"Each day's a gift and not a given right."
If today was your last day, would you be happy with how you've spent your life? Would you be happy with the choices you made and where you have ended up? If today was your last day... how would you live it? I'm not speaking of the kitsch, tawdry, or cheesy responses of what amazing fun things you were do with your last remaining hours but rather what should really be important in life.
Would you take the path less traveled? Forget your fears and inhibitions that have only kept you from doing what you've only dreamed of? Not let anything or anyone stand in your way for what you want to accomplish.
If tomorrow was too late, would you really live each moment like your last?
"What's worth the price is always worth the fight."
Live life like you're never living twice. Don't take the free ride or put yourself on auto-pilot. You can miss out on so much. The friends you could have had, the joys the bond people together, the pain that makes you stronger. The many lessons one learns.
If today was your last day, would you finally call old friends you never see? Would it take such an event for you to start living, start caring? Would you take that chance to be with someone you care about, to not have to wonder about the "what ifs"? To reminisce about old memories and forgive those who have hurt you? If today was your last day, would you take your grudges to your grave?
How would you make your mark? Regardless of who you are or who you think you are.
Would you do whatever it takes? You can never rewind a moment in this life. The hands of time are never on your side.
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Taboo of Mixed-Gender Friendships
THE SHORT VERSION
One of the most annoying situations for me is the taboo of men and women being close friends, ESPECIALLY if one or both are married or in a relationship. If they are friends, it is likely that the spouse is also heavily involved in this friendship and the two friends hardly ever hang out together without at least one of the spouses/significant others around.
It is not to be said that the male/female friend and husband/wife should not be friends as well and/or that they shouldn’t ever hang out together along with the woman/man, but that this male/female friend would is primarily the woman/man’s friend. Usually this situation occurs when the male/female friend and woman/man have known each other longer than the woman/man has known her/his spouse.
Some may think that this becomes a predicament because, in a girl’s case, the girl may have grown up a tomboy. Or that in some cases the female gender generally annoys the woman because she is not interested in trivial gossip, shopping and scrap booking. So, while growing up, the majority of her friends would usually be guys.
This taboo is seen, in my opinion, most frequently in a church setting. I remember as a teenager sitting in my youth group listening to someone announce the etiquette of how one goes about asking for help with anything spiritual, life lessons, etc. If you were a boy you would talk to the Youth Pastor. If you were a girl, you would talk with his wife or with the Youth Pastor, so long as his wife or another woman was present.
Immediately I thought this to be incredibly annoying. I didn’t want to talk to the damn wife. Yes she was there to help, but she was not the leader that was hired and was shown to be qualified to help the youth. When dealing with underage teenagers, I understand the specific guidelines that need to be issued for sake of some legal reason, let’s face it; do I need to say anything more than “catholic priests”? Even worse, that particular scenario usually entails same gender children.
However, I feel that if we are both adults and you need to talk with me in a public room, with another person present or in a room with the door open – because I’m of the opposite sex – I think you are insecure. You may call it staving unneeded rumors, but I just call it insecurity.
Basically, I am annoyed with the ingrained feeling I have that I will never have the chance to be as close with a male teacher, leader, friend, pastor, authority figure, etc. as another male, simply because I am female.
One of the most annoying situations for me is the taboo of men and women being close friends, ESPECIALLY if one or both are married or in a relationship. If they are friends, it is likely that the spouse is also heavily involved in this friendship and the two friends hardly ever hang out together without at least one of the spouses/significant others around.
It is not to be said that the male/female friend and husband/wife should not be friends as well and/or that they shouldn’t ever hang out together along with the woman/man, but that this male/female friend would is primarily the woman/man’s friend. Usually this situation occurs when the male/female friend and woman/man have known each other longer than the woman/man has known her/his spouse.
Some may think that this becomes a predicament because, in a girl’s case, the girl may have grown up a tomboy. Or that in some cases the female gender generally annoys the woman because she is not interested in trivial gossip, shopping and scrap booking. So, while growing up, the majority of her friends would usually be guys.
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This taboo is seen, in my opinion, most frequently in a church setting. I remember as a teenager sitting in my youth group listening to someone announce the etiquette of how one goes about asking for help with anything spiritual, life lessons, etc. If you were a boy you would talk to the Youth Pastor. If you were a girl, you would talk with his wife or with the Youth Pastor, so long as his wife or another woman was present.
Immediately I thought this to be incredibly annoying. I didn’t want to talk to the damn wife. Yes she was there to help, but she was not the leader that was hired and was shown to be qualified to help the youth. When dealing with underage teenagers, I understand the specific guidelines that need to be issued for sake of some legal reason, let’s face it; do I need to say anything more than “catholic priests”? Even worse, that particular scenario usually entails same gender children.
However, I feel that if we are both adults and you need to talk with me in a public room, with another person present or in a room with the door open – because I’m of the opposite sex – I think you are insecure. You may call it staving unneeded rumors, but I just call it insecurity.
Basically, I am annoyed with the ingrained feeling I have that I will never have the chance to be as close with a male teacher, leader, friend, pastor, authority figure, etc. as another male, simply because I am female.
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