Take a step back...and look.

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."
I often think that people don't really see what's in front of them. There's so much beauty in the world. And yet no one seems to see it. There's so much to be thankful for and yet so many people go around seeking useless information. So many people just gossip and I think they feel as though others SHOULD tell them what they want to hear. But not everything is your business. And they always look for the bad in a situation. It's always about making someone look bad in high school. It's ridiculous. If people would just open their eyes they'd see that there is beauty in all situations. There's hope in all situations. And even though somebody may have made a mistake and may have done something bad or wrong doesn't mean they're a bad person themselves. It just means they've made a few mistakes... "Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed." Just getting through each day is a miracle with what some people have to go through. Being ridiculed by everyone and having to face people when they don't even want to get out of bed in the morning. Having to face themselves...the worst feeling in the world is looking in the mirror and seeing yourself and knowing you did something that could ruin your life. And yet, your decisions are what make you who you are. They are what define you. How you handle something is what determines whether you are to succeed in the situation or not. It's your choice, and only yours. And the choices are shot at you constantly. A never ending flow of hardships and lies.


"Life is so constructed that an event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation."
Life is never what we expect. People always want so much out of life...but they never seem to get out of it what they want. I understand completely though. I've spent half of my life caught up in my fantasy life and nothing's ever as good as I want it to be. When you spend most of your life pretending like you're in a fairytale and wishing on shooting stars you miss out on all of the real things in life. Maybe me and the rest of the world are just afraid to live. To live in the real world at least. I'd love it if I could spend every day in my fantasy world. It would be perfect. At least in my eyes...but I shouldn't wish that. "Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." The only way life is really going to start and maybe even start to be like the fantasies and wishes we keep locked up inside our head is if we start to really live. We must put those thoughts into actions before we can actually start living for real. It shouldn't be about fearing what the consequences of our actions will be...we should just learn to deal with it the right way and however things work out is how they work out. But never stop trying. Always push forward and always try to reach our goals, no matter what may get in the way of us getting there.


"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive."
This is a quote so many people should start to live by. I've watched my dad live by...well basically something along the lines of this my whole life. He's such a laid back person and honestly, everyone likes him. He never really takes life seriously and I have to strain to be as calm and relaxed as him. Worrying about the little things gets us nowhere and yet so many of us do it every day. All it will do is hold us down and keep us from doing what really counts. And that's living. "Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death."

"Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
Why is it that so many people need love? I honestly don't understand what the big deal. There was an article in the school newspaper about how so many people tell each other they love one another...at the age of fourteen, fifteen, sixteen...I'm sorry but it seems impossible to really comprehend what that feeling is when you're dating someone for the first time. If you have no experience then how are you supposed to know what love feels like. I've never been in love before...at least I don't think so. It might have been close though. I've experienced lust and attachment but nothing like love. I've never seen real love. I know that. All I've seen is broken love. But even though it may be broken, there are still little pockets of happiness in the darkness. And I've found that it's most beautiful when you don't have the full love all the time. You may fight and bicker and hate one another at times but that just makes the softer moments just that much more beautiful. And that makes waiting for someone to love that much worthwhile...I don't want to fall in love before I know what I want and what love really is. I want experience in how it feels to love someone. And maybe not just one someone...maybe a few someones along the way.


"The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt."
For every action there is a reaction. Something I learned in physical science but it still applies to life. Dorky, I know, but it's true. For everything you do or say, it effects someone. You could end up hurting someone seriously and rumors do that to a lot of people. But the ironic thing is it always ends up right back where it started. At the source. If you bullshit people, you'll get bullshitted right back. One of my favorite quotes actually applies to this as well...Jay Asher said "You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything." And he's totally right. You don't know how you're actions are going to affect others. You only know what's really going on in your life and by messing with one part of someone else's life you could start a chain reaction that could affect so many more people.


"Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life."
I think so many people believe that someone has to write our life. But the thing is, you write your own story. I was actually just thinking about it...and God doesn't control your life. You have your own free will. He won't stop you from doing something so technically it is your choice. You have control of your life, but so many people let others run their lives. And I hate having to sit by and not be able to do anything about it. I watched one of my friends let a boy write her life for months. When he said snap she snapped. When he said go she'd go. And it's difficult to think that so many people don't have control over their life.


"The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain."
I've realized that pain is a part of life. Feeling pain helps me realize that I'm living...that I may be making mistakes but I'm learning from them. And pain makes us stronger. But coupled with pain is passion. They walk hand in hand and passion is just as strong as pain. Two separate, completely opposite feelings, yet they can cause they same feelings. Wow..that makes no sense does it? Haha. But it's true. Although there is pain in the world and you may get hurt there is also something to live for, the passion and love of life.


"Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow."
I always ask so many questions. And I always feel as if I annoy people with it. But curiosity is what drives me. My passion is to know. I've been that way for as long as I can remember. If I don't understand I question. I live in the now and forget about the past and try not to think about the future. And that's what life is all about. Living.