I Believe (Part 2.. The Thoughts)

If you haven't read part 1.. please do. Or don't.. whatever :)
Here are the thoughts..

Why can't I live out the advice that I give other people?
If I really believed it to be true, wouldn't it be easy to live by?
If that's true.. then what DO I believe?
(At this point, I began to comprise a list..)
I believe that there is truth and that nobody doubts its existence.
I believe that people struggle over who defines truth rather than what it is.
I believe that the world is beautiful.
I believe that people are far more complex than science would like me to think.
I believe that there is one God and he is the creator of the universe.
I believe that music is the language of the soul and people trying to write it with their heads is what's created what we know as the commercial music industry.
I believe that all people are created equal and remain equal
I believe that we're all going to die someday.. probably sooner than we think.
I believe that time is more valuable than money
I believe that the true definition of love can only be found in the bible
I believe... I guess that's all you need to know.. :)
That was probably the most peaceful note I've ever written...
-E

I Believe (Part 1.. The Apology)

I woke up this morning and wished I didn't.. it was just one of those mornings. But I got up, I went to work.. nothing spectacular. Same old, same old. One of the first customers I had all day managed to put me in a bad mood... that didn't really change for most of the day. Tired, Grumpy.. we've all been there. Then I got a txt msg from Pastor Jordan which reminded me that I had to lead games for the Jr. High's and, being grumpy and tired, this was not good news.. So at this point you're probably wondering why I'm writing this because, if you've ever read any notes by me before, you are aware that I don't usually tell you anything about my day.. or about myself in general. I usually write about issues or topics of interest.. but today I'm writing about something that I believe is more important than that. (Keep reading)
So I came home from work, tired and hungry. I ate supper. I went to Jr. High. And then I realized something.. I realized that the last couple weeks of my life have been incredibly busy and yet incredibly dull. I realized that I've been keeping myself so busy that I haven't had time to stop and think or do the things that I need to do in order to stay alive (I'm talking spiritual, not physical.. physically, I'm doing well. Thanks for asking.) I also realized that I haven't been treating my friends the way they deserve to be treated as lately they have been subject to my "de-stressing" (kind of like venting, only totally different.) So for the first time in a long time.. I stopped to think. Just for a minute, I paused with no real goal in mind. I stopped thinking about all the things I needed to do and all the stuff i wanted to do... and I will tell you what I thought about in Part 2 of this note which I'm writing in the form of a list..

A Few Things I learned This Week...

So the week's only half over, but it's been an interesting one.. so here are a couple things that I've learned.. or things that I kind of already knew, but now I really know..

#1. No matter how bad I think my week has been.. there is someone out there (no doubt someone I know) whose week has been way worse.. mine doesn't even compare.

#2. When I think I'm doing something totally crazy... It's probably been done before and as much as it's out of my comfort zone.. so what.

#3. Sometimes if I give people the chance, they'll actually surprise me in someway.. somehow.

#4. I'm always only one step away from being that person that seems to be way beyond help.. the one that everyone loves to hate.. the one that can't seem to get anything right.

#5. The friends that are the most annoying or "needy" or that I just can't stand to hang around are probably the best friends I'll ever have.. and now that I know that.. they no longer fit that category.. hmm..

That's it for now.. maybe if you've learned anything this week you can add onto that list :)
Godspeed!
-E

Spiders on Drugs

I thought this was cool.. I dunno.. haha check it!

I can't believe caffeine does that much damage.. I love caffeine.. :|

Choices, Mistakes, and Humanity

Oh what a topic.. haha I feel that choices are underrated so I'm giving them some long deserved publicity.
The truth is.. we make hundreds (probably thousands) of choices every single day, and most of the time we don't even think twice about them. We decide when to get up, what to wear, how to do our hair, what to eat (or not to eat).. and those are just some obvious ones. But I think that there are more important decisions than those.. and they're the ones we try to avoid, or think about less.. brush them off as unimportant or non-issues. There's a song by a band called Storyside:B and there's a line in it that really caught my attention one day. it says,
"We all are human we make mistakes but
We were given a choice to make"
It hit me because it's so true.. we use our humanity as an excuse for making mistakes, when really.. how CAN we use that as an excuse? If Hitler used that as an excuse for the choices he made, would that make it ok? And how many people, upon hearing that, would sit back and say, "ya.. I understand.. we all make mistakes." Some things just aren't mistakes no matter how you look at them. They're choices. Conscious choices that we make every day.
And that being said.. you never know how your choices are going to effect someone else negatively.. but also positively. For every decision we have to make, there's at least 2 options.. and at least one of them is going to have a positive outcome.. and it's not always clear, but it's the truth. So focus on the present.. your time is now. your choices are now. make the right ones.
And as for past mistakes.. they've been made.. they're done. Don't dwell on them. learn from them.
That's it.. I have nothing else to say. (weird...)
Peace (and Love)
-E

The Truth About Friends (According to Emily)

Recently I received (for the 20 billionth time) an e-mail trying to tell me who my friends are.. trying to convince me that my true friends are the ones who are there to bail me out of jail or something about them being in jail with me.. and a bunch of other crap that's really complete irony.. so first of all I want to say, if I'm ever in jail, please don't bail me out. I'm sure I deserve to be there and I think that paying the consequences for our actions is part of how we learn.. just saying..
But this inspired me to think about friends.. and what are true friends really? And since it seems people's ideas are a bit messed up.. I thought I'd share my own thoughts on the subject.. so, as Oscar Wilde once said, "True friends stab you in the front".. and I totally believe that.

Friends aren't afraid to face you and tell you when you're doing something they know you'll regret.. or when you're screwing yourself over.. I think that friends do more than just stand beside you. I think that friends are willing to jump in front of a train to save your life, but they know that you'd never let them. As Proverbs 17:17 says, "A Friend Loves at All Times" and John 15:13 says "Greater Love Has No Man Than This, that He Lay Down His Life For His Friends."

Friends help friends.. it's the truth. I feel fortunate to have so many friends who I can count on for anything at any time.. and I hope that I'm there for them when they need me. Friendship works both ways. and for that reason, I don't think friends should ever owe each other anything. What's mine is yours.. And truth be told, it's enough to know that your friends would do anything for you.. I don't think they necessarily have to do it.

I also think that with true friends there's no such thing as awkward silence.. not that there's never silence.. it's just not awkward. I think that once you can sit in total silence with someone and feel comfortable, you have nothing to worry about.
And as much as I could go on and on about friends.. I don't have time, nor do you really want to hear it. haha so on that note, feel free to add on to my list. :)

Emily Vs. Brian: Thoughts on Polygamy

I had a very interesting discussion last night with Brian. It was about polygamy. here it is

Emily: courtney says, "don't be talkin like you have to do anything.. mister"
Brian: shes got a point... and thats master to you.....i'm not married...
yet....???..
Emily: yes you are... clearly courtney would know
Brian: oh right.....thaaaaaaaat marriage.....i kind of forgot.....with all the children i have its hard to remember the wives....
I MEAN WIFE
Emily: right. ya, I understand.. courtney almost thought you were a polygamist...but I told her no.. you only have 2 legs
Brian: HAHAHA thats awesome
Emily: well ya.. more than 2 legs would suck..
Brian: are you kidding me....think of the different shoe combos
Emily:oh true.... man.. I wish I was a polygamist
Brian: tell your parents haha

At which point I preceded to tell my parents, and then found out that Brian was only kidding... but upon further thinking on this discussion I have changed my mind and would like to challenge my statement about wanting to be a polygamist. I got to thinking.. what about pants? Now, Brian, I know you aren't exactly an advocate for the pants-wearing society.. but if you ever wanted to wear pants and you had more than 2 legs.. well, that would suck. That being said, please state your rebuttal if you have one and others.. please feel free to argue for either side. Thank you for your time.
-E