Youthful Life: X

Truth - No two perspectives are the same. We all experience the world in profoundly unique ways. That distinct viewpoint is part of what makes us all so special. No one takes in the world the way that we do. Nobody knows the things that go through our heads. No one else has all the information that we hold. Even more so, the ways in which we understand ourselves can be drastically different than how others know us to be. The narrative of our nature may be one thing to us and completely different to others. The catch to that sentiment is that both vantage points are equally as valid. Reconciling the two may be a lifelong process, but those that do so become legendary. “Youth is the most suitable age to enjoy the life completely or to work diligently for the life, what you decide makes your rest of the life ordinary or legendary respectively.” Amit Kalantri The dichotomy between who we understand ourselves to be versus who we actually are can sometimes be a sharp contrast. We ...

Truth - The greater life lessons we learn oftentimes do not manifest themselves until long after an experience has concluded. Love can be so pervasive and yet so elusive. Recognizing love for what it is can be a difficult thing to ability to cultivate. In doing so though we learn better how to choose for ourselves. We choose love. We choose our family. We choose those that we let in to our lives. We give invitations, make promises, and pledges ourselves in pacts. This is my fraternity pact. "We're on a planet. At the same time. In the Universe ... Let's do something great together!” Jeff Byington   In my post-undergrad life , the significance of my "lifelong" membership in a fraternal organization has faded into little more than fond memories of weekends spent having stupidly hilarious conversation to the soundtrack of early 2000s hits, bureaucratic unproductive chapter meetings, and semblances of interfraternal communal collaborations. I rarely wear my le...

Truth - You never really know how much you miss someone until you see them again. It's uncanny how differently we remember things from how they actually happened. It seems time serves as a gentle eraser where we only recall the most harrowing of times and the most amiably memorable moments. More often than not seeing someone from the past brings up warm memories. Maybe it's that instant recognition and the rapport between you all, or maybe it's a just regular nostalgia, either way. There is something special about getting back together with people you once knew. This reunion. "Nostalgia is a file that removes all the rough edges from the good old days" Doug Larson   *Check out a special vlog to catch you up on my life this week. There is something truly profound about coming back together with old friends. It's a true testament to see the strength and endurance of your bonds when you are able to just feel those same ways that you always used to. I...

Truth - Some people are amazing because of who they are, but there are a select few who are awe-inspiring in spite of the adversity they face. There is something profound to be said about those that society writes off in multiple ways. These are the people that are often overlooked, disregarded, and made to be invisible. What society doesn't realize is that in doing so it creates an undeniable power dynamic. Just as those who society uplifts have their power source, those that it disempowers get their strength from their disenfranchisement. When the world tries to break you, tell you that you are nothing, and whispers in the most insidious ways that you do not belong you break back, tell your own story, and shout that you are above it all. This is a special brand of awesome - this black girl magic.  "The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within - strength, courage, dignity" Ruby Dee Black girl magic is a term coined by CaShawn Thom...