A New Day Begins

Every once in a while someone tells me I should start a blog, and my almost immediate response is, "What would I write about? My life is not interesting, and those parts that are usually aren't things I'm willing to share with anyone."

Well, I'm doing it. I'm starting a blog. My name is Georgia. I'm eighteen and I live in Queensland, Australia. I just graduated high school, recently got accepted into university, and I also started preparing to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm a Mormon, and I'm happy about it. I start university in a month and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life writing, travelling, and eating. Of course, that isn't exactly possible but I'll give it my best shot.

So, I don't really know what prompted this one. Okay, I lie, I do. Over the last two months of my life, everything has changed, and yet nothing has changed at the same time. I went from a quite high school graduate whose expectation in life was to be invisible, to well, this. Open and honest, eighteen and fresh faced, and completely ready to take on the world. And I know a lot of you might be thinking that this won't last long, but I've come to learn something quite recently. 

"Every day is a new day."

I don't know what that means to you, but to me it means I can start my life again and do things differently. This time I can choose my influences and my adventures, and I can choose which direction the sun shines. 

Each day is a new one and every time I think about that, going through another day is a little easier. For a lot of my life I've struggled with how I viewed myself and how others viewed me. And maybe I did a few (thousand) stupid things that got me into trouble. And maybe I got buried in a depression that seemed never ending. But each day is a new one. It's a chance to take another step forward. If I can tackle my life one step at a time, then things get a lot easier. 

So a few weeks ago I met this really cool chick called Kourtney (As seen above) and we got talking and she seemed like the most legitimately cool person in the world and I literally had no idea how to handle that. I was a quiet one, remember? I had no idea what to do when it came to being awesome but she is completely awesome. 

So, we got talking and we got close. I'm still not entirely sure how or why, and neither is she. But we're embracing it as best we can. 

However, she gave me some advice, she said, "You sound a lot like I used to me, unsure of yourself. Full of personality, but only those around you who are close get to see that side of you. You are willing to make friends but find it hard to be the one to take the first step. I don't know if you see it yet, but you have so much going for you! Not to mention... you have such a strong spiritual presence about you, it's amazing. YSA [YSA stands for Young Single Adults which is a program created especially for people aged 18-30, and it's something I've only just come to understand as, if anything, a miniature village inside our vast city] is a great place for people like us, it pushes us to put ourselves out there. Georgia, take the time before you leave on your mission to go on a personal journey. Discover you, become the best version of yourself. I'm lucky, I saw that before I even fully knew you. I was like, this chick is awesome! I feel like you still need to figure that out."

Well here I am Kourt. The beginning of my personal journey. And I have no idea where to begin. But I'm just going to start.

New Year is a special time for thinking about a New Day as well. My New Year was spent on a beach after we attended a ball [Yes, it was an actual ball; formal event and everything] and most people attempted to stay up to see the sun rise. I didn't last nearly as long as everyone else, crashing at 4am after an American backpacker I'd met four days previous asked to walk me back to my room. Something that doesn't usually happen.

It was at this time that I decided my year would be different. That I would make an effort to be a new me. Not a different me, but a new one. A better one. I would still retain my love of literature and rainy days, and I would still keep in touch with those friends who kept me safe when times got tough. But I would treat them better, and I would treat my family better. And I would love more and I hate less. I would think before I speak and serve others just because I want to. I would look for the things that "don't usually happen" because no day is exactly the same as the last.

So this morning when I got out of bed, to start my journey, I prayed. I prayed for a good day. And then I made my mother a cuppa, and I did the dishes, and I folded the laundry. I spent less time glued to my phone and ignoring my parents. I sung to my sister and I read a little bit more. 

I guess the point is, for this entire blog, I'm going to detail the idea of A New Day; where nothing is the same and the only thing better than today is tomorrow. Everyone needs what a new day stands for; hope, love, forgiveness, freshness. A clean slate. A start.

So let's start. Right now.