Technology is amazing. Case in point? My cousin and his wife in Florida had a baby just a little under a year ago. Almost every day, they update a Photo Stream on iCloud with new baby pictures. And I could not be more serious when I say that it is, hands down, the best part of my day.
It's the same as my mom sending me pictures of my dog (which she does often—thank you, Mom). It's a small thing, but it absolutely turns my day around. There's something unbelievably warming and reassuring about baby and dog pictures. Of course, they're adorable (ask me anytime to see the photos of my baby cousin in the pool, or for that matter, my dog in the pool—I'll gladly offer up a dozen of both).
But besides being obscenely adorable, getting these tiny glimpses into life outside of Penn actually grounds my day. It's so easy to get caught up in what I'm doing at Penn, and the small things start to feel a little too big.
I really think being at Penn means striking a balance and finding little things that make you happy. For me, it's getting surprise baby photos in a little notification at the top of my computer screen, or a sweet text of my dog curled up outside my room at home. Sometimes it's just sitting with my friends in our living room, and other times it's a phone call with my sisters.
Whatever they are, I need the small things to take me out of my little, stressful Penn world and get out of my head. And if you could use the same, let me know. I've got about a million dog pictures that might help.
