Have you ever sat and wondered where you would be, or how your life would have turned out if you had made different choices? Or, what would have happened if you had taken a different path when faced with a crossroad? Have you ever wondered how much difference you have really made in the world, or in the lives of those around you? Had you been strong enough to walk away when life or circumstances handed you your heart on a platter, would you have ended up in a different reality? Sometimes, we make decisions not based on what our minds tell us, or even what our hearts need... but to hold on to something we want so desperately that we are willing to sacrifice our souls for it. But in the process, we often end up not recognizing ourselves in the mirror afterwards, and not knowing how we possibly ended up "here" from where we started out. Life hands us a hundred thousand choices during its timespan. The decisions we make alter our reality forever. So what do you do when you sit in the silence at night and doubts creep up into your mind about "what ifs"? What do you do when your conscience starts questioning your reality? How many times can someone be lied to, before their hearts cease to exist? How many times can you fight to hold on to a dream, when at every turn, someone or something knocks you down? How many nights can you lie awake in the dark, crying.... searching for some tiny shred of dignity, while your mind goes over every teardrop you have shed over the bullshit? How long can you fight before you run out of hope? How many times do you have to pretend to be okay, Before your heart gives up and you have to stop fighting in order to salvage whatever is left of your soul? And would it even matter? Sometimes, I just don't know... If we live our lives in a shroud of heartache, and give up on our own dreams for the sake of what we hope will become, without the certainty of it being true, where does that leave us? Can you drown from the tears? Will your soul die if you deny it the security of faith? How can we ever be sure? Is it worth risking it all, on the hope that we haven't placed our trust blindly in someone or something that could completely destroy us? And if so.... how do we survive it when it happens? I sure wish I knew.... all I really know is that I am tired of the tears... Sometimes in life we have defining moments. You know the ones... the moments that sneak up from behind us, out of nowhere.. and promptly bite us on the ass. But do we ever really take the time to look in the mirror, before we inadvertently cause these moments for the people around us? We all have the potential to do this. You walk in a room, and hear the tail end of a conversation.. and automatically assume you understand the entire body of discussion that took place before you arrived. Sometimes.... hell most times when this happens we don't have any freakin' CLUE as to what the discussion was actually about... or the reasons behind it taking place in the first place... Which basically means in these situations, our assumptions put us on basically the same level as paparazzi... and we have no clue how much damage our assumptions can cause, until its too late. Lets just get to the point and say until we walk a mile in someone else's shoes, and know all the facts... we should just learn to STFU. This is not intended as a comment to any one person in particular, but as a general statement to the human race. People do things, and make decisions in their lives for a reason. As a human being, we have the ability to make changes in ourselves, and affect people around us... whether these changes are always in our best interest, may not be understood by those who are looking in on the situation thru a frosted window... but they are decisions that only WE can make for ourselves, and noone has the right to judge us for them. I, personally believe every person in this world has good qualities in them... and yes, i do mean EVERYONE. Sometimes, you just have to look harder to find them. But, every person is worth that effort, because if you judge people on what they have done in the past, or what you think they MAY or may NOT have done, are doing, or will do... you shut the door on the possibility of really finding someone special that could change your life for the better. Hell, you may even turn your back on someone who could save your life. I am not willing to take that chance.... are you? I honestly believe that good friends are the quiet angels that help us back to our feet when our own wings have forgotten how to fly. There are angels walking the earth every day disguised as every-day people. You never know who they are, or when they will cross your path.. but if you don't take the time to watch for them, you will miss out on many wonderful things in life. Noone knows how much time we have in this world, and we only get one chance at this life we have been given. I choose to make the most out of every single day because I would hate to discover at the end of this life, i had wasted too much time looking for faults in the hearts of others, and had missed out on something or someone who truly could have made my life just "that much" happier. Life is far too short to be bitter... it is far to precious to waste and it certainly is not something I am willing to go thru day by day, settling for the mediocre... or being judged for whatever decisions I make for whatever reason... Life is too damned short to spend our time trying to make everyone else happy, or to try to do what someone else thinks or wants us to do. The final decision is ultimately, OURS. No one has the right to try to force us, or rush us into doing anything. Happiness is something we are not handed on a silver platter.. it is something we create for ourselves by following our hearts and dreams. Never live your life for someone else. Make sure you are happy, because in the end.. if you cannot look in the mirror and smile .... what is the point? And for god sakes.... don't take life... or yourself too seriously. have fun. Find something each day to laugh about. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good. Embrace love with both hands and never let go. Take time to smell the flowers. Play with a child. And never, ever settle for anything less than what you deserve. We are all worth the effort.... and we all deserve it. Until next time, take care of yourselves.. and remember... no matter what, live happy.