Kindness Costs Nothing

This is the first post I've written that mentions my work. I never thought I'd write something like this, I didn't think there'd ever be a reason to. But today, the line was crossed for me. Working in retail is difficult at times and especially when it's busy. Every staff member does their absolute best and most to make sure the business continues to run smoothly even during these periods. However, there are times when we can't sit back and simply "take it" anymore. Most of our customers are fantastic, I will be honest and tell you that. Sadly, there are a few who tarnish that viewing occasionally. For example, this afternoon I had a middle-aged man verbally abuse me ("filthy c***" & "f***ing bas**** to be exact) and it was appalling. Never once have I been treat so horrifically by another person in my life. Instead of shaming this man, I'd rather spread more kindness than hatred. After the hatred I received today over something so trivial; I'd rather not spread more of that anger/hatred. It's not in my nature to react that way. As hurt and threatened by this encounter as I was, I won't let it ruin my good nature, and I won't let it bring me down.

Later on a lady stopped by and asked if it was ok for her to sit down as she'd just been to physio and her back was crippling her. Instead of saying no and banishing her, I let her sit and in the mean-time brought her a free hot chocolate because she was having a hard enough day as it was, I didn't want it to become any worse for her. After that she profusely thanked me for my kindness, and I felt so much better knowing I'd brightened up another persons day by doing something so simple. By no means am I an angel, and nor will I ever claim to be. There are plenty of others who display similar acts of kindness daily, and you're honestly all amazing. I have been raised with the right morals that I've lived by my entire life so far. As the title of this post states, kindness costs nothing. A little can often go a long way. It's true that you never know what another person is struggling with and sometimes, we as humans just need a little extra love to help us through the day. There's enough hatred circulating in this world to begin with and it's about time people stopped adding to it. Please, spread love and kindness rather than hatred and abuse. The latter will never get you anywhere, and the older you get the more you'll regret the things you said and did to people and how you hurt them. Where's the point of bringing yourself and others down? Being a bully will get you nowhere; it'll turn you into a monster. I'm certain that the majority of people were not raised in a manner that made make them so negative towards others. And even if you were, don't become the person everyone else labelled you to become. You're worth so much more than that.

The bottom line is that life is too short. We need to live in the moment. Spread as much love, kindness and happiness as we possibly can. At the same time, we need to defend ourselves when necessary with words because they will change people's perspective during conflict; actions will not. Being physically abusive will only land you in further trouble; don't stoop to that level. Also, don't be verbally abusive; use your words to invoke thought and change rather than negativity. Every single one of you has a purpose in life; you're all worth so much more than you could ever imagine. Live your life to the fullest, and in the meantime be the best you can be. I believe in all of you, and hope that your futures are filled with more joy, kindness and love than you know what to do with!

Thank you for your support thus far with the blog, and my best wishes to all of you in whatever you're doing with your life at the moment. Everything will get better if it isn't so great already.

Until Next Time,

Luce xo

Luce Reviews: The Foxhole Court

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic follows the story of Neil Josten who becomes a member of Palmetto State University's (PSU Foxes) Exy team. His upbringing has been far from simple as he is the son of the murderous crime lord known as 'The Butcher'. After being on the run for the majority of his life, he's used to moving from place to place on short notice. However, joining PSU's Exy team takes him down an unsure path and one that lacks escape routes. Neil knew the risks of joining PSU Foxes but initially had no choice but to accept the offer. This Exy team is often a part of live broadcasts meaning hiding from the sports news channels was an impossibility. Unfortunately, this leaves Neil at a disadvantage as he could easily be tracked down by the his father and killed if he were to discover it was him. The lies he tells others can only withstand the strain of time and his other team members for so long, before his truths can be discovered he plans to move onto his next destination. One of the members of the Exy team happens to be an old friend and he can't leave him behind again. Neil has to come to the decision on whether or not this Exy Team is worth risking his life for. After 8 years he's finally found a place where he feels he belongs: should he stay or should he go?

That's the general synopsis of the book and even writing that got me excited. Honestly, this book is incredible and I completely understand why people rave about it. Every character in this book has a story to tell, and each one is as brutal and horrific as the last. The best thing about this book is that it leaves no story untold. You find out about each of the character's backstories and why they became a member of the Foxes exy team. The truth is that each character has come from a miserable background and the coach, David Wymack, picks each member based on their brokenness. Exy is basically a rougher version of Lacrosse and there's no saying what injuries could be made while out on the court. They all live and breathe the sport.

In saying all this I must explicitly warn you all of the books triggers. There is a lot of violence, drugs and mental health issues are frequently mentioned. At times, they can be graphically explained so I'd suggest avoiding this book if those topics are not something you'd want to read about. The book itself isn't completely realistic, either. Of course it's not, it's a fictional novel and there's a lot of times when you could be left thinking, "That really wouldn't happen". So if you're super-duper into realism then this book won't be for you. In fact, you'd be better off reading a non-fiction piece if that's what you're after.

Honestly, I adored this book. There wasn't a time when I lost interest in it as there's so many plot twists it's hard not to want to find out what happens next. It's easy to become invested in the character's well-beings as parts of their struggles can be related to. Exy is easily understandable as Sakavic has done an amazing job of describing exactly how it's played. It's a shame it's not a real sport. I guess health and safety would be against it ever being played, and we don't want to upset them! God forbid!

I'd recommend this book to anybody. It's so beautifully written, even with the minor grammatical mistakes here and there. This book can be bought on Amazon - Paperback edition is £7, but it's mainly an e-book and it's free! Seriously, a book this good deserves all the love a reader can give. Don't pass on the opportunity to read it, you won't regret it!

Until next time,

Luce xo

Our Time in NYC

Believe it or not, I've returned! I'd like to apologise for being MIA for so long but life got in the way and blogging took a backseat. Finding the time to get back into it was nearly impossible because I've been super busy with work. However, I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes from here on out. Think of this as a mini 'fresh start', if you will.

Holiday's can - quite literally - be a blessing from God after working hard all year round. Everyone needs a breather and some excitement from time to time. Well, I've had a huge amount of excitement over the past week. Visiting New York City was a dream come true. From the skyscrapers to Broadway and everything in between it's truly magical. I've fallen in love with this city. To be able to experience NYC even for a short period of time can change your perspective on not only America, but the world as a whole. Being able to witness such beauty up close is enough to make you want to see more of what the world has to offer. We spend so much time focusing on the bad in this world; it's time we started focusing on the good.

We traveled with Thomas Cook and the flight was faultless both ways. The lack of legroom on the Airbus on our return flight was troublesome, though. So, I'd recommend going premium if you can afford to. For 5 nights, I stayed with some friends at the 4* Novotel in Times Square. Honestly, even the hotel itself was quite extravagant. For central New York, the bedrooms were fairly large as well. In fact, everything in New York is large.

Time Square, New York City: Skyscrapers Galore.

Of course, the food portions in America have always been humongous. It's difficult to finish a meal, and yet you struggle through it because it's so delicious. One morning, we came across 'Andrew's Cafe' which is near to Macy's on 34th Street. Holy moly, if you want to eat good pancakes I highly recommend this place (the strawberry ones are divine). Not to mention the iced mocha (as seen on the pic below) which is just as delicious.

Just looking at them makes me drool...

If you wend your way to the Upper East Side at any point look out for Sarabeths. Even though they're pricey - our breakfasts were $17.50 each (excluding tips) - it's so worth splashing out for a beautifully cooked meal. The French Toast was superb. 

Moving on, I'd recommend purchasing a NY CityPass before you go on holiday here. These ticket booklets will save you a heck of a lot of money instead of forking out a small fortune every time you want to visit an attraction. Also, they're handy for skipping queues meaning you get far quicker access to the attractions. Speaking of attractions, here's a few we went to see during our trip.

The Empire State Building

Needless to say, this place was incredible. The easiest way to fall in love with NYC is to go to the 86th floor of this building and gaze out across the city. Honestly, the height is terrifying at first but you quickly get over it. As you can imagine, there were security checks at every attraction, so you have to be prepared for those. With the CityPass, you can go up The Empire State Building twice in one day. Once during the day, and the next at night. However, there are time restrictions so be wary of those. You can only go to the night time session after 10pm which may be difficult with younger kids.

9/11 Memorial Museum

Truthfully, I find it difficult writing about visiting here. It's wonderful that the memory of all those victims stays alive but it was harrowing. You have to prepare yourself mentally before going inside. Of course, it's not supposed to be easy when you visit here. It's purpose is to make you aware of the devastation and heartache the events of 9/11 caused to all involved. Personally, I didn't take any pictures whilst inside the museum because it felt somewhat disrespectful to me. Additionally, seeing people taking selfies whilst they were smiling til their cheeks could split didn't bode well with me either; but what can you do? Everybody has their own way of moving on from tragic circumstances. 

Statue of Liberty

Be prepared for the heat when you visit the Statue, especially during the summer months because there's limited air-con on Ellis Island and there's none on the cruise. The queuing before going through security can also take up quite a lot of time. Although this wasn't my favorite attraction, I did enjoy it. The views of the Manhattan skyline were stunning. That's a sight I could never tire of seeing. 

Top of the Rock

The views from Top of the Rock were picturesque. Being able to see The Empire State building and central park from the observatory deck was a huge bonus. Standing on the observatory deck and being able to see all these massive skyscrapers spreading out for miles was enough to make you feel like the size of an ant. And yet, strangely, it didn't seem daunting. It added to the excitement of being in NYC. 

Broadway: Jersey Boys

I'm all for a good musical, I love them. However, I have a confession to make. When we went to see Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre I dozed off. I tried desperately to keep myself awake but with the air-con blasting and the comfy seats making me all snuggly... I couldn't help but let exhaustion take over. In saying this, I wouldn't want to discredit the actors because regardless of how much I saw of the show, they did a splendid job. It wasn't their fault I fell asleep, I promise! All jokes aside, I would highly recommend going to see any Broadway show whilst in NYC because it's an amazing experience. 

Baseball: Yankees VS. Red Sox

Truthfully, I'm not into sports much. I'll watch the odd football and tennis match every now and then, but I'm not fussed. After going to this baseball match, I'm quite sure I'm a lover of this particular sport. It's easy to follow and the atmosphere was electric. I swear we did about 10 Mexican waves and the YMCA... and seriously now, who doesn't love doing the YMCA? They sell the best lemonade at these matches; make sure to get yourself a cup if you go to one. In order to get to and from the match, we travelled via the Subway which is nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be. If we're making comparisons, it's similar to the tube in London (so I've heard) or the metro. It gets extremely hot and stuffy at the stations though as there is no air-con. 

All in all, this city is beyond your wildest dreams. Sure, the hussle and bussle of a huge city isn't for everyone and that's cool. I truly feel like no matter who you are, you would be able to fall in love with New York City. If I could afford to, I'd move there in a heartbeat. It's made me realise that I want to travel the world now more than ever. While I'm still young, why not go for it? Of course, it's a ridiculously expensive holiday, but it's worth every penny. Do not pass up on the opportunity to visit NYC because you'll regret it. 

Until next time,

Luce xo

Introducing Me...

*Nick Jonas begins to sing in a far away land* "do do do, do do do"

Just kidding!

I thought for a beginning post introducing myself would be a good idea.

For starters, if you're even reading this first post, thank you kindly! I'm Lucy (that was probably obvious, but I also get called Luce), 18 years of age and living in the United Kingdom. Admittedly, I'm not the greatest fan of living here, but alas I must do so!

Creative writing and reading are my two main passions in life; they bring me more happiness and joy than anything else can. Precisely why I decided to create a blog as a place where I can share my thoughts on pressing matters and such like. This blog will contain (hopefully) many rambling ranging from matters close to my heart to reviews and everything in between.

Getting a foot in this kind of platform is going to be difficult, I imagine, considering the amount of blogs already circulating the web. However, I do love a challenge and this seems like a one I want to take on.

Also, I have a great fondness for dogs, mostly pugs. Kind of stereotypical among teens these days I guess, but hey, they're adorable so why not? I have an intense love for music - intense because it varies vastly from one day to the next - it'll either make or break my day. Disney is one of my absolute favourite things in the entire universe... I will one day fulfil my greatest dream of becoming a Disney princess. I'm joking, of course, as if I could ever become a Disney princess, but one can dream. Another thing you must know about me, I'm a green tea junkie. Food - an unavoidable source of everyday life - is another thing I love. Baking is something I take great pleasure in; there may even be some posts involving some home-baked and store bought goods if they're worthy of a post. But besides that, I (try and) work out as regularly as possible, it's possibly the best distressing tool in the world alongside reading - well, in my opinion. Also, I go to a lot of concerts - I'm a concert junkie as well, I just can't help myself!

Anyway, I'm fairly certain that for the time being that's all I've got to share about myself! I hope I haven't bored any of you to death, I do try my best to be as exciting as possible. Although, it's a struggle. Hopefully, you'll stick around for more of my blog posts in the future!


Until next time,

Luce xo