Bitter:Sweet Sorrow

Upon first thinking of writing this blog on the day I moved into my dorm I was soon too occupied to have the time to write anything. And so, after having time to cool off and remove myself from the situation and look at it from another perspective, I found that while I still believe that leaving my family and friends behind for this temporary extended stay in Bufuland will and has been quite a trial it has only put me one step closer to adulthood and true independence.

It took a fun day at the beach with some of my most bosom buddies and my beloved for the feeling of imminent separation to finally hit me - and it hit like a ton of bricks. The tears flowed ceaselessly as I held him to me, clutching at him like someone would take him from me. I cried as if someone was dying and I did not care because I felt the way I did. Talk about an extreme case of separation anxiety. But in the end I knew it was all pointless, tears will not keep us any closer than we all already are. In his case I am reminded of a very insightful 90’s song by Donna Lewis:

“I love you always forever

Near or far, closer together

Everywhere I will be with you

Everything I will do for you . . .”

That is not a very demanding request to uphold and I will constantly be doing my best.

As for family and friends, well, as the saying goes – Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Even though I have been on the phone with my grandmother approximately 3 times since the move and texted my dear heart multiple times as well, I have made the necessary adjustments that allow me to function as a valuable member of society. I love them all and nothing will change that!

Within this slightly traumatic, life-changing experience there is a light; a message that can be gleaned from this occurrence that many of us will share – we are never alone. No matter the distance, a truly strong relationship will outlast the most devastating events. In keeping an open mind about the situation and remaining strong, one can clearly see the end of the dark tunnel to the bright side of everything.

I know words may not be enough to satisfy everyone who sees them as empty promises but honestly if you feel that way I have to say that you are a hopelessly pessimistic person and you will not survive with your glass-half-empty state of mind so snap out of it and jump back to reality. Parting may be such (bitter) sweet sorrow but when you look deeper you’ll realize that you will survive. Get used to it! :]

Stomach-Brain Connection

Upon feeling the rumblings of my famished stomach this morning I was reminded of a phrase from a 2005 commencement speech given by Steve Jobs - "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish". At first glance, one may find that the correlation between what my tummy wants and what my mind understands this phrase to mean is quite incompatible. On the contrary, the two have everything to do with one another.

The first of the two - my unfulfilled stomach - tells me that I need nourishment on a daily basis. It may not be at the same times everyday but I still must do my best to meet its needs. Now each day my tummy craves a variety of foods, whether they be truly healthy for my body or just a filler for the time being is a matter of taste. To be sure, it is my job to give my body exactly what it needs to grow and keep functioning correctly, thus, my stomach is happy and so is the rest of my body. Even so, my tummy is an insatiable entity, always requiring of me the better things in life, so my job is never done. I must always be at the ready to satiate this part of me, if only temporarily, before it moves on to wanting something new.

The second of the two - Steve Job's commencement phrase - tells me that true knowledge and the genuine desire to seek out that knowledge is a neverending life process. Everyday my brain craves stimulation and it is up to me to meet its needs. Now the mind is a little more of a sophisticated organ - transmitting, translating, and transferring information from it to the rest of my body. This lean, mean, thinkin' machine requires various forms of provocation be they good (reading a book) or not so good (watching TV), either way my brain may find in those activities the stuff of champions, some knowledge that was once a mystery to it before that moment. But, my work does not end here. No, this interesting piece of me has yet to reach fruition, there will always be something that it does not know. It is always wanting more and I must be willing and able to give it that little or lotta bit that it aspires to acquire. My mind will never stop having this inclination until I am senile or dead and even then I can still give it all I've got.

Together these two seemingly singular ideas can now be brought together to mean that in this life we are charged with the responsiblity of caring for ourselves, mind, body, and soul. Without the drive to be better and to want more from ourselves, how can we truly say that we belong to the human race - a race of creatures constantly adapting and transforming into something new?

So, in the words of Steve Jobs, whether your tummy is a-rumblin' or your mind is a-churnin' always remember to "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish".