wondering why I invited you all here today. Well, I had a really great game of Fortnite and you're going to listen to me describe it in excruciating detail. Here's some champagne; make yourselves comfortable."
I would totally attend that celebration as long as I knew the celebrant to be a good storyteller. -John
If let's plays were fancy dinner parties
If only John could find that epic victory royale in his pacifist series :/
"I missed my daughter's birthday party for this!?"
Tbh, if you provided booze, I'd be down to listen to your TED Talk.
Cause for celebration: As of 3 hours ago, IT'S THANKSGIVING BREAK
Miranda Finn 3 more hours for me!
30 minutes ago for me! But still it’s awesome!
10 more minutes for me!!!
One more day for me. And I work Black Friday.
Yesssss
Cause for celebration: I finally found a therapist + I have at least a B in all of my classes!
Good job! Congratulations
Congrats!
Yay for quality mental health care and for your hard work in school!
so exciting! i’m so happy for you!
Kierstyn Connell 👍👍👍
I’m getting a B in a math class for the first time in my entire academic career.
Nice!
Congrats!!!!
way to go!!!
WOOHOO!!!
Woooo!!! Party !!!!
My first co-authored research article was just submitted for review!
Congrats! -John
*YAY SCIENCE*
Congratulations.
No, for real. I'm a scientist myself, often enough struggling to get the pieces together and every now and then ending up believing that I'm not smart enough for what I'm doing. I wish I could get more out just for the sake of confirmation that I'm not just wasting my time (and funds).
So, yeah, I really understand what that means and what you probably have been through.
Congratulations!!! 🍾
Congratulations! My second first author paper is submitted for review and I know the feeling (especially since I’m on a leave of absence for mental health reasons)!
Last week I got accepted to a good university, and I got a $4000 entrance scholarship!
Congratulations! 😊👍
Congratulations!
Sarah P. Congrats!
+
Try not to saddle yourself with too much student debt. Universities are price gouging--being in 120,000 dollars of debt in your 20's is not a good idea. It's not necessary, either--this is the age of information. I understand needing qualification, but do whatever you can to avoid being a debtor.
John that really IS a nice collection of black-eyed peas!
Mark Dowdy I’m proud of those black eyed peas. I think I will celebrate by making a big pot of store bought ones and just imagine how great they would be home grown. Cheers
Mark Dowdy I got a feelin' he might be a fan.
Which ones Will.IAm? He’s gunna be the one good one out of the jar.
@@Im-Not-a-Dog Or he's going to be the one bad one in the jar... because he's so 2008, we're so 2000-and-late
My cause for celebration is that last week I was at a crosswalk and for the first time in over a year my first thought wasn't "I could just walk into traffic right now." and I realised that I'm starting to do better.
I'm sorry you've been having a rough go of it, and I hope things keep looking up.
@@oppie2363 thanks, that's really kind of you to say. 😊
When I'm having a rough time, I like to listen to a song called My Silver Lining, by First Aid Kit. Since english is my third language, I listen to it while reading the lyrics, and I get overwhelmed with emotion every time. It motivates me to keep going, no matter what. I really hope that things go well with you from now on, and I hope you like the song :)
Gives me hope that I’ll stop thinking that too. Congrats
@@alihijazi4451 it's a really powerful song, thank you for recommending it.
I love reading all the celebrations in the comments! Here's mine: my sister and her fiance thought that they wouldn't be able to come to Thanksgiving because their dog had fleas and they couldn't board him at a kennel, but the dog is all better and they're coming! Hurray!
I'm thankful to hear that! ^_^ Hopefully you all have a great Thanksgiving. :)
Every night my bf and I talk through our high of the day, low of the day, and something we're grateful for. It's kind of like a daily celebration (highs), opportunity for empathy (lows), and moment of gratitude. Would highly recommend!
I love this!
+
We did that at my camp, I think it's really really great for mental health and appreciation and stuff
thats an amazing ritual i think it will serve you guys well
This sounds so lovely. Thanks for sharing
You know what’s a cause for celebration?
Detective Pikachu
Starring my friend Justice Smith! -John
JUSTICE FOR JUSTICE SMITH
@@vlogbrothers I kept calling him Radar while watching the trailer lol
@@vlogbrothers so you are casting movies now, aren't you? :)
My cause for celebration is that vlogbrothers uploaded
For me, it's more the act of watching a Vlogbrothers video is a celebration in itself. Sometimes saved till I've completed a task I've been dreading.
+
Sizzerz dope profile pic
CheesecakeLasagna thank you, I drew it myself
Cause for celebration? Hmm. I wrote a 2000 word essay on the weekend. Its the longest I ever had to write and cite like this. :)
That's awesome! I still find writing 2000 word essays (for the anthropocene reviewed) very difficult! -John
Sweet! Nice work dude!
I had to write my first 2,000 word essay this semester as well. It's a challenge but feels like such an accomplishment when you get it done! Congratulations!
So we got our grades back today, and i got the best in the class Im very proud! 😀😀
@@pikdame Yay! Good for you 😊
My cause for celebration:
I got a lead in a show at my theatre company. And in a couple hours, it will be Thanksgiving break.
Last week I overcame my social anxiety and went to my Universities career fair. I worked up the courage to talk to the tech companies I wanted to do internships for, and two of those companies gave me an opportunity to do onsite technical interviews. Since last week I have done both interviews, and I think I did okay. I was terrified, and a bit awkward, but I was able to solve the problems they gave me, and I did the best I could. Even If I don't get any internship offers, I was able to overcome my anxiety and fears and actually put myself out there, and I became a stronger person because of it.
You are amazing. Believe me when I say I'm totally celebrating with you!
From one anxious person to another, congratulations!
Keep crushing it! 👍🏻😑
Good job!
My cause for celebration: I have been struggling with health issues for a long time and no one could figure out what the issue is - but recently it became clear what's wrong so now I can finally start treatment in hopes of getting better!
Rosalie Jansen, hooray for finally getting a grasp on this thing, whatever it is. It’s always a relief to have a name for the monster! Good luck & blessings for your treatment. May it go well; may you be well. “Life is good” was my motto through cancer treatment 13.5 years ago (also, “F
I am the least depressed I have been in 6 years!
yay
That's an amazing accomplishment! That must have taken a lot of effort.
Hell yeah!
Congratulations :D
My celebration: after years of telling myself I'll finish my novels someday and someday get published, I quit my main job a few weeks ago and actually have done what I said I'll do. I've written at least a 1,000 words everyday since, and it's been a long time since I've felt such satisfaction and happiness in my own capabilities.
Wow wow wow. As someone with the same goal, I'm so proud
In the past year I’ve been diagnosed with cancer, gone through treatment, lost a few friends through it, but came out cancer free and still made the dean’s list at college. I have been pretty upset about how this year has been so thank you for reminding me that there is always something to celebrate 🎉
💞🥂🎊 cheers to that! Good work, take care!
Cause for celebration: I'm going to be a published author
Conkeroo hey, congratulations!
Conkeroo nice!
It's my moms birthday and shes actually happy about it.
Awesome! Happy birthday to her! :)
Erin Newbeck yay, I second that Happy Birthday, I hope she had a wonderful day :’)
Being happy about your birthday is something to celebrate in itself
my teenage years have been filled with ironic celebrations of the smallest accomplishment or mistakes, but even though ironic, they still brought that joy and awareness of my surroundings that i continue to hold dear
|-/
It seems like your teenage years, then, stand as their own kind of celebration en masse :)
For the record, many nerdfighters are sharing their celebratory good news here in comments and it's just so lovely to read about everyone's successes. Y'all're doing amazing, guys. For anyone needing a pick me up, I wholeheartedly recommend giving them a good read. DFTBA!
Little game my family played when we were little; every day we would have dinner together and to inspire conversation we would ask each other "what was the best part of your day?" And the answer could be as simple as "I played with my friends at recess" or "I aced a test" or (the classic) "right now, eating dinner with my family". Now there was one rule: each negative answer meant you had to answer two positives. Whenever other people came, we'd also play this game and my cousins always ask if they can be the one to start it. It's really sweet and simple and made us look at the good parts, even when are days weren't going well.
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❤️❤️❤️
My husband passed away two months ago from cancer, just before his 30th birthday. Watching this video made me think of the two years he was sick. We were so anxious for him to get better that we rarely stopped to appreciate all the small wins and happy moments. I wish we had taken more time to celebrate while we had the chance. Thanks for posting this, John. My husband was a huge fan of your work and of rituals - and he would have so appreciated this little reminder to enjoy the good things while we can.
Thanks for sharing this. I hope you are doing okay and finding a little bit of joy yourself.
Thank you for sharing, we all need reminders like this. I just lost my grandmother to cancer and was reflecting similarly on her last year. Take care and cheers to today, tomorrow and yesterday 💞
You’ve shaped so much of my life. Today I’m celebrating 30 days of being sober and I’m toasting to you for teaching me how to be a good person even when I’m not at my best.
Congratulations! 30 days is HUGE. I was just going to comment to celebrate my sobriety too.
Congrats! and here's to more decades of the same & better!
Abby Forth congrats! I’m proud of you.
3countylaugh thank you so much.
Congratulations!!! You got this!
I finished my first trimester of senior year, and I now only have two trimesters of highschool left! The feeling of being so close to graduation, so close to adulthood, is both wonderful and utterly terrifying.
Hey, as someone in their late twenties who was starry eyed and thought they knew how they were going to be an adult, I want to wish you well; I want to go ahead and tell you that you needn't graduate knowing what you're going to do, that you needn't chase the college dream immediately or at all, that if you do, it's alright to take your time, to explore options as best you financially can; to really think about your goals, and take your time thinking about your goals. I wish I'd had people telling me to play loose with my intentions, that I needn't feel a failure from the moment I missed my first set benchmark, or the next or the next in an ever devolving spiral. Do your best to avoid those loans. Know it's alright to rejudge those goals and adjust for slightly more accessibility- know that isn't laziness. And do pay attention to your emotional and mental health. Don't let failures get you down, but instead look for how you can learn and benefit from them.
Admittedly, this response is wish fulfilment; I wish I could tell the me that was at your point these things... Just, be easy on yourself. Look for your reasons to love and value yourself. I wish you the best.
That's awesome! Congratulations!
same here!!! just made a down payment to the college i'm going to next year and am researching what residence hall to live in...exciting times.
I left my apartment despite crippling depression
Congrats!! One step at a time 🍾🎉
Proud of you!
That's an amazing accomplishment! That must have taken a lot of effort.
Every day you leave your apartment, it will get just a tee or tiny bit easier! Keep it up 💕👍🏻✌🏻
Cause for celebration: Recently graduated with my master's degree and landed a job as an occupational therapist treating individuals with brain injury! Survived a month so far and going strong!! :)
I'm celebrating that, despite being very sleepy, I went to an event today that relates to my work as a therapist, and it ended up being a lovely morning. So worth the involutary yawning.
My cause for celebration -
I just started teaching undergraduate students, it's the end of the semester here in India and I had them fill a feedback form. Anonymous, of course. There was constructive feedback, sure, but the vast majority of them seem to really like me and my teaching style. Many of them told me how they've never seen certain traits I have in other teachers their entire life and how they wish I teach them in the upcoming semesters as well. It felt great to be good at something you enjoy doing.
I’m feeling joy over my impending birthday. It’s 5 years past the age I thought I’d live. While I still struggle with anxiety/depression (taking a leave of absence from my PhD program), I’m happy I’m here.
There are people in your life who are happy you’re here too! Don’t give up. Give yourself time to heal, and keep on celebrating!
That's why I live in new Orleans we celebrate everything.
New Orleans is indeed really, really good at celebrating. -John
My cause of celebration: it feels like I am finally maybe making friends at uni, and an old friend is travelling to see me this weekend!!!
I rode the train and finished Hank's book! Both made me feel like a proper adult.
That's dope! As someone terrified by public transport I'm very impressed :) Great things to celebrate! (Also the Fans of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing discord is pretty cool, you should come check it out!)
@@thismianeptunis Nice, thank you. Yes, life-hood feels like a bunch of victories! To be proud of all the points between A and B. Awesome, I'll check it out.
I finally found a way to focus on reading for my thesis, after months of dealing with a burn out and low concentration. I don't think reading for half an hour has ever felt like such an accomplishment.
wow congratulations!! seriously, the feeling of doing something you haven't been able to do for so long is amazing
You found a way, so what was it? I'm in the same boat right now and really struggle with reading.
@classymonkee08 same I'd love to hear it!
@@Natalie-101 @classymonkee08 sorry for the late reply, I just got notified! I'm sure by now you'll have finished, but for any that are wondering: I tried the pomodoro method, which is setting a timer for 25 mins to work and then having 5 mins breaks in between. It doesn't always work, but somehow telling myself I only have to do something for 25 mins makes it easier to start and to stick with it. Hope it helps you!
This cat that is not mine but lives around the neighbourhood visits us and stays sometimes for severals hours till it's night and my mom wants him to leave... This is a cause for celebration for me everytime. I really do love this cat
Me too! My cat friend is black and soooo fluffy. It's brightens up my day whenever she comes for a visit.
@@ampz1466 Sammy (I gave him this name because I don't know how how he is called) is one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen! With yellow eyes and red/orange fur =D (For anyone who'd like to see him there are some photos on Instagram @ patlizblack :'D)
Everytime I see him outside I open a door and call him and when he comes running over to me he seems almost as happy to see me as I am to see him :D
My family isn't sure if he's a stray or not but this cat keeps coming to our front porch chaise for sleeping and after a while, I wanna celebrate how a small life finds comfort in something I often look over. (the chaise is stiff and too small for me--oh maybe thats why)
Checked out the cat, he looks beautiful :D
@@elektrotehnik94 Aww, thanks that's so cute! :D Yes, he's a real beauty! And such a good-tempered, confident and playful cat. He even tries to bond with the dog! Maybe I'll catch them on picture some day (:
Taking time to celebrate is a form of self care. In fact, it /is/ self care, in the most basic sense. Reminding yourself that there is joy by means of celebration is a great way to take time for yourself.
Also I'm a folklore nerd (technically university major) and calendar customs and rites of passage and other things that are met with celebration are counted among that stuff. It honestly fascinates me that people stopped celebrating so much, and I would love if that started again.
My cause for celebration?
All of my family is safe from the california wildfires, as is my house.
My short film I shot in June got accepted into it’s seventh festival last week.
It’s the first thing I worked on with other people after my university course gave me a crushing feeling of not being good enough.
my only cause for celebration: i am dealing with an insurmountable amount of anxiety and depression, but i am not letting it consume me completely...
Does it seem wild to other nerdfighters that Alice is going to kindergarten? It seems like she should still be a baby! Congratulations, Greens!! What you said about babies reminded me of the podcast this week (which was so good!! my new fave I think) and babies are such a good reason to celebrate the world and take care of it.
That was my first thought, it seems like she was busy born!
*just
My cause for celebration: earlier this month I was in John’s hometown of Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium to perform at one of the biggest marching band events in the country! It was one of the best experiences of my life!
As a fellow marching band member (going into my fifth and final year of college band next fall), I'm insanely jealous! Glad it was a good time. I bet you'll remember that experience for a long time.
I feel this video on an emotional level. I got a pretty good grade and didn't celebrate, it was when a friend "forced" me to celebrate that I could feel the joy and the accomplishment. We really should celebrate the small stuff, it brings so much joy, happiness and hope. Thanks for the reminder John!
Funny this edition of Vlogbrothers time came out today because today I changed the second set of bushings in my car's suspension. I've been teaching myself mechanical stuff about my diesel Jetta and it was triumph to have it working again. I just drove it home from my parent's place. I'm very proud of myself!
My parents and partner ate dinner together afterward. The get together wasn't for me or my work but it kinda felt like it. 😁
Thanks for the reminder John!
That's so much more impressive than calling the dealership! -John
Congrats, that's awesome!
Nice! Bushings are a pita. Im not a big VW fan but those Diesel Jettas will get a bajillion mpg if you drive them right. Just keep up with the maintenance.
@@vlogbrothers I bet the dealership and your knees are thankful you called
@restlessharp Thanks!
@@herranton Yeah, they're for sure a pain but I learned from the passenger side- don't fasten the ball joint in until AFTER the LCA is in it's place! 😄
@Animal Luvver It's a journey of learning. I wanted to have a vehicle that I can eventually convert to run on vegetable oil. I'll buy the kit and install it myself. It will take a bit of extra time and energy, but the quickest way to learn engineering is to turn a wrench (with a service manual close by, of course!)
Cause of celebration? I'm a breathing and healthy human being, with friends and family that support me and I support them. And also, last Saturday I went up to the ring for a Muay Thai match, and even I lost, I still celebrated because I tried and challenged myself to do it.
When we feel despair,
lost in a sea of anguish,
we look to the shore.
A light guiding us,
those we call Hank and John Green,
a toast to them both.
Although I do feel depressed quite often, playing guitar gives me a joy that seems to melt any depression going on. It’s truly my happy place :)
Now that me and two of my friends I meet in my freshman dorm are seniors in collage we have been doing something like this! We have a Snapchat group chat and each day one friend snaps how many days are left until the next school break, one snaps us some art, and I snap a happy thing I find on campus. These pictures disappear and are very short lived but I find myself looking forward to these pauses for celebration every morning (and they really help combat senior burn out).
More joy in 2019, people! We can do it!
only by lowering the bar for joy. sorry.
Yeah. We can do it. Let's bring joy back!
I am starting my masters program in public administration and am one step closer to becoming Leslie Knope
I'm watching The Office, Season 6, Episode 11... And the moment Michael says "cause for celebration" I got a notification for this upload. Consider my mind officially blown. 💥
My cause for celebration, I got an A in an English class despite the fact that my teacher discriminated against me for having dyslexia. But what I am most proud of is my ability to stand up to her.
Great job!!!! Your hard work paid off! :D
You're so right, John, and I really appreciate the reminder as we head into "Oh, I forgot seasonal depression was a real thing" season. Celebrating beauty and achievements small and large is essential to maintaining our ability to move forward, especially but not exclusively when times are as dark and difficult as these.
It's one of the things that I love most about Judaism, my chosen religion - despite and often because of terrible, terrible things happening, we have a constant cycle of joyous holidays, keeping us grounded throughout the year, and I'm especially grateful for Hanukkah, making a whole week feel light-filled and special in the darkest month of the year.
Thanks as always for the reminder, and congratulations on your beans!
I'm old, in less than perfect health, and I have mobility issues. I also have a wife who has been by my side for 49 years. I have cats who fight over who is my boss for the moment. My painting instructor and classmates tell lies about how good my paintings are. I worked for over 40 years as an educator to change the world for the better, and I think I did. (Okay 2 students became lawyers & 1 a professional politician .) Life isn't perfect but it sure has been good.
Cause for celebration : the existence of books
And education to enjoy them
We do this every night over dinner. We call it "Foodtitudes and Gratitudes." We talk about what we're grateful for and/or thank the people at the table for something specific we appreciate about them. It's conspicuous when we haven't done it for even a few nights and feels very joyous and comforting when we do it/get back to it. Great advice, John!
Each black-eyed pea will bring you many more; you could say they contain multitudes.
Solid reference
It’s black eyed peas all the way down
Cause for celebration: I got my dream job working on video games in Japan.
I was really terrified about it (I gave a letter to Hank about it) but it turns out my coworkers are amazingly nice, down to earth people, and I love going every day despite the long hours.
I've come far and am in a place I never thought I'd be and I should remind myself to celebrate that more and not worry so much over where I feel I "should" be.
My cause for celebration: I got 100% on my anthropology midterm!!
Edit: wow thank you all!
Well done.
I think the fact that this video is making me tear up in the middle of Banes and Noble is a sign that I don’t celebrate the good stuff enough. Thanks for the reminder.
I don't usually comment on youtube videos but seeing the comments and since it's almost thanksgiving, I propose we all write down our own celebratory rituals.
Today I recieved my last high school report (southern hemisphere) and I was so happy I couldnt wipe smile out of my face, according to my friends. Despite my extended family lives far away and my dad being away travelling, my mother, my sister and I all went to the restaurant we like and ate puddim so yeay to cellebrating!
Well, I got my first job last month, I started hanging out with friends I had not seen in years and my best friend is getting married. But what I’m really going to celebrate this weekend is finally catching that shiny gastly in Pokémon !
That's amazing! I hope you catch 'em all!!
After returning home from college early due to the wild fires in Northern California, I have an extra two days to explore my childhood city. Best part is my perspective is now that of a curious visitor, rather than a discontent native. Cheers to growing up and coming home.
Sophia Halleen +
I wrapped up my 9th and final consecutive year of marching band in high school and college. I marched, I danced, I laughed with my friends (and, eventually, girlfriend) on a school bus. I learned to play tenor sax!
Good enough cause as any, I'd think.
I’m going to complete the first draft of a short story soon. For me, every completed draft is a cause for celebration.
Its been raining a lot here lately, and today the weather was sunny, beautiful, cool, and breezy, and I took my arthritic dog on a nice walk and he was hyper and jumping and ignoring his limp. My cause for celebration is the loveliest walk to kick off my thanksgiving break!
I feel joy because I love my job :) I get to garden all day
Me too! Well, not all day, I'm only just starting out as a market gardener and it's Autumn, so there's not much growing and the business side needs doing and that's an inside job, but enough :D
Cause for celebration: Started treatment for my OCD, had a great waffle with ice cream, and it snowed today!! Wow
My cause for celebration is that I have finished my Bachelor of Arts in history after 6 years of studying while battling poor health. I also got into a postgrad program for next year!
I managed to get tickets when I thought all hope was lost because I stayed on the phone despite my phone anxiety and got tickets to the best concert of my LIFE.
This was my argument to have a big wedding and why people saying ‘just buy a house and elope’ drove me nuts. We could afford it. We wanted to have a celebration because we wanted to pause with the people who were supporting us!
We don't have any particular plans to get legally married (because Uncle Sam has fuckall to do with my interpersonal relationships) but my partner and I have often discussed having a wedding-style-party for this very reason.
If you can comfortably do it, and it is what you want, then by all means do what makes you happy. I think the big problem is when people go into debt or are already in debt and spend a lot of unnecessary money because they feel social pressure to do so.
Everyone I'm talking to about my wedding somehow makes me feel guilty about the money we're spending, but we're making informed financial decisions and we can/want to spend the money. It's nice to see other people feel the same way.
JessieLightyear I’m an event planner so it was easy for me! Wishing to an awesome event!
An affordable, enjoyable event where everybody gets together and has a good time is a good thing to do. An "oh my god everything must be absolutely (expensively) perfect on the day or my life is RUINED!!!1!!" party is not healthy or fun for anybody. I think a lot of people forget that the better thing to have is the former, and you can't really get there via the latter.
Two celebration things! One is that I just quit my retail job to go back to the only job I’ve ever loved which is subbing at a school. Two after next quarter I will have my associates degree! Side note: I’ve also want to celebrate the fact that I finally decided that money isn’t as important as doing something I love and I’ve decided I’m going to be a teacher.
WE NEED A NERDFIGHTER FESTIVUS. A yearly celebration of joy that There Is Good Stuff, not related to any religion, country or ethnicity. We have other Nerdfighter holidays, I think there's room for one more!
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Yeah maybe something towards the beginning of the year! the nerdfighter holidays are spaced out pretty well except we’re missing the first four months lol
February 29th would be perfect. It just doesn't happen enough.
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Yeah that's called the pastafarian holiday "Holiday"
Last week, Desert Bus for Hope raised over $730,000, and during its lifetime has raised over $5 million.
All for kids in pediatric units and domestic abuse shelters.
That's definitely worth celebrating.
Thank you for being a ray of hope in a world that makes it hard to feel joy sometimes
I am 150 pages into writing my phd dissertation, and counting!
Cause for celebration: I finished an essay five (!!!) days before its deadline
Reema Amr wow!!! I don’t think I ever did that once in my 17 years of school!
wow
@@andreafeelsfantastic this is the first time i've ever done it! feels great tbh
Wow you practically just read my mind! Lately I've been trying to embrace all feelings, but today specifically I've been focusing on enjoying the small things. I drove past a field today that looked like a real life painting, I got a really delicious peppermint hot chocolate today (that I totally used to cheer with just now). And even the disastrously packed grocery store I just came back from was kind of fun instead of stressful because I reminded myself everyone there was getting food to share with friends and family, so I smiled at everyone I passed and most of them even smiled back.
This is so lovely. Thank you for sharing your little moments of joy
I think the problem is also that traditional celebratory moments have been "corrupted" (I don't know how else to put it) so that they bring you more stress than joy. Like having a baby...babyshowers are suppose to be happy and a chance to celebrate, but now there are professional babyshower-planners because they have to be perfect and bring too much stress. Relaxing hobbies have become competitions among friends and colleagues. Getting into a school or getting a job offer is nothing if you haven't gotten more offers than your friends... *Relax and be celebrate every opportunity!*
I am highly thankful for the friends around me including my mechanic friend who made sure my old car is in tip top shape before I drive off on Thanksgiving vacation and also for my friends who drove me around or let me borrow their car while the car was in the shop.
Tell Sarah extra thanks for the new excellent Art Assignment video!
*Does Sarah have a TH-cam channel?*
yes! It's called the art assignment and it's soooo good!
@@adelined THANK YOU 🙏
I got accepted into my dream college! University of South Alabama! Go Jags!
Congrats! -John
congrats!!
You did it! Good job!! Congrats!!!
Gunslinger is better
th-cam.com/video/IyobntgRCmk/w-d-xo.html
Dang. Dream harder.
cause for celebration: did well on my entrance exam for high school!
Catherine K where do you live that there's an entrance exam for high school?
@@a.bookmonkey6790 houston! the exam is just for independent schools though, which I now get was confusing :)
I love working in HR and being able to celebrate every little one of those accomplishments with my co-workers, we make a deal out of everything from babies to degrees to a good score on an internal audit - not enough places do that
I really did need this right now. I hope yall know how much you do help when I'm getting bad again because these videos are beautiful.
I don't know you, but I am sending you happy thoughts and I hope you have a day with at least a little bit of wonder in it. DFTBA
I think your post was beautiful, I hope the bad turns to joy quickly for you. All the best, love from an Internet stranger.
Same :) Had a lost evening yesterday, this video helped a great deal :) DFTBA, wonderful people out there
cause for celebration: I stopped taking an antidepressant and started taking a stimulant (adderall) and my PHQ-9 score (depression) went from a 10 to a 2 and my GAD-7 (anxiety) score went from a 9 to a 3. I still have things I am working on, but I have never been this hopeful in my life. It’s a good feeling.
This is a great idea! I don’t really have anyone near me to celebrate, so I’ll celebrate it with Nerdfighteria here in the comments: After a long 2 years of bouncing around postgrad, I got my first real, permanent Big Adult Job earlier this month! With a salary and benefits and everything! 🥳
Deanna Abigail Thank you so much! 💞
Congrats!!! In the hopes of one day to getting that too!
That's awesome! Congrats :D I hope it's been going well
You are so right! My anxiety doesn't let me celebrate anything because I don't have a job (any job) much less in journalism that has been my dream since I was 10 and relatives like my grandma put me down because my cousins are doing better than me. BUT! You mad me see that I do have something that has given me so much joy, last week I met with a lot of bloggers like me who review books also booktubers and bookstagramers and we had talks with publishig houses and we ate cookies with the logos of our respective sites and we got free books to review and that made me/makes me so happy. Because that stuff doesn't happen much around here so I'm so happy that it did.
my cause for celebration: i love my body i love who i am it took me 4 years but i am fine now
Cause for celebration: Support from friends and family through personal growth.
It's so wonderful. Best wishes!
Last night I edited together a video about my experiences being trans and depressed, and I've been wanting to and failing to figure out how to approach it for like a year now but I think I just needed to be the right amount of happy and have the right amount of care-free attitude about it, and I finally did it last night. It's not done, but it looks really good so far. I've been pretty excited abd confident all day today, after weeks of feeling bored and exhausted.
John this video damn near made me cry. I’m a first year student in pharmacy school which is bananas stressful. I passed my first REAL™️ final today so the timeliness of this couldn’t possibly. Salud.
Cause for celebration: over the last year, science has been entirely changing the way i look at the world (thanks in part to Hank), and i've never felt happier in my life, which my friends and family are noticing as well. Next year, i'll be switching from media studies to physics.
Good luck with that. I hope you do well. Physics is no joke. Take it from someone in their last year of the Master's degree.
A few weeks ago my mum bought me a bottle of prosecco for getting the first two essays for my masters submitted on time and I made a nice meal for my fiancé thanking him for his help and kindness while I was writing said essays. We ate good food, drank prosecco, and watched the first two episodes of Wanda Vision. It was a lovely celebration
My reason for joy: I’ve just finished my thesis and have an interview for a masters program today!
Sometimes I forget that I need to celebrate things. I needed this video so much.
It's so easy for me to think about how hard it is- the fact that I live alone, that my boyfriend is in uni in Japan and I don't get to see him often anymore, that my Korean isn't good enough that I feel confident going out and doing whatever I want when I want to do it.
But, in itself all of this is a reason for me to celebrate. As a kid I dreamed of moving to Korea. I moved here last year in August and overall I love it. I speak enough Korean that I can ask questions and understand most everything that's going on around me- a huge improvement from one year ago. I have a boyfriend who actually loves, respects, and cares about me, instead of the ex who abused me just a few years ago. I live alone because my job allows me to. I don't have to have to live with someone else and still struggle to pay rent like I have in the past. I have a home and enough money to eat every day.
It's hard to remember all these things in the day to day stress of life, but everything I have right now is a reason to celebrate.
In the spirit of this week's Dear Hank and John: "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'” - Kurt Vonnegut
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Cause for celebration? For the first time in my life I'm going to play the saxophone in front of more than three people, ¡I'M SO EXCITED!