friday wisdom.

i stumbled across these beautiful words the other day and they spoke to me.  they sort of jolted me and required immediate reflection.  i dig that in a quote.  

i feel as though the older i get, the more i come to realize how important it is to be real.  by real i really mean honest.  i think some people view miss honesty as somehow a close relative of mister rude.  i am not sure when those lines got blurry, but honesty is so important.  of course it is all about one's delivery, but honesty always wins in the end.  it really keeps things in order and does its best to keep guilt at bay.

oh, damn you guilt.    

but this whole honesty thing, it's an art of sorts.  some are better at it than others, and we all know who those people are.  and...those who are not.  you know, those over-thinkers out there who simply tell you what they think you want to hear without concrete validation of their own thoughtful self weighing in on the subject at hand.  they always think they are doing what's best, but it's exhausting for both them and the person with whom they are speaking with.  it doesn't get anyone anywhere.  dishonestly, no matter the degree, is a poison. 

and we have all found ourselves on that seemingly sweet delivery end, usually left with feelings of supreme guilt and a rather frustrated demeanor because we just, well, lied.  who  does that benefit anyways?  and why is it so hard to just say what we want?  i wonder where people's need to please stems from?  for everyone (i am quite sure) it is different, so trying to analyze the answer to these impossible questions is not going to happen and they will just have to be left unanswered.  i am more than okay with that.

i think a lot of this boils down to insecurity.  that heavy word lurks within each of us, with varying degree.  i think many are so keen on others' approval that they seek out the opinions of others, with preceding flattery and sometimes dishonest praise.  

if you feel good about something and it feels right to you, there should be no discussing and definitely no search for approval.  no questioning.  no back and forth banter.  nor the game that tries to pull forth information from someone else to get you more points on YOUR pride scale.  and if, yes if, something you deem good is not in the majority of what others deem valuable, so be it.  differences make life beautiful.  so go with your intuition and be honest and frank and live in unabashed freedom.  okay?

i realize i am talking in a very round-about way about a lot of very round about things, but such is this blog space.  so if you are lost, you are not alone.  as am i.  but that's what tends to make for a good ramble, eh?  and i do feel better about my thoughts on this matter.  i suppose that's what counts. 

so back to the little chalkboard in our galley kitchen.  back to those words that left an imprint on me, like puppy paws in mud.  this month and hopefully this lifetime, i am really going to be doing my best to make it a point to be honest with others and with myself.  i am willing to leave the fear of undesired outcomes in the dust, all the while bidding farewell to envy.  no one's grass is ever greener.  i firmly believe that.  

aaaaand scene. 

and if you've made it this far, congrats to you. i'd cheers you or something but i've just ran out of coffee.