2016

 (The back of my head, hair by NotanotherSalon)

Hey girl, haven't seen you in a while!

I wanted to do a post on 2016 so far... Because, let's face it, what a weird crazy ex boyfriend of a year this is! This year has been pretty mental for more reasons than one, from BREXIT to the sad passing of numerous celebrities... there's been some serious drama and sadly not of the Netflix variety.

For me this year got off to a weird and wonderful start when I was headhunted for a job in Barcelona. I quit my UK job and packed my bags (mainly with shoes) and headed over to Spain. It was an amazing experience and I'm so lucky that I was able to do it and learn a bit of Spanish on the way, but various factors and the passing of my incredible Grandma meant it just wasn't for me.

 But wait admitting that I needed a change .... it actually wasn't that sad!

Being the most indecisive person in the universe means that it isn't easy for me to choose which kind of Poptart I like best, let alone making life decisions. But for some reason, deciding to make a change for the sake of my own happiness seemed pretty easy and this is the point of this post. I know it's easy to give people advice, including yourself, that if life gives you lemons make lemonade lalala ... but I think sometimes we lose focus on ourselves and our own feelings. I was trying to make something work that actually wasn't making me happy... I had the job, the boyfriend*, the gorgeous loft style apartment and a good salary and was probably the most unhappy I've been in a long time. Don't get me wrong, this is a total first world issue and it wasn't all doom and gloom, but it was a major step for me and one that I'm sure many 20 something year olds have been through before me.

 I'm now back in England with a new job that I start next week and I'm feeling all fluffy and refreshed after a week-long break driving round Italy from Rome to the Amalfi coast (and yes Amalfi really is as cute as Pinterest suggests) And this isn't a preachy self happiness post, it's been good for me to share it with you guys, but I think it's important to remember that there's a lot of unhappiness in the world and we need to focus on our own happiness before we can try and improve anything else. And sometimes, behind the glits and glamour of social media and filtered photos, things aren't great but that's OK, because we're fortunate enough to be in a position to make a change.


"If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree"


Penny

XO

* .... Just like to point out that I still have the boyfriend and as far as I'm aware I'm still his girlfriend.