(no subject)
Chinese tonight, which means a fortune cookie. I never put too much stake in these things, but this one set me thinking.
"You have so many things to be thankful for."
When I read it, I chuckled. Most ironic fortune cookie ever, no? But when I thought about it again, I realized that it was right. Its really tough, with all the small things we do go through to actually keep those small things in perspective and just realize how lucky we are. A screwed up history assignment or a failed math test seems like the such a rough beat, but in reality, we are incredibly blessed to be in the school taking the math class, learning to write the history paper. Sure, these things may get in the way of life being perfect, but it was never meant to be that way. I recall some sort of quote about how you discover who you are/who others are through how they handle adversity. Do they give up, or keep going? I think that the adversity we face, seemingly so insurmountable, but really so inconsequential, is for us an opportunity to discover that. I have talked alot about how I've grown. When I think about that growth, it didn't come when life was light and easy, when things were going well. It came in bursts, when I went through hellish days where I thought the sun would never shine again. Life isnt a mountain we're climbing, its a range we're crossing, to get to the promise on the otherside. Its not just one long, steep hill, life has its shares of uphills, downhills, peaks, and valleys. The summation of all of these is the path that we take. I have discovered alot about me along this road. Theres been things I've liked, but quite a few more I've disliked. I've always been shocked at the willingness of any of you to hang around me, because I've never been very positive about myself. Yet, at the same time I'm a contradiction. I have the confidence in myself to do almost anything, and oftentimes I have an entitlment mentality that I absolutly hate. I think I am the definition of a Narcisist. But the critical thing in all of this, I suppose, is that it made me think about how good we have life and how simple our problems are. We aren't faced with starvation. We aren't faced with the harsh realities of war. We don't have rampant disease and we do have clean water. Generally speaking, our parents are alive, will be so for several more years, and we can expect to live past our 30's. So many people in the world can't. Its Christmas time, so we hit the malls with our perenial struggles. What on earth, in this marketing driven mayhem, are we going to get for people? I think theres a solution. Don't. Even if you aren't religious, try and think of Christmas in a higher sense. There is a reason we give gifts, and celebrate our ability to do so. We celebrate how thankful we are for our loved ones, and for our lives. So why not do something different? I was thinking about what I wanted for Christmas this year. I'm off to college soon, so I was being fairly practical. But what I realized were, the things I want are formalities. Comparitivly speaking, they mean little. They won't really make me happier. They won't really make my life better. Why not give something with meaning. When I was younger, our family would always give normal presents, but us kids would also get 'gifts' from Heifer Intl. So, when I thought about what would be right, they were the first outfit that came to mind. The site is http://www.hiefer.org/. Theres many more like them folks, but all of them do a valuable service to the lives of those who have so many fewer blessings than we do. Why not try that this year? Instead of fretting over whether to get someone a the new Yellowcard or Dashboard CD, why not get them something that will reward both of you, and help make a real difference in someone's life. If theres one gift that I think simply cannot be equaled, its the smile of gratitude on the face of a young child, who feels like maybe now, their family has a chance. I've said I don't really want anything for Christmas, I usually don't really. But, if you still want to get me something, well, why not that? We are so lucky to live where we do, with what we have, that I think its good for us to take a look around and realize what we can do. But also, lets realize what we have. Getting to the end of this, I thought I'd start a little trend. You guys can all do this too, but I hope maybe it helps you think about how lucky all of us are. No matter how rough life can seem to be, and believe me, it can, we are amazingly blessed. After all, we're sitting at our computer, connected to the internet, on Livejournal. If thats not a luxury, then I don't know what is.
10 Things I'm thankful for this year (In no particular order):
1. My parents. I'm not as close to them as I should be, or sometimes wish to be, but in the end, they're always there for me, and I can trust that they always will be. They've done so much to give me the life I live, its pretty incredible.
2. Friends. Theres times when you want sometime more than friendship, but most of the time, theres nothing that you could want more from anyone. Random conversations about just about anything, crazy car rides, hanging out with all of you, its just awesome.
3. My brother and sister. Ya know, it feels like a stretch to say that I like them, but I can always say I love them. My brother is a crazy kid who can be annoying as possible, but hes just a bundle of energy. My sister is, well, my sister. I'm never quite sure where we stand, and sometimes she'll just surprise me and be closer than I ever thought.
4. School. Who'd have thought it? But, I mean, for the grief we give it, and even more so, it gives us, its a wonderful thing to have. We complain about not learning anything, or not learning anything that matters, but I've gotten so much smarter since freshman year, I can't believe how dumb I was then, or how far I've come. My teachers, even those who I hated or thought weren't great have all been wonderful stepping stones to get me where I am now. I think we owe them a tremendous debt.
5. A car. I remember spending the summer complaining about how I wanted a car, and never expecting to have one. Really, what good was my license if I would enver get to drive during the school year? Well, surprise of surprises, we got a new car. School started, I had a car to drive, and I spent most of the year complaining about having to drive a minivan. Theres no end to our foolishness. I never thought I'd have a car, and got one. Once I got it, all I wanted to do was have a better one. So much for being grateful. Well, heres a second chance. I really am greatful for my minivan, which is without a doubt the nicest minivan in the parking lot. And much more masculine than Kevin Su's.
6. My watch. Well, its actualyl broken right now, but I still love it, and not having it makes me realize how much I love it. I love to know what time is, whats going on, where I stand. Moreover, I love the victory it represents. I lost like 4 watches in a month, before I got this one and kept it. I've had it for 4 years. It may be wearing down a bit, but I still love it.
7. Music. Imagine a world without it. .... .... ............ I can't. I love music, I'm passionate about it, always, no matter what I'm listening to. Its a source of inspiration, calmness, whatever. Theres music for anything, and its so pleasing. Music makes me so happy. For that I am thankful.
8. Love. I don't know what love is, I don't think. But that makes it even better, the search for it, the elusive quality, the idea that finding it will mean happiness, and the feeling you have when you know you're close to it. Its a wonderful sensation.
9. Swimming, and sports in general. Last night was our soccer party, for my last season of outdoor (we may be playing an indoor season). At it, our coach gave a speech, and one of the things he hit on is that soccer is essentially a self contained existance, with clarity. The rules and assumptions are clear. There are boundaries, the judge is right there, he makes his presence and opinion know, and, generally speaking, success or failure is concrete. With swimming, the pool is your world, the stroke and the race the parameters, and the clock your judge. Success or failure is, again, simple enough to see. Life isn't like that though, and so I think sports in general are wonderful in the reprieve they grant us, and the certaintly and knowledge which they give us. Also, I love swim season for the chloriney smell, and the tangled hair, and the dry feeling face. I know I'm really wierd, but I just love these little things. I love the pool.
10. Life. Just the simple gift of it is so much. Life has its ups and downs, but I think the downs sort of blend together, while we remember the ups. Life is Good, and thats all there is too.
Thank you god, for all of this. Really, we have so much to be grateful for. I'm sure I'm forgetting things in the moment, and that retrospect will make me want to add more. But, each of those came to mind in its place when I went down the list. Theres no order to it, no rhyme or reason. Just 10 blessings I can count this holiday season. Between thanksgiving and christmas, there is so much celebrated. So, lets celebrate the blessings we have instead of dwelling on those we don't. They say that the holidays are the most depressing time of the year, but I think thats only an indication that we have our values so warped, that we spend all our time comparing what we don't have to what others do, while we jsut have soooo much.
Anyhow, for a song. I'll bet most of you know The Verve, but only by that song "Bittersweet Symphony". Well, they were one of the bands w/ Oasis and Blur etc that were part of the 2nd "british invasion." Or thats what some people call it. Anyway, theyre great.
Lucky Man (The Verve)
Happiness
More or less
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know just where I am
But how many corners do I have to turn?
How many times do I have to learn
All the love I have is in my mind?
Well, I'm a lucky man
With fire in my hands
Happiness
Something in my own place
I'm standing naked
Smiling, I feel no disgrace
With who I am
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know just who I am
But how many corners do I have to turn?
How many times do I have to learn
All the love I have is in my mind?
I hope you understand
I hope you understand
Gotta love that'll never die
Happiness
More or less
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
Gotta love that'll never die
Gotta love that'll never die
No, no
I'm a lucky man
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
"You have so many things to be thankful for."
When I read it, I chuckled. Most ironic fortune cookie ever, no? But when I thought about it again, I realized that it was right. Its really tough, with all the small things we do go through to actually keep those small things in perspective and just realize how lucky we are. A screwed up history assignment or a failed math test seems like the such a rough beat, but in reality, we are incredibly blessed to be in the school taking the math class, learning to write the history paper. Sure, these things may get in the way of life being perfect, but it was never meant to be that way. I recall some sort of quote about how you discover who you are/who others are through how they handle adversity. Do they give up, or keep going? I think that the adversity we face, seemingly so insurmountable, but really so inconsequential, is for us an opportunity to discover that. I have talked alot about how I've grown. When I think about that growth, it didn't come when life was light and easy, when things were going well. It came in bursts, when I went through hellish days where I thought the sun would never shine again. Life isnt a mountain we're climbing, its a range we're crossing, to get to the promise on the otherside. Its not just one long, steep hill, life has its shares of uphills, downhills, peaks, and valleys. The summation of all of these is the path that we take. I have discovered alot about me along this road. Theres been things I've liked, but quite a few more I've disliked. I've always been shocked at the willingness of any of you to hang around me, because I've never been very positive about myself. Yet, at the same time I'm a contradiction. I have the confidence in myself to do almost anything, and oftentimes I have an entitlment mentality that I absolutly hate. I think I am the definition of a Narcisist. But the critical thing in all of this, I suppose, is that it made me think about how good we have life and how simple our problems are. We aren't faced with starvation. We aren't faced with the harsh realities of war. We don't have rampant disease and we do have clean water. Generally speaking, our parents are alive, will be so for several more years, and we can expect to live past our 30's. So many people in the world can't. Its Christmas time, so we hit the malls with our perenial struggles. What on earth, in this marketing driven mayhem, are we going to get for people? I think theres a solution. Don't. Even if you aren't religious, try and think of Christmas in a higher sense. There is a reason we give gifts, and celebrate our ability to do so. We celebrate how thankful we are for our loved ones, and for our lives. So why not do something different? I was thinking about what I wanted for Christmas this year. I'm off to college soon, so I was being fairly practical. But what I realized were, the things I want are formalities. Comparitivly speaking, they mean little. They won't really make me happier. They won't really make my life better. Why not give something with meaning. When I was younger, our family would always give normal presents, but us kids would also get 'gifts' from Heifer Intl. So, when I thought about what would be right, they were the first outfit that came to mind. The site is http://www.hiefer.org/. Theres many more like them folks, but all of them do a valuable service to the lives of those who have so many fewer blessings than we do. Why not try that this year? Instead of fretting over whether to get someone a the new Yellowcard or Dashboard CD, why not get them something that will reward both of you, and help make a real difference in someone's life. If theres one gift that I think simply cannot be equaled, its the smile of gratitude on the face of a young child, who feels like maybe now, their family has a chance. I've said I don't really want anything for Christmas, I usually don't really. But, if you still want to get me something, well, why not that? We are so lucky to live where we do, with what we have, that I think its good for us to take a look around and realize what we can do. But also, lets realize what we have. Getting to the end of this, I thought I'd start a little trend. You guys can all do this too, but I hope maybe it helps you think about how lucky all of us are. No matter how rough life can seem to be, and believe me, it can, we are amazingly blessed. After all, we're sitting at our computer, connected to the internet, on Livejournal. If thats not a luxury, then I don't know what is.
10 Things I'm thankful for this year (In no particular order):
1. My parents. I'm not as close to them as I should be, or sometimes wish to be, but in the end, they're always there for me, and I can trust that they always will be. They've done so much to give me the life I live, its pretty incredible.
2. Friends. Theres times when you want sometime more than friendship, but most of the time, theres nothing that you could want more from anyone. Random conversations about just about anything, crazy car rides, hanging out with all of you, its just awesome.
3. My brother and sister. Ya know, it feels like a stretch to say that I like them, but I can always say I love them. My brother is a crazy kid who can be annoying as possible, but hes just a bundle of energy. My sister is, well, my sister. I'm never quite sure where we stand, and sometimes she'll just surprise me and be closer than I ever thought.
4. School. Who'd have thought it? But, I mean, for the grief we give it, and even more so, it gives us, its a wonderful thing to have. We complain about not learning anything, or not learning anything that matters, but I've gotten so much smarter since freshman year, I can't believe how dumb I was then, or how far I've come. My teachers, even those who I hated or thought weren't great have all been wonderful stepping stones to get me where I am now. I think we owe them a tremendous debt.
5. A car. I remember spending the summer complaining about how I wanted a car, and never expecting to have one. Really, what good was my license if I would enver get to drive during the school year? Well, surprise of surprises, we got a new car. School started, I had a car to drive, and I spent most of the year complaining about having to drive a minivan. Theres no end to our foolishness. I never thought I'd have a car, and got one. Once I got it, all I wanted to do was have a better one. So much for being grateful. Well, heres a second chance. I really am greatful for my minivan, which is without a doubt the nicest minivan in the parking lot. And much more masculine than Kevin Su's.
6. My watch. Well, its actualyl broken right now, but I still love it, and not having it makes me realize how much I love it. I love to know what time is, whats going on, where I stand. Moreover, I love the victory it represents. I lost like 4 watches in a month, before I got this one and kept it. I've had it for 4 years. It may be wearing down a bit, but I still love it.
7. Music. Imagine a world without it. .... .... ............ I can't. I love music, I'm passionate about it, always, no matter what I'm listening to. Its a source of inspiration, calmness, whatever. Theres music for anything, and its so pleasing. Music makes me so happy. For that I am thankful.
8. Love. I don't know what love is, I don't think. But that makes it even better, the search for it, the elusive quality, the idea that finding it will mean happiness, and the feeling you have when you know you're close to it. Its a wonderful sensation.
9. Swimming, and sports in general. Last night was our soccer party, for my last season of outdoor (we may be playing an indoor season). At it, our coach gave a speech, and one of the things he hit on is that soccer is essentially a self contained existance, with clarity. The rules and assumptions are clear. There are boundaries, the judge is right there, he makes his presence and opinion know, and, generally speaking, success or failure is concrete. With swimming, the pool is your world, the stroke and the race the parameters, and the clock your judge. Success or failure is, again, simple enough to see. Life isn't like that though, and so I think sports in general are wonderful in the reprieve they grant us, and the certaintly and knowledge which they give us. Also, I love swim season for the chloriney smell, and the tangled hair, and the dry feeling face. I know I'm really wierd, but I just love these little things. I love the pool.
10. Life. Just the simple gift of it is so much. Life has its ups and downs, but I think the downs sort of blend together, while we remember the ups. Life is Good, and thats all there is too.
Thank you god, for all of this. Really, we have so much to be grateful for. I'm sure I'm forgetting things in the moment, and that retrospect will make me want to add more. But, each of those came to mind in its place when I went down the list. Theres no order to it, no rhyme or reason. Just 10 blessings I can count this holiday season. Between thanksgiving and christmas, there is so much celebrated. So, lets celebrate the blessings we have instead of dwelling on those we don't. They say that the holidays are the most depressing time of the year, but I think thats only an indication that we have our values so warped, that we spend all our time comparing what we don't have to what others do, while we jsut have soooo much.
Anyhow, for a song. I'll bet most of you know The Verve, but only by that song "Bittersweet Symphony". Well, they were one of the bands w/ Oasis and Blur etc that were part of the 2nd "british invasion." Or thats what some people call it. Anyway, theyre great.
Lucky Man (The Verve)
Happiness
More or less
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know just where I am
But how many corners do I have to turn?
How many times do I have to learn
All the love I have is in my mind?
Well, I'm a lucky man
With fire in my hands
Happiness
Something in my own place
I'm standing naked
Smiling, I feel no disgrace
With who I am
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know just who I am
But how many corners do I have to turn?
How many times do I have to learn
All the love I have is in my mind?
I hope you understand
I hope you understand
Gotta love that'll never die
Happiness
More or less
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
Gotta love that'll never die
Gotta love that'll never die
No, no
I'm a lucky man
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Oh, my, my