Keeping up and moving forward

A friend reminded me recently that I have something to say.

That seems like an odd statement since everyone has something they need to express and views  they want to share with others.  But I have been in such a funk lately that I had forgotten that I had anything to offer through my words.  I may not have a ton of readers, but there are those reading my blog because they are looking for something.  They are feeling the same things I am feeling.  I have always used this blog to express my views and feelings on my position in life.  But it never really occurred to me that other people were finding my blog at random because they searched the Internet for answers, for reassurance that they are not the only souls in this great big world feeling what they are feeling.

When we get down, we often feel lonely.  And worse yet, people are trying to snap you out of it, and make you feel better.  The problem being that while they are trying to perk you up, they are perky, which only makes you feel set apart from the crowd.

I will sometimes scour the Internet for ways to improve my mood and my views on life.  And others do too.  That is how so many of my readers stumble upon my blog. They are looking to know that they are not alone.

No matter how you are feeling, happy, sad, lonely, tired, scared or excited, chances are there is someone else out there feeling exactly the same way at exactly the same time.  You are never truly alone.  I had lost touch with this idea.  I quit expressing myself and worse yet I quit providing companionship to you through my words.

While I was feeling low, I did a little searching myself.  But what I found was that all of the problems I was having, and all the feelings I was feeling were everywhere. Not only was I not alone, but I was joining the party late.  There were thousands of others out there going through what I was , and not only that but many of them had been feeling it much longer.

Disappointment is so common place in today's world that most of us have simply become accustomed to being let down.  We take what little we can get and hold on to it for dear life, never daring to try for anything greater because we have the expectation that life will let us down.

The only advice I can offer is never give up hope.  The shimmer of something great bursting from behind those complacent eyes in the mirror, that is your hope.  Your dream that someday things will be amazing.  Maybe our views change as we get older and we simply become dazzled by situations our younger selves found common place.  But maybe, life exceeds our expectations only when we least expect it.

As one door closes...

I have thought about the day I would finally graduate college many times. Although this will not be the last time, it is the first and most important.

I have made friends.  Friends that share my interests and goals.  I have learned lessons that will not be found in any books.  This is the culmination of two years of finding out what my strengths and weaknesses are.  It is a new beginning for a girl who never knew what she wanted or where she would go.

The truth is, I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, but at least I have skills that will lead me in the right direction.  Of course I am nervous about what comes next.  What school will I attend to earn my next degree?  Will I be able to find employment in this less than promising job market?

I don't know.  What I do know, is the people and experiences that I have gained during these years, I would not trade for any job.  So even if I end up right back where I started, I know that I tried, and I enriched my life in the process.

So the only question left is where will I go from here?