Just Like A Dream

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

- H. Jackson Brown

I believe that no matter how irrelevant, we must not only chase our dreams... but make them reality. Call it optimism or idealism, but I would like to think that dreams do country... if you work hard for them. The day I wore this outfit was exactly that...like a dream. I never thought I would enjoy the day being in a place that was cold (yes, bring me anywhere cold and I am not a happy girl). But then I came to realize that sometimes, it isn't so much about where you are or what is around you but so much about being with the people you care and love most. This day was like that. For lack of a better way to explain it, allow me to go in detail. I am in a much better place now. I know it sounds silly, but I think I am at a place where everything turned out to be right for me, all my problems have not exactly been solved but I have come to accept them as they are and I am finally finally happy... I find that the progress I’ve made in my life and the adult that I’m becoming has made me more aligned as an individual- I finally know what matters to me and what doesn't simply because I got my life on track and opened myself up to so many new possibilities. I didn't really know how to go about this all before as I seemed to always distract myself with unnecessary things. I was basically going through life as if in a daze because I didn't know any other way to go about it. However, once it was clear to me what I wanted to do and the person I wanted to be, it set the path for me to move forward and make my dreams real. There is no better feeling than finally knowing what you want and going through the process of trying to get it.

 Yellow Wool Coat: Romwe

Black Sweater: Zara

Black Tights: Zara

Black Studded Ankle Boots: Zara

Crocodile Skin Blue Lucrezia Bag: Givenchy (also worn HERE)

Moving on...the setting of the place where I wore this outfit was simply amazing. Of course since I had to protect myself from the elements, I made sure to keep myself warm...and that is perhaps the only thing I love about being in Highlands... I can layer.  So I wore a yellow coat which kept me warm and layered that over a black sweater and leggings. It was the most practical outfit but I loved the burst of color that the coat provided. I think my happiness  shows in how I look... there is a certain calmness and self-assuredness with how I am... no matter what I am wearing. It was such an effortless and soothing day spent with my family- the loves of my lives and who else better to dress up for, right?

Everyone wants to be happier but no one thinks to ask themselves how. Well, life surely didn't give us a manual on how to attain happiness but we are continuously in the pursuit of that. We dream big and we dream small... the worst thing a person can resign themselves to is not to dream at all. There is only so much we can do and sometimes, due to external factors we do things which end up with our dreams misplaced because we are too busy chasing other things. The best thing that we were ever given though was the ability to try. When it feels right, you will know and you are going to do it for no other reason except that you can't not. The funny thing is- you will actually never know when that is going to happen until it is actually already happening. If there is anything that being an Executive Director for a scholarship foundation is that I get to see- firsthand- people who are deprived of so much and how despite all the curve balls they have been given, they have the ability to still dream. I usually wonder how many people do not dream at all because they do not believe that they are capable of achieving and it breaks my heart. Seeing these students fighting against that resignation to despair gives me hope. Their dreams may be much simpler compared to someone who has had it all from the get go but I believe that just because they are simple makes them any more significant. Doing and going for the things we want is how we become out best selves. Life is about potential, I learned but to get there, I had to get outside of what I already know and rediscovering a brand new side of myself. This. Doing this is my dream. I immerse myself in doing this because I love it. Because it brings me profound happiness that I never actually got to experience before. I will keep on doing this and staying put because even if it breaks my heart and blows my mind, somehow, what I learn from what I am seeing opens my eyes to new dimensions and perspectives to life. Because it gives me clarity like I have never had before and well, I can see clearly now. And as far as dreaming goes, I want to be able to know how to hold the door open for other people's dreams. And then I am fulfilled.

Photos by: Celyn Jaravata

xx, JL