In all of my 21 years I have never encountered something so detrimental. I have never seen something so small engulf everything in its path like it does. I have never wanted something to disappear as much as I do The Killer.
It lures. It deceives. It captures. It hooks. It harms. And it kills.
It kills dreams. It kills opportunities. It kills potential.
It takes lives right out from under people.
It collects souls in a little, tiny bag and it carries it everywhere and suffocates them until they bow before it.
It rips apart families and causes incomparable pain and anxiety.
It steals youth away from the innocent.
Its a killer.
We call this killer drugs.
My point of view is different than some in that I have explored my fair share of The Killer's territory. I haven't wandered too far into the neighborhood but enough to know I don't want to live there. It is dirty. It is dark. And most repulsive of all - it is sad. It's a very sad place to be.
And coming from a person who has seen, first hand, the effects of The Killer, I can tell you that it is not something to be taken lightly. It is serious and once it smells your interest, it won't let you go. It will have a grip on you like a snake that has locked its jaw on its victim.
Currently the victim is someone very close to me and the Killer's grip is strong.
I can't even begin to organize my thoughts into the words that would come close to explaining how I feel about this situation. Sometimes I feel nothing at all and other times I feel helpless and scared that something might happen.
I have woken up numerous times from a reoccurring dream that I can't seem to shake. In this dream I receive a call that something has happened to this person whom I care so much about. Each time I wake up I frantically check my phone to make sure it was, in fact, a dream.
After reassuring myself that everything is OK, I realize soon that nothing is actually OK. That scare being a dream only meant that I didn't receive a call that night. The Killer still has his grip on someone close to my heart. The dream simply serves as a reminder of what could happen. It is a reminder of what this person is experiencing and how deep into the Killer's territory they really are.
To us, the people adversely affected by these types of situations, it seems as though The Killer is more important to our loved ones than we are. However, I have come to realize that this is just not so. The Killer only makes it seem this way. This person who I care so much about never chose one side or the other. The Killer chooses for them when they step into its territory. If I feel helpless, I can only imagine how this person feels.
Trapped. Stuck. Imprisoned.
Imprisoned within the cells of The Killer.
Four tall, concrete walls on either side with only a slight crack and a chisel as means of escaping.
In so deep that it will take everything in their power to get out. Every ounce of will power. Every last bit of self control.
Or maybe just a statement - I NEED HELP.
Because what these people don't realize a lot of the time, is that if they help themselves, if they exert every last bit of self control and every ounce of will power they have left, there are people who will help them. There are family and friends at the top of those tall walls waiting for them to grab hold of the rope they have descended down to them. To grab it and hold it tight so that they might escape the grip of The Killer and make the climb to the top.
Unfortunately though, it is not until they grab the rope that they can be helped. They can't be lifted by the strength of others unless they take that first step themselves.
With every cell of my being, with every bit of hope, and with every last ounce of love I have in my heart for this person, I hope they can find the strength to reach up and grab that rope. I will do everything it takes to pull this person up, I just need to see some commitment, some promise, some light in their eyes.
I know it is still there.
I know you are still in there.
** This post is written without names for a reason, so please respect that decision.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Friday, July 26, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
European Challenge
My cousin has been a big help in getting me to Europe at a hugely discounted rate. Because of this, I told him he could have something from each country I visit. He responded with something I wasn't expecting but, being the adventurous person I am, I accepted the challenge.
He told me that in return for the cheap airfare he wants a photo of me "planking" by each famous landmark I visit. Now, for those of you who are unaware of the term "planking," it is a fad or an activity consisting of lying face-down in unusual or incongruous places, with both hands at the body's side, mimicking a wooden plank. People all around the world have participated in this activity and there have been documented planks in many of the places I want to visit already.
Because I am different and unique (you may use other words to describe me, but that is what I am sticking to) I do not want to be that American tourist that is planking all over the place in my khaki cargo shorts and red, white or blue visor. And although I won't be wearing a visor or khaki shorts (ever), I don't want to be pointed out and labeled as the 'dumb American tourist.'
So, my question to all of you is this: what can I do near each landmark I visit, capture in a photo and gift to my cousin as a hilarious form of repayment?
Here are a few rules I'd like to give some attention to before declaring my European Challenge:
1. It has to be funny, because it won't scream "KATIE" if it isn't.
2. It has to be respectful to culture and diversity. In other words, don't suggest I flip off the camera in front of every landmark (or anything similarly disrespectful).
3. It has to be fun and easy to capture in a photograph.
I would enjoy hearing some suggestions and input as I will be planning and preparing for this before my trip!
He told me that in return for the cheap airfare he wants a photo of me "planking" by each famous landmark I visit. Now, for those of you who are unaware of the term "planking," it is a fad or an activity consisting of lying face-down in unusual or incongruous places, with both hands at the body's side, mimicking a wooden plank. People all around the world have participated in this activity and there have been documented planks in many of the places I want to visit already.
Because I am different and unique (you may use other words to describe me, but that is what I am sticking to) I do not want to be that American tourist that is planking all over the place in my khaki cargo shorts and red, white or blue visor. And although I won't be wearing a visor or khaki shorts (ever), I don't want to be pointed out and labeled as the 'dumb American tourist.'
So, my question to all of you is this: what can I do near each landmark I visit, capture in a photo and gift to my cousin as a hilarious form of repayment?
Here are a few rules I'd like to give some attention to before declaring my European Challenge:
1. It has to be funny, because it won't scream "KATIE" if it isn't.
2. It has to be respectful to culture and diversity. In other words, don't suggest I flip off the camera in front of every landmark (or anything similarly disrespectful).
3. It has to be fun and easy to capture in a photograph.
I would enjoy hearing some suggestions and input as I will be planning and preparing for this before my trip!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
How to Self-Induce a Panic Attack: A Twelve-Step Program
Have you ever just sat alone for a minute and silently thought to yourself? I have. I did this a few days ago actually. The difference between this particular time and every other time I silently thought to myself is this: I decided in about three minutes that I wanted, no, needed to move to Spain. Seriously. All it took was three minutes to myself and my brilliant idea was to flee the country.
Don't worry, though, because the crisis was averted just a few days later. But, knowing what these few days entailed, I feel inclined to share the story of my mental breakdown. Let me take you on this short lived journey and explain the ups, downs, lefts and rights of this four day life interruption.
I've been planning and preparing for what I call my European backpacking trip. The reason I say, "what I call" is because I have been told by many people that I cannot consider it a backpacking trip when I am riding the high-speed rail from city to city. Psh.. i'm walking with a backpack attached to me for three weeks - I can call it whatever I want.
So, in thinking about this backpacking trip and all of the events that recently happened in my life (break up that I took pretty hard, graduated college, realized I saved up a lot of money over the course of the past few years) I decided that in stead of leaving for three weeks and returning to the same ol' crap, I would just flee the country and move to Spain instead. Why Spain, you ask? No idea. I just picked a country that I could pronounce. Speaking a bit of Spanish might have swayed my choice a tiny bit.
Now here I am with this idea planted in my mind like the seed of a sunflower (I hear those ones grow pretty fast). Without much care or attention, this seed had grown tall and bloomed to it's full figure within a few hours. After little research and thought I had decided that I was for sure moving to Spain. I called my mom and told her I would be visiting their house that night to talk. When this happened, I explained everything I knew (which wasn't much) and made it sound just as brilliant as it sounded to be before and they bought it. Both my mom and my dad said "Go for it!" That was a problem. A big problem.
See, usually I am a very rational person. I plan ahead; I save money for necessary items or trips I want to take; I think about consequences for actions before I do them. When I start to ease away from that, my parents are the first ones to pull me back in. When they do this, I usually listen. For example, I recently wanted to buy a puppy. My dad told me no. I went to the pound anyway and met one I wanted to take home. Instead of being an adult and deciding on my own, I sent my dad a picture of the puppy, called him and asked if he still thought it was a bad idea. He said yes. I left empty handed.
You can probably see why this was a problem now. My parents said go for it, I am now going for it, full speed. This started a whirlwind of emails, Facebook chats, questions, discussions, online research and more. I started looking at schools I could attend, intensive Spanish classes I could join, jobs to apply to, places I could live, apartments I could rent and more. You name it, I looked it up. You have a question about it? I probably asked someone, if not two people. I had friends writing their friends asking questions to relay back to me. I'm am very serious when I say this: I went crazy.
I told my roommates that they would have to find another person to rent my room. I told them I was going to sell all of my things, including my car, bedroom furniture, kitchen appliances and more. I told my ex boyfriend he wasn't going to see me for over a year because I would be 6,000 some odd miles away. I told my parents that they were going to have to ship me boxes of clothes because I can't pack it all with me on the first trip out. If anyone was serious about moving to Spain, it was me.
Then, surprise surprise, I ran into more issues. Legal issues. I had no idea how hard it was to enter into another country and stay there to live and work. Why couldn't I just to go Spain and find a job and work? It's not like they stop people from doing that in America or anything...... [insert cricket sounds here]. Yes - you could say I wasn't using my brain in the most effective way at the time. And as the story goes, I did more research and found out that this simply wasn't going to happen the way I planned (or didn't plan). However, like I said before, I was determined to move there so I decided I would wing it. That's right - I was going to move to a completely different country and decide what to do when I got there. I really lost my mind now.
After thinking about this for a night, I came to the conclusion that I should not risk it and in stead, I should make an online profile on a nanny/au pair website and become and au pair for a child who needs to be taught English. (Are you following the mind-loosing yet?) I went to school and studied Journalism and Public Relations and I am going to spend a year in Spain teaching a little boy English and picking up all of his messes. Right. Exactly.
The natural next step would be to tell my employers, so I did. I wrote a nice long email to the business consultant telling her all about my need for self-discovery and world travel and that I would be quitting instead of taking three weeks off to go backpacking. Done. Awesome. Now I am on my way to being an American nanny for a 3-year-old boy in Spain with no other plans but that.
Oh god. What did I just do? I am going to Spain to do what? Cue the mental breakdown.
Personally I have never experienced an anxiety attack. I use to work in an Emergency Room where I saw them on a daily basis, however, I had not gone through anything close to what I saw.. until today.
My heart started racing, my breathing became labored, I began perspiring, I felt a little faint and I would have broken down into tears had I not been walking down the street in public. I could not believe what I had just done. There was no way this would work. I was going to fail as soon as I got there. Then I would come home to no job, no place to live, no car, and basically no belongings. I was freaking out more than I had ever freaked out. I was worried. I was scared. I seriously felt like the world was going to come crashing down on me any second. (Dramatic, but this is apparently what a panic attack feels like.)
I called my mom. I texted a friend. I called my ex. After all these contacts with people in hopes of calming down, I quickly texted the business consultant from earlier in the story and told her the plan was off. I told her that I was having an anxiety attack just thinking about it and I was not going to go through with what I told her before.
I was so embarrassed. I knew I must have sounded like I was bat shit crazy and escaped from some looney bin down the street.
Luckily she understood and she hadn't made any decisions based on the ludicrous email I sent her.
And just like that the plan was off. I was no longer going to flee the country. I was no longer quitting my job. I was no longer selling any belongings and I had to end all communication with those friends who were frantically helping my quest to find myself.
Talk about mid-mid-mid-life identity crisis.
I blame this on my parents.
Just for laughs, I will leave you with this: If you ever find yourself wanting to make similar crazy decisions and need to refer back to the stress, anxiety, apprehension, worry or fear I forced upon myself all at the same time, here is the twelve-step process to self-induce a panic attack... enjoy.
Don't worry, though, because the crisis was averted just a few days later. But, knowing what these few days entailed, I feel inclined to share the story of my mental breakdown. Let me take you on this short lived journey and explain the ups, downs, lefts and rights of this four day life interruption.
I've been planning and preparing for what I call my European backpacking trip. The reason I say, "what I call" is because I have been told by many people that I cannot consider it a backpacking trip when I am riding the high-speed rail from city to city. Psh.. i'm walking with a backpack attached to me for three weeks - I can call it whatever I want.
So, in thinking about this backpacking trip and all of the events that recently happened in my life (break up that I took pretty hard, graduated college, realized I saved up a lot of money over the course of the past few years) I decided that in stead of leaving for three weeks and returning to the same ol' crap, I would just flee the country and move to Spain instead. Why Spain, you ask? No idea. I just picked a country that I could pronounce. Speaking a bit of Spanish might have swayed my choice a tiny bit.
Now here I am with this idea planted in my mind like the seed of a sunflower (I hear those ones grow pretty fast). Without much care or attention, this seed had grown tall and bloomed to it's full figure within a few hours. After little research and thought I had decided that I was for sure moving to Spain. I called my mom and told her I would be visiting their house that night to talk. When this happened, I explained everything I knew (which wasn't much) and made it sound just as brilliant as it sounded to be before and they bought it. Both my mom and my dad said "Go for it!" That was a problem. A big problem.
See, usually I am a very rational person. I plan ahead; I save money for necessary items or trips I want to take; I think about consequences for actions before I do them. When I start to ease away from that, my parents are the first ones to pull me back in. When they do this, I usually listen. For example, I recently wanted to buy a puppy. My dad told me no. I went to the pound anyway and met one I wanted to take home. Instead of being an adult and deciding on my own, I sent my dad a picture of the puppy, called him and asked if he still thought it was a bad idea. He said yes. I left empty handed.
You can probably see why this was a problem now. My parents said go for it, I am now going for it, full speed. This started a whirlwind of emails, Facebook chats, questions, discussions, online research and more. I started looking at schools I could attend, intensive Spanish classes I could join, jobs to apply to, places I could live, apartments I could rent and more. You name it, I looked it up. You have a question about it? I probably asked someone, if not two people. I had friends writing their friends asking questions to relay back to me. I'm am very serious when I say this: I went crazy.
I told my roommates that they would have to find another person to rent my room. I told them I was going to sell all of my things, including my car, bedroom furniture, kitchen appliances and more. I told my ex boyfriend he wasn't going to see me for over a year because I would be 6,000 some odd miles away. I told my parents that they were going to have to ship me boxes of clothes because I can't pack it all with me on the first trip out. If anyone was serious about moving to Spain, it was me.
Then, surprise surprise, I ran into more issues. Legal issues. I had no idea how hard it was to enter into another country and stay there to live and work. Why couldn't I just to go Spain and find a job and work? It's not like they stop people from doing that in America or anything...... [insert cricket sounds here]. Yes - you could say I wasn't using my brain in the most effective way at the time. And as the story goes, I did more research and found out that this simply wasn't going to happen the way I planned (or didn't plan). However, like I said before, I was determined to move there so I decided I would wing it. That's right - I was going to move to a completely different country and decide what to do when I got there. I really lost my mind now.
After thinking about this for a night, I came to the conclusion that I should not risk it and in stead, I should make an online profile on a nanny/au pair website and become and au pair for a child who needs to be taught English. (Are you following the mind-loosing yet?) I went to school and studied Journalism and Public Relations and I am going to spend a year in Spain teaching a little boy English and picking up all of his messes. Right. Exactly.
The natural next step would be to tell my employers, so I did. I wrote a nice long email to the business consultant telling her all about my need for self-discovery and world travel and that I would be quitting instead of taking three weeks off to go backpacking. Done. Awesome. Now I am on my way to being an American nanny for a 3-year-old boy in Spain with no other plans but that.
Oh god. What did I just do? I am going to Spain to do what? Cue the mental breakdown.
Personally I have never experienced an anxiety attack. I use to work in an Emergency Room where I saw them on a daily basis, however, I had not gone through anything close to what I saw.. until today.
My heart started racing, my breathing became labored, I began perspiring, I felt a little faint and I would have broken down into tears had I not been walking down the street in public. I could not believe what I had just done. There was no way this would work. I was going to fail as soon as I got there. Then I would come home to no job, no place to live, no car, and basically no belongings. I was freaking out more than I had ever freaked out. I was worried. I was scared. I seriously felt like the world was going to come crashing down on me any second. (Dramatic, but this is apparently what a panic attack feels like.)
I called my mom. I texted a friend. I called my ex. After all these contacts with people in hopes of calming down, I quickly texted the business consultant from earlier in the story and told her the plan was off. I told her that I was having an anxiety attack just thinking about it and I was not going to go through with what I told her before.
I was so embarrassed. I knew I must have sounded like I was bat shit crazy and escaped from some looney bin down the street.
Luckily she understood and she hadn't made any decisions based on the ludicrous email I sent her.
And just like that the plan was off. I was no longer going to flee the country. I was no longer quitting my job. I was no longer selling any belongings and I had to end all communication with those friends who were frantically helping my quest to find myself.
Talk about mid-mid-mid-life identity crisis.
I blame this on my parents.
Just for laughs, I will leave you with this: If you ever find yourself wanting to make similar crazy decisions and need to refer back to the stress, anxiety, apprehension, worry or fear I forced upon myself all at the same time, here is the twelve-step process to self-induce a panic attack... enjoy.
1. Have an mid-mid-mid-life identity crisis
2. Decide that fleeing the country is the absolute best thing for you at the moment
3. Confer with the adults in your life to get their opinion
4. Further consider fleeing the country
5. Tell close friends and family you will be fleeing the country
6. Research what it might actually take to flee the country
7. Decide to get a job doing something completely opposite of what you went to school for, in order to be able to support yourself in said country.
8. Write an email to the person who hired you at your perfectly good job and tell them you are fleeing the country
9. Apply to be an au pair overseas.. again, something totally opposite of what you went to school for
10. Think some more about what it's really going to take the make this country fleeing happen
11. Think about the fact that if you fail, you will come home to no car, no job, no place to stay and you will probably be broke and have to live at your parents house in the basement forever and your life, as you know it, will be over.
12. Proceed with your new self-induced panic attack
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Importance of Family
I can only speak for myself, but when it comes to my life, family is number one.
I have seen too many people, friends and family alike, choosing to put their family second (sometimes even third or fourth). This behavior baffles me. I understand that everyone's situation is different and there might be things going on behind the scenes that we are unable to see; However, there are some situations I am truly aware of and I just don't understand how people can be so selfish.
A few examples of this include:
1. Choosing a significant other over family
2. A sincere disregard for spending time with family
3. Only talking to members of the family when assistance of some kind is needed
Regarding the first example (this one in particular gets on my nerves), how is it humanly possible to disown the people who have been there for you through your childhood, adolescence, teenage years (whether you believe it or not) and even into your early adulthood, for someone you met just a few years ago? What in your mind tells you that this particular person means more to you than your own flesh and blood? What did they do that was so heroic they had to be moved up on your scale of importance? I ask myself these questions often because I just don't understand the decision. Personally, if someone does not fit well with my family, if they don't get along with my siblings and everyone dreaded the moment this person walked through the door, I would not be with that individual. Family comes first.
Now, to address the second example, I will start by saying this: one of my favorite things to do on any given weekend is sit around a fire pit with my family and neighbors, listening to music, talking, laughing, enjoying a beverage (alcoholic or other) and each other's company. If you can't enjoy this with me, kick rocks. As harsh as that may sound I am very serious. I am a family-oriented individual and if someone can't enjoy spending time with the people who are most important to me (family and adopted family alike) then it just won't work out. I sincerely dislike the fact that people can go long periods of time without spending time with their family. Again, I understand situational differences and have noted them duly. However, for those individuals who have a decent family situation and disregard opportunities to stay home instead of always being out with friends - shame on you. Family time, whether that be sitting outside on the front porch with a glass of ice water and a conversation, or going to the gym together, it all important and it's a must in my book.
Lastly, (and this one is a personal pet-peeve) only talking to people when you need something (family or not) is unacceptable. What makes people think they are so important that they can come out from under their rock, or wherever they have been secluding themselves, and ask for assistance? Now, if you are like me and have a deep, sincere love for helping others, you will probably help this individual out anyway. If you are like a lot of other people who have the backbone to say "kick rocks"and could care less how that affects this individual, you might not help them. Regardless of the outcome, it is not ok to only speak to people when you need something. This is something I truly detest. It's degrading, it's selfish and it's down right rude.
Family. First. No questions asked.
I have seen too many people, friends and family alike, choosing to put their family second (sometimes even third or fourth). This behavior baffles me. I understand that everyone's situation is different and there might be things going on behind the scenes that we are unable to see; However, there are some situations I am truly aware of and I just don't understand how people can be so selfish.
A few examples of this include:
1. Choosing a significant other over family
2. A sincere disregard for spending time with family
3. Only talking to members of the family when assistance of some kind is needed
Regarding the first example (this one in particular gets on my nerves), how is it humanly possible to disown the people who have been there for you through your childhood, adolescence, teenage years (whether you believe it or not) and even into your early adulthood, for someone you met just a few years ago? What in your mind tells you that this particular person means more to you than your own flesh and blood? What did they do that was so heroic they had to be moved up on your scale of importance? I ask myself these questions often because I just don't understand the decision. Personally, if someone does not fit well with my family, if they don't get along with my siblings and everyone dreaded the moment this person walked through the door, I would not be with that individual. Family comes first.
Now, to address the second example, I will start by saying this: one of my favorite things to do on any given weekend is sit around a fire pit with my family and neighbors, listening to music, talking, laughing, enjoying a beverage (alcoholic or other) and each other's company. If you can't enjoy this with me, kick rocks. As harsh as that may sound I am very serious. I am a family-oriented individual and if someone can't enjoy spending time with the people who are most important to me (family and adopted family alike) then it just won't work out. I sincerely dislike the fact that people can go long periods of time without spending time with their family. Again, I understand situational differences and have noted them duly. However, for those individuals who have a decent family situation and disregard opportunities to stay home instead of always being out with friends - shame on you. Family time, whether that be sitting outside on the front porch with a glass of ice water and a conversation, or going to the gym together, it all important and it's a must in my book.
Lastly, (and this one is a personal pet-peeve) only talking to people when you need something (family or not) is unacceptable. What makes people think they are so important that they can come out from under their rock, or wherever they have been secluding themselves, and ask for assistance? Now, if you are like me and have a deep, sincere love for helping others, you will probably help this individual out anyway. If you are like a lot of other people who have the backbone to say "kick rocks"and could care less how that affects this individual, you might not help them. Regardless of the outcome, it is not ok to only speak to people when you need something. This is something I truly detest. It's degrading, it's selfish and it's down right rude.
Family. First. No questions asked.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Things I've Learned from Talking with Family and Friends
We have all experienced rough times where we seek advice and comfort from those around us. Have you ever experienced 6 different directions of advice on the same subject? I have. Sometimes I leave those conversations feeling even more lost than before. However, I have learned a few important things through personal experience and conversations with family and friends that I believe are worth sharing.
1. When it comes to your heart, no one but yourself can give you the answers.
Seek out as much advice as you can but don't rely solely on what others have to say. I can't express how helpful some of my friends and family members have been just through expression of words and opinions. Sometimes you need to hear about a situation from other people to get an outside perspective. However, like I said earlier, it is important to listen to yourself as well. Don't lose yourself and your own thoughts in the midst of everyone else's. No one knows your heart the way you do, so it's nearly impossible for someone to tell you how you feel and be more accurate than the way you perceive it to be. To be simple, take advice from others and use it to aid in your own decisions, not make them for you.
2. If you hold yourself back from someone or something based on the opinions of others, you might be missing out on something your heart and soul truly need to experience.
This is similar to the above mentioned lesson but takes it a step further. If you make decisions based on what other people tell you, you are bound to miss out on something. Whether that be something fun, adventurous, life-enriching, loving, embarrassing, humbling, or other, you are going to miss out if you live your life by the standards of another person. I have recently listened to a lot of different people who gave me advice about future endeavors and although I appreciate it, it seems as though a lot of those people forgot that I have to experience life for myself rather than through the lens of another life. Similarly to the advice I received, I am now offering some of my own, so please take it as you will but make your own decisions in the end.
3. Just like excuses, opinions are like ass holes, everyone's got one and often times they are shared with us whether we like it or not (the opinions, not the ass holes).
Is there really any more that needs to be said about this? I am currently sharing opinions with you just as you are currently forming your own opinions about what I have shared and maybe even about me? Who knows? The lesson to be learned here is to not take what others say as the end-all-be-all. Make sure your final decisions are based on your own opinions, thoughts, experiences, hopes, dreams, goals, and... well you get what I am trying to say.
Welcome advice from others (it might help you more than you think) but make your own decisions.
One of my favorite things to do is talk to other people and listen to their stories (strangers and friends alike). You can learn a lot by doing just that (I mean, clearly, just look at my list above!).
Until next time..
xoxo
1. When it comes to your heart, no one but yourself can give you the answers.
Seek out as much advice as you can but don't rely solely on what others have to say. I can't express how helpful some of my friends and family members have been just through expression of words and opinions. Sometimes you need to hear about a situation from other people to get an outside perspective. However, like I said earlier, it is important to listen to yourself as well. Don't lose yourself and your own thoughts in the midst of everyone else's. No one knows your heart the way you do, so it's nearly impossible for someone to tell you how you feel and be more accurate than the way you perceive it to be. To be simple, take advice from others and use it to aid in your own decisions, not make them for you.
2. If you hold yourself back from someone or something based on the opinions of others, you might be missing out on something your heart and soul truly need to experience.
This is similar to the above mentioned lesson but takes it a step further. If you make decisions based on what other people tell you, you are bound to miss out on something. Whether that be something fun, adventurous, life-enriching, loving, embarrassing, humbling, or other, you are going to miss out if you live your life by the standards of another person. I have recently listened to a lot of different people who gave me advice about future endeavors and although I appreciate it, it seems as though a lot of those people forgot that I have to experience life for myself rather than through the lens of another life. Similarly to the advice I received, I am now offering some of my own, so please take it as you will but make your own decisions in the end.
3. Just like excuses, opinions are like ass holes, everyone's got one and often times they are shared with us whether we like it or not (the opinions, not the ass holes).
Is there really any more that needs to be said about this? I am currently sharing opinions with you just as you are currently forming your own opinions about what I have shared and maybe even about me? Who knows? The lesson to be learned here is to not take what others say as the end-all-be-all. Make sure your final decisions are based on your own opinions, thoughts, experiences, hopes, dreams, goals, and... well you get what I am trying to say.
Welcome advice from others (it might help you more than you think) but make your own decisions.
One of my favorite things to do is talk to other people and listen to their stories (strangers and friends alike). You can learn a lot by doing just that (I mean, clearly, just look at my list above!).
Until next time..
xoxo
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