Island

I am currently doing an unpaid internship for a nonprofit, and taking a class online for credit for this internship. The last book we had to read for the class was Island by Aldous Huxley. All in all, it was a really good read, which is always a good thing about books that are assigned for class. 

The book takes place post- WWII I believe, in a fictional island called Pala. This island is a utopia of sorts, in a way that it hasn’t been effected by Western industrial expansion. The people of this country are very harmonious, and Will Farnaby, an Englishman, was shipwrecked on his way to explore the country. The Palanese take him in and show him their way of life.

I found this book really enlightening, as I find most books by Huxley. It had a theme of personal enrichment through education and work–which leads to a greater sense of harmony with others and with Nature. There was a lot of Southeast Asian religious influence, which made the book even more interesting. All in all there was a general sense of equality between all the citizens, and that equality led to a greater educated people. 

In general, I really like utopian/dystopian fiction, and this re-enforced that interest. I may just have to re-read Brave New World! 

Headspace: Meditation App

Alright, well this app isn’t technically a “purchase” yet, but it could be in the near future. 

What is Headspace? It’s an app that can be downloaded for free on your smart phone. It’s exactly what it sounds like: A meditation app. It has prerecorded meditation sessions that help you control your breathing. The first series, “Take Ten” is a ten-day program that only requires ten minutes a day. Tomorrow, I will be on Day 6, and after I’m done with all ten, I can buy a subscription that’s roughly $7 a month, I believe.

After taking a few moments out of each day to meditate, I have a few thoughts about it. Even though this is supposedly normal, I am having a very hard time focusing. There have been a few times that I’ve had clarity and absolute calmness, which I think is promising. I think the act of meditation/reflection is such as lost thing this day and age. After almost every session, I feel refreshed and alert. I honestly think the subscription would be worth it, but I’m going to do some more research about it first. An article briefly describing Headspace can be found here. 

It’s crazy how much time of my life is spent doing mindless activity, when I can take the time daily to meditate. I will update after I make the decision to subscribe or not!  

The Beginning: Danielle Here and Now

Here is just an introduction on what I hope my blog will be about. In day-to-day life, I’ve recently found myself in a slump of doing nothing intriguing or worth writing. As someone who values words, I find this troubling. Like Lana Del Rey puts it–I have summertime sadness. When I don’t have a set schedule, I tend to get lazy, so hopefully keeping up a blog will help me stay refreshed on what I’m doing. I don’t plan on this being a big hit, and I’m not doing it for recognition. Hopefully in a decade or so I’ll be able to look back on this blog and get memories of what I’ve been up to.

So: A few things about me.

I am a 20 year old student who is from Northern Illinois. I moved to Chicago to go to school, where I am studying English and Business. This is my first summer in the city, and I have been babysitting as a main source of income. I also intern at a non-profit at the moment. I plan on making this an electronic diary of sorts. Maybe a bit of a happier twist on some simple words:

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”-Ernest Hemingway 

With that in mind, I hope as a general part of my daily reflection and meditation, I take some time to jot down some things here. I have a tendency to do things like this with nothing ever coming of it, so hopefully this will work. Cheers!