☀️ WELCOME TO LIVING BY THE SUNSHINE!!!
Hi, sunshine! ☀️
My name is Beatriz D. Rivero, and I’m 30 years old.
And somehow, I have had this blog for over a decade.
Yes… you read that correctly.
A decade.
I honestly couldn't remember exactly when I started it, so naturally, I did what any responsible adult would do…
I went digging through my own blog archives. 😂
And guess what I found?
March 31, 2014.
I conquered my laziness, y’all! 😂
Which means I started this blog when I was still in high school because, fun fact, I graduated high school in June of 2014.
And now here I am, all these years later, still writing.
Except…
I’m not the same girl who started this blog.
Not even close.
And that's actually what Living by the Sunshine is all about.
🌻 BEFORE THE ACCIDENT
Before my accident, I had a lot on my mind.
I had dreams.
Opinions.
Things I wanted to say.
Things I wanted to do.
But there was one little problem…
I was shy.
Like, really shy.
I often worried about what people thought of me.
Would people judge me?
Would they think I was weird?
Would they disagree with me?
Would they laugh?
So sometimes, instead of doing what I wanted to do, I stayed quiet.
I played it safe.
I kept certain thoughts to myself.
And honestly?
I let fear make decisions for me.
Then life changed.
🚗 THE ACCIDENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
On May 22, 2015, when I was 19 years old, I was involved in a car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury.
And no…
I'm not going to pretend that everything magically became perfect afterward.
It didn't.
Recovery came with challenges I never expected.
There were things I had to relearn.
Things that became harder.
Things I had to adapt to.
And there were days when I wondered what my life was going to look like now.
But something else happened too.
The shy girl started disappearing.
I don't even know exactly when it happened.
Maybe surviving something that completely changed my life gave me a different perspective.
Maybe I realized that life is way too short to spend it constantly worrying about other people's opinions.
Maybe I simply stopped caring as much.
Whatever it was…
Something changed.
I started speaking up.
I started putting myself out there.
I started sharing my story.
I started trying things I never thought I would.
And most importantly…
I started living.
🌞 WHAT DOES “LIVING BY THE SUNSHINE” EVEN MEAN?
It doesn't mean my life is always sunshine and rainbows.
Because let's be honest…
Sometimes life is messy.
Sometimes you cry.
Sometimes you get frustrated.
Sometimes your plans fall apart.
Sometimes you take three steps forward and somehow end up taking five steps backward.
Sometimes you have absolutely no idea what you're doing.
And sometimes you just need to eat something, take a nap, and try again tomorrow. 😂
Living by the Sunshine isn't about pretending the darkness doesn't exist.
It's about remembering that the sun is still there.
Even when you can't see it.
For me, sunshine represents hope, growth, resilience, courage, and new beginnings.
It represents choosing to find something good even when life doesn't go according to plan.
It means learning how to live your life instead of constantly waiting for your life to become perfect.
💛 THIS IS YOUR REMINDER TO STOP PLAYING SMALL
If you're reading this because you're afraid to start something…
Start.
If you're afraid people will judge you…
Let them.
If you're waiting until you're confident enough…
You might be waiting forever.
Confidence doesn't always come before you do something.
Sometimes confidence comes because you did it scared.
I know that now.
I've learned that overcoming fear doesn't necessarily mean that you stop being afraid.
It means you decide that your fear doesn't get to control your life anymore.
And trust me…
I'm still learning this lesson myself.
I'm still becoming the woman I want to be.
I'm still figuring things out.
I'm still making mistakes.
I'm still growing.
And that's okay.
Because life isn't about becoming a perfect version of yourself.
It's about becoming a more authentic version of yourself.
🌻 WHY I CREATED LIVING BY THE SUNSHINE
This blog is my little corner of the internet where I can talk about life, growth, recovery, confidence, relationships, adulthood, travel, self-discovery, surviving difficult seasons, and everything in between.
Sometimes we'll talk about serious things.
Sometimes we'll talk about completely random things.
Sometimes I'll share lessons I've learned from surviving a traumatic brain injury.
Sometimes I'll talk about things I'm currently struggling with.
And sometimes…
I'll probably just tell you about something ridiculous that happened to me. 😂
Because that's real life.
I don't want Living by the Sunshine to be a place where I pretend I have everything figured out.
I want it to be a place where we can say:
“I'm still figuring it out too.”
☀️ YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT
If you've been waiting for the “right time” to start living your life…
This is your sign.
Start the blog. Apply for the job. Take the trip. Make the video. Start the business. Wear the outfit. Say what you mean. Try the hobby. Make the first move. Set the boundary. Chase the dream. Take the picture. Post the thing. Do the thing you've been talking yourself out of.
And if you're scared?
Do it scared.
Because one day, you might look back and realize that the thing you were so afraid of was actually the beginning of something beautiful.
🌞 WELCOME TO YOUR NEW FAVORITE CORNER OF THE INTERNET
So…
Welcome to Living by the Sunshine. 🌻
Welcome to my little corner of the internet.
Welcome to the lessons, the laughs, the setbacks, the glow-ups, the questionable decisions, the adventures, and all the moments in between.
I'm Beatriz.
I'm 30.
I'm a writer, a social worker, a creator, a survivor, a dreamer, and a woman who is still becoming.
And after everything I've been through, I've learned one thing:
You don't have to wait for life to become perfect before you start enjoying it.
You just have to learn how to find your sunshine.
And sometimes…
you have to become your own sunshine. ☀️
So if you've been waiting for permission to live YOUR best life…
Consider this your permission slip.
Welcome to Living by the Sunshine.
I'm so glad you're here. 💛
Now let's see where this journey takes us. 🌻
💬 YOUR TURN
What's something you've been afraid to do that you've always wanted to try?
Tell me in the comments.
And remember:
Slowed doesn't mean stopped.
Setbacks don't mean the story is over.
And your best days don't have to be behind you.
☀️ Keep finding your sunshine.
