Acceptance

When we are born, we simply lay horizontally until we learn to crawl. Head up, slightly bobbing, and moving forward. When we learn to walk, we stretch out and try to lengthen ourselves vertically to appear taller. But as the years creep on by, we begin to go in reverse. Slowly our heads bob downward and we hunch in a forward slump, knees permanently at a bent angle, making us appear shorter, until even raising our head becomes a challenge. 

That is the cycle of life. Grow, age, and leave. This is where a certain principle becomes quintessential: Sometimes we let other external factors, be it people or situations, slump us forward, and weigh upon us heavily. How so? We live in a critique-happy world, where everyone is ready to offer an opinion about someone or some thing- be it system or product. Living up to everyone's ideals can be a sure way to overload our being and drown in unhappiness. 

True, there is always something we can work on, tweak, modify, edit. We move forward endlessly striving to be a better person than we were yesterday. But we can't let anyone that sometimes even with good intentions squashes our entire paradigm by making us feel "not good enough." The reality is we all have flaws and yet we all have qualities, and if we work hard on sanding down our flaws, our virtues shine brighter. But that is not to say we have no value- even a crumpled up $100 bill is still worth $100, and no one would hesitate to pick it up if it was stranded. 

So if someone has made you feel incomplete, flawed, or simply inadequate- don't let it get you down. As long as you acknowledge your faults and strive to buff them out, no one deserves to make you feel less. 

Intuitions

One thing I will never truly understand is the perceptive power of intuitions. Ever since I was a little kid, my intuition has been pretty much dead-on. My character judgement of others, ideas, notions, things I had a hunch about- basically. The problem? I usually ignore those hunches, and then woeful issues arise.

So what is it that makes this snap judgement ability in us possible? It seems to contradict the very core of not judging a book by its cover. Yet sometimes our impressions are correct. What to do then? Simply- the path to that answer runs parallel to many other intrigues- Will it last? How will it end? Is it worth it? Time. Steady, irrevocable, unchangeable time.

On the same token, intuitions cease to be so after we over analyze the subject matter. For example, you may know for a fact a certain purchase is unnecessary or perhaps dubious. But once you start eyeing it over , in a matter of minutes your mind and heart will have concocted a buffet of 1,000 reasons why you "need" it. Same with everything else in life. As humans we have a feisty inner conflict of voices fighting to be heard. Reason, Rationality and Logic vs Illusions, Possibilities, and What-ifs. The problem is illusions only stay in one place; the mind. And reality goes on to be our daily bread. How pleasant we make our reality can very well depend how carefully we consider our intuitions..

And next time, if all signs point to run far far away- do so. Its possible to escape before the point of no return.

The Marvel of Books

Thoughts are an ever inspiring realm. From the raw materials needed to produce one, to the timeline of observations and checkpoints, to the final polished idea- its such a rewarding trip. Especially if this thought is a product or predecessor of experience, fact, or a combination- and it happens to be accurate. Or at least, highly logical.

Books are pretty much someone's idea, after being cut, trimmed, manicured and polished. The idea may be simply a caboose on the train of thought, it may be the rails the train travels on, or it may be the brick wall the train wrecks into. What's amazing is that when thoughts are recorded into a book, they automatically gain power. They transmit themselves from my mind to yours, and now you are looking at the same picture, in the same way I am. Books themselves are powerful- for they can add to our already established ideas, diminish them altogether, or create an entirely new world of thought one had never even imagined possible.

For example, below is a quote:

"Some make up for in body what they lack in mind. My body is simply a vessel that carries my mind carefully and comfortably."

Now how many times had you thought of a body as either an encasement for a brain or just a shiny shell? Chances are, now you will, from time to time, think of in the way I did.

The Dynamics of Rivalry

Rivalry. . its such a necessary evil, and yet a beautiful one at that. 


Throughout our rough childhood years, when we strive to make an valuable imprint on our future adulthood life, we are constantly thrust in situations where our emotions are exposed to a variety of different settings. From fighting to outsmart the brightest kid in class to trying to cheer mom up the most, rivalry and one-upism is our daily bread. In a way, we fight against ourselves our entire life to not harbor a bitter competitive attitude- but beyond the mask of socially acceptable attitudes, the truth is rivalry sparks the best in each and every one of us. The desire to be not just good- but the best at what we do.


At first, some of us resent such unwelcome reminder that we are not the best at everything, that others in fact make it quite a challenge to outdo them, but later on in life we learn to use the antagonist in the story of our life to our benefit. Sure, we may never be the best in the school, in the house, or in our career. But if we give it our utmost effort, we can continually push the bar and drive our aptitudes and capability forward. So let the external conflict be the fuel of your motivation, to excel individually. Your failure today just may be your triumph tomorrow; if you learn to overcome the obstacle.

The Polishing of Patience

There are few things in life we want to have or accomplish with every fiber in our being. There are very few things, actually, that are worth the exertion of the very fibers of our being. But every once in a while, a figment too wonderful to dismiss becomes of increasing endearment. 
What is worth waiting on, or waiting for, in life? Is there anything of such value whatsoever? Perhaps it is rarely considered this way, but the traverse itself of an expected outcome can become either our tree of life, or the rope from which we hang. Why is this so? Sometimes, that which we so dearly desire can only be satisfyingly obtained through time.. And time, rarely on our side, does not heed our impatience nor our beseeching. 
So when we are placed, either obligingly or unexpectedly, in the bend between time and desire, what else can we do but seek benefit from our position? Can we quicken the pace of the clock? Obviously, that is a straightforward no. But can we fool our minds to believe it has? 
Whether we tumble among life hoping for the next moment to come or the last minute to linger, the flow of the chime continues, non halting, irrevocable, and rarely ever, appreciated to its full potential. In fact, sometimes we may be so intent on tomorrow, that today passes by unnoticed, its resources untapped, the possibilities, unturned. 
Indeed, the greatest gift of patience is not only being rewarded in the end, but loving every second you wait.. How can that be? Because every second that passes, you can either choose to improve who you are, or sink into a pit of despair. The world has many paths, many side goals. And these ample stepping stones along the way deliver you to your destination, quite often a better individual than when you began your journey. 
As is, time can be our valuable resource- if we want it to be. And once that clock stops ticking; none of us will want to look back, and regret.. 

On Winter

There's something unparalleled in the silent beauty of winter. The texture of the world seems to undergo an amorphous change, and for a couple months our entire world is transformed anew with a symphony of invigorating acoustics. During winter, the entire paradigm of the world appears to be a unravel itself into a dimension where time ceases to exist.

Like a steady cotton shower, the skies seem to never stop pouring forth a deluge of wonderful intricate flakes. Anxiously one awaits the show like expecting the grand finale at the theater. For hours at a time, precipitated soft tufts of whiteness blanket the earth in a tranquil, constant light that makes us wonder if anything more beautiful is possible, and if it will ever end.

Such alluring breathtaking views grace my eyes but can't be reproduced in words- a scene that cant even be attempted to be described in hollow words. However, a beautiful wonderland unveils itself for all the world to take in as proud as a bride united with her groom. 

Soundlessly the flakes fall, and slowly, they gather, and soon, anywhere the eye can gaze, a white sea drowns the earth in simple elegant beauty. To be able sink one's hands in its velvety texture is a treat so rewarding for the senses.
 
How can one trudge along in life unperturbed and unaware of the staggering wonder of a white winter? Without acknowledging the quiet beauty of a single snowflake? Thankful I am to feel so alive and to emboss an endearing experience as such in my mind.