inspiration

The Best Part of My Day

The best part of my day is…
Striking up a conversation with a stranger on the subway platform.
Bumping into a classmate on the train.
Tipping the barista who always has my Starbucks order ready for me in the morning. 
Listening to a co-worker as she sings (seriously) the whole way to her desk.
Laughing at whoknowswhat all day long.
Sitting outside on a park bench with friends during lunch.
Brainstorming with the smartest women I know on a whiteboard painted wall.
Gathering the office for a midday coffee break.
Meeting over sweet treats with an old friend after work.
Swapping book recommendations on the train.
People watching from my apartment’s stoop.
Forcing my UES friends to eat guacamole with me.
Lying in bed with a can’t-put-it-down book.
The best parts of my day are the times I spend with people. The real life, real world interactions I have. Don’t get me wrong, I love Instagram and Twitter and blogging… but that’s simply not the best parts of my day. Yeah, getting likes on Instagram is nice… and getting a retweet makes me feel like maybe (just maybe) I might be funny, and writing is an amazingly cathartic to me. But those feelings are kind of fleeting and definitely not deep. I get a lot more from one solid minute of oh-my-goodness-I-am-getting-an-ab-workout laughing than 1,000 likes on a filtered Instagram photo.
The other day, I was thinking about how interesting my life looks on social media. When in fact, I spend so much of my day sitting at a desk at work or, if I’m lucky, on my couch with my laptop. I do enjoy it, so it’s not like I want to stop…
But I think I need to remember to place a lot more weight on the best parts of my day. Not just what looks good in a square photo on a phone. Or whatever. The best parts of my day are the things I REALLY care about… and the things that I value and treasure and will remember forever and ever.
Living in NYC is certainly filled with the most intriguing, hilarious, thought-provoking, what-was-I-thinking moments. I honestly tend to not share those because I don’t want the story to lose anything when I publish it. I want to look back and remember those moments in my head for exactly what they were (or, more realistically, how my memory chooses to store it).
A co-worker sent this video around and it is amazing. You must watch it.
It’s just a simple reminder that we really are so plugged in. I don’t think it’s a terrible thing. (I’ve met a lot of my friends though Twitter. I get to talk to you all every day on my blog. I can video chat with long-distance friends every Sunday night. Email allows us to quickly communicate with anyone in the world. Technology is providing real solutions for real world problems.)
But what makes us human happens offline.
So… I ask you, what’s the best part of your day?

xoxo
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19 Comments

Southern Charm

So true! Def need to spend more time unplugged and not feeling guilty about it either. My favorite time of the day is after work, when all my friends get together for a game of sand volleyball or touch football just to have fun and hang out with each other.

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Jenn

That is such an awesome YouTube clip! Definitely reminds us how we are living and how we should be living instead!

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Virginia Melo Ferreira Sousa

I have to say it's having breakfast with friends. It doesn't happen everyday, but when we are together it's the best feeling every. Reading your post made me realize that I spend most of my time plugged in.

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Hunter Thiers

The best part of my day would have to be interning in the place I love. I can't wait to make my daily commute downtown and see all of the happy faces I work with every day. I absolutely love working with kids and helping them to learn. It makes me feel like I am making a difference in the world.

Hunter

preponabudge.blogspot.com

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Ashley Rizzardo

I think my favorite part is the one person at work who instead of simply going through the usual graces with my wants to actually stop and chat (ask about my day and interests or pay me a compliment) That person always makes my day. But I also love the feeling of walking through my front door at the end of the day an knowing I have a relaxing night ahead of me.

Ashley
http://allthatglitters.co.nr

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Kate Mitchell

It sounds like you're doing a great job of making time for the good parts of life (and maybe not pushing yourself to brink as much?).

The best part of my day recently has been getting surprise messages from my boyfriend. He spent the last month abroad, in areas of the world where 1) wi-fi is less and 2) violence is more. Getting a message from him, even just a "hi :)", was never taken for granted.

Kate
katethealmostgreat.blogspot.com

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Kelly Meyerhofer

This is an AMAZING post. People need to stop doing things only for it to be captured on social media and start doing things they actually enjoy!

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Fiona Stevenson

The best part of my day while I'm at school is getting dinner with friends. We generally find a time that works for all of us and would hang out afterwards and chat for hours on end. During the summer, the best part of my day is the morning!

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Alexandra Steinmetz

Carly, it seems as though New York is really changing you. And I mean that as such a compliment. It's been awesome to follow your blog as you grow and change and evolve in this terrifying and amazing city. I can definitely relate and really appreciate that you're acting like such a sounding board for so many young women out there who are facing similar feelings. Thank you!

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Maggie

The best part of my day is in the evenings when I lay down and my cat is snuggling next to me and we fall asleep together;)

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C Greene

i think you need a great therapist – your blog is becoming really pathetic. Great clothes, sad entries. God Bless Brunch

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Brooke Blevins

The best part of my day is reading your posts! I always look forward to reading them. Thank you so much for religiously posting every day, Carly.

Brooke
bowtiesandballetflats.blogspot.com

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