the big, scary street.

sometimes i truly want to run away. i have heard the "be positive" mantra numerous times from everyone around me. and have tried to internalize it. no doubt pieces of it have been taken to heart. but that is not to say that there is still a part of me that simply wants to cry. a part that simply wants to be held by someone who will comfort me. a part that simply wants to forget everything.

i may be capable of working through this. i may be capable of moving on. but in my strength i know that i am also weak (and anyone who truly knows me, knows that it takes a lot for me to admit such a thing). in my strength i know that i need a shoulder to lean on. i need someone to tell me i can do it. to believe in me. to not be afraid to let me know they believe in me.

every ounce of my being knows that i am fully able to be alone. and survive. and thrive. but in this moment... the little lost girl is showing herself. and the little lost girl wants someone to hold her hand and help her cross the big, scary street.

a midnight jaunt.

for the second weekend in a row. i found myself in shreveport, la. this time the actual destination was listed as shreveport. not some distant location yet to be reached. our genius kicked in late evening and the trip was planned and progressing by ten-thirty. despite a few hiccups along the way (namely those "others" on the road who may or may not have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol and considering the number of towns driven through that solely consisted of gentlemen's clubs and liquor stores...) we arrived safely to shreveport via the sketch roads.

although our luck was dismal (which simply aligns with most of my life right now), fun was had. new environments were conquered. and slots were played. money may have been lost. but this is where the art of setting a limit enters the picture. thankfully my addictions in life do not cross over into the gambling arena. tis a bit repetitive for me... but nevertheless, fun for a midnight jaunt.

and as a sidenote... with my newly acquired freetime. i finally began uploading photos to flickr.

we shall see.

as is typical. the glass of wine becomes a bottle of wine as the days progress. my free time is beginning to ware on me.

good news. i have found something to occupy a bit of my time. goodreads.com. check it out.

and i did have an interview today. we shall cross our fingers and say our prayers. but for now please keep pouring the wine and turning the pages of my textbooks. (currently i find myself engrossed in "sex and the soul").

tonight's counseling class played out much like a scene from a horror movie. where a dagger is stuck in the side of the main character and then jabbed and jostled at will for three hours. who would have thought that cognitive behavior therapy could do such a thing to a person?

i am thankful for mid class phone calls and text messages. and a variety of other motivating factors that were able to add humor to my moments of constant pain.

so now it is onto hopes of a delightful weekend. (and positive news from today's interview). perhaps a road trip. perhaps a few halloween festivities. perhaps a weekend in the library. or perhaps a few more bottles of wine. we shall see what is discovered as the hours progress. we shall see.

the game.

despite my hesitance. i finally overcame my fear. i told them. i enjoyed a few mimosas. built up the courage and pushed away the butterflies that were fighting to escape the deep regions of my insides. and made the phone call that i was so dreading.

my fears were right. my perfectionistic parents see me as a failure. but they will move on. (maybe not by the time they arrive in texas next week for a sweet visit). but they will move on.

the task at hand is now to persuade them to not seek any legal action.

every part of me simply wants to seek the next stage. escape this reality. see this as a sign and explore other options of life. (becoming a hippy is currently at the top of my list).

and so i wait. and process my thoughts.

what is perfection? what is failure? have i failed? or have i simply become the pawn in somebody's game?

although i know that perfection is not something that can be completely attained. it is something for which i have constantly strived. something that was ingrained within me from an early age. and the process of desiring perfection has lead me down paths that sometimes have not been the most healthy. but through that journey, such paths have provided a lens by which i am able to view the world. a lens through which i can hopefully work for an honest understanding of what is right. and what is ultimately "healthy" perfection for me... a unique blend of all that encompasses my hopes, dreams, and reality.

and though i may fear failure, i must understand that there is no such thing. failure is but a mind game. there may be disappointments in life. and there may be moments when i wish something had been accomplished in a different way. but to know the effort was extended. this is to know that there was not failure in the action. our culture focuses on such concepts of failure so often. allowing individuals to believe that the moment they have that second doughnut they are suddenly a failure. but this is not so. to fail is to stop functioning or operating. to fail is to lose strength or die away. to fail is not to indulge once. to be a failure requires repeated offenses.

so i come to the final question. am i simply a pawn in a game? has somebody decided that my life would be fun to play with? the answers i have thus far uncovered point in such a direction. and so to these people i say, welcome to my life. and welcome to the knowledge that i am ready to play. ready to look at the trek ahead of me and continue the hike. i have loaded my bag with all of the essentials. the journey has begun. you may have won with the first move. but i will win with the final one.

breathe.

the wrongs must at some final place reach a right. and i will continue to hope for that. for now, i will cherish those moments i have not had until now. moments when i can enjoy a mimosa in the middle of the afternoon. moments when i can do homework instead of running around making final preparations for an evening program. moments when i can relax, even though it may not be one of my greatest strengths. and moments when i can catch up on necessities of life, such as laundry and cleaning.

i am not alone. and i can not always be the one to be the strength for my friends. i must be willing to accept help. must be willing to let those around me lift me up. let them hold me when i am down.

this will get better. this valley will be overcome. the sun is still shining.

a bit of sun.

tis an interesting moment in life. to be sitting in panera in the middle of a monday afternoon. with no direction. no meetings calling out. no programs that need help.

and my counseling book keeps subtly calling out to me through ironic phrasings. bringing me back to reality.

"using humor" i believe that this is the sole action allowing me to continue on. the knowledge that moments before life completely changed, i handed him a happy bosses day card, complete with a ten dollar giftcard to starbucks. oh the niceness that envelops me. almost too good to be true. and definitely something too unrealistic to be written into a script. (nobody would ever believe it).

ah. and then the counseling book... always on top of itself, brings out the: "people with specific problems, such as coping with the loss of a job or dealing with retirement, are taught how to apply REBT principles to treat themselves." thanks. just thanks. i'll look into that.

tomorrow. or the next day.

i'm moving on. the sun is shining in the valley today. and though nothing spectacular may be taking place, every flower needs a bit of sun before it can fully blossom (and just the right amount of water).

valleys of wonder.

my thoughts all afternoon drifted toward the photograph flashing in my mind of the course of this adventure. and then it hit me when discussing with a friend:

we must go through the valleys to reach the mountains. and though the valleys may be wide and the climb to the top of the peaks treacherous, it shall be worth it. and it will be an adventure. and something to look back on at some point and offer thanks.

the adventure.

my mind has yet to wrap around this past week. yet to quite realize the reality of the given situation.

a smidgen of me truly believes i will wake up tomorrow morning and this will all be a nightmare that i have been living through. a nightmare that i was never meant to know in real life.

and with that understanding, the only move i can make from here is to continue trying.

so much of me believes that my life this year has resembled one of those movies or tv shows that people simply look at and remark, "well, that was unrealistic." and thus, i invite you into my life. invite you to reality.

to look at it as an adventure, as a movie where at some point it must turn around. it must reach a point of climax. a point of happiness. and so i will continue trekking along. continue forward movement. and hope for that moment.

i believe. believe the adventure will take me through valleys to reach greatness.

believe with me.