mean

"all you are is mean. and a liar. and pathetic. and alone in life. annnnddd. mean."

--Taylor Swift

     You've gotta love Taylor Swift.  In my opinion, like many girls like me, Taylor always 'tells it as it is,' and/or 'makes it all better.' 
     
     This innate talent is probably the key to her, so far, enormous sucess.  Miss Swift's ever increasing popularity is a direct result of the relatable nature of every song she sings, pens or touches.  Taylor is like us, she understands us and our lives. There is evidence of her relatability in everything she does; it appears in her songs, her interviews, and in the way she lives her life, just doing the best she can, Just Like Me.  She is, in a word, phenomenal! But, I guess I should move on from my love for Taylor Swift and get to the point.   
    
     It's been a rough few weeks and the stress is piling on.  To make matters worse, it seems that everyday I look in the mirror there is one more unsatisfaction. With each passing glance there is one more thing to dislike and one more reason to crawl back in bed. To top in off, my character has been greatly tarnished by other's cruel words. 

     I've been trying and trying to see the bright-side. I am trying to see the good things that can come out of all this critism. This process is harder than it sounds, much, much harder!

     I guess this is what the whole idea of my new life.  It is supposed to be about accepting the good AND the bad.  I just wish it wasn't so hard.

     There is one thing I want to say; "think before you speak." That centuries-old saying is all I can think of these days.  If there are problems and issues in a relationship it is good to talk it out, in fact it is healthy. I know that dealing with the problems in a straight-forward and respectful manner is what Our Savior has commanded us to do.   (see Matt 18 and Philippians 2:4)  I learned this at church on Sunday.  On Sunday we discussed the aforementioned scriptures and the content including; how Jesus Christ taught us to present out grievances in order to best talk and work it out together.  He then dictated two other important aspects in solving conflict; first to, when needed, involve a third party and second, of course, utilize lots of prayer.

     Once upon a time I was told a story.  This story was about a man who spread rumours and upon viewing the damaged caused went searching for forgiveness and restitution.  He brought his inquiry to a wise monk.  This monk had him place a feather on each person's doorstep who's lives had been affected by the gossip spread.  Once this mysterious task was complete the man was sent to collect each, individual feather.  However much to the man's dismay he found many had been stolen by the wind.  The moral of the story is simple; words are like the feathers on the doorstep, they can never be revoked.  The problem is words are differnt than feathers and they DO hurt.  Actually, I think perhaps words hurt much more than sticks and stones, leaving that old-saying to rest.

    

     If you need to vent there are healthy ways, like on a blog, for an invisible and/or non-existant audience, or write a letter and DON'T mail it, write in a journal, be like Taylor and write a song.  All I am saying is please, just think first before you do.  Please think,

• how can I explain how I feel?
• Have I looked at it from all angles?
• Do I understand all angles?

Only then when we understand all that we can do we act.

Please, keep this in mind.

'cause...

"i walk with my head down trying to block you out 'cause i'll never impress you. i. just wanna feel OK again"

-- Taylor Swift

(credit: postsecret)