Spontaneity

"If a man knows not what

harbor he seeks

 any wind is the right wind."



I may be one of the most indecisive people I know.   I suppose this quality of mine is what they call both  a “blessing and a curse.”  Choosing an entrée at restaurants with an exhausting task; as is grocery shopping.  As annoying as this may be to me, and whoever it is accompanying me, I find that indecisiveness tends to benefit me more often than not. 

As I have gotten older I have put in the practice the unwritten rule of “go with what feels right.”  When I have an important decision to make I usually go with my gut.  This method has proven itself to be the best way for me over and over.

I won the mud puddle sliding contest

This does not just apply to big or important decisions.  I have also found this method of conducting my actions to benefit my daily life and every day decisions.  Had I been responsible and gone to bed when I'd planned, I would have missed playing in that rainstorm.   If I had declined that date that I was hestiating about going on I would have missed out on all the memories and experiences that I recieved from that relationship.

I often find that some of my best and most beneficial experiences have been from "last minute" decisions.  So I say, “go with what feels right.”  I believe with all of my heart that some of our greatest moments come from acting on a whim



If you ever have a craving to throw
colored powder at another individual...







Celebrity

"A celebrity is one who

is known by many people

 he is glad he doesn't know."

 -Henry Louis Mencken

I suppose this week's post is a rant.  Oftentimes I keep my mouth shut concerning my controversial opinions but I just have to say, "Why don't people mind their own business?"



"Nevermind her talent, Adele named her dog what?"



I am so tired of hearing about whether Justin Bieber really conceived a child in a public restroom.  I could honestly care less about the fact that Demi supposedly had an affair with Ashton's best friend.

 I do enjoy watching various award shows however because I find that may be the only time that I believe these people deserve as much attention and recognition that they constantly recieve.  I can't imagine they would choose to constantly be in the public eye.  Who in their right mind would sign up for that?

I do enjoy celebrities who spend their own time and money to better the world that adores and idolizes them.  This website stays updated on who is giving back.

http://www.popsessive.com/category/celebrities-doing-good/

 Everything is going to be okay as long as we have the gossip on which celebrity is adopting a dog or what couple decided to get married for the third time.  Today’s journalists could use a swift kick of reality, or maybe slapped in the face with a priority change.  How is this world going to get any better if we’re only concerned about trying to keep up with the Kardashians?

Nature

"Let us first be as simple and well

 as Nature ourselves, dispel the clouds

which hang over our brows, and take up a

                             little life into our pores."

                             -Henry David Thoreau

I am not what they call “out doorsy,” but am always willing to give it a chance. I will eagerly agree to spend an afternoon hiking with my roommates, dismissing the fact that I will undoubtedly begin whining about the heat less than half way through.

I am always game to go camping with my family for a weekend of boating only to arrive and remember that I will be sleeping on the ground for the next two nights. This is not because I go for the wrong reason. My lack of enjoyment is because I allow my less than pleasant attitude towards mosquitoes and outhouses to dampen my experience.

I go into nature to enjoy myself and to “get away,” but it seems that once I am there, I have a hard time remembering why I wanted to go in the first place. I fail to allow myself to merely be there.

In order to reach our potential as individuals our perspectives and mentalities have to alter. To take in the magnitude of what nature has to teach can do more for our inner self than any day spent at the spa

Because we need nature more than it could possibly ever need us, it is essential to have appreciation for everything it has allowed us to receive. If every person took the time and effort to feel the significance of the outside world, I believe we would not have environmental issues.



Forgiveness

"Forgiveness doesn't make

the other person right,

 it makes you free." 

 -Stormie Omartian

"Forgiveness is more than saying sorry."  If you have seen the movie Just Friends you cannot forget this line even if you wanted to.  It's a horrendous song, that being that reason I find it so humorous.

Human beings are imperfect, and with that we hurt one another.  Whether the offender or the victim of a hurtful situation the action, word, or lack of either affects both parties.

By no means am I saying that I have perfected the act of forgiveness, or even that I fully understand it.  It is easy to justify one's reasoning for holding tight to hurt, but it is also more self-destructive.  I've heard the act of holding a grudge compared to holding a hot coal in your hand.  The tighter you clutch onto that coal, the more you yourself will be burned. 

People hurt one another.  That is just the way it is, that is the way it is always going to be.  But the deciding factor, is the way you choose to handle it.  Forgiveness is more than saying sorry, it is a shift of perspective.  You can forgive or you can hold onto the bitterness from a grudge.  Which action would you rather be responsible for? 

Friendship

"Tis the privilege of friendship

to talk nonesense and

have her nonsense respected."

-Charles Lam

I have a friend, I'm fortunate enough to have a few, who just get me.  It is  cliche, but if you are lucky enough to have one as well, you understand.  To have someone like this in one's life is an enourmous blessing.

I have a friend like this in particular, who knows me almost better than I know myself.  I am free to be honest and open about what is on my mind and I never have to worry that she will not or cannot understand.  Not only does she listen, but once

I make up my mind about something she is the first

to support my decision. 

 Buddha suggested “Adaptability” as a necessity in any relationship.  Each person much be capable of entertaining different perspectives and points of view.  It is human nature to "screw up."  We all have faults, pains, afflictions, and infirmities that friendship has the ability and instinct to heal.  A true authentic relationship with someone is the understanding and acceptance of one another despite hardships.  There is no room for judgment or superiority when one person needs another. 

You can know all there is to know about one another, yet there is still always something to say.  In his article "Seeing Isamu Noguchi," author Roger Lipsey writes "We're all leading a life of experiment." 

 Difficult times are inevitable and the burden is easier to bear with the support of another.  I believe life is about finding who we are and then spending our lives working to become who we want to be.  I am certain that the journey can only be enhanced if shared with another.

Opposition



"Success is not measured by

what you accomplish, but by the

opposition you have encountered,

 and the courage with which you

have maintained the struggle

 against overwhelming odds."

-Orison Swett Marden

They say that "there is opposition in all things." Well, whoever they is, I have found to be absolutely correct.  When I analyze what the word "opposition" means to my life specifically, my mind goes back to my high school athletic career. 

Athletics was my priority.  It was how I identified myself (something I wish I could go back and tell myself not to do.)  I played volleyball every Fall, ran track every spring, and filled the winter with club volleyball or indoor track and field. 

So what specifically does this have to do with opposition?  The better question is, where was there not opposition during my athletic career?  To begin with, I am not built for athletics.  I'm small, and anything but strong inside and out.  My ligaments in my shoulders, knees, and hips are too loose as well as double-jointed. There was not a track season I did not tear or strain my hamstring.  I never played a season of volleyball where I did not visit the chiropractor once a week for my back and shoulder.                                

                                                                                

 Not only do I struggle to maintain my health physically, I often allowed the stress of whatever season I was in, to weigh heavily on my mental health.  I am my biggest critic, and therefore, constantly caused myself undo stress from the pressure I felt to perform.  my 100 percent was never good enough in my own eyes.  I never ran fast enough, jumped far enough, or hit hard enough.  Because of that fact I never allowed myself to feel good enough. It was all in my head

< notice the taping of my hamstring, and the nervous way I'm holding my stomach

So what did I learn from this?  I'm still learning it.  What I do know is yes, there is opposition in all things, but it should never hinder you or how you feel about yourself.  I still suffer from effects of those injuries, and I still struggle with accepting my very best.  But what I do know is that I'm working on it.  I am no longer my greatest opposition 

The Power Behind.

"By words we learn thoughts,

and by thoughts we learn life"

-Jean Baptiste Girard

We use a variety of words single every day.  Regardless of the language we are using our words fill the majority of the time we spend awake each day.  Because of this, I feel we take our languages for granted. 

The words we use, tend to determine our thoughts and like the wise Jean Baptiste Girard implied here, our thoughts then have a enormous effect on the lives we choose to lead.

It is impossible to list all the objects, memories, ideas, and thoughts that accompany a single word and that facinates me.  Within this blog, I plan to examine what single words mean to my life.  By doing so, just maybe I'll gain some appreciation for what these words mean to me and possibly discover what direction my own life is headed.