Your Newest Question

Okay so I am going to change it up a little today. Recently I have received emails from a few people asking me about my girlfriend. I have brought her up from time to time and its understandable that people want to know about her and to help things I write in the future maybe I should talk about her a little. It's kind of a long story though so just give it a chance.
Me and her have known each other about 4 years. When we first met, I tried constantly to be with her but it seemed she was not interested. I spent the next two years trying from time to time to show her how I feel and prove she means a lot to me but time and time again I seemed to come up short.
Finally the summer of my senior year I began to spend a lot more time with her. I was seeing her a few times a week and it seemed like we were getting closer. Unfortunately, I was too nervous to try and kiss her or tell her how I felt. Days when we hang out came and went without me making any kind of move, and I began to feel like I was going to go to school without telling her or showing her how I feel.
Finally, with one day left, I decided I needed to know what was going to happen. We sat around her house the whole day and even though neither of us said anything, there was the subtle undertone that we both knew I would be gone for the next three months. I sat there with my arm around her, just looking at her, thinking to myself that I will never get another chance like this again.
I looked at the time and realized that I had to leave. I asked her to walk me to the car and right as I was about to let go from hugging her and get in, I decided I had to try. As corny as it may sound, I asked her to kiss her, and she said yes. For years I had built up all these high expectations about what it would be like actually kissing her and actually being with her. I also wondered if I actually cared about her or if I was getting the fact that I was always getting denied by her make me think I cared about her more than I actually did. All these thoughts raced through my head, and then it happened. I kissed her and I knew right then at that moment how special this girl was to me. That car ride home, knowing I wouldn't be able to see her for 3 months, was the saddest of my life.
When I came back from the school the first time we got closer still, and as the year went on I began to come home more and more to see her. Finally summer came, we were dating, and that brings me to where I am now.
She is gorgeous. Hahaha I know that is a little blunt, but its entirely true. Long dark hair, beautiful green eyes, and one of the best smiles I have ever seen. She is funny, smart, fun to be around, and one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Her personality is what really sets her apart from every other girl I have ever talked to. As high as my expectations were for her, she went above and beyond them in so many ways and really blew me away. As you can probably tell, I care about her very much.
As I get closer to go to school, and she gets ready to go to school about 6 hours away from mine, I realize how important every minutes I am with her is. Going to school, that last day before I leave, is going to be one of the hardest days of my life. I can't even put into words how much I am going to miss her, but I will make every effort to see her as much as I possibly can this semester. I can honestly say that so far I have made the most out of every opportunity I have had to be with her this summer, and that there were a few times we spent together that I can honestly consider some of the best times of my life.
This goes back to everything I always say about appreciation. Everything I talk about in reference to how time is short, and how we need to cherish every second we have. I know you all probably have some one special in your lives. For some of you its a wife or husband, for others a boyfriend or girlfriend, and for some, its a girl or guy you have not even said hello to yet, but you just know. My advice is this, tell them how you feel before its too late. Let them know what they mean to you and if it truly comes from your heart you will never make them uncomfortable. If they are special to you, please let them know. We all need to appreciate the important people we have in our lives, I know I do.

It All Comes Down To This

I do not have the best relationship with my parents. I find it hard to remember the last time we just had a conversation without yelling and often times their harsh words pulsate through me like venom. The past few weeks in particular all I have wanted was a normal relationship with the people in my family.I know that this contradicts a lot of what I write and preach about. I am always talking about how we should appreciate what we have and cherish it, and by me sitting here asking for more from my parents, I am in direct violation of these rules I have established for the way I want to live my life. So I have decided that wants are okay, to an extent. It is desire and wants that keep the world turning, and without any desire we would have no motivation and ultimately are species would be cast down to its more instinctive form. However, I think wanting something like a solid relationship with my parents was asking for a little much and did not really fit in with what I tell readers. I was being greedy.Last night I was with my girlfriend sitting in my T.V room. We were just casually flipping through the channels laying with each other as we often do. Let me just say right now that my girlfriend has been the person I tell everything to, and one of the only people in my life that I can truly say I trust. She is always there for me when I need her to be and makes me happier than I ever have been before. Most of the time she brings out the best and me, and I am truly thankful to have her in my life.Having said that, I was feeling a little upset about the situation with my parents and she noticed instantly. After asking a few times, I finally broke down and put my head and her shoulder where I kept it for about an hour as I thought and spoke about everything wrong in my life. I spoke about my family in particular, and how all I wanted was normal parents that respected me and treated me well when I saw them.At the end of the night, although she did cheer me up a great deal when I really thought no one could, I was still feeling upset. I went to sleep upset and woke up this morning still feeling uneasy. It was at that moment that I realized where I needed to go with my life.My point is that everything happens for a reason. All these things that we think are the end of the world end up being good for us. Maybe it is not as noticeable as you leaving your shoes untied and tripping only to find a 100 dollar bill in front of you, but it happens. These bad experiences are meant to teach us and show us that life is not perfect, and that everyone has problems and things they do not like, but it is those who let those bad things overshadow the good that allow their minds to take them to dark places they would dare not step.We all come into this world the same way. It is these events, both good and bad, that shape and mold how we exists. Our lives are short and often very fragile. We have to learn that not everyone has everything, and that our greatest ability as people is to turn our biggest weaknesses into our most powerful strengths.

Stop Taking Life So Seriously

Sorry I have not been able to post in a few days, family emergency.

Having said that, I know to a lot of you my last post seemed a little out of the ordinary. My point was not that we should all rage against the machine and try to go against the grain. My point was that we as a society are so restricted by these unwritten rules that nobody takes the time to truly just appreciate how nice it feels to smile at a stranger, start a conversation in the elevator, or just tell someone your working with that they are doing a really good job. It seems as though nobody really wants to put themselves out there anymore, and everyone is too busy trying to get theirs to worry about what anyone else wants. Although we are very social creatures and communication is a very serious part out our culture, recently as years have passed everyone has become so self centered and greedy that they do not take the time to appreciate the fellow man.
We all need to stop taking life so seriously. Every now and then just realize that it is a blessing alone that you are alive and able to do the things you do every day. Being able to smell, touch, and taste all these little things in our world is such a great gift that it seems everyone has forgotten about. Everyone wants the new Ferrari or Bentley and forget about how nice it is to just lay on the grass and do nothing. I am not saying to completely abandon your desire and ambition because those two things are what keeps us moving. What I am saying is that every once and while even if it is only for a few minutes, put everything else aside and just realize how amazing everything around you is. Think about how amazing it is that you can see stars hundreds of millions of miles away, or good it feels to just stand out in the rain. We do not know how long we are going to be able to truly notice the little things, so don't let these moments pass.

Appreciation " How do you remember/keep yourself in check?"

To answer your question, it really is not easy to constantly appreciate what you are given. A lot of times people get caught up in the moment and don't realize what they have until time has already passed them by. When I decided that I wanted to take a greater appreciation for the life I live, I started every night. Every night before I went to bed I would take a few minutes to really think about my day. Once I thought about my day I thought about everything involved that made the day good if it was a good day or kept me going if it was a bad day. Than as days and weeks and months went on, the appreciation became almost habitual. Pretty soon you find yourself appreciating the first snow of the winter only a few hours after it happens.
To truly get it in the moment takes a lot of time but you have to trust me, once you do get there it is the most incredible feeling on earth. Being able to sit out on your porch and look up at the blue sky and really take in how amazing it is that your alive to witness it. Knowing in the moment how special a person could be to you can be more powerful than any memory of them you will ever have. Walks in the park will be the time of your life and food will taste better than it ever has before.
So in conclusion, being able to keep yourself in check is really more of a habit than anything else. I worked myself into it slowly and over time. You can not just decide one day your going to appreciate everything around you, life does not work like that. You have to take things one step at a time and let your memory's and emotions carry you farther than your legs ever could.
I hope this answers your question.

"So why do alot of your articles make it sound like our time is running out?"

This is a very good question for me to start with. As you probably have all noticed, I tend to stress the appreciation of the time we have. There are two main reasons I do this.
The first takes me back to my freshmen year in high school. To make a long and sad story much shorter, I lived next to my grandmother who was getting very old and sick. My parents left me the house for the night and my only responsibility was to check on her. In the heat of the moment, I opted to go out with a bunch of older guys instead for the popularity points, and while I was gone my grandma fell. My family found her the next day and by the time I go to the hospital she was gone. I really never did have a chance to truly say goodbye to her. It is a mistake that I am forced to live with for the rest of my life, and since I can not change the past, I want to use that experience to enlighten the futures of the people around me if possible.
The second reason is also self explanatory. I am currently in a relationship with a girl I care about very much, unfortunately, she attends school 350 miles away from me, and at times it gets very hard. I miss her almost constantly when I am at school and talk to her as much as I can, but nothing beats the feeling of actually being able to hold the person you care about so much. When I am with her I make sure that I appreciate every second of it and truly thank God for every time I get the chance to be with her. To get the most out of relationships, I hope you all do the same.

I hope this answers your question, and I am looking forward to many more in the future.

Making Time On Your Side

Today I would like to talk about time. Although the concept of time is relatively man made, it seems that it really does contol most of our everyday lives. Your either coming in on time, don't have enough time, running out of time, or watching time fly as your having fun. It appears that time is the only thing we need, and yet we have no control as it passes us by.
I am going to be short and sweet with my entry today. Really appreciate the time you are given and the time you have with people. Take full advantage of every second you are given and live every second you have to the fullest. Don't not call a girl back because you want to wait a little so she does not think your desperate. Call her right away if you care about her because if this girl can turn out to be the one you want to spend the rest of your life with you do not want to waste a second of it. Take time out of your day to really appreciate the world around you. Watch the colors change on the leaves in the autumn. Even if your freezing cold in the dead of winter, jump out in the snow just once so you can remember what it was like to be a kid again.
People often waste time doing nonsenical tasks. I can honeslty say that I am not for this particular lifestyle. I have learned at a relatively young age that life comes at you and goes by very quickly. You never know when an event will strike that changes the course of the rest of your days. So take time out, even if its right after you read this article, and really appreciate what you are given, who has been brought into your life, and furthermore, appreciate life itself.