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College student hoping to expose people to thoughts and ideas they might not necessarily come across on a regular basis.

Remind me, whose life is this?

I wanna share a picture with you that I came across one evening, and something about it really stuck with me. I remember seeing it, and it's kind of a big picture, so I was scrolling down, and nothing about it moved me really. It was kind of sad, it's true, but all of the frames contained images of what you expect to happen. And then, there's the girl at the bottom:




Life is a big thing. It's this giant, unyielding mass of events and emotions and power that so often, as human beings, we feel like we have no control over. So many people believe in a higher power, or that things happen for a reason, or that Destiny will play out and where they end up is where they are meant to be. Some think that when Life throws what seems like a gigantic boulder in the middle of the stream that is your life, that's it. This is where you make your lake, where you build your life, where you let everything get back up on top of itself.

You see, when your life is a little stream, it's true that obstacles get in your way and your path changes direction. It's true that crap gets in the stream and mucks it up. What it doesn't do, though, is stop. It adapts. It moves. It finds a way around the obstacles.

The problem arises when that boulder drops, and your stream hits that boulder. Now is the time when you make the decision. Do you tell yourself that this is what was meant to be? That all of this happened for a reason and that your destiny is to become a giant lake of emotions, and problems, stagnant?

You might be thinking, "Hey, I grew up near a lake, and they're awesome. People can have a lot of fun in them."

You're right. People will come into your lake. They will splash, and have a good time. But guess what. You're still not going anywhere. You're still stuck behind that boulder. These people are jumping around in your lake, leaving trash behind from time to time, and over the years, you become just another body of water.

Do you know where else people go for a good time? Rivers. You know what rivers do? They wash away boulders. They erode the rocks and blast through the obstacles that stand in their way. It is only the truly large and unmovable things that cause them to change direction. And yes, people will come and splash around, and yes, sometimes they'll leave their trash, but that doesn't change one vital fact.

You're still moving forward.

Your life is not measured by the number or size of the problems you have, but how well you deal with them. It's easier to be the river, or the strong breeze that can push it's way through even the narrowest of spaces from the very start. Be we aren't all rivers. Some of us are streams.

The truth, though, is that every single one of us has the heart of a hurricane, and the soul of the Amazon. In that time of need, we can and do achieve amazing things, but the key to all that is knowing it's possible.

If Life gives you lemons, and you don't like lemonade, throw those bastards out! Don't settle for lemonade.

Don't just grab Life by the horns, wrestle it to the ground and show it who's boss!

And by god, when Life sends an asteroid, hit a home run. That little girl sure didn't hesitate.

I'm gonna wrap this up with a graphic I love, that I think sums up my thoughts on all this:



This is the mentality that I want you all to have when facing challenges. Even the most serious problems will bend and fold to a more powerful will.

Take heart, my friends, for that which stands in your way has only as much power as you allow it to.

Until next time.




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I want to thank everyone for their feedback on my last post about being memorable and being forgotten. The thing I love about this blog is that quotes are so open for interpretation, and sometimes people agree with how I see things, and other times they don't. Some of you commented and expressed your differing views on the issue, it showed me a new way of looking at the situation.

One commenter, DocStout, said that my post kind of failed to disprove the quote. He has an excellent point, and when I was writing it, that's probably what I was trying to do. I'm a person who fears being forgotten, so my point of view on that quote was largely driven by that stance on the issue. Whether or not my purpose should have been to disprove the quote or not is up for debate, but I hope no one was offended by it.

My intention is never to alienate anyone, but only to share with you my views, and hope that you'll share yours with me, which you have. And for that, I'm supremely grateful.

Thank you.

17 Responses so far.

  1. rinns says:

    I love reading your posts, so much meaning and heart behind them. And I love how polite you are :)

  2. LunaSihne says:

    That comic is, well, sweet. Its cute.
    And that courage wolf, Yeah.
    Courage Wolf.
    Haha.
    Courage Wolf.

  3. These are the kind of posts that I love, it's these kind of existential thoughts that really make me contemplate life and everything around it, thank you for this I really do thank you.

  4. It is nourishing brain food alright. For the record, I believe the brightest minds in science would probably launch 1000 nukes at that asteroid and blow it to smithereens!

  5. They probably would. But they've actually done tests, and the problem is that a lot of these asteroids are somewhat porous, so the impact is negated. I'm sure 1000 of them would do it though, haha.

    Thanks to all of you for reading! :D You're the best.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Your drawing made my day. =]

  7. The last panel on the 'comic' made me smile so much. Thank you for sharing a great find

  8. Sam says:

    Great article, love courage wolf.

  9. You're welcome! followed!
    alphabetalife.blogspot.com

  10. noone says:

    this is some great stuff.

  11. Patti D. says:

    yeah, the attitude that gild had was very cool, but it was useless!! they where all going to die.
    Life sometimes is a bitch, you have to enjoy it while it last, you can have big plans but maybe tomorrow a bus will run you over and that's it.
    Think about all the people in those third world countries, they don't even have a chance, asks them what's life.

  12. That's the kind of mindset I'm trying to change. That we should all just take it and deal with it because tomorrow might be it. But tomorrow might NOT be it, so why settle for the crap. And if it is over tomorrow or in a week or a month, why should we allow our remaining moments to be shitty?

    As for the third world, I'm not sure how to respond to that. People use that as an argument a lot, "Think about those poor children in (insert third world country here)." What that has to do with what I'm trying to convey eludes me.

    They're often much stronger than many of us are, because one could argue that the obstacles in their path are so much greater than the ones in our path.

    Finding a reason to be a pessimist won't change anything. You've got to find the strength to be in control of your life, despite the fact that life is a bitch.

    Thank you all for your comments, even if you don't agree. :)

  13. But I like lemonade! Seriously, I'm with peace with myself, should the day come today, so be it, I had a good run. And if not, I'm still gonna have a good run, enjoy.

  14. xmeesx says:

    Nice words there, it makes you think about life in a diffrent way..

    Thnx for the great story, I'll check you out some once and a while ;)

    Followed.

  15. I feel like I just learnt something. Either way, an interesting read, following.

  16. Westus says:

    Very inspirational post, it will give me a lot to think about this weekend

  17. Alphabeta says:

    Good stuff.
    Hopefully I'll get time to check out the rest of your posts. I can relate. For serious.
    Cheers buddy.

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