It's Time to Change.
I'm gonna post the last part of a note I wrote on here a week and a half ago, partially because I don't want that message to be lost in translation, and I feel it's important to show more than just the 10 people I tagged in that note.
There is a reason, past or present, why people are in my live. Each person, I feel, serves a different purpose in my life, whether they seem similar or not. I'd like to think that I'm simply a guest on the ride of life, and to be included in your life, to me, is a great honor. You could very easily shut me out, want nothing to do with me. Instead, you talk to me, enjoy our company, and leave making plans to do it all over again. I love it. Every second.
That does go, however, without saying that we all change as we evolve as humans. No one is expected to stay the same, forever. As we gain knowledge on this ride, that knowledge evolves us, and makes us realize things that before, were outside our realm. Some people hate that, and think they're afraid of change. I, on the other hand, am now in the state where I want to embrace it. I was once told by a friend, Hampton Dixon, to embrace change and change accordingly. I didn't know what he meant at first, and now I realize, all along, what he means.
As we traverse life, keeping true to your morals, your beliefs, and your core personality as a whole is key. I think it's important to remember where you come from, what makes you who you are, and above all else, what makes you unique in the massive mob of people. In other words, when talking about you specifically, you should always keep true to yourself, and not mold yourself to fit some persona that isn't you. That doesn't mean to never change, though. As stated, when you gain knowledge you should apply it to your life, and pass that on. If that means changing things about yourself, that means change things about yourself. But don't do it because you've got a mob around you telling you to. It may be important, but it's even more important for you to want that change.
I've learned in 21 years and 6 months alive on this planet that as I evolve, I will change. And you know, that is perfectly OK. It's suppose to happen. If 21-year old Alfred was the same as 18-year old Alfred, there is no way my dad would've moved 3000 miles away, got married, and tell me consistently that I'm doing alright. I've changed, because I've wanted to. And I think, if warranted, you should as well.
My time here in California has produced a lot of differences in my mindset, ones that, in hindsight, existed because I slowly had become comfortable in my lifestyle. Along some line, somewhere, we all decide that where we are is the most comfortable place to me, and that, well, if we were to alter something, it would mean that we would have to make a whole slew of life changes to accommodate it appropriately.
Now, I see it as not being the case.
As I've gotten older, I've settled into my mindset a bit more, one that continues -- and will continue -- to change as I learn more, not just about myself, but my surroundings and my life. In February, I wrote a note talking about how badly I wanted to get out of Statesboro, how much I needed a break from small-town Georgia, how I just wanted to get away, but I didn't have that opportunity.
I've been away from Georgia over 2 months now, and with 20 days left on the roster, there's still some more left to get through.
Being away from Georgia for as long as I have, away from all my friends without hearing from many of them, makes me realize just how much, if I had to go a long period of time, I would miss them all. I guess in all that I was thinking about, I took for granted that all the time those people would be no more than 5 minutes away. Well, now, they're 3,000 miles away, I haven't seen any of them since May, and I realize now just how much I took that all for granted, just how much I didn't think about that fact. All I saw was me wanting to get away, to get out, to have that separation.
And now that I've gotten that separation, it's put a lot more into some nice perspective.
Never can I say that I don't have amazing friends... y'all put up with my BS more than I can give you credit for, and each time I say that, I walk away with the notion that I am wanted and am accepted into your life AS a friend for a reason....
But I never seem to acknowledge it, or realize it.
It's almost like I take you for granted, but I don't, in the sense we may think.
I walk away this time WITH that notion to BE a better friend, BE that person you can rely on whenever you need it, and TRULY be a team player, not just the person in the wings. I'll always have that as my mentality, but I also know that sometimes you just gotta step to that plate and come ready to fight, defend, and protect your honor.
No one is perfect, no one ever WILL be perfect, and perfection is that hill that no matter how long you climb it, you'll never reach the top of it. And as people we try sometimes to reach and obtain that perfection.
All I'm doing now is doing the best that I can to BE that friend, to be that person that offers my friends me as the best person that I can be. At the end of the day, that's all I should be, is that friend who cares, but at the same time, be that friend that is honest. Not to say that I haven't been, but let that shine through more.
I can walk away from the 85 days spent in California as an experience to grow from, and each time I'm away for an extended period of time, I feel as though I speak the same thing all the time. But I always feel that I never act on it. And it's because we become comfortable with where we are in life, and sometimes we just don't feel like doing what we need to do to make that transition.
But I feel like the time is now, the time is here for me to do what I need to do to be a better person. And not just for other people, but be a better person for myself. I don't need the ego kick, so don't think that. But I, in my own eyes, know that I can offer a lot more, so that's what I'm gonna do my best to do. Don't call it a changed man, just think of it as steady improvements on this road we call life.
I think as I go on in life, the more philosophical I become. It makes me laugh sometimes, because I never use to think of myself as philosophical.....
The summer for each person is different. Some look at it as a time away from the business of school. Some think it'll be the summer they meet their one true love. Others look at it in dread, in fear of being away from what they love, that being their friends. Some see it, in the case of graduates, as another chapter of their life being completed, and that it's now time to pick up and move on to the next phase.
For some, however, they look at the beginning with dread and hate, but upon looking back, realized they did a lot of growing, maturing, morphing so to speak, into a person that wasn't there when the summer first started. They see someone, in the mirror, as a much better person than what started the summer off with. And it sparks something inside that promotes the change to carry on, and not die once you're back in that familiar environment.
We evolve as we grow. That's fact. You can't look at yourself and know that as you gain intelligence, you won't evolve as a human. Why? Because we apply what we know to the life we life every day. If you don't know it, you won't apply it. People at different points in life sometimes don't take into consideration that you have to learn to evolve; you just don't evolve, then learn later. You have to be willing to learn, to grow and evolve as a person. If you can't learn, then you can't grow, simple truth.
We all learn and evolve differently, at different places in life. Some see it a long ways off, but others.... it takes something happening, that's serious, to promote the realization. And we all look at it differently. We're all different, no one is the same.
Spending time in California has presented me with a multitude of mindsets to adopt, but I wanted to have my own. And as I sit on my bed typing this out, and I look back to the beginning of summer, as well as the beginning of 2010, I know that I sit here now as an improved person. And that improved mentality, I want to share with everyone that means a lot to me.
It's not me trying to seem smart, or naive. I simply just want to get out there how I see things. And though it may be a bit different, it can be a refreshing viewpoint for someone else, who knows?
If you've read all the way down, awesome. If not, that's OK too.
I just want to share.
Everyone's awesome, in their own special way.
And if I've never told you that before, you'll hear it more from me. : )
Peace easy, friends.
There is a reason, past or present, why people are in my live. Each person, I feel, serves a different purpose in my life, whether they seem similar or not. I'd like to think that I'm simply a guest on the ride of life, and to be included in your life, to me, is a great honor. You could very easily shut me out, want nothing to do with me. Instead, you talk to me, enjoy our company, and leave making plans to do it all over again. I love it. Every second.
That does go, however, without saying that we all change as we evolve as humans. No one is expected to stay the same, forever. As we gain knowledge on this ride, that knowledge evolves us, and makes us realize things that before, were outside our realm. Some people hate that, and think they're afraid of change. I, on the other hand, am now in the state where I want to embrace it. I was once told by a friend, Hampton Dixon, to embrace change and change accordingly. I didn't know what he meant at first, and now I realize, all along, what he means.
As we traverse life, keeping true to your morals, your beliefs, and your core personality as a whole is key. I think it's important to remember where you come from, what makes you who you are, and above all else, what makes you unique in the massive mob of people. In other words, when talking about you specifically, you should always keep true to yourself, and not mold yourself to fit some persona that isn't you. That doesn't mean to never change, though. As stated, when you gain knowledge you should apply it to your life, and pass that on. If that means changing things about yourself, that means change things about yourself. But don't do it because you've got a mob around you telling you to. It may be important, but it's even more important for you to want that change.
I've learned in 21 years and 6 months alive on this planet that as I evolve, I will change. And you know, that is perfectly OK. It's suppose to happen. If 21-year old Alfred was the same as 18-year old Alfred, there is no way my dad would've moved 3000 miles away, got married, and tell me consistently that I'm doing alright. I've changed, because I've wanted to. And I think, if warranted, you should as well.
My time here in California has produced a lot of differences in my mindset, ones that, in hindsight, existed because I slowly had become comfortable in my lifestyle. Along some line, somewhere, we all decide that where we are is the most comfortable place to me, and that, well, if we were to alter something, it would mean that we would have to make a whole slew of life changes to accommodate it appropriately.
Now, I see it as not being the case.
As I've gotten older, I've settled into my mindset a bit more, one that continues -- and will continue -- to change as I learn more, not just about myself, but my surroundings and my life. In February, I wrote a note talking about how badly I wanted to get out of Statesboro, how much I needed a break from small-town Georgia, how I just wanted to get away, but I didn't have that opportunity.
I've been away from Georgia over 2 months now, and with 20 days left on the roster, there's still some more left to get through.
Being away from Georgia for as long as I have, away from all my friends without hearing from many of them, makes me realize just how much, if I had to go a long period of time, I would miss them all. I guess in all that I was thinking about, I took for granted that all the time those people would be no more than 5 minutes away. Well, now, they're 3,000 miles away, I haven't seen any of them since May, and I realize now just how much I took that all for granted, just how much I didn't think about that fact. All I saw was me wanting to get away, to get out, to have that separation.
And now that I've gotten that separation, it's put a lot more into some nice perspective.
Never can I say that I don't have amazing friends... y'all put up with my BS more than I can give you credit for, and each time I say that, I walk away with the notion that I am wanted and am accepted into your life AS a friend for a reason....
But I never seem to acknowledge it, or realize it.
It's almost like I take you for granted, but I don't, in the sense we may think.
I walk away this time WITH that notion to BE a better friend, BE that person you can rely on whenever you need it, and TRULY be a team player, not just the person in the wings. I'll always have that as my mentality, but I also know that sometimes you just gotta step to that plate and come ready to fight, defend, and protect your honor.
No one is perfect, no one ever WILL be perfect, and perfection is that hill that no matter how long you climb it, you'll never reach the top of it. And as people we try sometimes to reach and obtain that perfection.
All I'm doing now is doing the best that I can to BE that friend, to be that person that offers my friends me as the best person that I can be. At the end of the day, that's all I should be, is that friend who cares, but at the same time, be that friend that is honest. Not to say that I haven't been, but let that shine through more.
I can walk away from the 85 days spent in California as an experience to grow from, and each time I'm away for an extended period of time, I feel as though I speak the same thing all the time. But I always feel that I never act on it. And it's because we become comfortable with where we are in life, and sometimes we just don't feel like doing what we need to do to make that transition.
But I feel like the time is now, the time is here for me to do what I need to do to be a better person. And not just for other people, but be a better person for myself. I don't need the ego kick, so don't think that. But I, in my own eyes, know that I can offer a lot more, so that's what I'm gonna do my best to do. Don't call it a changed man, just think of it as steady improvements on this road we call life.
I think as I go on in life, the more philosophical I become. It makes me laugh sometimes, because I never use to think of myself as philosophical.....
The summer for each person is different. Some look at it as a time away from the business of school. Some think it'll be the summer they meet their one true love. Others look at it in dread, in fear of being away from what they love, that being their friends. Some see it, in the case of graduates, as another chapter of their life being completed, and that it's now time to pick up and move on to the next phase.
For some, however, they look at the beginning with dread and hate, but upon looking back, realized they did a lot of growing, maturing, morphing so to speak, into a person that wasn't there when the summer first started. They see someone, in the mirror, as a much better person than what started the summer off with. And it sparks something inside that promotes the change to carry on, and not die once you're back in that familiar environment.
We evolve as we grow. That's fact. You can't look at yourself and know that as you gain intelligence, you won't evolve as a human. Why? Because we apply what we know to the life we life every day. If you don't know it, you won't apply it. People at different points in life sometimes don't take into consideration that you have to learn to evolve; you just don't evolve, then learn later. You have to be willing to learn, to grow and evolve as a person. If you can't learn, then you can't grow, simple truth.
We all learn and evolve differently, at different places in life. Some see it a long ways off, but others.... it takes something happening, that's serious, to promote the realization. And we all look at it differently. We're all different, no one is the same.
Spending time in California has presented me with a multitude of mindsets to adopt, but I wanted to have my own. And as I sit on my bed typing this out, and I look back to the beginning of summer, as well as the beginning of 2010, I know that I sit here now as an improved person. And that improved mentality, I want to share with everyone that means a lot to me.
It's not me trying to seem smart, or naive. I simply just want to get out there how I see things. And though it may be a bit different, it can be a refreshing viewpoint for someone else, who knows?
If you've read all the way down, awesome. If not, that's OK too.
I just want to share.
Everyone's awesome, in their own special way.
And if I've never told you that before, you'll hear it more from me. : )
Peace easy, friends.
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