Moving Forward

    I have this theory-a working theory, really-that maybe life isn't always as bad as it seems. And maybe there really are better days ahead. Maybe all those sappy sentiments our parents told us as we were growing up to make us feel better held some truth. What was it that C.S. Lewis once said? "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." Yeah, I think that basically sums up what I'm trying to say here. And this may all just seem like my regular random thoughts that I throw out on occasion, and maybe it is, but I honestly feel like it's incredibly important that we all understand that everything really is going to be okay, no matter what you find yourself going through. I've seen so much sadness and heartbreak lately, and experienced a lot of it myself, and throughout it all I've wondered how it was fair that these things were happening to the people around me, or even to myself. And it took awhile for me to realize that all of these hardships were not to be seen as objects that were just in our way and had to be pushed to the side, but they were struggles that needed to be faced. They were placed in our lives because we needed to fight through them, overcome them, and ultimately learn from them. Any person who says life is easy might just possibly be the most ignorant person on the planet. But anyone who says life is beautiful is absolutely right. And through everything I've experienced lately, I've come to understand a few things, which I of course am obliged to share with you. So, in the spirit of organized thought, I've made a list, one that will hopefully shed some light on just how to overcome whatever problems you might be facing, and move on to bigger and better things.

1. Yes, people are going to hurt you, and yes, it's going to suck. Like a lot.
    And here's what's going to suck even more-you're going to hurt others at some point as well. We've all been in both places, and it can be incredibly difficult to pull ourselves out of the funk we sometimes slip into. But here's the important thing to keep in mind-we're all human, and we all make mistakes.
    This is so key to remember because it's ultimately the key to forgiving not only others, but ourselves. We're all so quick to be defensive when others say or do something hurtful to us, but what if, instead of being so quick to lash out, or say a bad word against someone, we just let it go? It might seem like a crazy idea, but it truly is the key to not getting stuck in the past. Forgiveness is not just an ideal for the religious, it's a practice we should all adopt, if not for any other reason than we would all want someone to forgive us for any wrong we may have done. We will never know the entirety of what others have been through, or what they are going through, and others will never know the same for us. We need to learn to practice more empathy, and act first with kindness rather than anger. Whether it be in a broken friendship, broken relationship, or even just a small injustice done by an acquaintance, it would serve us all better to work through the pain with more understanding rather than working through it by causing the offender more pain. I'll be the first to admit that I'm certainly guilty of becoming angered after I've been hurt by someone, and I've recently decided to change that. And I urge everyone else to do the same. It's time we put a little bit more love and understanding in the world.

2. It's okay to cry, and it certainly doesn't make you weak.
    I've struggled with this a lot. That is, thinking that crying was a sign of weakness, and therefore hated anytime I cried in front of others. And having that state of mind really sucked for me, because I tend to cry...a lot. But I've realized that all this time that I've been so worried about coming off as weak when I cry, I haven't stopped to think about the fact that I haven't become any weaker as a result of my emotions. In fact, a good crying session tends to make me feel better, and clears my head. This is something I want you all to understand. Crying is under no circumstances a sign of weakness, rather it's a sign that you acknowledge the pain you're feeling, and may even be the first step towards a resolution to your problems. Understanding your feelings and emotions is a highly underrated skill, and that's partly due to the fact that so many people see it as being something weak people or even just women take part in. Okay...so not true. Feeling is not a gender specific activity, you guys. We all feel, and we're all sad sometimes, so why are we so afraid of showing it, but so quick to show others when we're happy? Once we learn that it's okay to feel all kinds of emotions, we'll find it much easier to work through our problems.

3. There's always an opportunity to find your way back if you ever become lost.
    I feel like I should clarify this, and I'm certainly up for the challenge. We all know that we've been gifted with certain abilities and talents that are unique to us, and it's in my full belief that these gifts are not only meant to be spread out into the world, but are also given to us so that we may always have a way of finding our way back to who we really are, no matter how far we might wander off. For example, whenever I seem to be in an exceptionally difficult place in my life, I turn to writing to make sense of it all (kind of like what I'm doing right now), and it never fails to simplify everything and remind of what I care most about in life. Basically, it puts things in perspective for me. And this is something that pertains to us all. We all have something, that one thing we find solace in when times get tough, that gives us the confidence and strength we need to keep going. So whether you're a grand poet, or enjoy star-gazing, or can master any arpeggio, use your talents to not only bring joy and peace to others, but to yourself as well. We all tend to get caught up in so many intricate, unimportant problems in life, and it's a good idea to bring yourself back to what brings you true happiness every once in awhile.

4. Learn to admit and accept when you're wrong.
    Yeah, I know this one can be difficult, and lately I've had a very hard time grasping this concept, but I'm slowly becoming more open to it. It kind of goes hand-in-hand with forgiving yourself, but the key is that you must acknowledge that you've done something wrong or hurtful before you can forgive yourself. Part of growing up is understanding that we sometimes cause our own problems, not others. Or we at the very least play some sort of role in our problems. Whatever the case, we should all learn to accept that we mess up sometimes, and then take whatever actions necessary to make up for it. And yes, this includes apologizing. I know...eww. But seriously, guys, it's so important. We can't just push responsibility away forever, we need to embrace the idea of maturing and understanding both our strengths and our weaknesses.

5. No matter what life throws at you, never forget to love and give thanks as much as you can.
    Even if you're going through such a tough time that all you have to be thankful for is another day of living, be thankful for that. It's something denied to many people every day, and each new sunrise opens up endless opportunities and chances to turn things around. It's always been my opinion that love is the greatest power on Earth, and is an endless resource that we all treat as scarce. Nothing is guaranteed in life, so take time to love those who build you up and push you to be a better person, and while you're at it, love those who don't do those things for you as well. Love people for the mere fact that we're all amazing, unique individuals with the endless capacity to love and be loved. Be thankful for everything good in life, and during the tough times, hold tight to those good things and focus only on them. But also be thankful for the difficult times, for they help shape us just as much as the good times. Be thankful for the people who help and hurt you, and try loving both equally. Be happy with the little things in life, and understand the importance of the big things. Take time out of your day to just pause for a moment and admire something beautiful. Dare I say, stop and smell the roses.

    So that's it for my grand list of inspiration, at least for now. And something important to remember is that these are practices that take time to incorporate into our life, but a great way to start is to just keep an open mind, and remember that we are constantly learning new things, I myself learned a lot just by writing this all out. But really all I'm trying to get across with all of this is that whatever problems you're facing right now should pale in comparison to the beauty that is out in the world. That yes, you may be hurting tonight, but that doesn't mean that something won't come along tomorrow that turns your world around and changes everything. And if it doesn't, just wait, because something is bound to change. I will always stand by my theory that no matter what, everything's going to be okay.

    And you know what? Not even okay. Everything's going to be awesome.