Isn't it weird how some people can make such a huge impact on your life and not even realize it? Sometimes it's in the littlest ways but it still makes you wonder. I was thinking a few days ago about how the only reason I listened to A.F.I. in the first place was because of this one boy I had a crush on in 9th grade. He liked them a lot and I figured I would give them a listen. A.F.I. has had such a big influence on my music taste and has opened me up to a lot of different bands. I'm sure that I would have listened to the band eventually, but it's still interesting to think about, don't you think? It was also ironic that after I had a conversation about this with a friend, she and I went to Smoothie King and ran into this waitress who waited on us at I.H.O.P. a few months ago. She remembered us because we had left her a note on a receipt apologizing for not having a lot of money to tip her with because she was a really terrific waitress. We let her know what a great waitress she was and felt really sorry for not giving her a huge tip like she deserved and that we would definitely be back and tip her better. It made me really happy that such a small, seemingly insignificant action made her so happy and that it meant enough to her that she remembered us in the first place, especially considering how many people she waits on and sees on a daily basis.

This brings me back to my original point on how strangers can make such a big difference in your life. If someone you don't know that well has had such an effect on you, think about what you would be like without your closest friends. I know that I would be completely different had I never met certain people. It kind of scares me, actually, because I honestly don't know what I would be like without them. <3

I was filling out a survey today (shock) and one of the questions asked if I'd ever had a near-death experience. I've thought about this before and it kind of scares me. Have you ever thought about how many near-death experiences you could have had but you never noticed them? Such as, you're riding your bike on the side of the street and there's a car coming behind you. The driver takes their eyes off the road to pick something up off of the floor or to check a text message or something and then suddenly realize you're there and they swerve out of the way or brake or something, and if they hadn't thought to look back up at the road, they would have hit you and possibly killed you. There are many examples that I, and I'm sure you, could think of. You just never know. It makes me really realize how important every day really is and that I really should learn to appreciate what I'm given, even if I don't do anything all day.

Makes Me Think

While talking to a very good friend today, I've come to realize one of many things: How people rarely seem to see the good in people. With the exception of a few, most people automatically see the flaws and the bad in other people, even if it's something really insignificant. For example, you'd meet someone who does many good things for other people and works hard, but they made one mistake in their lives and that's what sticks out when someone learns of this and of course, it's something that haunts this person every day. I'm certainly not saying this about myself or about anybody that I know personally, it's just something I realized seems to happen a lot to other people.
A lot of the time, though, it's not even that someone did something wrong that makes them feel like a bad person or not worthy enough of anything. It's just that they're not used to hearing how great they are and they're not used to feeling appreciated by somebody. I think that if everybody hurt how important they are to someone at least once a day, this world would be a lot better place. One compliment from someone, even a stranger, can have the biggest impact on your mood and your day and that mood can last for a long time.

It really makes me think. I really am going to start letting the people around me know how much I appreciate them and care about them more often. I want nothing more than to know that I've made someone happy and make them realize how how important and needed they are. I know I feel it inside of me, but just taking the few seconds or minutes out of your day to let them know that is completely different and could really make someone's day, week, month, year, or maybe even life.

I don't have a video to go along with this, but I stumbled upon this site earlier and it really makes me smile and realize how the little, over-looked things in life are sometimes the most important.
Makes Me Think

Edit: I found this on the site shortly after I posted this and found it very fitting for this blog.

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

22. Why are you, you?

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

25. What are you most grateful for?

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

32. If not now, then when?

33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

"Nothing of me is original. I am a combined effort of everyone I have ever known."

I'm up late thinking again, even though I have to be up at 6 tomorrow morning. I don't think I'm going to be getting any sleep tonight.

I was chatting with Alie and she mentioned how she was a perfect mix of both of her parents, not just look-wise, but personality-wise as well. It got me thinking about my parents and how much I'm like them, and you know what? I couldn't really think of anything. I remember my dad telling me about how much I'm like him in that I feel the need to see the world and how I never asked my parents for permission to do anything. I just told them I was doing something and I would do it. I know that he's right but it makes me kind of sad that I can't think of anything else. I also thought about how much you learn from friends and other people you know. They teach you and inspire you and it's really very strange to sit back and think about how your life would be if you had never met certain people. It's almost impossible, really. I can't even picture what I'd be like.

Then, there's music. What kind of person would you be if you had never heard of your favorite band, or any other band or artist that has truly inspired you? I can think of several bands that have really helped to mold me as a person. I think that must be the best part for any musician; to not only have people love your music and to relate to it, but knowing that you have really changed somebody's life without meaning to. I wish that I could meet all of the artists that I've looked up to since I can remember and really let them know how big of an impact they've had on my life. I think that would make me sound slightly creepy, though.

I feel like I had more to say but I can't remember now.

Oh, I just watched The Notebook for the umpteenth time. It's so inspiring and the perfect movie to watch when I need a good cry.

"To die would be an awfully big adventure."

Well, it looks like I'm one of the last people to jump on the blogging bandwagon. I never knew what to blog about before. I never found my life to be interesting enough to share with the world, but after talking to several friends I figured that this would be a good place to share my ideas and inspirations instead of keeping them locked inside my mind, and at least this way I can hope to get some sort of feedback from other people. So, here we go.

A week from today will be my twentieth birthday and that scares me more than it should. Twenty seems so old to me. I remember when I was younger, I would daydream about how I would look like when I was twenty and what I would be doing with my life. This is not to say that I am not happy with the way that things turned out. I go where the wind takes me and I usually make my best decisions on a total impulse - I've never been one for thinking things through very thoroughly. This has always worked for me, though.

I was thinking of making a new list of goals to accomplish by some set time, but I realized that following a list would not be any good for me. You never know what the future entails and everything is subject to change quicker than you know it. I have my dreams and that's all that I need.

This entry was pretty much one big, pointless ramble. I hope someone out there finds this entry even remotely interesting, even though technically I'm not blogging for anybody else aside from myself. I also decided that I would post something that I found inspirational in every entry, or something that reflects my mood or a situation that I am in. I can't find anything more suiting than the trailer for the 2003 version of Peter Pan. The original version has been one of my favorite movies ever since I was a little kid, and I really enjoyed the remake.