Love!
Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes :) It really made my day!
Aside from all the unexpected gifts (because I honestly didn't ask anyone to get me ANYTHING, but people so often insist), the night was great. Not everyone I wanted to come to my dinner was there (*cough*ROSE, LEXIE, JAKE, some others....*cough*) It was sort of weird, since it was an entirely different group of people in an entirely different setting. But it was good! And I was afraid that people wouldn't talk to one another if they didn't know them...but I guess everyone else is a better conversationalist than I am. XD
Sometimes I forget that I have a tattoo, and I'm realizing how often that forgetfulness means something else.
It's funny how some people just see my tattoo and say, "Wow, that's so cool! What does it mean?" and my answer is ALWAYS, "Love." But it's more than that.
Everything from its origin to its placement means something more.
It's in Chinese because that is (to me) the oldest and most classic Asian culture. The language is absolutely beautiful and even if it seems cheesy or cliche to some people, it isn't to me. And that's what matters.
The love is more than just romantic love. It's love between family, between friends, and between everyone I may have forgotten in my life. It's love for the people I still have yet to meet, and it's the love for the things that I hold dear to my heart; my passions and even some of my possessions. It's just plain love, but it envelops everything.
It's on the back of my neck because (1) I like symmetry, so I wouldn't have been happy with it on a left/right something, (2) Not everyone will always know it's there, (3) I can't always see it and sometimes I forget it's there.
That's exactly how love is sometimes. And it's times like these when I realize that I've forgotten it's there; because I only see it on occasion.
I forget that as many friends as I have, most of them are, in fact, true friends who I can't forget and who cannot forget me. Even though I know it's there all the time, I often forget that it's really there and usually visible to everyone but me. I have to really think about the fact that it's with me all the time, even when the people I love the most are not.
Jeff lives 10 hours away in Toronto. I'm in college and living away from my family. Emily and I are making new groups of friends and are not together all the time. Becka is at Ball State; not to mention POGO is kind of lost forever. All my other friends have gone different ways or are still back in Indy/Avon.
So even when I feel insecure or lonely, I just have to think about that mark under my hair, where it's sometimes kept hidden. And then I remember that those people still love me, and I'm here for a reason. I've met all these people for a reason. And even when friends, parents, friends of friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, break-ups, petty fights, drama, careers, homework, or whatever else gets in the way, those are still true friendships. It's those obstacles that I'm usually too scared to face, but I know that if a friendship is meant to last, it can tackle those things.
Tonight was one of those times that these thoughts come rushing back to me. With my old friends and new friends in one place, I can see from afar how blessed I really am. Not only for those people, but for finally having the capacity to meet, talk to, and bond with those people.
Thank you, everyone. To God, for giving me everything; to my parents and family for raising me right; to my friends for giving me a home away from home, support, advice, laughs, hugs, and the best memories anyone could ask for; to Jeff, for being strong through over a year of being apart on a regular basis and for putting up with my occasional nonsense. And a huge thanks to everyone, for loving me just as I am.
I'm so happy to be alive. ^^
Aside from all the unexpected gifts (because I honestly didn't ask anyone to get me ANYTHING, but people so often insist), the night was great. Not everyone I wanted to come to my dinner was there (*cough*ROSE, LEXIE, JAKE, some others....*cough*) It was sort of weird, since it was an entirely different group of people in an entirely different setting. But it was good! And I was afraid that people wouldn't talk to one another if they didn't know them...but I guess everyone else is a better conversationalist than I am. XD
Sometimes I forget that I have a tattoo, and I'm realizing how often that forgetfulness means something else.
It's funny how some people just see my tattoo and say, "Wow, that's so cool! What does it mean?" and my answer is ALWAYS, "Love." But it's more than that.
Everything from its origin to its placement means something more.
It's in Chinese because that is (to me) the oldest and most classic Asian culture. The language is absolutely beautiful and even if it seems cheesy or cliche to some people, it isn't to me. And that's what matters.
The love is more than just romantic love. It's love between family, between friends, and between everyone I may have forgotten in my life. It's love for the people I still have yet to meet, and it's the love for the things that I hold dear to my heart; my passions and even some of my possessions. It's just plain love, but it envelops everything.
It's on the back of my neck because (1) I like symmetry, so I wouldn't have been happy with it on a left/right something, (2) Not everyone will always know it's there, (3) I can't always see it and sometimes I forget it's there.
That's exactly how love is sometimes. And it's times like these when I realize that I've forgotten it's there; because I only see it on occasion.
I forget that as many friends as I have, most of them are, in fact, true friends who I can't forget and who cannot forget me. Even though I know it's there all the time, I often forget that it's really there and usually visible to everyone but me. I have to really think about the fact that it's with me all the time, even when the people I love the most are not.
Jeff lives 10 hours away in Toronto. I'm in college and living away from my family. Emily and I are making new groups of friends and are not together all the time. Becka is at Ball State; not to mention POGO is kind of lost forever. All my other friends have gone different ways or are still back in Indy/Avon.
So even when I feel insecure or lonely, I just have to think about that mark under my hair, where it's sometimes kept hidden. And then I remember that those people still love me, and I'm here for a reason. I've met all these people for a reason. And even when friends, parents, friends of friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, break-ups, petty fights, drama, careers, homework, or whatever else gets in the way, those are still true friendships. It's those obstacles that I'm usually too scared to face, but I know that if a friendship is meant to last, it can tackle those things.
Tonight was one of those times that these thoughts come rushing back to me. With my old friends and new friends in one place, I can see from afar how blessed I really am. Not only for those people, but for finally having the capacity to meet, talk to, and bond with those people.
Thank you, everyone. To God, for giving me everything; to my parents and family for raising me right; to my friends for giving me a home away from home, support, advice, laughs, hugs, and the best memories anyone could ask for; to Jeff, for being strong through over a year of being apart on a regular basis and for putting up with my occasional nonsense. And a huge thanks to everyone, for loving me just as I am.
I'm so happy to be alive. ^^