Lights In The Dark

[finding-a-light]

Lessons of Life

Life can be full of chaos and there are times that we feel lost and overwhelmed. I'll admit to struggling lately. Through the recent hardships, I have been reminded of many things I'd allowed to become lost amidst the insanity. I thought I'd share a few for those that may need it.

These were the rules I was raised to follow, ones that weren't always spoken, but were lived and learned through example and hardships.

1. Make your bed every day; even if it's right before you get in it. If you do this, you have accomplished at least one thing to be proud of that day.

2. Travel light through life. Keep only what you need. More isn't always better in this life. The material is not always the most important thing.

3. It’s okay to cry when you’re hurt. It’s also okay to smash things; but, wash your face, clean your mess, and get up off the floor when you’re done. You don’t belong down there.

4. If you’re going to curse, be clever. If you’re going to curse in public, know your audience.

5. Seek out the people and places that resonate with your soul.

6. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

7. Happiness is not a permanent state. Wholeness is. Don’t confuse the two.

8. If you’re staying more than one night, unpack your bag. Make the best of wherever you're at.

9. Be less sugar, more spice, and only as nice as you’re able to without compromising yourself.

10. Can’t is a cop-out.

11. Hold your heroes to a high standard. Be your own hero. Don't give up on striving to be the person you want and hope to be.

12. If you can’t smile with your eyes, don’t smile. Insincerity is nothing to aspire to.

13. Never lie to yourself.

14. Your body, your rules. Your opinion, boundaries, rules, and views are yours alone, not anyone else's.

15. If you have an opinion, you better know why. Being ignorant and loud is the peak of foolishness and can cause harm in more ways than you could imagine. Let your words be the truth and they will never be doubted.

16. Practice your passions. Let them drive you. Life is meaningless without passion to give it light.

17. Ask for what you want. The worse thing they can say is no.

18. Wish on stars and dandelions, then get to work to make them happen.

19. Fall in love often. Particularly with ideas, art, music, literature, food, and far-off places.

20. Fall hard and forever in love with nothing but yourself.

21. Say Please, Thank You, and Pardon Me, whenever the situation warrants it. Respect and courtesy cost you nothing and it reflects your character. But the kindness it can inspire can go far beyond just yourself and the single interaction.

22. Reserve I’m sorry for when you truly are. Empty words are worthless and lies do not reconcile, only divide.

23. Naps are for grown-ups, too. Take time to care for yourself and rest when you need it.

24. Question everything except your own intuition.

25. You have enough. You are enough. Never doubt that.

26. You are amazing! Don't let anyone ever make you feel you are not. If someone does, walk away. You deserve better.

27. No matter where you are, you can always go home. Just remember that home is not always a place. Sometimes, it is with those you love.

28. Be happy, say your prayers and remember your roots.

29. Your past does not define you. But it has shaped who you are. Live each day to be better than you were before, even if in small ways, but let your past be a foundation and a reminder of how far you have come.

30. Do not let the chaos of life consume you. The biggest moments in life are often the smallest moments that are all too easy to pass by or be taken for granted.

31. Family is not always the ones related by blood. Sometimes, family is the people that are there when you need them most, even when you are at your worst and have nothing left to give in return.

32. Don't be afraid to put yourself first sometimes. Even you must take time to care for yourself and heal.

33. Asking for help is not weakness. Sometimes it is the greatest sign of strength and the greatest act of courage.

34. The middle is always the hardest. Just remember that things will always work out in the end.

35. Never lose hope. Hope is the one thing that can carry you through even the toughest of times.

36. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

37. You are not perfect but you are the perfect you.

38. Do not apologize for doing what you must. You are not obligated to explain yourself to those who have not walked in your shoes.

39. Fight for what you believe. Do not compromise what is in your heart.

40. This life is only temporary. Do not take it for granted. Live fearlessly and boldly. Laugh freely and often. Love fiercely and unapologetically.

[thefitbody]

[purplebuddhaproject]

[wnq-writers]

I always think of you when the sun rises and the sky flickers with brilliant colors like the pink of your flushed cheeks. The blue of your cold lips in winter. The yellows of your bright soul and the purples of your dull days. I want every hue that is streaked with a creative finger upon the galaxies and your skin. When I’m enveloped in the warmth of my bed and the universe rocks me to sleep, I always dream of you at night when the stars are beaming and I am reminded of why I wake to see them scattered across your cheekbones and the curve of your nose. But dreams like those don’t do. I always glance at you in the afternoon when your laugh roars over my radio and the silence in my head. It casts the shadows of the day away from my face and dusts the corners of my smile to make it feel new again. And I’m thankful for every time that you look back at my way, even if I’m flustered as I am because of your eyes. They are an embodiment of the ocean, contrast themselves with the warmth they invite you into. Before I met you, blue had always been my favorite color for the wrong reasons. It was chilling, dull, and soul piercing. But you redefined the color into meaningful, serene and free, making me want to build a home in your blue. And perhaps you would find it peculiar, how I find beauty in your colors. The white in your smile. The gray in your thoughts. The scattered paint on your skin when you try to create something that makes sense out of everything in the world that doesn’t. I don’t know how to convey how much I adore you, how the skies come closer to watch and listen to you. Sometimes, it hurts how they come to you through all hours of the day while I only find you whilst I’m awake, but do know that I love you more than all the galaxies you are composed of. You are my world, my moon, my stars, and you shine brighter than them all. You are colors too bright and colors too dark, the hue people love to have their homes as and the paintings that take two years to be finished. You are my favorite masterpiece.

apretentiouswriter (via wnq-writers)

[finding-a-light]

Don't try to think of everything and solve it all today. Take things tiny bits and pieces at a time. Be brave. You can do this.

[finding-a-light]

Your life is your own. While it is wise to heed the advice of your elders, sometimes, it is also wise to listen to your own heart. trust your gut. Listen to the advice given, because they have lived a lifetime to gain the experience of their words, but they also do not always ring true to what needs to be done. Live your life to the best of your ability and choose your own path. Wherever you may go, go with determination and ambition. Do what you want to. Write your own story and never apologize for the errors, you're a work in progress.

[finding-a-light]

I know this quote better than most. People always think of their struggles and issues, not thinking of who THEY are as a person. They see their flaws and problems. And sadly, so many people put themselves down because of it.

So here’s my question for you:

Who are you?

When you think of the answers to this, don’t think of situations or flaws. Think of what you really are at heart. Don’t think of your problems and mistakes or issues. Because you’re so much more than that.

Seriously. Think about it. What really defines you? Is it your smile? Your laugh? The little remarks and phrases that always leave your mouth without consulting your brain? Is it your kindness? Your resilience? Your determination? Your humor? Your smarts? Your unique quirks? Your talents?

I bring this up because I actually had a conversation with a friend about this. They asked how I can go through my life and keep my head high despite the fact that I have a combination of mental issues that baffle even professionals when they try to understand how I’m doing so well in my life because of the severity in which they are present. They asked because they didn’t know how to keep going through day after day without getting weighed down every time they looked into a mirror. So I told them this. Four years ago I was diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar disorder that combined with schizoaffective tendencies and major league ADHD (believe me, I’m as squirrely as they come). The exact words the doctor said to me was “Most people if put in your position wouldn’t be able to function this well.”

This isn’t the first time someone has commented on this topic. My answer is the same every time.

These issues, they don’t make me who I am. It’s just something I have to deal with, it’s simply a challenge to overcome, something to fight.

 Is it easy? No.

But Is that who I choose to be? No.

The person I consider myself to be is defined by the moments that I climb back to my feet after being pushed past my limit, by the smiles I can bring to the faces of my friends. My identity is the person that is too stubborn for their own good. Who stands proudly even when people mock everything I’ve stood for and fought through. That person that tries their best each day for better or worse.

That is who I am.

So just for the sake of it, I’ll ask again…What do you consider to be your identity?

Remember: Your mistakes and flaws DO NOT MAKE YOU.

X  Link to photo

[finding-a-light]

Normally, I post pictures to reinforce my thoughts or stories, but this once, I'm simply going to blurt out the thoughts spinning around my brain.

In all the chaos we experience in life, there is only one constant:

Change.

It’s just a fact. Things change. Crap happens. And things get impossibly crazier. And even when we choose to make the change, things are hard.

 You start to miss what you had. You start noticing more and more things, people, and places you’re going to miss. And the fear of what might happen in the future is crippling sometimes. The more you think about it, the faster your heart pounds and the harder it is to breathe and thoughts of everything that could go wrong starts filling your head until it aches. And the worries over the details start to fill you with dread as deadlines approach.

As someone who is once again uprooting the life they’ve finally been able to build and leaving everything familiar, I know the feeling. I was accepted into a private university in Florida, and while I’m beyond excited, I’m also scared. Because my family is also moving with me to a nearby place in Florida. Which means that I’m not likely to come back to the place I’ve finally come to call home anytime soon and I’m scared of what may come.

As we’ve begun packing our house of 6.5 years after having moved several times prior, anxiety has settled over us all in different ways and for varying reasons. Each of us is leaving something behind that we won’t have to cling to for support in our future endeavors.

 Friends.

Coworkers.

Familiar places and routines.

Memories not yet made but only dreamed of in idle thought.

And so much more.

 I expressed these fears to a friend, and he, being a fellow bookworm and nerd, quoted Lord of the Rings and later sent me several photos that gave me pause and made me think.

 Everyone at some point has had something they have wanted to leave behind or a dream/goal that sparked an unquenchable fire in their heart. We all have a vision of where we want to go in life we all say that there’s nothing that can stop us from reaching that goal.

 But if we’re honest with ourselves, there actually is.

  We spend so much time looking back in wistful nostalgia, wishing we could go back to the familiarity and comfort and “good old days”, that we forget that it is exactly that: the past and can’t be changed or returned to, that we should also remember to look AHEAD into the future we are free to shape. We forget that to move forward in our journey to achieve those dreams, change must come, and with it, hard decisions to be made, things that must be given up, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown results.

 My recent graduation went by in a blur of joy, laughter, and pride but one thing I remember was the Valedictorian speech and the point he expressed and how it mixed with my own thoughts of what is to come.

 The past is just as important as the future, but it should never hold you back. It is a part of who you are, a part of your story. It has helped shape who you are today and has given you memories and experiences that in turn provided wisdom for the days ahead and a foundation to plant your feet on before you begin to climb your own mountain of life.

 But it does not dictate the story of your future.

 Just the same, today’s fears of the future should never stop you from moving forward.

 Yes. Change means chaos and uncertainty. But that’s not always a bad thing and, contrary to the advice most people spout off, it’s okay to be afraid. In the words of Mandy Hale:

“It’s okay to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave.”

 Instead of staring backwards or dreading to look forward, think of it this way:

The change you fear? That’s tearing your sanity away piece by piece? It’s simply a chance to start fresh, to rebuild your life in any way you please. To start from scratch so-to-speak. But you have to decide to embrace it despite the anxiety. You have to turn your eyes forward, remembering all that you’ve done so that you remember the strength you have that will carry you into your new life.

[finding-a-light]

#LightFires

Any act of selfless kindness is good, no matter the size of it. While giving out massing amounts of money and such to charity is great, sometimes it’s the smaller, every day acts of kindness that truly make an impact.

A kind smile to anyone you see.

Making a random stranger smile via a compliment or even through just a hello.

Asking someone how they’re doing each day.

These tiny, seemingly inconsequential actions can impact someone just as much.

If you want proof, listen up. It’s story time.

Freshman year of high school, I was nervous and shy. I’d been bullied all throughout middle school because of my unusually tiny and youthful appearance and I was very self-conscious and my confidence levels were in the negatives. Every morning, I sat in the corner of the hallway and read my books, the one place I felt at home. The one place that I didn’t have to worry about anything.

  Since then, I’ve greatly improved in many departments and I owe it to many people who helped me along the way, but there is one person in particular that I so clearly remember. He was a senior at the time. His name was Alex.

  At the same time every morning, he would come down the hallway, ipad in hand,  and music playing. He would dance and sing his way to where I sat and no matter what day it was or who was around, he would stop and say hello and ask how I was doing. It never failed to make me smile.

  I don’t know if he ever realized just how much that meant to me. It always made me smile and he made me feel like maybe there was something about me to be noticed and each time he asked, I felt a little braver. Even to this day, I still get random messages from him, asking how I’ve been and how we’ve all been doing. And even now, I still smile. Because of him, I found myself doing the same to freshmen in hopes that maybe they will gain the courage to show the same kindness to others later down the road.

The small things you do can mean a lot more than you think. Because your actions, no matter how tiny they seem to be to you, touch people. Remember that. Because what you do can spark actions in others that can spread like wildfires.

  Weather you believe me or not, I’ll leave you to the #LightFires challenge

    Do one act of kindness to 5 different people every day. It doesn’t even have to be big ones. Because by doing that ONE act to each person, you can inspire those people to the same to others and they may inspire others and so on.

  Think about it.

One act of kindness to 5 people each day.

  That’s  1,825 gestures of kindness in one year.

  1,825 people whose lives you’ve touched.

    Now imagine if every single one of those people you’ve touched did the same to 5 others THEY know….

  Try it and spread the challenge. Remember that your actions truly do speak louder than words.

[finding-a-light]

Things always seem impossible until we overcome it and it suddenly becomes possible.

Life isn't always going to be easy. There are going to be days that you're going to want to just throw your hands into the air and give up. But those are the EXACT times you need to keep pushing forward. Because you're stronger than you believe. And by going through whatever it is you're struggling with, you become even stronger.

Keep going and keep your head high.

[finding-a-light]

Hey guys! It's been a while but I'm starting to get things figured out here in college so I should be on a bit more often! I'm hoping to have post up by tonight. Hope all's well for you guys!

[finding-a-light]

There's always a reason, though we may not see why. But remember that this season Will someday pass by.

Jay

[finding-a-light]

Faith for the rising sun, and hope for the darkened day; Strength for times of hardship, and valour in the hour of need; Deep in the heart, Here they do reside; For these are what define Humanity of the greatest kind.

Jay

[thequotejournals]

The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.

Ernest Hemingway (via thequotejournals)

[dolichomorph]

i wonder if magic is real, but only in a really mundane way.

when i was little i could almost inerringly switch back to disney channel right as the ads ended when i was channel surfing.

maybe youve never accidentally crushed a ladybug underfoot. maybe your microwave popcorn never burns. maybe you can spin around lots and lots of times before you get dizzy.

is that magic??

honestly im not sure if these are magic or just small, invisible skills. im not sure which i like better.

[lady-kaede-deactivated20181029]

My ankles never twist.  I’ve always been rather active, I did track for five years (all the running events), and one time while running I stepped in a hole, lost my shoe, and landed sprawling about five feet away.  I pulled my shoe on and kept running.

I have a coworker who somehow makes better coffee than everyone else even though the grounds come pre-measured and all you have to do is load them up and push a button.  I have a friend who has inch long nails that never break.  My brother can copy origami just by looking at the finished product and my mother can do the same with knots.  I knew a guy who never made an error when typing.

Maybe we all have little magics, the kind that you don’t realize you have.  Just tiny things that make your life slightly better but are completely unnoticed on the outside.

[toocutetopay-deactivated2016021]

this is the cutest post i have ever read…

[finding-a-light]

We will find hope in the impossible.

Spock

[thequotejournals]

My life - my personality, my habits, even my speech - is a combination of the books I choose to read, the people I choose to listen to, and the thoughts I choose to tolerate in my mind…

Andy Andrews (via thequotejournals)