On the surface, this question makes little sense – one movie is about the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office in he US and the other is about the horrors of WWII – but to me they both speak to some core aspects of humanity that seem to persevere regardless of era.
Together, anything is possible.
Together, we can go to the stars and beyond.
Together, we can reach higher, move faster, & do more.
Together, dreams become reality.
Yesterday I had one of those days where I found my self faced with a problem: my mind was bursting with the want to be creative but it was a Thursday so I had a full day at work ahead of me. Needless to say this made getting through the most decidedly non-creative writing and other things I had to do a bit more difficult, but I managed get make it through.
One thing, however, that I did sneak in during my lunch break was the four lines posted above. Now, I write a lot, for work mostly, but I don’t fancy myself someone who gets into real creative writing (at least not anymore). Maybe this sudden urge is my minds way of saying “Hey you! I’m gonna need some time to use my creativity – in some way – whether you like it or not.”
These are the moments I am thankful for something I carry with me at all times (and no, it’s not my phone. sometimes I do use a paper and pen) to capture these thoughts and bursts of creativity. Maybe I’ll use time over my lunch break to write or wander around for a bit and take pictures. I’m thinking there’s a lesson in here for me, one that will help me as I continue along my journey – that I am a creative person, I have ways to express myself and my thoughts in some pretty cool ways that I should use more since it makes me happy.
There’s a phrase – “use your words” – that I find oddly appropriate at times, however I think I’m going to take it one step further and use my words, my photos, and other creative outlets to share.
Sometimes you just have to indulge those creative moments – you never know where I may lead to or what the result may be, but trying is often enough of a reward. 🙂
I came across another post on Thought Catalog today that just kind of hit me – not in a bad way, but more in the “this is an interesting thing to think about. . .”. To be honest, at first I was drawn in mainly because of the title, because who doesn’t want wisdom from someone who has their life figured out. Granted, I’m not sure that such a person exists because no matter how much control you have over yourself or how much you think you know yourself, there is always one thing we can’t predict or control – the wild crazy world around us and the people in it.
One part of the post that really struck me was this:
“One day I’ll be someone who has band-aids in their medicine cabinet and has a dog and bakes bread for fun and LOLs. But that day isn’t today. I guess the one good thing about being someone who doesn’t have it all figured out is that you’re able to see real growth. The changes are palpable. You see yourself evolving, which can often be a beautiful process. I don’t have it figured out but I know more than I did yesterday. It must be boring to always know.”
I am a believer that the things we do in our life, the people we meet, the successes and failures all add up to teach us a lot about who we are and about the world around us. It may be something simple like knowing what flavor of Izzy is our favorite (tangerine) or something complex like what makes us happy, but it is an opportunity to learn. As I’ve said before, if you ever stop learning, you’ve stopped living.
Often times this learning is hard. It challenges you in ways you aren’t sure you can handle or truly understand. You may find yourself stepping into the unknown, eyes closed, breath held, nerves out en fuego, knowing that you have to take this step in order to truly understand who you are. It’s hard. It’s scary. But in reality it is something that we all have to do. I can take some solace in knowing that even though a situation may be unique to me, we are all the same in the sense that we are all trying to figure out our place in the world.
As we wrap up this month of thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the chances I have given my self to challenge myself, to learn, to grow and become the person I am today. It hasn’t been easy, and it’s by no means a complete process, but it something I am proud of. For those that know me in real life, I’m sure you’ve seen the results of of some of this, whether you know it or not. I’m not a “new” Melissa – at least not in the sense that I am completely changed. I’m a better Melissa, a stronger Melissa, a more complete Melissa, which allows me to be more for the people around me. In spite of – or as a result of all of this – I am still (re)building.
I’m about to embark on the next step of my (re)building process, something I am referring to as my 2 year plan. I have a rough idea of what this will include, but I know that even if I try to plan each day, each moment, each experience there are some things that are just out of my control. But I am excited. I am excited about some decisions I am making for me, for my life, for my happiness and growth. Nothing personal – I just gotta be me and work it out. 🙂 It doesn’t mean that I am going to ignore the things I am already involved with, I’m simply reorganizing things and trying some new things.
I may have the band-aids in my medicine cabinet, and the dog, and make other things (not bread, yet) from scratch for fun and LOLs, but it doesn’t mean I have figured out my life. It just means I have figured it out parts of my life and am working to figure out more. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m excited to see where I’m headed to next. 🙂
Be thankful. Be happy. Be in the moment. Don’t be afraid to do, be afraid of not doing. Embrace change and the unknown. Learn and share. Take care of you. Give yourself to others. Dream. Be the brightest star you can. Live.
From the post “How to Stop Caring So Much” at Thought Catalog:
“But there are ways to care less and to just be who you are. Being who you are doesn’t mean suddenly becoming a giant jerk to everyone you know but it does mean surrounding yourself with people who love you and weeding out the parasites.”
There is a lesson here for all of us about why it is important to balance caring for ourselves and caring for others. As I’ve said before, saying no or focusing on yourself does not make you selfish – in fact there are times, believe it or not, where this is a selfless act. You can’t help others effectively if you’re not taking care of yourself.
I think it is also important to keep in mind that sometimes you can care too much about something. Putting all your energy into one thing, relationship, or situation isn’t sustainable. Don’t care just because you feel you have to. Care about the things you want to. Care about what is important to you. And most importantly, care about yourself and don’t be afraid to be yourself.
During this holiday weekend, make sure to pause and do something for you. It may be a nice glass of wine, sitting in front of a fire with a good book, or taking a walk with family, but take the time to do it during what is often a hectic weekend of traveling, family, shopping, and eating.
Also, make sure to thank those in your life that love you and care for you. It is something that isn’t done nearly enough and is good for the soul.
For this long weekend, I’m driving to Chicago for the weekend to spend time with family and friends. I have a 7 hour drive with my dog ahead of me, but am looking forward to some time back to my hometown. I don’t get back that often, but it’s nice to have a few days to reconnect with my roots and also eat some tasty Chicago food. 🙂
I hope everyone has an enjoyable Thanksgiving and that no one gets trampled at any stores on Black Friday. Safe travels for those taking to the roads or the skies.
Be thankful. Take time for you. Share happiness.
Cheers.
Cats.
The internet is made up of approximately 75% cat related items – videos, pictures, shopping, you name it, it’s out there.
Yesterday, my roomie shared with me one of the most-funny cat related things I have seen on the internet in a long time – Cats that Look Like Ron Swanson.
This is even funnier since we say that my cat Oliver is Ron Swanson is cat form. 🙂
What’s your favorite random cat-related thing on the internet?
Throughout the month of November, I have been posting things I am thankful for on Facebook. Now, I will admit, I got the idea after seeing other people doing the same thing, but I probably will continue this even after the month is over. For me, this is more than some idle meme or gimmick – it is an opportunity to pause, however briefly, and think about what in my life is making me happy, making my day a bit easier, or just having some sort of positive impact on my life. For many years, I took things somewhat for granted. I didn’t pause to smell the roses so to speak. I lived in a place where I focused on what was hard or bad or negative. I let these things define my attitude. I resigned myself to the fact that “eh, this is how it was meant to be, so I’m just going to wallow and not do anything to change things for the better”.
This is not to say I didn’t embrace the good things in life. I was, for all intents and purposes, a kid. I was learning how to make my way through life, as we all do, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, and moving forward. Plus, I think it is a rite of passage to have the “ugh woe is me” period during our teenage years, right? 😉
What changed? Honestly, I am not sure I can point to one thing. It has been a process. A process of growing up, learning, and getting used to the curveballs of life. Today, I found myself at a loss as to what I was thankful for. I had a bad night of sleep the night before, just felt very frustrated (I am just going to blame the snow), and I just wasn’t feeling the day. After posing the question on Facebook “What should I be thankful for today?”, I was reminded of a very important thing – perspective matters.
Perspective, I’ve learned over time, is my friend. It helps me to realize that even when it seems like nothing is going my way, if I look hard enough, I can find that one thing that eases the trouble. These are the things I am, and should be, thankful for. Sometimes it may be something trivial – like the color of my shoes – other times it may be a memory or something more significant. Regardless, I am thankful for these various things and how they enhance my life. This awareness has also made me want to spread thanks and happiness to others. Again, sometimes it may be a small action like sharing a funny link with a friend, or a more significant series of actions to help someone in need. You never know what this may mean to the other person, but it could be that one thing that someone is thankful for when they are having a bad day.
The moral of the story? Be thankful for things in your life. Tell people if they do something you are thankful for. Take the time to reflect.
It is never as bad as you think it is. Sometimes you just need a bit of perspective to realize what you are thankful for.
