Serendipity

Everything Changes.

Change is a funny thing, you know? Sometimes, your life changes and it's completely out of your control. In fact, change is a vital part of any given person's life and without it, I must say, life wouldn't be quite as worth living. Change makes us question what our lives were like before, and while this can often be devastating, sometimes it's what you need the most. Other times, we, as humans, choose to change something in our lives, and it's scary. What I've come to find, though, is that the best kind of change is the kind that happens before you know it, and by the time you figure it all out, you know in your heart that it needed to happen.

Lately, so much has changed for me. I was trying desperately to be happy, and had a hard time simply because happiness cannot be created where it is not meant to be found. I met someone who caught my eye the very first time I passed by him. Although I was in a relationship that had lasted for quite a long time, I longed to know more about this person and feel like there was no better time for him to come into my life. The more I got to know him, I found that he was everything that I had ever even thought about looking for. And, that's the wild thing about it, I didn't even have to look at all. One day, I just opened my eyes, and by this I mean that I REALLY opened my eyes to everything that had been surrounding me and found solace and comfort in knowing that a person like him actually existed in this world. I made the decision to remove someone from my life who was full of anger, rage, guilt, and lack of ambition and went straight into the arms of someone who thinks I'm the most beautiful girl in the world. This, my friends, is something that you only hear about, dream about, or think about when you let your mind wander. And, I had not been able to let my mind wander for so long because I thought that my life was meant to be less than amazing and barely even tolerable. Being with him makes me believe in the possibility of real happiness, you know? Sometimes, you find yourself in a relationship of any kind with a person and it just drains you to your very core. You find yourself putting so much into something and receiving much, much less in return and after a while, you wonder how much of yourself and your heart you even have left. I've been craving something real, something that I can count on, something that even the very thought of will put the kind of smile on my face that cannot be duplicated under any other circumstances. It fills me up, and does this so much that I find myself very close to overflowing with something that I cannot even put into words. Why did this happen? I have no idea, and to be completely up front with you, I don't care why. I don't care how. All I know is that it did and I've never felt more content and confident about any change I've made in my entire life. The point is that it's absolutely okay to take a chance. All it takes is a little faith, a lot of courage, and the will to never look back. And, you know what? I'm never looking back again. The past made me a strong person, stronger than I ever thought I'd need to be, and I've finally found a reason to showcase this strength by leaving behind everything I thought I couldn't live without for something that makes my life a million times more beautiful. Change is good. Life is good.

-hlt

Beauty

Pictured above is a photograph of me workin' my natural. I didn't dry my hair, and I didn't put on makeup. This is who I am, and I want to be proud of the person in this picture.

The media portrays an interesting idea of beauty to us, as Americans. I have, for so long, strived to fit these standards and felt less than important when I believed that I failed in doing this.

However, I don't believe I'll be doing this anymore. The following is a list of things in which I see real beauty.

1. Aging gracefully
2. Classical piano music
3. Getting caught in the rain, and enjoying the moment.
4. Black and white photographs on the beach
5. Conversations with good friends over wine
6. The people who are there for you to cry on
7. Daring to be different
8. Those who appreciate literature
9. Puppy paws
10. Four leaf clovers
11. A grandmother's hands
12. A baby's laughter
13. Rewarding yourself when you deserve it
14. Courage
15. Driving a car for the first time
16. Tulips
17. Cancer survivors
18. Believing in yourself
19. Random road trips
20. My mother's voice when she comforts me
21. Mothers-to-be
22. Men who believe and practice the art of romance...and mean it.
23. Freckles
24. Laying out on the beach
25. Laughing with people you love
26. Faith...in anything.
27. Charities
28. Confidence
29. Single mothers
30. People who still use typewriters
31. Rescuing animals from shelters
32. The idea of family, either those given by blood or by God.
33. Easter Sunday
34. True love
35. Home movies
36. Acoustic guitars
37. Seeing a place for the first time
38. First kisses
39. Knowing you're in the right place at the right time
40. Loyalty
41. Long phone calls to your best friend
42. Knowing that one of your prayers was answered
43. The people who stick by you
44. The feeling that everything will, in fact, be alright
45. Karma
46. Tears
47. Not going to sleep and watching the sunrise
48. Dreamers
49. Memories
50. L I F E

Let's not be afraid to let our real beauty shine through :)