Entailing: Understanding Not Understanding

"I don't understand." - We find ourselves saying this all the time.

Part of our misery comes from the distress of trying understand something we don't understand. Think about it- how often do you think yourself silly over something?
There are some things worth thinking about- worth stressing over; some things aren't.

We have to understand there are things we will never understand.

• Why good/young people die
• Why we love people who don't love us back
• Why life doesn't always turn out how we want it
• Why people commit suicide
• Why sometimes we cry over nothing
• What came before us? What came before that?
• Why bad things happen to good people
• Why do the people who deserve to get caught, never do? And the ones who don't, do?
• Why love disappears sometimes
• How songs, scents, and pictures can bring back so many memories
• How our hearts and minds can want different things
• How quickly our minds change
• How if we did one thing differently, that our lives could be completely different
• Do we all see the same colors
• Do we all think the same way

There are a million and one things I don't understand.

I know that things have to happen, but I don't necessarily know why.

I don't know why some people go their whole lives without finding someone to love, and why some people marry the first person they date and live 50 years of happily ever after.

I don't know why we were created with poisonous characteristics- jealously, greed, anger, spite, vengeance, etc.

I understand that I will never understand these things.

I don't understand why things can change in a split second that change your life forever- but I know that it happens.

I don't know how terrible things turn into good things- but I know that they can.

I don't understand why some people are the luckiest people in the world, and why some have the worst luck in the world- but they do.

I don't know why we can't realize what we have when we have it, and not when we don't- but we don't.

I don't understand how such terrible things happen to countries and cities; floods, tornadoes, hurricanes.- but they do.

I don't know why killing innocent people in another country earns any sort of respect for one's own country- but it does.

I can tear myself apart thinking about these things, or

I can understand that I will never understand these things

and let them go.

I don't understand how the IRS can rip everything away from a family.

I don't understand how a parent can abuse their child.

I don't understand how anybody can cheat on someone they're married to, or in a relationship with.

I don't understand if someone cares about us, why they hurt us. Even more-so, I don't understand why we stick around when they do.

I don't understand how such a material possession such as money can tear a family/marriage apart.

I don't understand why we always want what we can't have.

I must understand, I will never understand.

You may understand some things, you might understand calculus, you might understand pathogenic biology, or how to make a computer- but there will always be things none of us will ever understand.

Why and when society decided to demand perfection instead of natural? I have no idea.

Why some marry for money? It's baffles me.

Why it's so hard to let someone go? I wish I knew.

Why some people can eat a whale and not gain a pound while another eats a cracker and gains five pounds? It's beyond me.

On Stumbleupon.com I came across this image. Such a simple image- yet, a strong impact. I literally sighed with relief when I saw this.

We simply have to understand, we simply don't understand.

Once you do, it's a breath of fresh air.

Entailing: What is?

There a million different perspectives on life.

Are we suppose to go along with one another, or define our own?

What is life? What is love? What is friendship? What is pain? What is religion? Who am I?

So many questions- do we discover the answers, or define our own?

The hard part is, there are so many moments you think you've got it all figured out. But that literally lasts a moment; then it's back to, "What the hell are we doing here?", "What the hell does it (it being anything) mean?"

The beauty of life- you have the choice to create your own meanings, or submit yourself to the ideas of others.

What is life?
- A series of unfortunate events. Just kidding. I honestly don't know- and maybe that's just what life is; life is lived simply to be figured out.
- Maybe on your death bed, as you slowly slip away, maybe there's one last fresh breath of air- and you just know?
- If we knew exactly why we were here, would life even be that great? Isn't not knowing and trying to figure it out half the fun?
- Someone once told me, "I don't know what comes after life, but I figure I might as well live it up while I've got the chance."- I think he's right.
- If this is all we have, why do so many hold back?

What is love?
- The best and worst thing in the entire world; creates the highest highs and the lowest lows.
- Love, I think, is when nothing and no one else matters.
- It happens when you least expect it, and doesn't when you want it most.
- It can't be forced.
- Love is 1 Corinthians 13:4–8

• Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

- I wouldn't consider myself insanely religious, but this verse I know to be true.
- It's hard, and takes work, but in the end: the plus is worth the minus.
- Love challenges you to do the right thing.
- Love conquers pride.

What is friendship?
- A fight that lasts 5 minutes then is forgotten about.
- No matter what- you're there for someone else.
- The most reliable and solid foundation for any relationship.
- There is 100% honesty in real/true friendships
- Consideration is in full effect at all times (well most of the time)
- Endless laughs.
- When no one else encourages you- a real friend does.

What is pain?
- A physical or emotional strain.
- Ranges from broken bones to broken hearts.
- A tough fall on the court, or a tough fall for a person.
- Extensive disappointment.
- Pain fuels from loss; losing a big game, losing a limb, or losing a friend/family member.
- Wounds; flesh wounds or wounded pride.
- Feeling invisible or forgettable.
- Feeling unloved, or even worse- unlovable.
- Can last seconds, days, months, or even a lifetime.
- Perpetuating pain, a pain very few understand, can cause someone to take their own life.

What is religion?
- Something to believe in.
- To some, a life saver; for others, a reason to live.
- Reassurance, or a potential answer, to the meaning of life.
- A potential answer to, "How did we get here?" and, "What happens after we die?".
- Theories to the unexplainable; theories science cannot prove.
- Proof of miracles.
- The basis for "everything happens for a reason".
- Something people turn to in their time of need; to seek help.
- To encourage positive morals and lifestyles and exterminate selfish living.

Who am I?
- You are who you decide you want to be.
- At the end of the day who you are is up to you, not anyone else.
- What are you trying to achieve? And why?
- An individual and an influence.
- Strong and able.
- A difference in someone else's life.
- Presented with endless opportunities; its not whether or not you have the ability, it's whether or not you're willing to put in the work to get there.

What is yesterday, today, and tomorrow?
- It's the past, present, and future.
- Today, reflect on what you learned from yesterday, and apply it to tomorrow.

It's scary to think this is literally the only life we have. Seldom do we realize this is it, and every minute it draws closer to the end.

People always ask us, "If you knew you were dying, would you live differently?" - well, lets be honest, everyday we get closer to dying. I don't say this to be negative nor morbid. But it's true isn't it? Our days are number- regardless if it's 10 million , 10 thousand, or 10.

Basically, we should live like we're dying everyday.. because we are.

In Awake My Soul by Mumford and SonsWhere you invest your love, you invest your life." - How true. We should spend our lives being loved, not trying to convince someone to love us.

In Winter Winds also by Mumford and Sons, they say, "Let the memories be good for those who stay." I don't think this needs much explanation. If someone stays in your life, whether it's a friend, a boy/girl, or a family member- let the memories be good. If someone decides not to stay- what a shame.

What gives your life meaning? What and who can you not live without? When we look back on our lives thus far, it's not what we've done that we regret, its what we didn't do. Take your chances, look over the edge, jump in- because after all, it's all we've got.
Who are you? What is life to you? Is it finding love, fighting pain, faithful religion, or fruitful friendships?

Do you define life? Or does life define you?

Entailing: It's No Straight Line

We, as humans, experience an extensive range of emotions.

Sometimes we get so angry we want to scream as loud as we can, throw something across the room, punch a wall.

Sometimes we get so sad we want to lay in bed all day long, don't want to talk to anyone, cry until there is nothing left to cry.

Sometimes we are so happy we can't stop smiling, you want to tell everyone how happy you are, nothing can bring us down.

Sometimes we are so confused we want to forget all about it and walk away or ask "why?" to anyone we think might have an answer.

Sometimes we are so bothered we want to turn break our phones, fade away from society, and live in the wilderness.

Sometimes we are so excited we can't sleep, time seems to move slowly, stomach knotting.

Sometimes we are so disappointed we can't look someone in the eyes, we can't look at someone the same, can't let it go.

Sometimes we are so scared we want to hide under the bed, run away, act like nothing is wrong.

Sometimes we are so in love we can't imagine our lives without that person, we want to show them off to the world, we want to hold tight and never let go.

No matter who you are, no matter how proud you make yourself out to be, you are able to experience emotion; you feel.

There are days where we feel like we could conquer the world, and then there are days where it feels like the world has conquered us.

There are days where you want to clean everything in sight, and days where you want to throw everything on the ground til' the floor can no longer be seen.

There are days where you want to reach out to everyone you know, ask them how they're doing, and offer a helping hand, and there are days where you don't want to socialize with anyone and just be by yourself.

There are days where you are motivated and get things done, and days where you do absolutely nothing.

No matter who you are, you've had good days, and bad days, and a line of 'ok' days.

There are good moments, good days, good weeks, good months, and good years.

Same goes for bad ones.

In Common Market's, Tobacco Road, a lyrics states, "They say life is what you make it, but really life is what makes you".

I believe in this statement.

People say, "Whatever happens, happens." Or, "Just let it be/play out." There is only so much of life that is in our control.

It's commonly and frequently said, "It's not what happens, it's how you react." There is a student upset about a B on a test, while a cancer patient is positive about their diagnosis. How's that for reaction control?

But

Life is tough. And incredibly circumstantial. I understand that.

There are moments we handle better than others, moments we wished we could have handled better, and ones we don't care too much about.

Human nature causes us to react instantaneously upon an sudden emotion.

Human logic causes us to think instantaneously before irrationally reacting upon a sudden emotion.

Human nature finds the difficulty to react solely with human logic.

Human logic leads to the discovery that it just takes practice.

Human nature frustrates over imperfection and stresses over mistakes.

Human logic knows acknowledges the nonexistence of perfection and executes mistakes as fuel to learn.

The beauty of emotion is that it's always changing. Why is it a good thing? It's kind of like, "You don't know what you've got til' it's gone".. How can you appreciate being happy if you've never been sad.. Understand?

Society places some sort of restrictions on who can feel what emotion, or rather show it.

A man has to be a man: No tears, nothing but strength and the answers to everything. He cannot be whipped, he cannot be sensitive. Why? They have feelings too.

A woman should not be angry. She is expected to be constantly nurturing and kind. She must do it all and do it without feeling stressed. Why? They have feelings too.

Each emotion is part of our natural human characteristics; although, don't let them become your only characteristics. Control your emotions, don't let them control you.

• Jealousy: A natural human emotion, but its a personal level emotion, meaning you control to what level you allow it to go to; you control how you handle it. No one else- just you.
• Anger: We become angry sometimes, but don't posses the anger characteristic. There is a difference between, being angry and being an angry person. Being angry is situational, being an angry person is a characteristic.
• Vengeance: We have the natural tendency to want to get even with someone who has hurt us; plot it in your head, but never carry it out. The best revenge is none at all. Don't give someone the satisfaction of evoking such hateful emotions out of you, you're better than that.
• Hate: Hate things, not people. Things are inanimate, no chance at emotion; people have stories, things you may , things you  may not know; reasons they may act the way they do. Be fair.
• Brokenness: Getting hurt is inevitable. Allow it to run its course, then conquer it. Don't trap yourself in a rut.
• Betrayal: Another inevitable emotion. The harsh reality, not everyone acts in the best interest of everybody else. We are victims and convicts of betrayal. Be sensitive when someone thinks you've betrayed them and be open minded and understanding when you think someone has betrayed you.
• Bitterness: Being bitter only hurts you. The longer you hold on to something, the longer you hold a grudge, the more miserable you make life for yourself.

 
I've heard that being happy isn't stopping to think if you are. I don't think that could be any more true. Happiness, is. It just happens when you stop trying to make it happen. It's like growing your hair, when you try to grow it and take tons of vitamins and use special shampoos, it doesn't grow; the second you stop thinking about it, it grows.

So basically, negative emotions come, but we control when they go. We have to welcome the positive emotions, let them come in, and encourage them to stay. If we learn to prevent negative emotions from lingering, the longer the positive emotions remain.

Practice makes perfect? Eh, probably not. There will always be ups and downs, we cannot prevent the downs and we cannot perfect the ups.

But, that's ok.

Without the ups and downs, we'd be living a straight line of emotion, and how boring would that be?

Entailing: Booty Calls, Babes, & Bitches

"Do your parents let you out of the house looking like that?"  People say it sarcastically, but really.. for some girls - Do they really?!

Looks

The Bottoms

Jeans:
- Buying a pair of jeans that is 2-3 sizes too small for you doesn't make you look skinnier, it just looks like you're wearing a pair of pants that are too small for you.
- Sagging your pants is for boys. Enough said.
- Sure, everyone flashes a little butt crack every now and then, but when half your ass is hanging out, you need a belt.
- When you have more holes than fabric, it's time for a new pair.

Shorts:
-No matter if you're skinny or.. not skinny, no one wants to see a girl try to fit into a pair of shorts that are too small.
- No one wants to see your butt hanging out the back
- You know your size, stick in that range.

Skirts:
- Please, for the love of God, wear something under it other than just a thong. It's doesn't make you sexy, it just makes you easy.
- Don't wear it so high when you bend over or if there's a slight breeze, the whole world suddenly knows your underwear color.
- A pencil skirt that's too small for you is like looking at a 300 lb. man try to fit in a kiddie sized sleeping bag.

The Tops

- Girls wear tight shirts, but if you can see the entire outline of your bra - it's too tight.
- Boobs are tough to hide, but come on, no nip slips, you can at least manage that.
- Don't wear a white shirt and black bra; can you say trashy?
- See through shirts are meant to be worn with something underneath, ok?
- If your low-cut shirt shows more than it should, be classy enough to put at least a sports bra on underneath.
- I don't know when shirts with holes all down the back became trendy, but they're ugly.

The Bras & Undies

Bras:
- First off, actually wear a bra. RT through your t-shirt isn't scandalous, it's just disgusting.
- Weather you have small boobs, or giant boobs, buy a bra that fits you. Nothing is worse than when a guy thinks you have big ones, takes off the bra and realizes it was fake!
- Don't wear something to show off your hot pink bra, if you're wearing a white t-shirt, wear a neutral bra. No one cares what color you're wearing; you just look like white trash if your bra stands out over the rest of your outfit.

Undies:
- If you don't wear underwear.. that's your choice, but don't walk around telling people. geeeez.
- If you wear leggings, for Pete's sake, wear a thong. Panty lines are yucky.
- If you wear thongs, make sure they aren't hanging out. you're a skankity skank skank if you know it is and don't do anything about it!
- If your pants are even the slightest bit transparent, don't wear patterned or bright undies - so noticeable.

The Hair

- Do not rat your hair to the point it literally looks like a bird could house its family in there.
- Making a poof bump, or whatever, is weird. Don't make it look like you've got a bump it in there. If it doesn't look natural, it shouldn't be there.
- Streaking your hair looks like a skunk gave you fashion advice..
- There is nothing worse than bad extensions.
- Whats the deal with dying one strand of hair a bizarre color?

The Make-up

- If your face is a different color than the rest of your body, you're wearing too much make up.
- If you look like a baby doll (unnaturally rosy cheeks, red lips, etc.), you're wearing too much make up.
- If the one time you don't wear make up, at least one person doesn't recognize you, you wear too much make up.
- Eye liner belongs on the the eyes, not below your eye and half way passed it into swirls and streaks.
- Eye LINEr... get it, a line? No more; don't thicken it on.
- There's a difference between mascaraed eye lashes, and clumped eye lashes. Know when to stop!
- Eye brows aren't mean to be penciled on, that's all.

The Tattoos

- The tramp stamp literally means exactly what it says.
- A bad tattoo is like a car accident: noticeable and everyone slows down to look at it

Personality

The Language:

Swearing:
- Everybody can swear, just because you do, doesn't make you any cooler.
- Walking around calling everybody "bitches" isn't a term of endearment
- Swear around your girl friends, at least clean it up a bit around other people - It's trashy when a girl swears like a sailor, or a boy.

Like, Oh My God!:
- If you want people to think you're intelligent, speak that way.
- Saying "like" every other word and sounding like a valley girl will only get the nick name, dumb blond, no matter what color your hair is.
- Drawing out your vowels makes you sound stupid, "Waaaaaaait, whaaaaaaat? Oooooh my.."
- Don't try to use words  you don't understand, there will more than likely be someone who actually knows what the word means, and you'll look like an idiot.
- Saying words like, "Betch" and "Hells ya" is nothing but annoying.

Attitude

- If you roll your eyes when people are talking, people will think you're a bitch.
- Make fun of other people for no reason, people will think you're a bitch.
- If you have hissy fits over nothing and make a scene, people will think you're a bitch.
- If you strut around and think you're cooler than everyone else, people will think you're a bitch.
- If you tell people off on a daily basis, you're probably a bitch.

Get Some

- There is a fine line between being flirty and nice, and being a skank about it.
- Kissing random boys was cute when you were in pre-school, it's slutty now.
- If you get with every guy and his brother, expect to hear jokes about yourself being the town bicycle and everyone gets a ride; reap the consequences of your actions.
- Talking about how you got with two guys the other night and didn't have protected sex makes you sound like a good time.. as long as your tongue does the talking.

Party Time

- If you've had one shot, you're not drunk. So stop acting like it.
- Don't stumble around telling every guy how drunk you are, it's pathetic.
- Guys probably get with you because you're slammed, not because you're a nice girl.
- No one wants you to sway over to the ipod and play "California Gurls" or Justin Beiber at the party, your music choice blows.
- Don't scream "Woooooooh!" all the time and hold up the beer you've been working on all night.
- A handful of other girls there will probably hate you - not because they're jealous, but because you're making a fool of yourself.
 - The second you fall, laugh, and reach for your best friend and pull her down too: everyone thinks you're retarded.
- Smoking cigarettes never has been, and never will be, attractive.

The Boyfriend

- Not every girl is trying to steal your boyfriend, chill out.
- If you're hanging out with other guys, don't constantly bring up your boyfriend in every subject.
- Don't make every post about him on facebook or twitter, good or bad, its corny/immature.
- If you have a boyfriend, don't lose friends over it

The Gossiper

- If others hear you talk shit about someone else, what makes you think they won't talk about you behind your back?
- If you're rude, conceited, slutty, etc. don't flatter yourself and say people talk about you because they're jealous, because they aren't. They sincerely think you're rude, conceited, slutty, etc.

Basically, girls - you are what you make yourself out to be. The word on the street isn't always true, and you have the right to wear what you want to wear and act how you want to act, but in the end, hands down, the classy girl wins.

Entailing: Puppets

She was a puppet
and he was her master.
Standing above her
he was the one
who made her dance.
Cold-heartidly he laughed
at the power
he had over her.
Pulling each string
she did what he said.
He'd losen his grip
and make her think
she was free.
When she tried to leave
he'd tighten those strings
and jerk her around.
Weakened from tossing
her heart was breaking,
it was her life he was taking.
She was sick of his games
and sick of the pain.
Sitting cold on the stage
she looked up at him;
bitter heart and hard eyes.
She knew she could do it
and knew it could be done.
She knew he wouldn't mind
for all she was
was another piece in his
selfish game.
He'd find another
and forget about her.
It was time, 
so with a deep breath
she took her teeth to the line.
Taking a stand,
one by one
she let herself go.
he looked at her
dropping it all on the floor.
He hung his head
and hung it in shame.
He didn't think
she'd finally see.
See him for what he was,
for what he wasn't.
Watching her go
his heart was breaking
knowing he was the reason
she cut herself lose
leaving him there
above the stage,
no puppet
no game.