Youthful Life: X

Truth - Siblings are the best gift your parents can ever give you. A question I often as people is whether they are an only child or not. As someone who often gets mistaken as one, the question gives some insight. I always follow up as to how close they are with their siblings, an even more telling answer. Everyone's familial situations are different. Deeply messed up stuff happens, and the people who are related to us can be awful. When families have healthy relationships though, the results can be truly awe-inspiring. You never know joy until you become an uncle. "When I was young, an eccentric uncle decided to teach me how to lie. Not, he explained, because he wanted me to lie, but because he thought I should know how it's done so I would recognize when I was being lied to." Brian Eno Being an uncle is by far my favorite personal identity. Beyond being a son to wonderful parents, and brother to four of the most dynamic people I have ever known is something ...

Truth - A change of perspective does the mind good from time to time. Being reminded that every person you come across experiences the world differently than you do, and likewise, you from them can be an important thing. It can be so easy to get caught up the chaotic monotony of our everyday lives and miss out on the opportunities to know other people, brand new experiences, and figure out ourselves if we do not shift our perspective every once in a while. Things are never what appear to be, and at the same time they are. It all just depends on your altitude. "Your perspective on life comes from the cage you were held captive in.”   Shannon L. Alder How easy it is to forget that the ways that we ourselves are inherently different than how others perceive us. We think we're showing up in one way and that might be so, at least to us, but others may experience us differently. The tough thing is we have to acknowledge that both perceptions are uniquely valid, and yet fundamen...

The 20s are all about giving your love. Love. What a powerful word. What does it mean to love or to be loved? Everyone has their own definition and it feels different for each and every one of us. You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else or expect anyone to love you for that matter. Self-love is the most important love because it's where all other love comes from. When you love yourself, then and only then are you able to give your love. But love isn't always given freely; sometimes it has to be earned. This is not one of those times. This is baby love.  For as long as I can remember I have loved kids but specifically babies and particularly newborns. It's such a weird thing to say but it's the absolute truth. When I was in high school I volunteered in a maternity ward for just over two years and absolutely loved it. Every Wednesday my parents would drop me off and for a solid three hours I would get to be the best version of me. I donned my teal...