It's currently 10:54pm where I live, and I've been thinking about all the things that have happened to me in my life during this year. I've lost people, gained others, grown stronger and weaker simultaneously. I figured I'd share some things I've learned over this year, hopefully someone will take something from this post.
1) Never forget how to play.
There's going to be a few entries based around "Finding Neverland", since it's probably the work that has inspired me the most this year (I saw it performed last week so it's super fresh in my mind). The reason I put this first on my list is very personal. Last December, I met my nephew for the first time. I've seen him grow up over the course of the year and realized something about myself. I don't know how to work with a child's imagination. "Finding Neverland" brought this up to me in great fashion by actually making a catchy song around a group of adults who have to re-learn how to be children. I want to be able to spark my nephew (as well as my three kid cousins) to create entire worlds and make-up his own stories.
2) Do what makes you believe in, or you will regret it.
It sounds super corny, I know. But "Finding Neverland" put it in such a way that made me think of it in such a bigger light. In the words of Captain James Hook, "You can go back to what everyone expects you to be, or you can find the courage to write your own story."
3) Honesty is always the best policy.
I've seen a lot of drama go down in 2016, and it always stems from one thing: lack of honesty. Someone lies, promises something they know they can't follow, or just lacking that common sense. It's always better to get the disappointment that comes from the truth right away rather than have trust be lost as well.
4) It's okay to look back, but you should always keep forward momentum.
I broke up with an abusive girlfriend last year and this year, she married another man (right around the time I had broken up with her, incidentally). I find myself remembering the actual good times I had with her while we were together, but I always return to the present. I learned valuable lessons from her. No matter what she did to me, I will not let that interfere with who I am. It's good to remember where you've been so that you know where you're going.
5) It's okay to feel weird with death.
We all know that we've lost good people this year, whether they be celebrities or people close and intimate. I lost one of my grandfathers a few weeks ago. I did not mourn him. That sounds weird, but here's why. I never really knew him. The most I can remember from my childhood was him sculpting. In recent years, whoever he was was long gone (he had dementia). It was more the body catching up with the brain. A week later, Carrie Fisher dies. I'm actually sad about this. Why do I feel sadder about a person I never met rather than a man who was there when I was born? Death affects us all differently. That's fine. It's okay to mourn differently
6) Keep moving forward.
You will fall. You will stumble. But you will have to get up. If you stay down, you die. With whatever you do in life, make sure that your failures do not discourage you. It's not how many times you fail, it's about how you use those failures to keep going. You will succeed, but you have to keep going. Nothing comes free to you. It's all up to you.
(I thought there would be more to say, but I guess that's it. Good night everyone. See you in a year.)
It's currently 10:54pm where I live, and I've been thinking about all the things that have happened to me in my life during this year. I've lost people, gained others, grown stronger and weaker simultaneously.
I figured I'd share some things I've learned over this year, hopefully someone will take something from this post.
1) Never forget how to play.
There's going to be a few entries based around "Finding Neverland", since it's probably the work that has inspired me the most this year (I saw it performed last week so it's super fresh in my mind). The reason I put this first on my list is very personal.
Last December, I met my nephew for the first time. I've seen him grow up over the course of the year and realized something about myself.
I don't know how to work with a child's imagination.
"Finding Neverland" brought this up to me in great fashion by actually making a catchy song around a group of adults who have to re-learn how to be children.
I want to be able to spark my nephew (as well as my three kid cousins) to create entire worlds and make-up his own stories.
2) Do what makes you believe in, or you will regret it.
It sounds super corny, I know. But "Finding Neverland" put it in such a way that made me think of it in such a bigger light.
In the words of Captain James Hook, "You can go back to what everyone expects you to be, or you can find the courage to write your own story."
3) Honesty is always the best policy.
I've seen a lot of drama go down in 2016, and it always stems from one thing: lack of honesty.
Someone lies, promises something they know they can't follow, or just lacking that common sense.
It's always better to get the disappointment that comes from the truth right away rather than have trust be lost as well.
4) It's okay to look back, but you should always keep forward momentum.
I broke up with an abusive girlfriend last year and this year, she married another man (right around the time I had broken up with her, incidentally).
I find myself remembering the actual good times I had with her while we were together, but I always return to the present. I learned valuable lessons from her. No matter what she did to me, I will not let that interfere with who I am.
It's good to remember where you've been so that you know where you're going.
5) It's okay to feel weird with death.
We all know that we've lost good people this year, whether they be celebrities or people close and intimate.
I lost one of my grandfathers a few weeks ago.
I did not mourn him.
That sounds weird, but here's why.
I never really knew him. The most I can remember from my childhood was him sculpting. In recent years, whoever he was was long gone (he had dementia). It was more the body catching up with the brain.
A week later, Carrie Fisher dies.
I'm actually sad about this.
Why do I feel sadder about a person I never met rather than a man who was there when I was born?
Death affects us all differently. That's fine. It's okay to mourn differently
6) Keep moving forward.
You will fall. You will stumble.
But you will have to get up.
If you stay down, you die.
With whatever you do in life, make sure that your failures do not discourage you. It's not how many times you fail, it's about how you use those failures to keep going.
You will succeed, but you have to keep going. Nothing comes free to you. It's all up to you.
(I thought there would be more to say, but I guess that's it. Good night everyone. See you in a year.)