Examining human behavior is probably one of my favorite hobbies. It's not just people's gestures, micro-expressions, or eyes that I am secretly obsessed with trying to pinpoint or read, but getting to know the essence of the soul and person behind any layers or walls. Hello, my name is Anna Gray Smith, and people watching is actually a passion. People are incredib[...]
Let's just say it like it is: Breakups suck. There's no way around it. No matter how emotionally mature you are, no matter how mutual the conclusion was, no matter how respectable the breakup ended, or no matter how many telltale red flags told you to run for the hills, they suck. The human heart was not created to endure such agony. It was not created to become atta[...]
Nothing invigorates my soul more than a skeptic. I am a justice seeker and liberty enthused little lady, and digging for truth brings so much joy! It is music to my ears when a former two party system junkie, suddenly begins to question the very things they once thought were normal and/or true. I can see the great, red pill awakening a mile away. Usually it begins in[...]
It donned on me that Flo Rida (someone give me sunglasses and a downbeat, please) is literally FLORIDA's syllables broken down. Did you ever notice that?! Or is that just me? Maybe I'm late to the game. I'm a very fly by the seat of my pants little lady. I love structure and boundaries, but I equally like flexibility and spur of the moment adventures. Much of this ha[...]
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but people are going to be your ultimate letdown at some point in time. People are going to bail. People are going to do a half assed job. People are going to chronically forget. People are going to commit and fail to follow through. And sometimes, people just won't show up at all. My downfall has always been the[...]
I've been writing/drafting up a storm here lately, but this eve, I have less words and a whole array of photographical eye candy. It has been so healing to create through my lens again. 2018 - and especially 2019 - were the most stressful 2 years of my life. During that time, I lost my voice in every which way. I gave up so many pieces of myself, and my camera was on[...]
For nearly 6 years, I was a slave to perfection, unattainable standards, and an insatiable obsession to be skinny, and to feel weightless. The bar felt like it was always raised so high, and I could never quite reach it. You see... When I turned 17, everything changed. It's like I went through a time capsule in a handful of months. No; I'm serious. I got my period[...]
My alarm buzzed at 5AM. My stomach churned. All of the bags that were once packed with ambition and hopes and dreams, now served as a painful reminder of unfulfilled expectations. I brewed one last pour over on my tiny LA apartment's countertop. "Am I really doing this?" It felt like sneaking around; running like hell from a toxic relationship or person. Only, it was[...]
(Written 10/30/19) In my perfect mind, this title would be more like: "I AM BOSTON QUALIFIED AND NOW I'M TRAINING FOR A SUB 3:00:00!!!!" But alas, if anything lately, I have learned that reality has quite a funny way of smashing lofty expectations. In case you're foreign to the term "DNF" it translates to: Did Not Finish. As in - you quit during the[...]
I don't even know what day it is. Do you? No; I'm serious. I literally almost titled this "Fastbraid Friday" (Insta search #FastBraidFriday and you'll catch on), until I remembered it was Thursday. Wait. What? OHHH; right. Wednesday. It is Wednesday, right? Right. Happy Hump Day! A friend from my sisterhood tribe and I were phone chatting yesterday, and I confesse[...]