On a Lighter Note

Lately I feel like I've blogged about some heavy topics. It's probably hard to be excited to read my blog when you see titles like "Breakable" and "Love and Pain"...Sorry:)! So on a lighter note I thought I would post a link to a site that made me laugh this week and hopefully will make you at least crack a smile.

Enjoy! XO

You Suck At PhotoShop Tutorials:
My fav. is the second one so if you only have a few minutes to watch - watch that one.

Acceptance

Learning to accept things that we don't like, things we want to change or control can be one of the most ridiculous, self induced fights with oneself that we'll never win. Especially if you are me, a stubborn red head:)...It's not profound, but I realized recently that accepting things I cannot change can be beautiful if I allow it to be...It has brought out in me a raw honesty with myself and others that I feel has had or will have positive results.

To be candid with you I'll admit I've been a mess lately...Wondering how I got to where I am...It's like opening your eyes in the middle of the night to the unsettling dissillusionment of not knowing your surroundings. I've contemplated what my life would be like had I made different decisions earlier in life...I've wondered why doing the right thing always seemed to be enough for me, no matter what the sacrifice was, and why now it isn't enough. I can't justify my actions and life on rules and expectations. But there are things that I cannot change right now and results of decisions I've made that I cannot walk away from. So that leaves me with acceptance...And I think I finally got my arms around it for the moment.

Acceptance doesn't change feelings or emotions it just changes attitudes and willingness...So for now, I accept the things I cannot change and I'm willing to let go and let fate, faith, and hope take the wheel.

Love and Pain

Music is my muse and coping mechanism for life...And I've been listening to A LOT of music lately. The other day a lyric in a song caught my attention...

"I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all."

Which made me wonder, can you have love without pain? Can you feel one without the other?

To me feeling pain is evidence that I love. If I didn't care about a person or a thing, would it hurt to loose them or it? Love and pain are the perfect ying and yang. I'm pretty sure you can't have one without the other. So bring on the pain when it comes because that only means I have loved. And love is worth it.

8 Days In...

I decided on New Year's Day that I wanted to write down in a notebook all the life lessons I learn this year. Each lesson comes with a memory and/or experience and my hope is that by recording these things as I go by the end of '08 I will be able to reflect on how far life has taken me. Then I thought why not do it here? I'm pretty candid and open with all my loyal blogging fans and just maybe my life lessons will benefit you too? If not I'm sure you'll at least find some entertainment value in a few of them.

It's only 8 days into the new year and I've already been busy creating some life changing moments so here is the start of my list...

2008 Life Lessons (so far):

1. The consumption of alcohol cannot be sustained over a 7 hour period without consequences, (you'd think I would have learned that before now - maybe its just a lesson we have to re-learn from time to time).

2. Don't let my neighbor Ed mix you a drink - pretty much EVER! I was warned and I didn't listen to the warning. My bad.

3. Grace and forgiveness given where it is undeserved can be more cleansing and painful than the judgement and punishment we think we deserve.

4. When you suck at life (like I do now) don't abort the process of healing. Things never go away, and you'll deal with it eventually.

To be continued...

Breakable

I wish I had put the thoughts in this song together first...Because it so perfectly describes me right now. Here is a glimpse into my soul - find what you will...

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?
Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.
So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess.
And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just,
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.
You fasten my seatbelt because it is the law.
In your two ton death trap I finally saw.
A piece of love in your face that bathed me in regret.
Then you drove me to places I'll never forget.
And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just,
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.
And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just,
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls-Breakable, breakable, breakable girls-
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.

Breakable by: Ingrid Michaelson