Fairy Lights and Stars Bright
Hey everyone!
That's right, I'm still alive if any of you guys were wondering. I'm only half-dead and defeated by midterms and the prospect of finals :)
A few nights(?) or possibly weeks(?) ago, I found myself sitting outside in the frigid air beside the Christmas lights, gazing up at the stars. It was freezing, and I was tired and gross from work, but I still found myself unable to resist the allure of the twinkling spots of light that graced the sky above. While slowly losing feeling in my limbs, I thought about all the realities of the world in which we live.
People can do awful things, and time keeps marching forward regardless of kindness and evil. Families are brought together and apart. Life is lovely one minute and terrible the next. Above all, I realized that the world keeps going no matter what and that everything we are given is but due to a moment's circumstance.
What's the difference between you and the person you could've been? What if you had done The Thing way back when? What if you hadn't? Why were you born instead of some other combination of DNA that would make someone else? Everything that we are and that we have, everything that makes up the world around us, is a culmination of chance and the decision of one moment in time.
I will be the first to acknowledge that I'm not perfect. I have made plenty of mistakes and have made decisions that I regret, whether or not things worked out for the better. But all of those mistakes, all of those choices are what makes me, me. I am where I am in life because of those mistakes, as a result of all of the choices I have made, good or bad. That's why I can't really be hateful toward anything that happens. Does not doing so well on a test suck? Of course it does. It doesn't mean it is a true loss though because you learn, and maybe because you tanked this test, you will ace the next that you wouldn't otherwise have.
Same thing goes for people. My parents drive me crazy more times than not. They are also not perfect people, and I am well aware of their limitations just as they have made me aware of my own. They will hover and be protective, and it completely makes no sense since I'm basically an adult. But you know what? They also raised me to be the person I am today. Without their guidance and yes, over-protectiveness, I wouldn't be prepared for the things life has thrown at me and I wouldn't consider actions with the same attitude of thinking in consequences.
There are times where I wonder if I have been spending my time in all the right places. I had spent so much time cultivating my friendships in high school and so few have turned out to be supportive of me. I had chosen to take some days off instead of plowing onward with homework like I probably should've done. I had decided to play board games with my family instead of writing my lab report in chemistry. I took time to connect with people who are important to me instead of being a slave to my busy schedule. Were there other things I probably should've been doing? Of course. But do I regret doing any of these things that I did do? No, I don't.
Sometimes the best thing for you isn't to do the thing that you think you should be doing. Let me tell you, as a person who spends a lot of time on schoolwork, life has taught me that there will always be more work. Just as you finish this assignment, the prof will assign another. There is always another test, or quiz, or final over the horizon and that is reality. But life isn't just dependent on your schooling. Life is also in the laughter you share with your dad over his corny jokes, in the heart-to-heart conversations with your mom as she makes dinner and you may or may not help. It is in the family board game nights where you wind up screaming at each other for the move they made. It is in going to the ice cream shop with your friends and smashing ice cream in each other's faces and it is in singing at the top of your lungs in the car. Life is in memories.
You make the final decision on how to allocate your time. You get to make these little decisions that will slowly shape who you are. Don't regret them. I cannot emphasize this enough: whatever you choose to do with your time, with your life, do it wholeheartedly. If you decide to take a day for relaxation, then do it to the fullest. Unwind completely and come back ready to win at life like you have always done. If you decide to tackle this big project instead of going out with your friends, then commit to it fully. Don't spend your time wondering what the other options might've led to. Stride forward with conviction. You make these choices and good or bad, be grateful for them because you wouldn't be you without them. I know I for one, am extraordinarily grateful for all of you.
Moral of the story? Feel okay for taking some time and admiring the way the stars glitter and the Christmas lights bob like multicolored fairies. Feel okay for making sure you have that balance between work and play, and feel okay for slowing down and savoring the journey to wherever you want to go.
Here's a complimentary meme :)
As you can tell, I choose to find memes in my free time. And guess what? Never once regretted it ;)
Wishing you all the best of luck for finals!
~Tempest
That's right, I'm still alive if any of you guys were wondering. I'm only half-dead and defeated by midterms and the prospect of finals :)
A few nights(?) or possibly weeks(?) ago, I found myself sitting outside in the frigid air beside the Christmas lights, gazing up at the stars. It was freezing, and I was tired and gross from work, but I still found myself unable to resist the allure of the twinkling spots of light that graced the sky above. While slowly losing feeling in my limbs, I thought about all the realities of the world in which we live.
People can do awful things, and time keeps marching forward regardless of kindness and evil. Families are brought together and apart. Life is lovely one minute and terrible the next. Above all, I realized that the world keeps going no matter what and that everything we are given is but due to a moment's circumstance.
What's the difference between you and the person you could've been? What if you had done The Thing way back when? What if you hadn't? Why were you born instead of some other combination of DNA that would make someone else? Everything that we are and that we have, everything that makes up the world around us, is a culmination of chance and the decision of one moment in time.
I will be the first to acknowledge that I'm not perfect. I have made plenty of mistakes and have made decisions that I regret, whether or not things worked out for the better. But all of those mistakes, all of those choices are what makes me, me. I am where I am in life because of those mistakes, as a result of all of the choices I have made, good or bad. That's why I can't really be hateful toward anything that happens. Does not doing so well on a test suck? Of course it does. It doesn't mean it is a true loss though because you learn, and maybe because you tanked this test, you will ace the next that you wouldn't otherwise have.
Same thing goes for people. My parents drive me crazy more times than not. They are also not perfect people, and I am well aware of their limitations just as they have made me aware of my own. They will hover and be protective, and it completely makes no sense since I'm basically an adult. But you know what? They also raised me to be the person I am today. Without their guidance and yes, over-protectiveness, I wouldn't be prepared for the things life has thrown at me and I wouldn't consider actions with the same attitude of thinking in consequences.
There are times where I wonder if I have been spending my time in all the right places. I had spent so much time cultivating my friendships in high school and so few have turned out to be supportive of me. I had chosen to take some days off instead of plowing onward with homework like I probably should've done. I had decided to play board games with my family instead of writing my lab report in chemistry. I took time to connect with people who are important to me instead of being a slave to my busy schedule. Were there other things I probably should've been doing? Of course. But do I regret doing any of these things that I did do? No, I don't.
Sometimes the best thing for you isn't to do the thing that you think you should be doing. Let me tell you, as a person who spends a lot of time on schoolwork, life has taught me that there will always be more work. Just as you finish this assignment, the prof will assign another. There is always another test, or quiz, or final over the horizon and that is reality. But life isn't just dependent on your schooling. Life is also in the laughter you share with your dad over his corny jokes, in the heart-to-heart conversations with your mom as she makes dinner and you may or may not help. It is in the family board game nights where you wind up screaming at each other for the move they made. It is in going to the ice cream shop with your friends and smashing ice cream in each other's faces and it is in singing at the top of your lungs in the car. Life is in memories.
You make the final decision on how to allocate your time. You get to make these little decisions that will slowly shape who you are. Don't regret them. I cannot emphasize this enough: whatever you choose to do with your time, with your life, do it wholeheartedly. If you decide to take a day for relaxation, then do it to the fullest. Unwind completely and come back ready to win at life like you have always done. If you decide to tackle this big project instead of going out with your friends, then commit to it fully. Don't spend your time wondering what the other options might've led to. Stride forward with conviction. You make these choices and good or bad, be grateful for them because you wouldn't be you without them. I know I for one, am extraordinarily grateful for all of you.
Moral of the story? Feel okay for taking some time and admiring the way the stars glitter and the Christmas lights bob like multicolored fairies. Feel okay for making sure you have that balance between work and play, and feel okay for slowing down and savoring the journey to wherever you want to go.
Here's a complimentary meme :)
As you can tell, I choose to find memes in my free time. And guess what? Never once regretted it ;)
Wishing you all the best of luck for finals!
~Tempest
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