"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."

We're in some pretty awesome times, people. I'm not speaking politically, socially, culturally; I don't bother myself with these. I'm talking personally. I feel like after high school, we're just trotting along and then WHAM-- we hit a brick wall going 85. Life wakes you up. It shouts in your face and says, "YO, GET WITH IT BITCH". (For all you fellow Breaking Bad fans, yes, I was channeling my inner Jesse.)

There's this journey that starts, once we awaken to it. For some, it may be during high school, which I would say is extremely rare. Who the hell knows what they want out of life when they're 16, 17? All I wanted when I was 17 was a beer and a blunt and my best friends there for the ride (which were often dangerous. Think about it seriously and with a good chuckle--what the hell were we thinking?!) For most, the actual journey begins in our twenties--and once it starts it does not quit.

I'm not sure where you are in your own journey of self-exploration, self-affirmation, self-discovery, self-whatever but I do feel like with each passing year, each passing decade, the journey changes focus. I'm in the "start" of my life... I've begun the processes of examining myself existentially and yet I can't say I have much experience in much of anything, but I do have a grasp of where I want to go. I'm starting to outline those things, highlight my goals and aspirations, whom I want there and whom I do not. It's so crazy to look back on where I was a year ago, two years ago, three. I don't aim to understand why certain things have happened to me, but I do aim to understand how they have affected me and my course, my journey. It hasn't always been a beautiful one, but I think I'm starting to realize the importance of events and be grateful for where I am now; stronger and still growing. It's even crazier to look ahead and realize where I will be a year from now, two years, three.

Think about your life. Think about where you were a few years ago compared to today and where you plan to go. Change is not inevitable, especially for those refusing to accept their journey, who deny their importance to grow and become better. I'm sure we've all said at some point,"She'll/He'll/They'll never change". Instead of blaming others for their lack of recognizing the ability to change, lets pat ourselves on the back for having the courage to. Our journey insists we change, grow, expand, be better than we were yesterday. I've accepted this journey, and thus am changed. It is scary sometimes, and if you're as stubborn as I am, there will be friction felt. Ease into it. Accept it. Follow whatever your heart and soul is leading you towards and trust your instincts. I wish you all well on your journey, I hope you all find what you seek, and maybe we'll cross paths along the way to share what we've learned.