in

overloadhappiness:

“Open When” Letters…

Write a bunch of “open when” letters, decorate them, put them in colored envelopes and seal them together in a package to give to someone you care about. Here’s a list of open when letter ideas:

Open when…

  • you need to know how much I love you
  • you’re mad at me
  • you’ve had a bad day
  • you need to laugh
  • you’re sick
  • you need motivation
  • you’re bored
  • you’re worried about the future
  • you feel lonely 
  • you need a hug
  • you miss me
  • you don’t think you’re beautiful
  • you don’t feel appreciated
  • you can’t sleep 
  • you feel lost
  • you feel like giving up
  • you’re stressed out
  • you’re having a good day
  • you want to walk down memory lane
  • you’re scared
  • someone is bullying you
  • you had a rough day at school/work
  • you need to know how much you mean to me

Holidays

in

Although I do appreciate getting together with family, especially those I haven’t seen in a while, holidays for me are often stressful. In my home holidays are usually a display male of chauvinism. Women cook, clean, decorate, invite, plan, and the boys sit down and put together their music playlist. Their last minute grocery shopping (3 small bags max) was enough to justify their wives being in the kitchen since the break of dawn.

When the boys aren’t discussing politics amongst themselves, they are peeking into the kitchen to offer words of criticism and last minute suggestions impossible to accommodate.

“I wanted you to use this seasoning instead this year.”

“I’m sorry dad she forgot to read you mind once again.”

Once dinner is finally complete, usually lacking in something, according the boys, the power games begin.

The rules are always the same, don’t make a scene in front of guests, and don’t air out any dirty laundry. Yet button pushing is completely OK, and highly encouraged. The men ask without need, and the women supply, without desire. The women subtlety insult, the boys regrettably swallow their pride.

When the festivities are done, and everyone has begun the journey home, the men sleep. The women wash, sweep, and mentally and physically prepare for tomorrow…another day of being labeled second rate.

And I unfortunately am stuck observing the animals at play. Observing lost dreams, pent up aggression, and regrets manifest into a tug of war between father and son, husband and wife, mother and daughter, traditional versus modern.

Am I looking forward to Thanksgiving? Yes…and no.

Let's Discuss

in

I don’t like being comforted. When I’m upset, I want to discuss my problems. I want to look at them through a variety of lenses. I want to crawl my way into a solution. I do not however, want a pat on the back, or a gentle rub on my shoulder. It irks me, makes me feel weak. I would much rather cry alone until all my tears have been spent, than surrender into someone’s arms and admit I just can’t deal.

in

[gallery]

tedx:

In this gut-wrenching talk, Sergeant Andrew Chambers shares the haunting story of his time in Iraq and the tough transition home that landed him in jail. It’s a powerful testimony to the struggle our soldiers face when they come home, and the tragic ways that they can be denied the help they need. 

For any veterans who need help, you can find a list of resources here. Among them, the Wounded Warrior Project does outstanding work with wounded vets. 

For anyone looking to support a veteran, we encourage you to heed Chambers’ advice: “Find a veteran and listen to his story. A lot of us just need somebody to talk to.” 

Watch the full talk here.

in

[gallery]

captain-jacked:

ev4n-perks:

methr4y:

jaba-the-slut:

-intheround:

“Nobody says anything about that”

I’ve reblogged this about 40 times. But let me do it again.

His autopsy reports did show that his skin colour was changed by the condition, not artificially.

I love Michael Jackson. Judge all you want. 

my farther has the same skin condition that he did and its a totally legit thing

in

Marry someone who lets you have a bite of their brownie, even when you said you weren’t hungry. Marry someone who laughs at the same things you do. Marry someone who kisses your nose on a cold day. Marry someone who you can watch Disney movies with. Marry someone who is proud of you whether you earn £5 a week or £5,000 a week. Marry someone who you can tell everything to. Marry someone who isn’t afraid or embarrassed to hold your hand in public. Marry someone who lets you take over when decorating a cake. Marry someone who you can spend the day in Ikea with without feeling stressed. Marry someone who wraps you up inside their coat in the winter. Marry someone who accepts your fears and phobias. Marry someone who gives you butterflies every time you hear their key in the door. Marry someone who you don’t always have to shave your legs for. Marry someone who accepts you all day every day, even when you don’t look or feel your best. Marry someone who puts three sugars in your tea, despite telling them “just the two”. Marry someone who doesn’t judge you when you eat your body weight in cookies. Marry someone who doesn’t make you want to check your phone, because you know they will reply. Marry someone who waits with you to get on the train. Marry someone who understands that you need to be alone sometimes. Marry someone who gets on well with your parents and isn’t uptight about family events. Marry someone who calms you down when you get mad about stupid stuff, and never tells you it’s “only stupid stuff”. Marry someone who makes you want to be a better person. Marry someone who makes you laugh. Marry someone who you love. Marry your soulmate, your lover, your best friend.

(via 5feetoffury)
in

When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke—the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met.. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen—the omen he had been waiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life.. It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time.. Because, when you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dream would have no meaning.

Paulo Coelho ‘The Alchemist’ (via brwnsugr)

Mitch Albom, Have A Little Faith

in

“A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, `He sleeps in a storm.’

The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.

Several week pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.

Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.

So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed. He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins. He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.

And then he understands. `He sleeps in a storm.’

My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our [beliefs], our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of `I could have, I should have.’ We can sleep in a storm.

And when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.”

The Last Time

in

I’m not afraid of this being the last relationship I ever have. I’m not afraid of not having another first date. I’m not afraid of spending the rest of my time with only this person by my side. I’m not afraid because that’s the point, that’s the reason we flirt, we date, and we enter relationships, we hope that one of them turns out to be the real deal. We don’t enter a relationship and express our emotions with the thought that it will end soon. However, there is something that terrifies me.

I’m afraid that I will give up something great, something that means the world to me, in order to keep this going. I will base the important decisions coming up in my life on this one relationship and 5 or so years from now it will end. I will be left with lost opportunities and the question of “was it worth it? was the 2 years gained worth all you lost?” and I’m terrified the answer will be no.

Thinking about all aspects of my life I can say it is only at home, ironically, that I feel limited. It is only with family that the word “can’t” has any validity. Only can my mother or brother tell me it’s not right, it’s not allowed, and a part of me will agree with them. I think about my family and I know for certain that a part of my life will surely be dedicated to taking care of them, which is OK if it wasn’t for the fact that I’d have no say in the extent of my services.

Having realized that, I set it in my mind that no other aspect of my life would limit me or bring me down, and that includes romantic relationships. When I was applying to colleges I was in my first real meaningful relationship but I had no intention of arranging my college dreams around us. I applied to where ever I wanted to go knowing whatever happened to us was secondary. And now this situation comes up again but in a much more general sense.

How much can I ask of someone? What am I willing to sacrifice? What is my last deal breaker?

Ruminations

in

This is what happens when I’m completely honest with myself and let my true thoughts run wild in my mind without filters…a reckless train of thought bound to hurt someone.
**********************************************
Sometimes it isn’t that we aren’t interested it’s we don’t know.

I’m so damn stupid, took two years to realize this crap….

So busy afraid he will leave you that you end up putting up with all his crap then a few months or years down the line you wonder how things got so bad.

Capturing all these one liners and hoping they fit together and become a beautiful story, or a heart wrenching one.

I’m emotionally cheating.

His eyes get me every time, I feel as though if I look into them long enough I can figure him out, I can discover his deepest darkest secret.

Sorry I didn’t notice when it mattered. Sorry I realized things all too late. But things turned out all right. One missed fling isn’t something to dwell on right? You have something much more valuable. Sorry I made you think I was silly.

Every time I do something reckless for the sake of rebellion I miss out on something. It really isn’t worth it. But then again it’s so hard being classy all the time. Eventually you start feeling like a prude.

When you’re writing and thinking about something you did and didn’t realize you were doing that turned out horribly wrong, and you tell yourself you’ll never do it again and don’t realize that as you’re telling yourself and contemplating, you’re doing the very thing you told yourself you were going to stop doing. It’s a sick cycle.

You don’t know who else is winning her over by being genuine…so stop being coy.

The man with the rings, sounds like the beginning of a good story.

Self sabotage is always a legit reason to mourn.

in

Did you know that there are more stars in the sky 
than grains of sand on the entire planet 
and that I would give you either one if you merely asked. 
Build the night from the sky’s skin, like the rind of an orange; 
or ask God if I could borrow the breeze for just a moment 
and blow the shoreline of every beach 
into a giant hour glass made just for us 
and say, “this is how long I will adore the things about you that no one else even notices…

(via 5feetoffury)