Youthful Life: X

Truth - Darkness is only the absence of light. Think about it. Inherently, wherever there is light, there can never be darkness but also the inverse stands true. Light and dark are mutually exclusive ways of being and seeing. Take your shadow for example, it's just us blocking a light source (usually the sun)  right before it hits the ground. Mind you, that light has travelled lightyears only to be thwarted by our clumsiness but that's besides the point. There is absolute importance in carrying your light with you wherever you go, if not others but also yourself. This the dark side of the moon. " Those are the same stars, and that is the same moon, that look down upon your brothers and sisters, and which they see as they look up to them, though they are ever so far away from us, and each other." Sojourner Truth The world was infatuated this week with a blood red Supermoon and simultaneous eclipse. Space is something that will both fascinates and scares me. Ther...

Truth - Being on your own can be absolutely mortifying but it's one of the most satisfying things you have to do in life. Every single day leaves things up to you to choose. With no one else around, you ask yourself in those moments who you are and especially now that no one else is watching. What kind of individual do you want to be? What's the impact you want to make in your communities? What do you look like in these changing contexts. Things never stop changing, all of it is temporary but that time is all important nonetheless. Call me a sojourner.   "People change and forget to tell one another" Unknown Does anyone else talk to themselves or is that just me? The past few days, at least for me, have been nothing short of chaotic. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my entire life. Context - I moved to Cleveland for graduate school. From the outside though, everything looks perfectly fine but in all honesty, I have never felt so out of place, d...

The 20s are all about being afraid. Fear sometimes serves a purpose. While it can cause us to remain small, to cower, and to freeze, it can also be a powerful thing that motivates, exhilarates, and inspires us to do truly amazing things. Fear is what holds people back but also what pushes them forward. Fear is a double-edged sword that you have to know just how to wield. Fear can take us to dark places but also lead us to the light. Fear can keep us stuck but can liberate us all the very same. It can tell us we're alone or can bring us together. Fear is fear, is fear, is fear. Sometimes you have just get lost in the fear. Maybe you don't really need to be found. Try and find me, I'm a lost boy. Quite possibly the scariest thing that I have ever experienced was coming to the realization that I would not be going to medical school after college. I had spent the entirety of my life preparing to do just that. I had my life planned out, medical school, then residency, wife, ...

Being a teenager is all about coming into you own. It's about finding yourself and moving forward. College is the time where people figure out who they are and who they want to be and then reconcile the two. It's where identities are processed and realizations are made. It's where tough lessons are learned and maturity is supposed to be cultivated. Peter Pan said it best, "all children grow up ... except one." Maturity . It doesn't always come with age. It seems like there's this idea that the older you get the wiser you become, and frankly that's not always the case. There are so many people that are supposed to be grown but still act in a childish manner. The pettiness, gossiping, and the constant circles of drama, if you've still got them and you're out of college you may or may not have a problem. The constant bickering, melodramatic blow ups, and the inability to effectively deal with problems, that's kid stuff. I think that's ...

Being a teenager is all about self awareness. It's so weird to step a little bit out of your life and look at it. I mean I would see myself and think, "mmm, that boy is finer than the tip of a freshly sharpened pencil" - but seriously, I would notice that I'm a total mess. My life shouldn't even be real, it's like a Lifetime Movie but with a male protagonist. Things just happen to you, and they would only happen to you. It's just gotta be you. Check the One Direction music video " Gotta Be You " Friday morning was a continuation of Thursday night's studying festivities. Reading over my biology notes and lounging. 9:20am rolls around and I'm thinking, my Krabby Patty usually isn't here at this time, maybe I should wake him up. The boy hops out and bed and darts to class faster than a speeding bullet, it's a boy, it's a plane, it's just Krabs. I take my biology exam, and I'm pretty chill about it until I notice the k...