It’s the feeling you get in the pit of stomach, when your throat tenses, your face warms, your eyes swell, and you know damn well you can’t hold it in any longer. It’s the reason you can’t fall asleep. It’s what keeps you awake at night as you clutch your phone hoping, maybe, someone will text you back at 2 a.m. Just anyone to let you know they understand.
The truth is everyone understands, because everyone goes through sadness. As Katie would say, “some people are just better at hiding it”. A girl crying over her unexciting social calendar, a dad pining for his distant daughter, or a grandmother mourning the loss of her beloved husband, it doesn’t matter who you are.
Just know there are so many people that care about you who you wouldn’t even expect. Don’t try to bottle your emotions, let people in. Believe it or not, they DO understand. After all, it is the same tears we shed as a girl for a true friend or a dad for his distant daughter, or a grandmother for her passed away husband.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Happy (belated) Earth Day!!!
Take a look out your window. Go ahead, take a good look. Take a minute to notice the green leaves budding on the trees, the butterflies emerging from their cocoons, the flowers starting to blossom.
These days, our Earth seems to be about 29th on the priority list (especially if you’re in high school… I won’t go into it, but let’s just say my biorhythm this past week has been on a steady decline). We are too busy fighting that we don’t notice the birds singing. We are too sad to even feel the breeze. We are too caught up in our own world to even take in the rest of it.
Everyday the Earth performs simple miracles right before our eyes. Because even though each winter the trees are stripped of their leaves and left barren, each spring they still renew and start again. And every time I look outside, even for a single moment, I feel a spark of hope. Hope for new beginnings, hope for resolutions, hope for humanity.
So look out your window, and let’s take this (belated) Earth day to celebrate not only our miraculous home but also the revival of dreams.
These days, our Earth seems to be about 29th on the priority list (especially if you’re in high school… I won’t go into it, but let’s just say my biorhythm this past week has been on a steady decline). We are too busy fighting that we don’t notice the birds singing. We are too sad to even feel the breeze. We are too caught up in our own world to even take in the rest of it.
Everyday the Earth performs simple miracles right before our eyes. Because even though each winter the trees are stripped of their leaves and left barren, each spring they still renew and start again. And every time I look outside, even for a single moment, I feel a spark of hope. Hope for new beginnings, hope for resolutions, hope for humanity.
So look out your window, and let’s take this (belated) Earth day to celebrate not only our miraculous home but also the revival of dreams.
Friday, April 18, 2008
We're All Just Onions
The other day, I was at the mall with Stacy. For the most part, she’s very open and comfortable with herself, which is why I respect her so much.
“I decided I’m going to become a music publicist,” she said randomly as we entered the fourth store of the night. Stacy always changed her future career. One day it’s a finance writer and the next a CEO, but no matter what they were always high paying jobs. She shifted through racks and without making the slightest turn of her head she asked, “What do you want to be?”. “A magazine columnist,” I answered casually. Suddenly, her attention shifted and a look of disbelief was displayed across her face. “Well, you have to be really good at writing to do that,” she replied after a pause.
Now, even though I’m no Shakespeare by any means, her words disheartened me. It’s not that she thinks I’m bad at writing; it’s that she doesn’t even know me. Stacy, my best friend, doesn’t know how passionate I am about writing. For that matter, probably none of my friends do.
Not only the writing aspect either, there is a completely different side of me no one sees, no one hears, no one knows. Katie is the only exception; she’s the only one who understands my complexities. I’m like an onion, as Shrek would say, I have many layers. Inside, I keep my thoughts, my maturity, my ideals, my sadness. Usually, you’ll just see me being crazy, making people laugh, or saying something completely random. Even though that is me, it’s not the whole me, it’s just a layer. So the next time you meet someone (or the next time you watch Shrek), remember we all have layers and to peel back these layers, you need a little time to ripen.
“I decided I’m going to become a music publicist,” she said randomly as we entered the fourth store of the night. Stacy always changed her future career. One day it’s a finance writer and the next a CEO, but no matter what they were always high paying jobs. She shifted through racks and without making the slightest turn of her head she asked, “What do you want to be?”. “A magazine columnist,” I answered casually. Suddenly, her attention shifted and a look of disbelief was displayed across her face. “Well, you have to be really good at writing to do that,” she replied after a pause.
Now, even though I’m no Shakespeare by any means, her words disheartened me. It’s not that she thinks I’m bad at writing; it’s that she doesn’t even know me. Stacy, my best friend, doesn’t know how passionate I am about writing. For that matter, probably none of my friends do.
Not only the writing aspect either, there is a completely different side of me no one sees, no one hears, no one knows. Katie is the only exception; she’s the only one who understands my complexities. I’m like an onion, as Shrek would say, I have many layers. Inside, I keep my thoughts, my maturity, my ideals, my sadness. Usually, you’ll just see me being crazy, making people laugh, or saying something completely random. Even though that is me, it’s not the whole me, it’s just a layer. So the next time you meet someone (or the next time you watch Shrek), remember we all have layers and to peel back these layers, you need a little time to ripen.
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