I get it!
I have found it!
Life! Everywhere we are bombarded by images of people saying find your passion...people saying be an inspiration...people pushing others to do their best...people making life seem like it should be about the next best thing and if you aren't reaching then you aren't growing and you aren't achieving.
So, I've been reaching...I was professionally growing for a long time. Misguided, yes. We all know that. Oh we ALL know that.
And all my blogs and all my thoughts and all my discussions with colleagues and students about colleges and careers and how to get ahead...how to find your talents and make it work for you...
And all my new directions to find those talents and seek out where I really wanted to be achieving so I could continue to grow and reach and gain...
It was all just...SHIT.
It just hit me. In this video I just watched (yes, ANOTHER inspirational video on fb, haha) yet another passionate speaker raised his voice about making a difference and seeking out your passion and doing what keeps you going in order keep you and your spirit alive. Yep, same old thing. How many times can people say the same old thing before it makes any sense? Hundreds, apparently! But here's what I heard today:
At one point he said something about people going to work at jobs that are making them sick. And it showed an unhappy person sitting on a bus going into work. That vision and that wording combined with my frame of mind right now all fit perfectly together to create the meaning behind it all:
ENJOYMENT/LOVE
But this doesn't mean you have to LOVE your career! It also doesn't mean you can only enjoy ONE thing! You just have to find what you enjoy and love, recognize it, and feed it! Then you will have the secret to a happy life!
Maybe for you that's teaching others and you happen to be an excellent teacher. Tada! Your career and your life are one and the same!
Maybe for you adventure is something you enjoy but you're really good at working with people. So make a career out of helping people to help pay for your adventures. Tada! Career and life working together!
Omg, why don't people ever explain life this way? Seriously. I have always felt like it should be one big fucking thing. Like if you aren't doing everything to reach one singular big life goal then you are failing. There is no one big goal, idiots. There is only ENJOYMENT and LOVE.
Now go. Stop reading my blog. Support yourself. Find your life. Enjoy and love!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Getting serious...
Last week I read one of the most heartbreaking articles in People magazine I've ever read. It was about a teen who committed suicide b/c she didn't feel loved and understood by her parents. Her situation was a lot more than the usual teenagers who demonstrate disgust with their parents, who argue over curfews and fairness, and who generally will grow to understand their parents. Her situation was of parents using their religious beliefs to discredit their child's feelings. It was a situation of parents, possibly misguided, but definitely close-minded, who drove their child to feel alone and helpless. It was a situation I really can't understand at all.
The child in the article was transgender. When she told her parents about her feelings and her discomfort with himself, they sent her to Christian counselors who tried to "fix" her.
Here's where my lack of understanding comes in: I look at transgender people the same as I look at gay people and heterosexual people. Here is my view on it all: we are all people. Human beings. Homo sapiens. No matter the situation, we are all the same.
We all like different things.
We all have different tastes.
We all feel differently.
We all breathe the same air.
We all walk the same earth.
We are all judgmental.
Yes, we are judgmental. That's a part of human nature and something that, despite the fact we know it's wrong, is still so enjoyable to do! Who doesn't love a good gossip session about who's making out with whom, who's dating whom, etc? We all enjoy hearing about other's and comparing them to ourselves! And I think we all try to hide some of our judgments from others, b/c we know it's not kind or appropriate.
But, when you're judging your own child...I can't understand that. Aren't parents supposed to raise their children to be good citizens? Isn't Christianity about loving your neighbor as yourself and caring for everyone? How is telling your child their feelings about their body is wrong an OK thing to do? How is isolating your child from others "helping" the child (the article stated that after sharing her feelings with her parents, this teen was unable to socialize with friends outside of school)? How is it the Christian thing to do to not accept your child and love him/her for what (s)he is?
There is a wave of dislike and hate moving through the world today. It's disheartening to think we've come so far from the days of Woodstock and free love and yet we haven't moved any closer to a loving world. Racial tension is soaring again. Religious wars are still being fought. Teens are taking their own lives out of sadness and isolation.
What is it going to take for this to change???
I, for one, will continue to accept people as they are. I am teaching my daughter to be kind to everyone regardless of their color, religion, partner, wealth, etc. My husband is an incredibly accepting person as well. But we are one family. Of 3 people. We'll do what we can. Will you?
The child in the article was transgender. When she told her parents about her feelings and her discomfort with himself, they sent her to Christian counselors who tried to "fix" her.
Here's where my lack of understanding comes in: I look at transgender people the same as I look at gay people and heterosexual people. Here is my view on it all: we are all people. Human beings. Homo sapiens. No matter the situation, we are all the same.
We all like different things.
We all have different tastes.
We all feel differently.
We all breathe the same air.
We all walk the same earth.
We are all judgmental.
Yes, we are judgmental. That's a part of human nature and something that, despite the fact we know it's wrong, is still so enjoyable to do! Who doesn't love a good gossip session about who's making out with whom, who's dating whom, etc? We all enjoy hearing about other's and comparing them to ourselves! And I think we all try to hide some of our judgments from others, b/c we know it's not kind or appropriate.
But, when you're judging your own child...I can't understand that. Aren't parents supposed to raise their children to be good citizens? Isn't Christianity about loving your neighbor as yourself and caring for everyone? How is telling your child their feelings about their body is wrong an OK thing to do? How is isolating your child from others "helping" the child (the article stated that after sharing her feelings with her parents, this teen was unable to socialize with friends outside of school)? How is it the Christian thing to do to not accept your child and love him/her for what (s)he is?
There is a wave of dislike and hate moving through the world today. It's disheartening to think we've come so far from the days of Woodstock and free love and yet we haven't moved any closer to a loving world. Racial tension is soaring again. Religious wars are still being fought. Teens are taking their own lives out of sadness and isolation.
What is it going to take for this to change???
I, for one, will continue to accept people as they are. I am teaching my daughter to be kind to everyone regardless of their color, religion, partner, wealth, etc. My husband is an incredibly accepting person as well. But we are one family. Of 3 people. We'll do what we can. Will you?
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