Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The longing for more...

Often times, we as humans feel a longing for more. More living, more experiences, the longing for something completely different and unexpected to come into our lives. This is something we all feel at one time or another.
For some, they may take a page from the book "Eat Pray Love" and take a trip, see new places or meet new people. Others may learn a new language or take on a hobby. Maybe others will even take some risks, try new things, or even attempt new relationships or business ventures.
So is the "longing for something more" feeling bad? Absolutely not! In fact, this opens you up to new experiences and gives you a chance to live life in a different way than you might normally. Ultimately, you should embrace these feelings and learn to use them for the good.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Leaving one place to discover a new one...


When I recently faced the very real possibility that I may have to leave everything I know in my hometown, and move to another place, discover new things, face new adventures or new fears, it set my head spinning. Everyone builds attachments to the places they know and the people they are surrounded by. To say I was and am still unprepared is an understatement. While everyone may live someplace and forget to appreciate the home they have built, I am learning to appreciate mine all over again. The song "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert gives you a good clue at what you should see. Even if your house isn't perfect, there are memories in every square inch. To leave it may scare you, just like it does me, but what if instead of being a bad thing, this is a good thing.
The good thing about leaving one place and going to another is all of the endless possibilities. There are adventures just waiting for you, new friends you have yet to meet, new places to discover, new experiences you may never have had anywhere else, and the constant thrill of waiting to discover what is around the corner.
While this little pep talk may not be as reassuring as you would like, just remember that everything is an adventure and with all good adventures, you just have to make it what you want it to be. The world has opened up, you can be anything you want, surrounded by strangers, you can make yourself into whatever you want to be, you can move to a place that goes beyond your expectations, learn things you never expected, and discover things about yourself. The quote below give a good picture of this;

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land.”
―Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

What defines a personal crisis?

Many people go through crazy periods of time and question  everything about their own lives. There have been books written about personal crises and movies made over the subject. Therapists and counselors make their living by other people's crises. But what really defines a crisis?
Does someone have to wake up and realize that their lives have not been as productive as they would like, or that they are living a life without meaning to be in a personal crisis? What about the little things? What if someone is controlled by their fears? What if they are afraid most of all of the future and what lies ahead?
I believe everyone goes through some kind of personal crisis in their lifetime. Maybe theirs is relatively small compared to someone else,  but it may be a crisis all the same. So many things can be considered a crisis when you truly think about it. Boys, girls, school- whether to go or not- and even work and family can become your own crisis. The important thing is to keep calm, focus on what you want, take your own advice and trust that even if your world is shaking and upside down right now, things settle and crises end. You just have to enjoy the ride, and remember not to take life too seriously. :)

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

I'm a dreamer. Are you?

Just about everyone has heard the theory that all dreams have a hidden meaning. I find it hard to believe sometimes.
Take my dream last night, for example. After reading quite a bit of "Eat Pray Love" I had my own dream that I did the same sort of thing in the United States. I spent 4 months in New York, 4 months in California, and 4 months in Arizona. That was two states I had always wanted to see, (New York and Arizona) and another I thought I should see. According to "dream interpreters," a dream about a long trip implies good luck or fortune. It also means I will receive an inheritance, not necessarily money. How do they get these interpretations?
What if I had dreamed a memory? Can there really be any interpretation on a memory?
Another thing I find so difficult to understand is the tiny differences in dreams that make dreams mean different things.  In my dream, the interpretation was that good fortune and an inheritance of some level are coming my way. If my trip had ended badly though, it would have meant my love may not have been faithful to me. Such a little twist to make such different outcomes.
For the time being, this girl will remain skeptical...

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Perfection... The stuff of legends?

One thing you should know about me before I go any further is that I am big into definitions, quotes, and facts. To me, this makes something more reliable than just a simple opinion. That being said, here goes..
The first thing I want to know when anyone talks about perfection is, what exactly is it? There is a very loose definition that says perfection is broadly, a state of completeness and flawlessness. This is also changed in definition by the opinions of people looking for it. What may be perfect for one person may be a nightmare for another.
So what does that mean? To use the oldest example in the book, men, (or women if you're a man.) Does such a thing as a perfect man truly exist, or is it really the stuff of fairy-tales?  Can all of the features and personalities that women find so desirable in a man; (hands, lips, body, compassion for others, strength, and selflessness to name a few,) possibly be contained in just ONE man? Or is it possible to find a few men with a few things you find so perfect, and simply be happy with that, growing blind to their flaws?
To use a famous example from the popular movie "Sex and the City", Charlotte is seen with her husband, Harry. While he isn't what she had first thought of as "perfect", (the religion difference being one example,) she is completely happy.
This leads me to believe that perfection is always with us, it just takes some time to uncover. What you may not see as being "perfect" at first, you may believe to be perfect later.
Let's use another example; dogs. There are thousands of different breeds of dogs. Some big, some small, some with short hair, some with long. Some dogs are more playful while others are more quiet. With so many varieties of personalities and appearances, how do you know what perfect really is? As for me, when I was just a child, I used to love older dogs. The growlier the better. There was something about getting close to an old dog that was a bit mistrustful and getting him to trust me that was so appealing. Other people I knew were only interested in puppies. While I like the more relaxed and quiet dog, others liked loud and playful ones. Does this mean our definitions of perfect were wrong? I don't believe so. I believe we both found something that we may not have considered to be perfect at one time, but once we got attached, we were blind to any flaws. 
Yet again, the question of "does perfection truly exist" comes up. My simple answer: yes. Perfection is too much of an ideal, however, and if you are looking too hard for it, you will never find it. Stop looking, and you will discover that everything you ever thought of as being perfect has changed. Perfection is different for everyone, so if you're looking for one answer to what it really is, you may have to keep looking. While your boyfriend, dog, house, car and job may not be perfect, maybe they are perfect for you... Maybe everyone has something that is truly perfect waiting for them, they just have to discover it... Maybe you yourself are perfect to someone, even with all of your flaws. And maybe, just maybe, that is the true definition of perfection; to be perfectly flawed, but perfectly ideal.

Advancing in culture? But what have we left behind?

This is something I wrote a long time ago, and recently re-discovered. I enjoyed reading it again, and I hope you do too...

Many people say that the world is constantly advancing with technology and the way people think. They claim we are more open to things that in the past we would not have been. This is true. Here is my problem:
Think back to the early American days, days were Benjamin Franklin was busy discovering electricity and Thomas Edison was working on the light bulb. Those were exciting times. The world was full of possibilities. Things were being discovered right and left, and not only were inventions being created, (the light bulb, telephone and cars to name a few,) but they were also all things that, in one way or another, helped society in some way. Fast forward and we now have iphones, ipads, hd tv, and sewing machines that can make 100 different types of stitches. Nice things, but completely useful; not really.

And it wasn't just the inventions either. There were entire areas of the world completely undiscovered. (Still true today, but less so.) This was an exciting time with the ability to see something that hardly anyone had seen before. Take the Lewis and Clark expedition for example. They had the adventure of a lifetime, seeing things noone else had and discovering new things. I think we've kind of lost the wonder for all the world has to offer and what we still could discover today.

If these things alone aren't enough, people were much different in their relations with each other. My father always uses the 50's as an example. People cared about each other, and were always there to help you if you needed a helping hand. Back then, you knew all of your neighbors and cared! Now, you just try to avoid your neighbors as much as possible and hope they don't bother you at all. And if they need a helping hand, you would rather do something else than to be bothered to help. You also never heard of unwed mothers back then either. People had more decency than to leave a woman in a situation like that. That's not to say unwed mothers of today are wrong, i believe the men are wrong if they believe they can have a child with a girl and leave her to take care of it. That just isn't right.

While this is just my opinion, I believe it is quite sad that our "advancing world" could be so cold. We may have advanced, but we have also left some of our most desirable qualities behind in history. My hope is that someday this will no longer be so, but it does make you think. We need to rediscover the wonder for our world, the sense of adventure and mystery that goes with it. We need to find our own decency and give it to others-make this a better world through our actions and words. These are small steps, but they need to be done desperately. Let's not leave anything else behind, let's bring all the good with us in these next generations!

Is this random? Yes. Completely.

As you may have guessed by my colorful background, this blog is without rhyme or reason. there is absolutely no pattern and no similarities with any of the entries I will post. As my blog title says, this will be the completely random thoughts of a completely random girl.
While I realize you may not necessarily agree with all of my thoughts, your comments are welcome. I love hearing about new points of view, and am always willing to agree that my point of view isn't always the best one.
That being said, I hope you enjoy reading this, and feel free to share your thoughts!