Monday, September 21, 2009

...Rules to Live by

I don't know why I entitled this post the way I did. In actuality, what I'm about to share with you are not any types of rules at all. Rather they're things I try to do everyday, think about everyday, and remember all the time.
Things my parents taught me, things I've learned from friends, and just somethings which I came up with throughout my twenty-one years of "experience." I would be lying if I said that I did each and every one of these things every day, but I do at least one. As I stated previously, these are things that I do. If you would like to take some and make them your own, go right ahead. These are the rules that I try to live by, they're not deep or philosophical in nature, rather just small things that sometimes mean a lot. The list posted below is by no means everything, and it's not in any specific order, but here goes...
15.) Laugh at Yourself.

If you know me, you know I love to laugh. But honestly, you can't laugh at anything or anyone until you can laugh at yourself. There's the time the door at the quickie-mart blasted the buttons off of my shirt, a la Bruce Banner, or the time I apologized for entering into the men's restroom because I literally ran into the man that I-thought-was-a-woman. If you can't laugh at yourself, you're too serious.

14.) Never Take Yourself Too Seriously.
"If you take everything too seriously, you'll never make it out of this life alive." There's a time for joking around and there is a time to be serious. Then, there is that gray area in between...I like to call, "daily life".

13.) Call Your Parents.

Now I don't do this everyday, nor do I think it is a weekly necessity. But a phone call to mom or dad to see how their day went every once in a while, really means a lot.

12.) Hold the Door Open for the Person Behind You.-Even if they're 10 feet behind you.

11.)
If It Looks Good, Eat It.
Too many people today are worried about carbs and calories. As long as you're not chowing down on big-mac's for breakfast lunch and dinner, you will be OK!

10.) Always Remember You Pick Your Friends, but Not Your Family.
Everyone's family is crazy in their own way, it's what keeps things interesting.

9.) Don't worry about the money.
I know most people who read this blog are college age kids fretting about making rent and paying back student loans, but you're going to get a job and you will make money, so we might as well spend it why we don't have it. Some may say, "Well money's tight right now,"...let's get real, it's not like any of us are on the brink of filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy...spend it. (As long as it's a rational purchase)

8.) Listen

Someone once said you have one mouth and two ears so you can listen twice as much as you can speak. I believe this holds a great deal of truth. When someone takes the time to talk to you, make sure you do more than just hear what they have to say, listen. You may be surprised about how much you learn. It's the difference between passive listening and active listening. I'll be the first one to say I'm guilty of this one.

7.) Talk to Your Grandparents

If you're lucky enough to have them still around, take time to talk to them, I know I wish I could. Yea, they may yack your ear off for hours but chances are, they're part of the "Greatest Generation." They know a lot about sacrifice, love, loss and pretty much everything else in between...because they lived through it. They know how to fix things and "make-do." They're really our best link to our past, and sadly they're not going to be around forever.

6.) Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.
You failed a test...so what? Your boyfriend dumped you...so what? Work sucks...what else is new? You got caught picking your nose in the library by the "hot girl"...not a big deal. Honestly, people tend to over-exaggerate their problems. The fact is, life goes on whether you're ready or not. If you know me, you've heard me say it before:
Every day you are able to wake up and get out of bed is a good day.

5.) Take Your Hat Off at the Dinner Table
Pretty much learned that one the hard way ever since I was a little kid-Thanks Mom.

4.) Take a time-out.
Every night before I go to sleep, I get on my knees and thank God for keeping me safe through the day. I can't say that I'm extremely religious. I believe in God, I go to church, I do my thing. Even if you're not into praying or all that religious stuff, just before you go to bed is a good time to look back and reflect on the day's events. It really helps you to put everything into perspective.

3.) Take the Long Way Home.
Sometimes your life becomes one big routine and you take the same way home everyday. Break it. Who knows what you may discover, maybe even your friend's stolen bike.

2.) If it's less than $10 don't worry about it.-again don't worry about the money.
You'll look like an idiot asking the person for the $6.50 they owe you. Like I said, none of us are filing for Chapter 11, and if you are, you shouldn't have lent the person the five-spot to begin with. When you let someone borrow a nominal some of money, consider it an act of charity and don't expect to get it back.

1.) Give People a Break.
Not everybody has had the same advantages that some of us have had, and everyone deserves a break once in a while. People make mistakes, cut them some slack.

To steal a quote from one of my favorite books, The Great Gatsby:
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Why I did what I did...


I figured this post would come up sooner or later. But as I sit here in Philadelphia thinking about how in less than 9 months I will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the finest Army in the world, it occurred to me:


I really don't know why I chose to join the Reserve Officers Training Corps.


If you asked me to give you a reason I really wouldn't be able to come up with one.


I could give you a few reasons why I didn't need to join
.

I didn't need the scholarship.
I didn't need the monthly stipend.
I didn't need the leadership experience.
I didn't need to put on a uniform.

But maybe these reasons add up to why I did what I did.

I know why I chose what I chose, yet still people ask, "Why did you do it?".

I can honestly say that first and foremost, I owe a great deal to the United States of America. Here, I have been afforded so many luxuries and opportunities that some take for granted on a daily basis.

The U.S. is a place where I can wake up free from tyranny and oppression and walk out my front door and automatically have liberties and freedoms not found in other countries.

So, maybe I did it to preserve our American way of life.
Maybe I did it to protect & defend America from her enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Maybe I did it to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.


I did it because I owed it.


It was something small I could do to give back and repay my debt. A debt you find on any type of invoice or billing statement brought in the mail.

One day I'll be able to look back and say that I did my part.

....it's why I did what I did, why I chose what I chose.

I'm just trying to do things right, and God I hope I'm doing them right.


Thank you to all of my friends and family, without your support I wouldn't be where I am today.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Back to doing what we do best...


Ladies and Gentlemen, yet another semester has come upon us. Some friends have already left to go out do great things. Others are trying to get out of here early. Some have even decided to stay in order to pursue the opportunity of enrolling for graduate studies. And yet others are continuing to work on an extended stay here at our fine university.

But all kidding aside, it has come to my attention that our time here together is slowly dwindling down. The clock is ticking and you can almost count the days, hours, and minutes. Well actually, you can.

As of today, approximately only 242 days remain.

242 days can be converted to one of these units:

  • 20,908,800 seconds

  • 348,480 minutes

  • 5808 hours

  • 34 weeks (rounded down)

Two-hundred and forty-two days. That's all we're talking about here people. Not a lot of time at all. After graduation, what's next? Some people will go on to grad school, others will get jobs, and some might hang out at home for a couple of months until they get their feet on the ground. But really the purpose of this post isn't to talk about what we will do when we graduate.

The purpose of this post is to challenge each and everyone of us to make the most of every second we still have left together.

It sounds pretty cheesy, but really, it's all we have.


242 Days, what are we gonna do with them?