Welcome to... my second attempt to produce something funny in spoken word land. The inspiration from this came from a cross between going for a night run and seeing a skunk when I'm walking home and cooling down after I finished running and being at a point in life where I'm seeking constant change and want to continue growing. I also want my future pieces to feel "lighter" (meaning not having super dark moods behind them) while still keeping the same optimistic tone to them.... and I feel like circling around the fact that a skunk looked like it was going to run across the street chasing me and the fact that it did legitimately happen gave me a lightbulb to write this awesomeness. Enjoy!
Hey... so... I almost got mauled by a skunk once...
WHAAAAATTT?!?!? But that's so absurd!
Oh you know... I'm just going for my night run as usual and right when I think I'm home free, surely enough, I see that goddamn white stripe and bushy tail that surely isn't squirrely...
It looks super cute on a screen or video game and turns out to be quite ferocious in person... eeeewwww?!?!?
Because it literally looked like it was going to chase me down the street and spray me with its grossness...
I don't wanna get that nasty stench all over me... and if I did get it all over me, I'd be like "haaaaayyy", but that's definitely not what I want!
I decided to run the other way with my entirety vanishing into the night sky as I find a new path that will better suit me...
One where a certain kind of danger doesn't lurk....
But at the same time... wait a minute!
I soon realize how lame it is to have a fear of something that actually isn't stronger than you! No more of that dumb garbage...
No more dealing with repulsive figures who only cause you to feel bad about yourself or feel any sort of pain... in a way where someone claims the world is going to end and it's all your fault... But meanwhile in the back of your head, you're like "this person is full of shit" in some angry screaming metal voice...
And definitely no more surrendering to someone who doesn't deserve to win because you feel like you "have to"...
No... you don't have to throw your hands up in the air like you just don't care and then you know you'll feel so damn bare! You're allowed to play the game too... you know, right?
Hmmmmm... so how do I play... step 1... ACTUALLY PLAY!
You need to take control of situations instead of them letting them overtake you as you miserably surrender without even putting up a fight...
But it's just a skunk, right?
Whenever people see something they fear or see someone that has recently upset you hardcore or whom you resent to the max, instead of actually approaching the problem, they run away from it...
Hey I'm guilty of it too, but it's time we stop running and start doing!
In order to win the game, you have to take control of the game... not let it control you.
That's how I win my karate sparring matches or any kind of play fights... If I'm too defensive and wait for the other person to attack all the time because I'm "waiting for an opening" instead of making one on my own, 9x out of 10 I'll lose...
But if I'm aggressive and fight for that victory I'm craving oh so much, the chances of me winning are significantly higher!
What if this situation actually happened with something important?
What if a skunk's spray gland was removed and then you saw it... would you still run away?
Why do people always ask all of these what-if questions instead of actually living and trying and NOT being consumed by fear their whole lives....
But the entire time, just to let you know, this ridiculous skunk figure is mostly a metaphor! I did seriously see a skunk that really did start chasing after me when I went for a night run... and it was actually quite terrifying!
But the moral of the story... just live, damnit!
Who cares about some lame skunk anyways?
The only one stopping you from living YOUR life to the max is you!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Saturday, July 5, 2014
5 Reasons to Start Over And Make New Friends
Redo...redo...redo!!!!!
Nope nothing...
Too bad life doesn't have a restart button or item to use to take a moment over again...
But that's ok, that's what starting over is for, right?
There are 5 major reasons why starting over to make new friends is beneficial:
1. You're making a major life transition and don't have time or the desire to keep everyone in your life
Maybe you've just graduated from college or have just begun your career, but time is generally scarce. When you get older and work full time, it's more scarce. When you hit that point, you have to determine who's a friend and who's an acquaintance. With that, you also need to figure out who's "actually" a friend and who isn't. You may end up learning a lot about your friend circles as soon as you begin truly evaluating. They may not be who you think they are...
2. You've been hanging with a bunch of good for nothings aka "the wrong people" and you're tired of getting treated like crap all the time and have finally decided to put your foot down
You realize the true colors of your so-called "friends" and have decided that it's time to part ways with them... though you do so civilly, of course! If you don't fully decide to leave, you share how you've been feeling lately and tell them that what they've been doing is uncalled for and they better stop. If that doesn't work, you stop putting up with their actions and leave! It may be difficult, but necessary if you want to be in a better environment! Respect must also come from all parties... not just you!
3. You're moving away (per your own choice) because you're tired of how things are going or you've found an opportunity to better suit your needs and career
That one time when your "friend" asks to share an apartment with you. You're super excited about it until the major epiphany hits. This epiphany wakes your ass up to realize that you're going to get stuck paying ALL of the rent and your rear end is going to get ripped off hard. NO THANKS! Unfortunately, every time you hang out with these people, you get stuck pulling out your wallet and end up staying out until 3am while you're the only one who has work at 9 in the morning. The majority of the group either works very little or not at all. People don't always care that you're the only one who has "real adult responsibilities" to take care of while everyone else is acting like a child. Not only that, but if you found your dream job in LA and your friends all live in Chicago, chances are that you're going to have a decent number of goodbyes to say. In the end, you will be much happier, as difficult as saying goodbye is!
4. You've moved on because you know you're better than that and deserve better people in your life
After you realize how much your wallet is crying, how much your heart is crying from being screwed over so many times, and even when your real friends who have been helping you tell you to stop hanging out with these people, you eventually have your own personal wakeup call and you end up deciding to vanish from that circle of friends... and never looking back. If you're successful and landed a job right out of college making nice money while they can't even land a job at Starbucks, stop wasting your time. You deserve to hang out with people who will go see a movie with you and actually have enough money to pay for it themselves. The only concert with $30 dollar base tickets that should cost over $150 dollars is one where you either make a road trip out of it or decide to splurge or getting front row, pit, or VIP tickets. You don't deserve to be used or drained by people who you call your friends. If you EVER feel that way, it's time to go!
5. All of the above
The person who's the most important in life is you, closely followed by family and friends you hold dear to you. If anyone is ever holding you back, it's time to let them go. It's one of the most difficult things you can willingly choose to do, but sometimes, it just has to be done. Don't waste your time with ignorant fools mooching off of you to hang out with them to fill your boredom void. Find other ways to entertain yourself than hanging out with clowns who use you. You're a PERSON and PEOPLE don't deserve to get used... only things do. Now go out there and make the best for yourself while surrounding yourself with people who truly care about you and give you a big hug every time they say goodbye... even if you're going to see them the next day!
Nope nothing...
Too bad life doesn't have a restart button or item to use to take a moment over again...
But that's ok, that's what starting over is for, right?
There are 5 major reasons why starting over to make new friends is beneficial:
1. You're making a major life transition and don't have time or the desire to keep everyone in your life
Maybe you've just graduated from college or have just begun your career, but time is generally scarce. When you get older and work full time, it's more scarce. When you hit that point, you have to determine who's a friend and who's an acquaintance. With that, you also need to figure out who's "actually" a friend and who isn't. You may end up learning a lot about your friend circles as soon as you begin truly evaluating. They may not be who you think they are...
2. You've been hanging with a bunch of good for nothings aka "the wrong people" and you're tired of getting treated like crap all the time and have finally decided to put your foot down
You realize the true colors of your so-called "friends" and have decided that it's time to part ways with them... though you do so civilly, of course! If you don't fully decide to leave, you share how you've been feeling lately and tell them that what they've been doing is uncalled for and they better stop. If that doesn't work, you stop putting up with their actions and leave! It may be difficult, but necessary if you want to be in a better environment! Respect must also come from all parties... not just you!
3. You're moving away (per your own choice) because you're tired of how things are going or you've found an opportunity to better suit your needs and career
That one time when your "friend" asks to share an apartment with you. You're super excited about it until the major epiphany hits. This epiphany wakes your ass up to realize that you're going to get stuck paying ALL of the rent and your rear end is going to get ripped off hard. NO THANKS! Unfortunately, every time you hang out with these people, you get stuck pulling out your wallet and end up staying out until 3am while you're the only one who has work at 9 in the morning. The majority of the group either works very little or not at all. People don't always care that you're the only one who has "real adult responsibilities" to take care of while everyone else is acting like a child. Not only that, but if you found your dream job in LA and your friends all live in Chicago, chances are that you're going to have a decent number of goodbyes to say. In the end, you will be much happier, as difficult as saying goodbye is!
4. You've moved on because you know you're better than that and deserve better people in your life
After you realize how much your wallet is crying, how much your heart is crying from being screwed over so many times, and even when your real friends who have been helping you tell you to stop hanging out with these people, you eventually have your own personal wakeup call and you end up deciding to vanish from that circle of friends... and never looking back. If you're successful and landed a job right out of college making nice money while they can't even land a job at Starbucks, stop wasting your time. You deserve to hang out with people who will go see a movie with you and actually have enough money to pay for it themselves. The only concert with $30 dollar base tickets that should cost over $150 dollars is one where you either make a road trip out of it or decide to splurge or getting front row, pit, or VIP tickets. You don't deserve to be used or drained by people who you call your friends. If you EVER feel that way, it's time to go!
5. All of the above
The person who's the most important in life is you, closely followed by family and friends you hold dear to you. If anyone is ever holding you back, it's time to let them go. It's one of the most difficult things you can willingly choose to do, but sometimes, it just has to be done. Don't waste your time with ignorant fools mooching off of you to hang out with them to fill your boredom void. Find other ways to entertain yourself than hanging out with clowns who use you. You're a PERSON and PEOPLE don't deserve to get used... only things do. Now go out there and make the best for yourself while surrounding yourself with people who truly care about you and give you a big hug every time they say goodbye... even if you're going to see them the next day!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Top 5 Modes of Entertainment While Riding Public Transit
How do you entertain yourself during those annoying and inevitable commutes? All of these are based on what myself and my friends have observed while riding public transit (bus, subway, train) within the past year. Here is what we've noticed (in no particular order):
1. Play candy crush/go on Facebook -- Oh Candy Crush, what a notoriously addicting game you are... enough to pass the time during your long morning and evening commutes... especially if your poor brain is fried!
2. Listen to music - dearest music player, I'd feel totally bored out of my mind and become madly disturbed by all of the irritating noises I'm randomly surrounded by, such as popping gum, people coughing, etc. Without my earbuds in blasting some Avenged Sevenfold to get me pumped for the day or some Muse to cool me down and keep me awake on the way back, I'd go nuts... and I don't miss my stop from dozing off!
3. Stare at their phones - People are always so glued to their darn phones that they don't stop and take a second to look at the scenery (if there is any), but texting people definitely keeps me entertained, passes the time, and keeps me social. It also helps when the train is delayed and I need to email my manager (courtesy of my smart phone) saying that I'm going to be late as I'm stating at my phone begging for the train to move and time to stop. Reading online articles is also quite nice as well!
4. Read a book/magazine/ebook - Don't have time to read? Why not entertain yourself with your reading medium of choice while you're just sitting (or standing) there? Reading is productive, right? And learning is fun too! Knowledge is power!
5. Stare into space - This is what happens when your phone has no service (or dies), you don't have anything to do or read, or you just don't feel like doing anything because your you want to relax for awhile... Definitely acceptable as long as you don't miss your stop or run into "unsafe people"...
Not even talking makes this list because so many people are in their own little world's that they don't take the time to talk to others. Stop sticking your head down and go talk to someone... though I'm guilty of staring at my phone writing this on the train too :P
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