Do not strive for perfection; it is only an illusion. Strive to be a better person than you were yesterday, and someone that you can be proud of tomorrow. Some days you will screw it up, I guarantee it. However, if we focus solely on our failures that is all that we will ever see. Focus on the now and work each step from there.
Society is a terrible thing. We are constantly bombarded by "norms" that it has set forth. Now mind you, these "norms" are ever-changing and in little way match what we did in the past and will have limited bearing on the future. Society attempts to dictate the following (and many more): what jobs are "acceptable" based on sex, your skin color has a determinate on your self worth, government is allowed to change its story, weight means more than your soul, imperfections are not tolerated, and marriage has a strict definition.
We as a society must work to change these things. We must work to better ourselves and future generations; common sense must trump learned behavior. We cannot stand behind a government that is not "for the people" and remain voiceless allowing that to occur. We cannot allow our emotions to overwhelm our logic; there is a time and right to protest but it must be done peacefully and logically. "All men are created equal..." is one of the most powerful lines ever written, however we forget to enforce that concept among ourselves even though our ancestors put in the time and sacrifice to establish those boundaries. Why do we work so hard to allow those walls to remain? We cannot stand for our sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandsons and granddaughters, to have their lives dictated by unreasonable standards. All children should be encouraged to do their best, love what they do, explore all of their options, and respect their elders. It's okay if your son wants to join gymnastics, and it's okay to buy your daughter Legos. Nourish their whole being, and they will turn out to be exactly who they are supposed to be. It's time for a beautiful combination of Generation Now meets the Silent Generation as our children enter an ever complicated society. So, here's to less technology, more family dinners, parents not friends, summer camp, reading, sibling squabbles, running barefoot in the grass, not needing warning stickers on everything, common sense, laughter and tears, sleepovers, food in its unmodified form, chores, endless summer nights catching fireflies, and respect.
Know how far you have come and strive to go further.
Work everyday to complain less.
Believe in yourself.
Try new things.
Be inspired.
Be positive.
Achieve
Dream.
Listen.
Love.
Do.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Silver and Gold
Laying in bed, listening to the sounds of sleep from all of those around me, many things become apparent. First is the reminder that my thirties are going to be interesting, and I don't think I would change that. You grow as you age (or at least you are supposed to), and hopefully you learn to better navigate the bumps in the road. Most inherently is the idea that I am definitely far behind the majority of my peers with having started a family, and I am completely okay with that. I have grown immensely in my previous years and feel that it better suits me to make decisions. The idea of starting a family changes everything; there is often a lack of ability to do things and your "center of gravity" changes. I feel that waiting is a better option, assuming you understand and are willing to accept the risks. As a whole, we are living longer and that means it is time to start carefully balancing the biological clock in order to truly fulfill such a long life.
Second is reminding yourself of the things that bring you joy; my dogs dozing, baking, my husband shifting in bed, the cats running around like they have lost their minds, being outside, loving what I do for a living, great friends, good wine, and fulfilling things that I have worked for. We often lose sight of the things that bring us joy and settle for the things that are taking center stage at a particular moment in our lives. Be aware of when that is happening and try to reshift your focus! We have a limited time here and need to remember that in order to create a better balance of positive and negatives in our lives.
Finally is the idea that you have to live life as it suits you. Society, overall, has a very specific set of standards that you are expected to meet: grow up, go to college, move out, have a successful career, get married, have children, etc... These parameters are based on an outdated system. You have to live life for you and as it makes sense for you. Not everyone is cut out for college, and that's okay. Not everyone will have children, and that's okay. Not everyone will look like a Victoria Secrets/Calvin Klein model, and that's okay. We, as a society, need to stop living completely through norms set through the mid 1900's and realize that it's time to blend the old with the new. I believe wholeheartedly in many of the standards of that time period; a few of them - family dinners, having what you need and not what you want, children having a childhood, "clean foods", and everyone having a sense of care and responsibility for one another. However, we need to look carefully at what and when we expect those things to happen especially in the age we have entered. Without a careful balance of the traditional and the modern, the results are ugly.
Second is reminding yourself of the things that bring you joy; my dogs dozing, baking, my husband shifting in bed, the cats running around like they have lost their minds, being outside, loving what I do for a living, great friends, good wine, and fulfilling things that I have worked for. We often lose sight of the things that bring us joy and settle for the things that are taking center stage at a particular moment in our lives. Be aware of when that is happening and try to reshift your focus! We have a limited time here and need to remember that in order to create a better balance of positive and negatives in our lives.
Finally is the idea that you have to live life as it suits you. Society, overall, has a very specific set of standards that you are expected to meet: grow up, go to college, move out, have a successful career, get married, have children, etc... These parameters are based on an outdated system. You have to live life for you and as it makes sense for you. Not everyone is cut out for college, and that's okay. Not everyone will have children, and that's okay. Not everyone will look like a Victoria Secrets/Calvin Klein model, and that's okay. We, as a society, need to stop living completely through norms set through the mid 1900's and realize that it's time to blend the old with the new. I believe wholeheartedly in many of the standards of that time period; a few of them - family dinners, having what you need and not what you want, children having a childhood, "clean foods", and everyone having a sense of care and responsibility for one another. However, we need to look carefully at what and when we expect those things to happen especially in the age we have entered. Without a careful balance of the traditional and the modern, the results are ugly.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Making Summer Memories
It has been a crazy few weeks; vacation has been exhausting and absolutely amazing.
Let me begin this statement with I despise the heat, humidity, sand, saltwater, boats, bugs, and sunburns. However, Island Time in the short term is fine by me and we began this journey by heading to the southern most point of the continental US.
(Almost) Southern Most Point Highlights: sweating to death on the plane, sun, convertible, floating hotel (Floating Sea Cove Marina for those up for an adventure in place of luxury), beach, husband time, seafood, relaxation, Kmart, Publix subs (roast beef and white american cheese with everything!), driving, and Key Largo Chocolates (this has been some of the best chocolate I have had, and I've had it from lots of places)!
Actual Southern Most Point Highlights: tiara, wand, and leopard print leggings, family part 1, crashing a local bar, birthday celebrations - including a 21st (obviously not mine!), drinking heavily (not me), throwing up in a trash can (again, not me), seafood, key lime pie, resort life, Catfish the taxi driver, all day water adventure, parasailing, jet skiing, snorkeling, inflatables in the ocean (I actually made it up and down the slide!), throwing up on a boat (definitely me), fire ant bites, Duval Street, chocolate cigars, and lots of laughs and water.
Central Peninsula Style Highlights - family part 2, long lines, sweat, multiple rides on the water rafts, niece and nephew time, watching my parents be grandparents, band aids, belly flops in the kids pool (still not me), Transformers, pirate dinner, airport time, pool, swimming, sunning, raining, drying shoes, lobby Starbucks, good conversation, fireworks, water projection, red ant bites, amusement park food and Dippin' Dots, home-cooked family comfort food, war, old maid, go fish, Barbies, family meals, and watching my sister surf out of the pool still inside the inflatable tube.
As I am wrapping up my vacation with amazing company of friends, I would like to remind everyone that it isn't about the amount of stuff that you accumulate that makes you rich, it is the number of memories and experiences with the people that help you make them. Cherish that time and those memories and forget about everything else.
Let me begin this statement with I despise the heat, humidity, sand, saltwater, boats, bugs, and sunburns. However, Island Time in the short term is fine by me and we began this journey by heading to the southern most point of the continental US.
(Almost) Southern Most Point Highlights: sweating to death on the plane, sun, convertible, floating hotel (Floating Sea Cove Marina for those up for an adventure in place of luxury), beach, husband time, seafood, relaxation, Kmart, Publix subs (roast beef and white american cheese with everything!), driving, and Key Largo Chocolates (this has been some of the best chocolate I have had, and I've had it from lots of places)!
Actual Southern Most Point Highlights: tiara, wand, and leopard print leggings, family part 1, crashing a local bar, birthday celebrations - including a 21st (obviously not mine!), drinking heavily (not me), throwing up in a trash can (again, not me), seafood, key lime pie, resort life, Catfish the taxi driver, all day water adventure, parasailing, jet skiing, snorkeling, inflatables in the ocean (I actually made it up and down the slide!), throwing up on a boat (definitely me), fire ant bites, Duval Street, chocolate cigars, and lots of laughs and water.
Central Peninsula Style Highlights - family part 2, long lines, sweat, multiple rides on the water rafts, niece and nephew time, watching my parents be grandparents, band aids, belly flops in the kids pool (still not me), Transformers, pirate dinner, airport time, pool, swimming, sunning, raining, drying shoes, lobby Starbucks, good conversation, fireworks, water projection, red ant bites, amusement park food and Dippin' Dots, home-cooked family comfort food, war, old maid, go fish, Barbies, family meals, and watching my sister surf out of the pool still inside the inflatable tube.
As I am wrapping up my vacation with amazing company of friends, I would like to remind everyone that it isn't about the amount of stuff that you accumulate that makes you rich, it is the number of memories and experiences with the people that help you make them. Cherish that time and those memories and forget about everything else.
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