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One perk of being at home with my talented housemate is collaboration. He drew it. I colored it. He finished it. (See more at ByongBark.com.)

Every day, I shall remember something good. Simple enough, ey? Good stuff does happen every day, but sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of it in the midst of our daily hustle.

Yes, it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s not hurting anyone. At the very least, by the month’s end, I’ll have 30 mini-highlights of May. At the best, who knows? :)

P.S. This was inspired by GOOD magazine’s monthly 30 Days of Good projects. You should definitely check it out.

p.s. heh, get it? elephant… TRUNK show. :D

the web version

When responding to job postings, it’s important to believe that you are the ideal fit for the position. Composing an effective cover letter or resume shouldn’t be approached as just a formality of the job search process; consider it a test of your certainty that you really are the best candidate for the given position. After all, if you don’t believe it, how can you expect to effectively convince someone else of it?

Of course having confidence can be difficult sometimes, but staying positive and having faith in yourself can help counterbalance and quell those pesky doubts. Remember that uncertainty can be just as obvious as confidence, so give yourself the advantage and choose confidence… because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you.

This is a great basic granola recipe, and I’m most excited to try variations of it soon. Luckily, I’ve found that one recipe of it disappears quickly; hence, it looks like I’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment with different flavors and additions. So far, on my personal granola flavor wishlist, I’ve got black pepper granola, bourbon bacon granola, and honey Jack granola!

In the pictured version, I made it as described below and added ½ cup of chopped roasted almonds and 3 tbsp ground flaxseed. Not only do the smokiness of the almonds and flaxseed complement the light sweetness of the brown sugar and honey already included in the recipe, but they also serve as a little nutritional boost, adding fiber and omega-3 essential fatty acids to this whole grain snack.

So far in my experience, the baking time can range anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on additional ingredients and how crunchy you want your granola to be. However, when gauging doneness, it should be noted that the granola will not be crunchy right out of the oven. Instead, it will harden and become crunchy as it cools.

I learned that I have friends who are too good to me, but probably good for me. No matter what happens, some people will be there to pick me up, hear me out, and support me. You can depend on others; they will not always disappoint you.

I learned that wounds take time to heal. The rebuilding process isn’t fun, and even after wounds scab over and heal, sometimes they scar. But these are the things that make you unique and strong.

I learned that it is possible to laugh and sob at the same time. (Don’t ask, just trust.)

I learned that when monsters creep out of the shadows, I want to hide under the covers. When the world feels like it’s spinning, my instinct is to stand still.

I learned that there are some truly awesome, helpful people in this world. There are also some really terrible, crazy ones too. Keep the good ones.