Back to Basics: Sorting Shapes

A few months back I was hanging out with two very good friends of mine and their adorable daughter. The focus of their daughters evening was shape sorting. You know...that octagonal yellow toy in which you have to stuff all the colored shapes into the yellow ball by finding the right shaped cut out. Unfortunately, her parents' focus of the day was looking for the one missing red triangle shape hopefully lost in the house somewhere...but I'm getting too far ahead of myself. We will come back to that point later.

So I was thinking a lot about love (surprise surprise) and how to describe it this morning on my drive into work and that shape toy came to mind. I feel like we, humans, all have a love shaped cut out. Some people find that true, fits perfectly, kind of love.  Others find that piece that fits the space but does not cover all areas, and thus never experience its full potential. Yet others try to jam whatever piece they find in a space that it does not go and in which it does not fit at all. Can I just quickly interject, "When it doesn't pop into the ball like it's supposed to, remember this phrase...stop, drop, and try another!"  I wish I could say I haven't done the latter an unending amount of times when it comes to relationships, but I have. I assume you, the reader, have also done this at least once as well if you are still reading this post. Bottom line is, don't feel bad. The fact is, you just don't know any better until you find that piece that fits perfectly. All of us that have been that piece that doesn't fit, also need to remember that too. Most of the time, it really isn't you. It is them. You are the piece you were made to be on purpose. Be you. You will find your home eventually and be glad you waited for the best. 

Back on topic...So we've at one point been in at least one, more, or all of these scenarios. When you are first starting this shape sorter love game, you have no idea what shapes are called, or their color, or how this whole thing is supposed to work. We are given vague descriptions like "when you know, you know" or "the ball (heart) wants what the ball wants". Great! Yeah that's really helpful. I'll just fumble around until it makes sense...or never does.  In all seriousness though, the most important thing you can do is just START. Everything is a fail until you get it, so don't fear failure as its an everyday occurrence we all share. Sometimes you get lucky and find the piece that fits on the first try. More likely, it takes many tries to get the hang of the game or even worse, find out the piece you need is not in front of you at all...kind of like my friends search for the one missing shape around the house. 

I want to mention here, my friends had already played this game (found love) and knew what piece was missing and that they had to go on a search...which leads me to another interesting point in life. Just like my friends' daughter needed her parents help to find the missing piece to complete her puzzle, we as adults need to realize we should seek help from those who have been there and done it already as well. There should be a line of young people at nursing homes waiting to talk to old married couples that have stood the test of time. How often do we think we found IT but find out later on down the line that here we are again, trying to fit an incorrect shape in a space it was not made for? We need help. 

A final thought on this whole analogy. When we don't have the right piece to fit the space, just like when you don't have the right tool for the job, yet we continue to try and make it work, there is a huge potential for damage if we continue. This damage can not only happen to the ball, or the shape, but even to those around us. Have you ever had that yellow ball unexpectedly half open without warning and try to eat your hand as a child? Was it usually when you were not using it as intended? Oh come on! Was it just me that was frequently attacked by the shape sorter? Ok ok. Point made. Anyway, we have to keep in mind that this life, especially when speaking of love, is a dangerous place, and that our actions not only hurt us or those directly involved, but other innocent bystanders too. So shape sort wisely my friends. 

Wrapping this up...best of luck all! I hope you find the piece that fits. I'm off to do some more puzzling shape sorting practice of my own. 

Shower Realization The Final Frontier (I swear I'm not a Star Trek fan)

Anyone that has been with me since the beginning of this blog knows about my epiphany moments in the shower. (If not, see posts titled Shower Realization Part 1 and Part Deux). It's been quite some time since I had anything worthy of writing down come out of my daily shower thoughts, but today I felt the need to share this quick connection I made in my head with you all.

Somewhere in-between washing my hair and shaving, I started thinking about relationships, friendships in particular. I must admit this whole thing started off kind of haughty. (No not naughty. Haughty! Minds out of the gutters please!) When I meet new people I treat them like I've known them an entire lifetime. I'll invite them to live life with me on all levels. Some people don't know what to do with this, some people take advantage, some people jump on your train, and even others find this frightening. Most people would agree the smart approach would be for me to be more guarded towards who I let in as opposed to immediately inviting these strangers I come across into my life...but I don't always live life in the norm if you haven't concluded yet. If you do the same thing you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten is my motto.  In any sense it got me thinking that I must be doing something right and it was evident when I thought back to a couple weeks ago and a close friend commented that I was a "gold mine in friendship" to someone we had just met. As in, new people have no idea how lucky they are to come across a friend like me. (Like I said this whole thing started off very arrogant in my head I'm ashamed to admit.) Apparently people don't expect to run across true friendship, weather the storm, true blue kind of people anymore. Anyway, coming down off my ego trip, I shook my head and reassessed like I was scolding myself for entertaining such ridiculous thoughts. I started thinking not of how lucky they were to have met me, but instead how lucky I was to have their friendship. That felt much better. Then this post ensued.

I contemplated about how different this world would look if we realized that friendships and relationships are a privilege, not a right. I'm sure you have heard this statement used if you've ever lost your license to your own stupidity. You think its a right until it's taken away and quickly realize it was a privilege all along. That happens many times in relationships too. We usually realize what we have a little too late and by the time we figure it out, the damage has already been done. I challenge you to take a look at your own relationships with me, especially your marriage/significant other if you have one. Maybe just maybe if we perceive them in the light of it being a privilege things will change. In doing so, I think we will begin to build a sense of appreciation rather than entitlement. Maybe we wouldn't live in a world where people are shocked to meet a truthful and genuine person.

Remember to whom much is given, much is required. If we start looking at what we have as "much" and a blessing, maybe we would be more inclined to take better care of it as is "required". If we set higher standards of character for ourselves, we can in hopes request the same from others. 

I'll end with this C.S. Lewis quote as I think it ties this all together: "It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak...like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. WE ARE FAR TOO EASILY PLEASED."

Fighting the Good Fight

After the past couple months/years (who's counting anymore) sometimes people wonder why I continue to keep doing things the way I do...open my arms/home to people that need it and don't deserve it, care about those that have the worst track record ever, and have any hope/love for mankind as a whole at all. As much as I ask myself those same questions at times out of anger or frustration when I get burned, I take a breath and keep on doing the right thing regardless of the results. Each knock down makes me try that much harder and each success affirms what I already know.

This is why:

1. "Rome wasn't built in a day." It takes time to change things in a broken world filled with broken people. Just as it took time for that person to become torn down, typically they aren't going to overcome years of hurt and wrong ways of thinking overnight. It might take years of unconditional love and you might just be a road sign on their long journey to the better person they become. 

2. My favorite quote by Mother Theresa says it all. (See attached picture as reference). It's not about you and them. Your actions, what you did and why, are between you and God and that's the only person that's gonna matter in the end. 

3. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The golden rule was stated for a reason. What do they call people that ask you to do something but are not able to do that thing themselves? A hypocrite. No one likes a hypocrite. So don't be one. Be the change you want to see in the world. 

4. Your actions should not depend on what another person does. Your actions are a direct result of what is inside of you and what you truly believe. Define yourself, then set out to be that person. Don't let what other do to you define who you are, or allow yourself to become. No matter what we think our actions always speak louder.

5. Another one of my favorite quotes I love by is by Einstein. (Again, see attached picture in case you forgot.) If we all reacted the same way to life's stimuli, and there was no hope for someone to change or get better, than we might as well dig a grave for everyone that's made a mistake (or many of them)...like its an incurable disease or something. But we don't do that cuz change does happen, no matter how rare it is. We should not forget that it is still possible and happens all the time. Just because we don't hear about it on the news does not mean it's not happening all around us. Not one person can tell you that change is possible without...wait for it...changing things. So do things differently. Love like no one else does and watch the world around you change.  

Window Controls

I never realized how important a car window was until mine stopped working. Not only did my driver side window stop working but my master control switches for all the windows stopped working as a whole. Now this might just seem like an inconvenience...but I have a German car meaning the gas tank is on the right...I can't roll down the window to simply state my order or give the gas guy money...nooooo. I have to reach over to the passenger window, press the window control button on that window, state my request, reach back over, press the button, roll it up.  And after that fiasco you think they might walk around to my side of the car when they ask for payment intuitively...nope! Not once ever.  So once again reach over to the passenger window, press the button to roll down, give gas guy money, freeze while waiting for my change, reach back over, press the button, roll it up. It's a process. 

Toll times...forget about it. Wait in line, unbuckle my seat belt, open my door, sometimes have to get out, grab the ticket, resituate myself, buckle up and go, which apparently is too long of a process when people behind you have  EZ pass tags. Paying the toll is even more fun. I gotta pull past the toll guy so he thinks I'm gonna make a run for it, then open my door and 180 it to pay him. 

Four words...the bank drive thru. No longer quick and easy. In fact it's a pain in the ass and I might as well go park, and walk myself right into the bank to process my request. Oh did I mention my window controls decided to fail in the winter? (Yes, this is another one of those blogs I started and never finished.)

Anyway in thinking about all this, I realized how closing up our windows is sometimes similar to how many of us live our lives. Yes, our car still functions, but it is much more difficult to navigate our way through the roads of life. Sometimes we close off parts of ourselves when we are hurt, and we do this in many ways. Whether it be by numbing the pain through things like drugs, alcohol, eating, shopping, sex, or even working too much (this list could of course go on and on), or just as simply as refusing to do something again because you've been burned. The problem in dealing with situations like this is if we live in this way for too long, we forget what life is like with the windows down. We lose that feeling of the breeze flowing through our hair, the freedom of singing at the top of our lungs careless about who is watching, or the connecting exchange with the person next to us when you want to give directions or change lanes. In time, the path this takes us down is not a good one and we end up hopeless and feelingless, and then that becomes our norm. By the point we realize something is not right, and we all have felt that point whether we choose to admit it or not, we are so far into that way of life that we don't even know what is wrong or how to get back to that place of peace inside. So often we just continue the destructive cycle and lose the simple things that makes us human. 

Since this post was written I did finally get my window master controls repaired. However, shortly after the rear passenger button has stopped working because children don't understand the concept of how water and electronics don't mix. And now whenever I invite someone in my car, they can not experience the freedom of rolling down the windows...unless I roll it down for them. Similarly, if your window is working, your job is not done. There are plenty of other people's windows that need to be rolled down. Sometimes it takes another person to show them the way and if you've got the controls, there's no one better for the job than you. Many times we don't realize what is going on when we are in the moment. The problem is always easier to see from another point of view. That's why it's so important to have someone close to you that you can trust at all times in life. We all need each other in this drive we call life. 

So next time you roll down your car windows take a moment and think about the joy that it brings. Picture life as something that should be lived (the good and the bad, sunshine and rain) and not just another thing we have to make it through and deal with. Pause and think of your life and do an inventory of how you are living. Are you living it to the fullest or are you closing up your windows? Is there someone in your life that needs to be reminded of how having the windows down feels? Is there something preventing or making it difficult for you or another from letting go? Sometimes the way we choose to protect ourselves, is really the thing that ends up hurting us the most. In other words, more often than not, our greatest enemy is not situations happening to us or around us, but rather our own selves. 

Excite Your Life: My Stab at a Verbal Infomercial

And...ACTION!

Do you drag through your days with nothing to look forward to? Do you ever feel like life is boring and repetitive? Do you find yourself day dreaming of a massive life change that would bring some excitement back into your life?

Look no further! I've figured out a fool proof plan to Excite your Life and it costs you absolutely nothing and there's no moving involved (unless you so choose). The following is my quick tutorial on how to completely change your life in 2 simple steps. 

1. Remove something that you use/do regularly for at least a month. (Chances are you have forgotten how to appreciate that thing.)

2. Reintroduce that thing/action back into your life. (Presto! It is now the most amazing thing ever.)

Simple, right? Let me give you a few simple scenarios you might be able to relate to. Have you ever...went camping and were unable to shower or use a toilet for days...had the power go out in your home...had your friend "borrow" something for months...had a best friend disappear to go find themselves...went to another country that is vastly more destitute than where you're from...lost your phone, bike, favorite pair of shoes, etc. and then found them...heard a song you haven't heard in ages that reminds you of the good times. I'm sure at least one of these things has happened to you in life and it always ends in euphoria and appreciation. I'm pretty sure you catch my drift. 

So how exactly does something so simple work, you ask? Well I think we as humans are built to want more. Excitement and adrenaline feel good. We like new things. There should be variety and spice to life to keep things interesting. Even in just looking at the way life works...the ups and downs and twists and turns...things aren't meant to stay the same forever. It keeps things fresh and new and there's always something to look forward to. Not to mention, we need change to grow. 

I find the human mind is quite the fascinating little place to be sometimes. It's supposed to be the place where everything flows from, our control center, yet so many times we seem so far from being able to control it. In my opinion the biggest blessing and biggest curse in this, is our ability to forget. It's bad in the sense that we grow accustomed to things/people and take them for granted. But it's great when facing those seasons of pain/hurt/loss. There is truth to the statement distance makes the heart grow fonder...but away for too long and you tend to forget what you were missing. There is a fine line. Basically the simple answer to the original question is, time changes things in brain land. 

Now, I challenge you to pour a bucket of ice water...CUT!  I'm sorry, that was last month's tag line. :) Let's try this again. 

I challenge you to try my little 2 step to Excite your Life program and tell me how it works for you. Hell, if your really ballsy, do this with multiple things at a time!  You might discover something fresh, become grateful for what you have, maybe even do things you never thought possible, or realize something was a huge waste of time and find it's replacement. One thing I can guarantee is life will seem new, and you will always have something to look forward to, appreciate, and work towards.  Hurry now! Don't wait! This offer will only last as long as you remember it. 

And...THAT'S A WRAP!

I Should Have Stretched Before I Decided to Power Wash...

So...it's been quite some time since I've written and posted a completely new blog that wasn't already started prior. This is not one of them. I'll admit, I did start this one about a three months ago, but it was still being written in my mind. Just cuz I put it down on paper doesn't mean that is when it was created. Many of these ideas are birthed within me and sometimes they take days, months, and years to write and complete.

Anyway...back to the point.. It was funny how I found myself in this little predicament to find time to write...especially in my favorite and most hectic time of the year...summer. At the start of this blog I was laid up in bed due to pulling a muscle in my lower back. As the title suggests...I should have stretched. The title in fact is slightly misleading because the actual deed happened while I was bending over shaving my legs in the shower. But I'm pretty sure the root of the cause was being bent over power washing for 5 hours earlier that day. As I lovingly told the story to my 13 year old child I nanny...she of course laughing uncontrollably...I couldn't help but think this is how this whole old thing starts. One day I pull a muscle in the shower, the next day "I've fallen and I can't get up!" and I'm looking for my Life Alert.

All this got me thinking about life and how things relate to each other.  What I came up with is, just because something hurts doesn't mean you made the wrong decision. It wasn't the wrong decision for me to power wash, and it certainly wasn't the wrong idea for me to shave my legs later in the day. (Thank you says all the people who's eyes grace my non hairy legs while we are still in shorts weather). Moving right along. Equally, just because something feels good, doesn't mean it's the right decision.   Above all feelings, doing the morally right thing is always...the right thing. But what happens in those grey areas...are there any grey areas? How do we know what to do? 

Let's say you swear not to tell a secret. Someone asks you to spill the beans. You now have a dilemma. It's obviously wrong to lie, and obviously wrong to break a promise. Either way someone gets hurt and trust is broken.  You might gain more respect from the asker if you give out secret information. However, if/when the truth comes out (which it usually does), you can take that hurt and multiply it by 100 when the person with the secret finds out that you couldn't keep it a secret. Why this scenario (not this exact one, but ones where we find ourselves stuck inbetween a rock and hard place in a moral dilemma) comes up so often in life is because it is a perceived grey area. Key word here is "perceived". I find things start looking grey when people are involved, and you are being pulled in a different direction by each. So many people cave when they come face to face with letting someone down. For example, you have two bowls of candy. One holds the last Reeses, the other holds the last Twix. No one is present. You choose which one you like best. No moral qualms whatsoever. Now in that same situation, introduce a bratty little kid who's favorite candy is Twix. It also just so happens that your favorite candy is Twix as well and you despise Reeses. You have just come across a grey area. Do you give the kid his first pick and suffer? Does the kid deserve to be rewarded even though he's being bratty? Bam!  Grey area. Only difference is a person. The answer to this scenario is always treat others how you would want to be treated...even little bratty kids. After all they are learning their behaviors from you. Maybe your bratty little kid is the unruly neighbors next door, or that co worker that knows just the right thing to do to annoy the crap out of you, or your tyrant boss, or even your mortal enemy.  Whatever the case, whoever the player, we should treat others as we would want to be treated regardless. Put yourself in their place and then choose your actions accordingly.  I find if a little time or thought was put into breaking down a situation to it's simplest form, one would figure out that there is no grey area at all.  For example, in the original explained scenario, you can still morally do what's right by keeping the secret and simply saying you can not say a word. Now instead of breaking anyone's trust, you have doubly gained the trust/respect of both people. People know you won't lie or break a promise. You did what was right. It's not always about pleasing someone or making someone feel all fuzzy inside. It's about doing what is right regardless of the cost. 

The beauty of doing your best and the right thing is most often your character and intentions will shine through even when you mess up and possibly don't handle or say things in the proper way.  Keep in mind we are all capable of anything, good and bad.  We all are born into this world with the same freedom...choice.  The only difference between those that do good or bad is choice and what we will and won't allow ourselves to do.  How many times do we get caught up in this scenario and we look at a person and say in our heads, "How could he/she do that?  I would never..." Don't be fooled.  You don't know what it was like to walk in their shoes.  Everyone has a price, and we all have our demons. So don't judge or put your hope in people to be perfect.  No one is.  We all will surely mess up and do things at some point we swore we would never do.  So don't sweat the mess up.  Learn to forgive (sometimes this also means yourself and not just others) and keep it moving. 

Speaking of moving...life goes by so fast. Each season with twists and turns, none of which I could have guessed in a million years. One thing I have learned though is to make the best of the season you are in. Love it and embrace it because you are never getting it back. And for goodness sake take time to stretch yourself before and after those seasons so you are prepared for whatever things big or little, good or bad, that are coming your way.  Learn from your past, prepare for your future, but always remember to live in the moment. 

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself...

With the man working most nights and being a horrible sleeper when he is around, this is pretty much what I fall asleep to and wake up to most days.  The ultimate dose of cuteness, my Tucker. I really can't complain...except when he has one of those dreams where he's the leader of the wolf pack or he's saving Timmy trapped in a well.  I'd like to imagine it's right about then at the height of his excitement that he starts his adorable muffled barks and running in his sleep...and you catch a paw to the rib. Lol But for the most part he is the best snuggle buddy ever, and really I couldn't dream up a more compatible dog. 

Sometimes I wonder if there was a glitch in the whole creationist theory where God forgot to add the 8th day...you know, the one where he realized humans were going to be trouble and decided to make the purest form of any living creature, the dog, to show us how to live because he knew we'd mess it up and need an example to follow. Jesus...dog...the word's interchangeable. (Please don't take offense at my poor humor. Of course I'm kidding.) Or is it possible that after years and years of domestication from their 2 legged masters that they have actually learned the best parts of us and portray that purely. Whatever the reason, I swear my dog is human sometimes and holds all the answers that our confused human hearts struggle with. 

So though I'm sure it's been done before, but it's only due to much love for our furry family members, I want to touch on my observations of the things we can learn from our 4 legged best friends.

1. First and most important...Love, whole heartedly, with all you have, and never stop...even when you are scolded by those you love. Don't let circumstances define who you are, define who you are first and then when you weather the storms, you will be able to stand firm. 

2. Own up to and feel sorry for your mistakes. We are not perfect nor never will be, nor should we expect perfection from anyone else. If you can, make up for them by licking the crap outta the offended's face (figuratively speaking). Also it's ok to receive praise for a job well done, just don't always expect it. Do what you should be doing regardless of reward. 

3. Don't dwell on the past aka don't let those mistakes you will make keep you down for too long, and for goodness sake stop repeating and eventually learn from them! Take time to look at yourself objectively and if that is too difficult keep someone around that you trust to give you some constructive criticism. 

4. Whistle while you work. Doing the things we don't want to do, but have to do, usually involve a reward in some way, shape, or form.  In it's simplest form, what you reap, you will sow. It's how life works. Seek to find a job that doesn't feel like work and that you're naturally good at...it makes whistling even easier. 

5. Play play play. Always take time to have fun and see the beauty in all situations. Try new things. Discover. Explore. Everyone needs something to work towards and you must make the time to do the things you love. That way you don't miss out on your now but can also have things to look forward to in your future.

6. Take your sleep seriously. It's what refreshes you and keeps you going and at your best. Don't be afraid to take a nap. Don't ever be so wrapped up in work that you don't have enough time to keep your sleep, eat, play balance. 

7. Bark at intruders. You should have boundaries in your life.  When people cross them, you need to let them know. Stand up for yourself, what you believe in, and the people closest to you. Take the time to know what those things are for you.

8. If you don't understand, ask questions. (Ok so maybe that's just my dog, but I swear when he doesn't understand what I'm saying, he let's me know.) It's ok to clarify things and make sure you are on the right page with anything you do, and anyone you are in a relationship with (friend, family, or romantic). 

9.  Be yourself. Show how you feel, when you feel it, and move on. There will never be another you, so make sure you show the world what you have inside. 

10. Respect those in authority. Learn from them as they are there for a reason. There is always something to learn from someone else. 

11. Make sure you socialize yourself with all different types of people. Recognize your differences, celebrate your similarities. Be careful not to trample on ones smaller than you, or tick off those bigger than you. Don't be so selfish that you can't recognize or see what's going on in the ones that surround you. 

12. It's ok to sniff behinds but not ok to kiss them. We all have to do some inspecting every now and then, with people and situations and in life in general. Just don't get caught up in something, someone, or in some place where you know you shouldn't be. Make good choices. 

In ways I think dogs are more in tune to what the core of being human is all about than us humans are at most times. The truth I've come to understand is that though we humans are all unique, we share the same core, and to function in complete health, we need the same things for survival (I'm talking about past the obvious, food, water, shelter, etc). Oh yes, we can survive behind our forts and walls we build, guarded by our best alligator moat and trained fire breathing dragons. True we might not get hurt, but even then there is no guarantee...sometimes our castles get stormed even with our best defenses. One thing is for sure, we can never truly live until we break down those walls and let others in because if we don't we will always be a slave to fear. There's something healing about being open and not hiding anything. It is real. It is truth. It creates connection that each and every one of us needs at our inner being for real survival (even if we don't realize we do...trust me, you do).  That connection puts all our fears to rest...it knows that we are in this together, that we are not alone, that we are accepted even with our flaws, that we have worth, have support in the tough times, and  when working together we can be challenged, dream big, and accomplish great things. You must be true to yourself, before you can ever be true to others. Real success is measured by the ability you have to truly love one another unhindered. Just like my Tucker shows me every day, seek to love, find that connection, and the rest will fall into place. What's left to deal with is in essence easy when your fears are laid to rest. In the presence of true love there can be no fear...and just like this picture shows, we can be at peace. 

"Oh, where do we begin...the rubble or our sins?"

This is written from a place deep inside of me. A place that only over the last few years have I begun to unearth. It was once hidden, buried under piles of rubble, laid in cement, to keep that rubble in place...to protect myself. This monstrosity did not appear one day. No.  It was intricate and calculated and gradual. Some stones from avalanches, some I placed specifically. It took years to build. I passed by this heap every day, not realizing the growing pile...after all, such a slow change is rarely noticed. Unbeknownst to me, it was getting bigger and stronger and tougher. Until one day, there it appeared before me...a wall. Faced with the looming monster, I knew there was only one thing that could be done...and I began tearing it down.

I have been working and chipping away at this mess for quite some time, to uncover the beauty hidden underneath for so long. What was forgotten. How I was intentioned to be. My heart, uncut, unaltered...it still beats. It pumps out a familiar tune that has been playing since I was born. It sings for people. I do not take for granted this heart I get to share with others. We only have but one life to live and every moment counts. The magnitude of respect I hold for each and every one of you that have allowed me to be a part of your lives, to share your innermost thoughts and fears, to be there through the good and bad, and be able to trust completely, is extraordinary. You have changed my life, helped to shape me and to grow bigger than I ever thought possible. I hope I am able to, at some point, do the same for you. 

Relationships are all life is made up of really. (Well that, and atoms if you want to get specific). Every one different and unique. But one thing is for sure, every single moment, every breath, is important...whether to you or another person who may be directly or indirectly involved. There are words and actions we can still recall from childhood that haunt us...yet we can't remember what we had to eat yesterday. What you do on a daily basis can make or break another...even yourself. I think you catch my drift. There is so much more to learn and open yourself up to than what is on the surface. The human heart is an eternal land in which we will never know know it's capacity...but we can try. A thought, a word, a feeling, an expression. They all stick with us and at times express us and define us. The good and the bad. Let us not forget that each choice we make has an eternal consequence/benefit and sets actions in motion that affect much more than you. All this is said to reflect and look forward towards the future, in order to do my best at making sure that the impressions I leave on you are all good ones. This goes for every person I have ever come in contact with...it may even be you reading this at this moment.

So in conclusion I leave you with this lyrical question so eloquently posed..."Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?"