danii california

I went to Terrigal High school. Now I am a psychology student at the University of Newcastle & the more I learn, the more I love it. I am so thankful that I made it. I’m mature, mostly immature. Time I find flies by too fast. My mind has a tendency to wander. I spend a lot of time reading & thinking. Sometimes it’s obvious I don’t quite fit in, my life is so different to others my age. I may seem naive because I haven’t been able to experience many of the normal milestones in growing up, but I’ve grown in ways far beyond my own comprehension. I find joy in the smallest things. I like watching the sky to make myself feel small. I like to reading news stories for a little perspective. I like watching the rain to know that life always goes on. I like sitting by the ocean as my problems seem to fade. I like finding lyrics that speak my inner most thoughts. I like standing on the edge of cliffs as I feel so alive with the wind in my hair. I like googling my name just to prove I exist. I like checking PostSecret every Sunday. I like to look at old photos of myself & imagine all I could tell that girl if our times were to collide. Photography is my way of showing others the world through my eyes. I don’t care for externalities, like money or possessions, they’re not my goals. I would like to drift happily through my days, expanding my mind, growing, travelling here and there, seeing things, remembering, making simple memories & hopefully making a difference in peoples’ lives, as they do mine. There’s so much in this world I want to experience. One day I would love to swim with dolphins.

Every second brings about a change; you can never really know yourself from one minute to the next. Treasure every smile, every laugh, every second of life. We can never go back, the present is all we ever have. I believe that things will get better one day. I need that hope. In times of adversity lessons are learnt. Friendships are lost, others strengthened. Sadness becomes despair. Tears are cried. Challenges bring us down but are overcome. Happiness is found. Dark times turn to hope. Everything passes. I need to believe these days will come to an end, and when they do I’ll feel like I’ve been set free from a prison. Always remember, you never know what you’ve got until its gone. So appreciate everything you have in this moment before its too late. A smile wouldn’t mean anything if there were never any tears. The value of health is only realised once it is lost. The bad times make the good so priceless. They allow us to see how amazing everything in life is. Instead of always wishing for something more, learn to be happy and appreciate what you've got now. Being happy isn’t about having everything in your life perfect. Live each day moment by moment and smile simply because you are alive and able to experience all the ups and downs of life. So long as I allow myself to move forward & take each twist in the road as it comes, I know I will be okay.

As I stand upon the shore today, a million footprints lie behind me, a million more still to be travelled. I have come so far yet nothing has changed. The world around me is so much the same; it is only I that has grown. Nothing can steal your hope; nothing can silence your courage; nothing can extinguish the fire within your soul unless you let it. These are my footprints. This journey is mine.

happiness is what you choose it to be