“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
― Maya Angelou
Maria, Maria. I remind myself of a West Side Story. Okay. You've found it out. I'm a silly goose. And a happy soul, kid at heart. I am all about spreading kindness and love. Living life with an autoimmune disease and loving (well not all the time) every minute of it. This blog is my feelings, my thoughts, and my story. I hope you will share your own with me, too. This girl is seeking inspiration at all times.
About Me
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start! My name is Maria. I am Mexican American (si, señor)! I was born in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois on a cold November day. (I'm a little dramatic like that sometimes). And now I live in the beautifully weird city of Austin, TX, the best city in Texas-- and don't let anyone tell you any different. Whenever I get a chance, I will be happy to share my doings around the city. Also, I have a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences, and I love working with children!
I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that attacked my kidneys when I was 14 years old. My kidneys, although damaged, held up for 8 years before a second flare of my illness at 22 years old wiped them out completely. I didn't know it then, but I was so blessed to have my kidneys for so long. As I was graduating from The University of Texas, I hit end-stage renal failure and was placed on dialysis (first, hemodialysis through a permacath and then peritoneal dialysis for 2 years). Now, here I am at 25 years old with a kidney transplant donated to me by no other than (drumroll, please). . . . my super cool and super sweet Pa. I am so full of blessings that he turned out to be a match and that we are both healthy as can be today!
From my illness experience came my need to write and find ways to express myself. Thus, The Chronicles of Happy was born! (Hello, baby blog)! My idea is that I can share my life stories with you all (even if no one reads, at least I know they are out there and out of my head). I hope that my blog can be a catharsis for all of the emotions I feel, good and not-so good. :) That I can inspire others like others have inspired me. That I can use this space as a creative outlet, not only related to my illness but related to everything and everyone in my life. That I can share my journey not to happy, but my journey of finding happy in the everyday.
Aside from my illness, there is also a hippie, wild, flower child inside of me. I am in love with yoga and self-love and self-acceptance. I am a reader of American Literature novels, a baker, an animal-lover, God lover, a child that always wanted (still wants) to be a ballerina, a painter, a singer, an actress, a Youtuber, obsessed with photography and making videos, a volunteer, and a fan of sunsets all over the world. I am this and so many other things. As you are and as we all are. Oh, and I am also a new vegetarian and trying to live a cruelty-free lifestyle for the good of the world and myself of course. ;)
Well, now. Enough about me. Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself. If anyone reads this, please introduce yourself to me! I would love to know if anyone finds this interesting. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? (Please, be my friend). I am excited to be here and I hope to spread love, kindness, and positive vibes wherever I go. If I am able to do that, then my purpose in life is done, done, donezo. Let me get started on this blogging journey! Vamos, amigos!
I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that attacked my kidneys when I was 14 years old. My kidneys, although damaged, held up for 8 years before a second flare of my illness at 22 years old wiped them out completely. I didn't know it then, but I was so blessed to have my kidneys for so long. As I was graduating from The University of Texas, I hit end-stage renal failure and was placed on dialysis (first, hemodialysis through a permacath and then peritoneal dialysis for 2 years). Now, here I am at 25 years old with a kidney transplant donated to me by no other than (drumroll, please). . . . my super cool and super sweet Pa. I am so full of blessings that he turned out to be a match and that we are both healthy as can be today!
From my illness experience came my need to write and find ways to express myself. Thus, The Chronicles of Happy was born! (Hello, baby blog)! My idea is that I can share my life stories with you all (even if no one reads, at least I know they are out there and out of my head). I hope that my blog can be a catharsis for all of the emotions I feel, good and not-so good. :) That I can inspire others like others have inspired me. That I can use this space as a creative outlet, not only related to my illness but related to everything and everyone in my life. That I can share my journey not to happy, but my journey of finding happy in the everyday.
Aside from my illness, there is also a hippie, wild, flower child inside of me. I am in love with yoga and self-love and self-acceptance. I am a reader of American Literature novels, a baker, an animal-lover, God lover, a child that always wanted (still wants) to be a ballerina, a painter, a singer, an actress, a Youtuber, obsessed with photography and making videos, a volunteer, and a fan of sunsets all over the world. I am this and so many other things. As you are and as we all are. Oh, and I am also a new vegetarian and trying to live a cruelty-free lifestyle for the good of the world and myself of course. ;)
Well, now. Enough about me. Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself. If anyone reads this, please introduce yourself to me! I would love to know if anyone finds this interesting. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? (Please, be my friend). I am excited to be here and I hope to spread love, kindness, and positive vibes wherever I go. If I am able to do that, then my purpose in life is done, done, donezo. Let me get started on this blogging journey! Vamos, amigos!
A Thank You
I am so happy that you have found me. Thank you so much for visiting my home. Thank you for taking the time to read through and take this all in. I have been thinking (for what seems like years now), "I should start a blog." Or on particularly hard or amazing days, "I wish I had a blog to pour all of these thoughts and feelings into." If you have ever thought about starting a blog or you have a blog, you might now how hard it was to get yourself to start. You know what I'm talking about, right? Right! But enough waiting is enough waiting and sometimes (most of the time), you have to take action when you are not ready, because there truly will never be a perfect moment to start. So here I am stepping out of a comfort zone of not sharing myself with others. Thank you for being here and for just being! This is me.