Youthful Life: X

Truth - Saying no is one of the most revolutionary acts of defiance an individual can make. No is a universal notion. It is recognizable in every language known to humankind. It is a simple negation that is woefully underused. No comes with this intangible stigma about it. There's this indescribable apprehension we have to using it, especially when it's in regards to denying the request on another person. In saying yes when we really mean no, we do nothing but a disservice to ourselves. How do you say no in a world that wants you to say otherwise? " No is a complete sentence and so often we forget that.   When we don't want to do something we can simply smile and say no.   We don't have to explain ourselves, we can just say "No".  Early on my journey I found developing the ability to say no expanded my ability to say yes and really mean it. My early attempts at saying no were often far from graceful but with practice even my no came from a pla...

Truth - We choose daily who and what we invest our time and energy into. Those choices range from the small moments where we converse politely with cashiers while buying three-ply toilet paper to dropping everything for a friend in need. We choose where we go, who we speak to, and how much energy we spend on them. Those choices deplete us. It's a combination of self-directed rejuvenation and the contributions of others that keep us from constantly being drained. What happens when we fail to recharge ourselves? What happens to our energy? "Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." Albert Camus   We invite people into our lives . We give them permission to be here. We allow them into the sovereign territory that is us. It can be easy to be flippant with who we consent to welcome in to the privacy of our lives and how much. That flippancy though can go from misguided to problematic for the sake of our own well-being. Sometimes ...

Truth - Relationships can be fickle. One day things can be fast and loose; the next, things are radio silent. Sometimes it's that lightning strike of a connection that disappears just as quickly as it flashed in your life. Other times it's a blizzard that inundates you for days on end and yet slowly but surely dissipates into nothingness. The continuity between it all is that at some point that presence is not permanent - fleeting at best. What is it about the way people communicate now that allows for transience? Why do some people just fizzle out of our lives?   "O what is life, if we must hold it thus as wind-blown sparks hold momentary fire?" Ada Cambridge   Have you ever watched a sparkler burn itself out? There's that initial spark of blinding light, followed by sparks flying in all directions in the most simple and yet spectacular fashion, and soon enough what is left is a burnt carcass of something that used to literally/figuratively light us u...

Truth - Curiosity is what keeps us exploring. There is this human need to learn more, try new things, and grow. Stagnancy is the antithesis of the human experience, and yet so often we find ourselves clinging to tradition, procedure, and the past. That internal struggle is a challenge for all of us to wrestle with constantly. Lose our inhibitions, be bold, and ask questions or to stick with what we know, remain comfortable, and secure our safety - those are our options. But aren't we meant to be curious?   "When you meet people, show real appreciation, then genuine curiosity" Martha Beck   What prevents us from talking to people we don't know? Is the fact that we don't know them that hinders us, or are there other reasons for our apprehension. Thinking of all the times we strike up conversations with random people - what is the common denominator in all those conversations? We share an experience. It's those moments when something outrageous happens ...