Politeness Goes a Long Way

One small word put a huge smile on my face: ma'am.

I have a [soon-to-be-over] part-time office job that receives heavy volumes of phone calls practically every day. We get all kinds of phone calls ranging from complaints to weird questions, and some people are nice while others are straight up pissed off. In a string of bland phone calls that required me to answer the same question a gazillion times, I got one man on the other end who said, "Thank you, ma'am," when the conversation ended. Immediately, I thought of older people who demand being called sir or ma'am out of respect, and now I see why. It really does make you feel important and respected. I could go on about people demanding respect rather than working to earn it, so I'll save that aspect of this for another day, maybe.

A smile crossed my face basically subconsciously. I could tell by the voice that this man was older than me, yet he didn't treat me like a child, and believe me, not only do I still look 15, but I sound it too, especially over the phone. That one word made my entire day for some reason. Maybe it's because I don't often hear people address each other with such kindness. I feel like it is so rare these days that it's almost antiquated, and honestly...when I hear sir or ma'am, an image instantly crosses my mind: a black and white sitcom from the early ages of television, when kids were too scared not to finish a sentence without either one of those words when speaking to an adult. I know I don't use it, but I also wasn't raised to, not to say my parents didn't teach me to be polite because they did. However, I feel like times are evolving to the point where it's not common to hear those words anymore.

And I kinda like it like that...I like that time is evolving and that there are still little things in life that could brighten someone's day because it isn't always experienced. Because if I did hear it often, it probably wouldn't have affected me like it did. I would've taken it for granted, and maybe would've even felt offended if he hadn't said it.

It's the rare things in life that you treasure the most, no matter how big or small it is, no matter if it was done to purposely put a smile on your face or not.

This has inspired me to start another blog. Every day, or as often as I can, I will write about one little thing that affected me in a positive way. I think you'd be surprised what small things make me smile, or make me think, and generally just make me happy. I'll keep you posted, if you'd be interested.

My Wishes...

• To have fast forward and rewind buttons just to live and relive the good parts of my life.
• To see every bit of this world.
• To forever be entertained by the stupidity of other people...and myself, from time to time.
• To share my creativity with the world, or at least the world of people who like to read.
• To live luxuriously without succumbing to materialism.
• To never be late again to anywhere because I've misplaced my keys or cell phone.
• To give people a reason to smile and have hope.
• To see change that we have all worked for together.
• To hold a baby without being afraid he or she will move uncontrollably and fall out of my arms.
• To literally and spiritually feed those who are empty.
• To have the strength and courage not to crumble under the hardest circumstances.
• To be able to eat anything and everything without gaining weight or risking heart disease.
• To be able to sing and dance like no one is watching, completely sober.
• To bring the undead back to life (catch my drift?).
• To live 100 percent by faith.
• To be able to retell a joke without screwing up.

So, What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

This question has plagued me since I was a child, probably around four years old. Here's a list of a few things I've thought about being since then (some more or less realistic than others...I'm sure you could figure out which is which!):

• Movie Director
• Novelist
• Fashion Designer
• Teacher
• Restaurant Owner
• Night Club Owner
• Astronaut
• Pro Basketball Player
• Ballerina
• Physical Therapist
• Obstetrician
• Archaeologist
• Psychologist
• Flight Attendant
• Photographer
• Newspaper Columnist
• Magazine Editor
• Pediatrician

The list is pretty all over the place, like I am now. There are a billion and one things I want to do, and I want more than one career path in my life because, to me, life is too short to settle on one type of job. I graduated college in 2008, but witnessing other people graduate recently has made me reflect on my own education and my future.

I loved being creative with the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I dreamed big when I was younger, just as I do now. The only difference? I'm GROWN. So, now the question is, "What are you doing?" And I wish I could be as creative as I was when I was younger, able to just choose an answer out of thin air.

I am not saying I wasted my time in college. I am not saying I'm wasting my time now. I heard the warnings and the advice: have a game plan; if don't know what you want to do, you won't get anywhere. I thought I was following those words; I thought I knew what I wanted. I just don't know anymore.

I am not one to give up, and I am not one to be pessimistic. I just have a change of heart. It's wanting too much and not settling on just one thing for the time being. It's having commitment issues. I stayed with my Comm degree, but fluctuated on my second degree and my two minors until I settled with Comm and a Sociology minor. I spread myself too thin. I saw so many options, and I guess I became overwhelmed. I thought I wanted to do PR with a nonprofit organization. That is still my main focus. But there aren't too many opportunities out there. I know what I want, but yet I'm still confused? Maybe it's self-doubt, maybe it's the reality of our economy sinking in, or maybe I am always looking beyond, looking at what else is out there that I don't want to miss out on.

I am writing this because I know so many people who've just graduated or who've been out of college for like a year or two now. A lot of us are feeling this same way. Job searching is like a job in itself. Finding our place in society, making a name for ourselves, attempting to be real world adults...it looked so easy and effortless 20 years ago. Now we have people who are like me, going back to school to chase yet another dream, or to substitute the one they thought would get them to where they want to be. We've got people working jobs that they really hate. It sucks having to do something that only makes us feel worse, rather than being in a position in which we feel passionate and happy.

In time, things will always fall into place the way we want them to. We have to keep our heads up. We have to keep that determination, that fire, that spirit. We have to be tireless in our efforts. Even the most successful people tried and failed countless times, even though it seems like everything comes easy to them...

"The great Henry Aaron hit a home run 755 times in his career, but failed to do so almost 12,000 times." - John Szarkowski

It's the Little Things in Life That Make Me Smile, Such As...

1. Realizing that someone has Verizon when they text me!
2. Getting new mail, texts, or e-mail. I don't really know how to explain why.
3. Finding a new way home from work that cuts my driving time in half (it's rough working at the beach when it gets mad crowded on Routes 37 and 571...what you know about that, Jersey?!).
4. A book that I could actually finish because it's actually good (currently reading Single Wife and I highly recommend it!).
5. Finding good deals on CDs and DVDs on Amazon.com(visit http://journeyto101.blogspot.com and you'll know why).
6. Finding long lost lip gloss and eye liner pens, the top two things that I consistently lose.
7. Seeing little kids out with their grandparents. For some reason, that image is just sooo adorable to me!
8. Sarcastic one liners.
9. Someone I don't know holding the door open for me.
10. Seeing other people smile.
11. Finding the perfect shoes to go with a dress within 30 minutes of having to wear the outfit.
12. Sunny days amidst weeks of rain.
13. Butterflies.
14. Catching a good movie right at the beginning while flipping through the channels.
15. Positive human interest stories in the paper.
16. Running into people I've been friends with in the past whom (who? this always confuses me!) I haven't seen in a while.
17. Monster Energy drink. I'm a self-diagnosed narcoleptic, and I'm hooked on the extra big size to keep me awake while hanging out with people and watching movies (warning: I doze off on couches; it doesn't matter how many people are or who's around!).
18. Someone letting me into their lane when I'm merging.
19. Hearing a song on the radio that I haven't heard in years (just the other day I heard Blaque's "Bring It All to Me," which brought me back!).
20. My warm bed!
21. Getting a good work out.
22. Waking up to (a good) breakfast already made.
23. Discovering a good radio station.
24. People I don't know saying hello and being polite to me.
25. Hearing other people laugh because they're genuinely happy.

Your Past...

...is only an indication of your future. It only repeats itself if you don't correct yourself. To progress ourselves, we must check and re-edit ourselves.

...is a series of lessons, and I don't know about you, but I tend to pick and choose which lessons to learn from. I am beginning to realize that I must swallow my pride, admit to my wrongs, and only then can I really mature and grow. To be changed, you must make a change. As simple and logical as that is, it falls under the list of things that are "easier said than done."

...consists of people who make an impact on who you are, consciously or not. I truly believe that every single person I have laid my eyes on, or had some correspondence with, has had an effect on me and who I am. We all judge books by their covers, hence first impressions. Even if we speak to someone, that is most likely still their cover because it takes time to truly know a person, and people don't let you in on who they are until they completely trust you, at least that is how I am at times (sorry, I went off on a tangent). Whenever I see someone, I immediately have an opinion about that person, or I compare myself to that person. I do this all the time without even noticing. For instance, if I saw a girl walking down the street with a really toned body and a nice outfit on, I think about my own body and how I really have to get myself into better shape in order to pull of whatever she is wearing. Human interaction is so important because it helps us learn more about ourselves, not just each other. I believe every single person who I crossed paths with in my life, no matter how briefly, has helped me define who I am.

...is filled with triumphs, failures, happiness, and pain. Depending on who you are, you either thrive from your triumphs and happiness or dwell on your failures and pain. If you thrive from your triumphs and happiness, you will succeed and make the most out of life. However, if you suppress your failures and pain in order to be happy, that could hurt you in the long run. Life is a crazy balance of these opposites, and honey, the sun don't shine forever. It is important to realize life is not all smiles and cupcakes because there are down moments, and if you always expect happiness, when that pain comes at you... it could knock you down because you didn't see it coming. On the other end, if you dwell on your failures and pain, you will only feel like a failure and be filled with pain. Do not overshadow your triumphs and happiness with your pessimism. Life is a crazy balance of these opposites, and honey, darkness falls but the night always ends. It is important to realize that when seemingly too good to be true circumstances come your way, you shouldn't be wondering what's going to come next that could ruin the moment.

Bare Bones (Please Heed Warning)

Warning: I try my best in this blog to remain as unbiased as possible, especially with sensitive topics. This might be a touchy subject, but my intention is not to offend anyone. If I do, please tell me, and if enough people complain, I will take this down. Thank you.

The topic of this post is religion and spirituality. No, I will not be pressing my views onto anyone. I am just stripping this to its bare bones.

There are different religious and anti-religious views in the world, as we all know. There are religions that believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Savior who will forgive sinners and enter them into Heaven. Then, there are religions that believe Jesus was a man from Nazareth, but not the Son of God, only someone who claimed he was. Who can blame them for not believing Jesus isn't the Son of God? Not many were witness to his resurrection, and put this into present context... What if someone on the street, a former carpenter to boot, told you he was the Son of God and will save this world from evil? Moving on, there are groups who believe that Satan was an angel who is just seeking revenge on God because he betrayed him. There are religions that do not acknowledge Jesus whatsoever, and there are people who do not believe in a higher power at all.

Putting aside the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, let's look at him simply as a man who wanted to sacrifice himself for the good of mankind. How many of you could say that you would shoulder all of the world's sins and errors, and die for everyone? That's quite a humanitarian effort, to say the least. People try to heal the suffering all of the time, and this man thought sacrificing himself was the best way to help others. Bare bones -- think about that in general, no matter what your beliefs are. A man sacrificed for his people. He was taking pain away from people by feeling and experiencing that pain for them through his death. Whatever you believe happened after the day of the crucifixion is totally up to you. Would you be able to do what that man did? Would you want to? Do you think all of the people in the world are worthy of your self-sacrifice? Personally, I give him props for doing something I would not dare to.

I don't have the answer to world peace; I am just trying to express myself.

Now onto the power of prayer. A lot of people pray daily, often several times a day. People believe that the power of prayer helps them through life's obstacles. Then, there are people who do not believe in prayer and are like, "Who's listening?" because they think these people are just talking to themselves. For anyone who knows what The Secret or Law of Attraction is...you know that by thinking about something all the time or saying the same thing out loud is what will happen in your life. For instance, if you are having money issues, and you pray that you will find money or a means to help you financially, and you think about this constantly, eventually a solution will surface. Or, if you don't pray, but everyday you think that you will find a way to make ends meet, to pay those bills, to be financially stable, eventually a solution will surface. At the very least, bare bones -- if you don't believe a higher being hears prayers, you at least have to agree that thinking positively on a constant basis will help you find inner strength and will help you through life struggles. Wherever you believe that inner strength comes from... Allah, yourself, nature... at least you've found it, and you are better off than you were before.

I really hope this didn't offend anyone. My message is basically this: wherever you find your source of strength, your inner happiness, and your motivation to keep on living... by all means, continue to use that source. Stand by your convictions and believe in what you think helps you the most.