mixing it up

if you bore easily, don't say i didn't warn you. this may be a long one, its been a while... so for those that a. don't like to read, b. don't care about a damn thing i have to say (which would be tough for me to believe, because you're here aren't you?) or c. just aren't in the mood to open your mind for a few minutes...you should probably go back to facebook. 


like i have mentioned before, i drive.. alot. with that being said, on my last trip to and from PA, i saw and experienced some things that hit me right in the heart, and the head... 


i started by thinking about being in the "twentysomethings" (the younger end of course) but even at 22 the conversations that come up, the decisions that inevitably need to be made and the sacrifices that take place can be slightly overwhelming. personally, my life revolves around my job. i live in va, not out of choice, but out of requirement; a life requirement if you will. thankfully i have a job, doing what i went to school for and enjoying the exciting atmosphere that is venue marketing and management. i have a cool job, i would even go as far as to say desirable. i sell tickets, i market shows and i have fun. these are all great things. but, there is a downfall... i struggle with it every time i have to leave the ones i love to get back on the road in order to get back to life..i mean my job. in your twentysomethings you want to be going out with friends, inviting family over to your place for a nice dinner, and of course spending time with your boyfriend, one of which you live in the same city with.. not just state. spending time with the people you want to be around and having the fun that your supposed to have at 22 can make driving away from all of that very frustrating. "patience" i think to myself... "you'll be better off" and yes this is all true, i need to be working, i need to be doing what i went to school for, and i need to be paying bills.. so sacrifices need to be made. and hopefully by the thirtysomethings (the younger end of course) i will be able to pick a place close to friends, close to family and with the boy..who hopefully will be the biggest supporter of whatever sacrifices need to be made for both parties in order to make things work, and to be happy...you know, the most important part!


so after i got through the twentysomethings schpeel, i continued to drive..at this time i saw and heard two things that hit me like a wall. the first; a man holding a "will work for food" sign on the corner of a dreary road in a sparse town. this pains me. alot. here i am stressing about being twentysomething; healthy, happy, employed and surrounded by loving and supportive family and friends... immediately i felt guilty about where my had was at just not 2 hours ago. it was at that point where i continued to tell myself to be positive, be thankful and enjoy what you have...because there are plenty of people out there that cannot provide for themselves let alone a family or the ones they love and that could be the hardest struggle to overcome that i have thought of yet. i never used to think to much about the hardships my parents may have gone through when the job situation wasn't at its best until i had bills to pay and deadlines to meet of my own. i am now more thankful than ever before for all of their hard work and dedication to their family and their careers, because if it wasn't for them and the lessons that i have learned, i could end up holding a sign similar someday... and sure this seems crazy, but hey, ya never know... crazier things have happened. 


second: now if you have ever heard the song "waiting on a woman" by brad paisley, you will have a greater appreciation for what i am about to say.. so if i still have your interest, i urge you to look up the lyrics if you have not....... done?...... great. this song is about waiting on a woman, waiting for her to finish getting ready on a first date, waiting to plan a wedding, etc... i got to this part of the song:



I've read somewhere statistics show
The man's always the first to go
And that makes sense 'cause I know she won't be ready
So when it finally comes my time
And I get to the other side
I'll find myself a bench, if they've got any
I hope she takes her time, 'cause I don't mind
Waitin' on a woman

and i started crying like a baby. it was at that exact moment an ambulance sped by. my brain started flying thoughts off left and right... is he or she alone, are they scared, do they hurt, are they gonna make the green light, what will happen next, and is heaven as wonderful as they say? i could not help but think about a best friend of mine who has just experienced loss in a life altering way. i thought about my mom and dad, and i thought about my life and what it would be like to lose someone who means so much. the idea of this song, waiting on a woman is romantic in the sense that it's true, and in this case, statistics were true as well. love is real, and life is short and if waiting is what needs to be done in order to get what you want, or live the dream you've always wished for...than wait, but don't forget to live in the meantime because you never know what may happen next. be thankful for what you have, because you could be holding a sign in the blink of an eye, and at this moment, i was just moving out of the way of either a miracle or misery...one can only hope that little things like this in life...you know, the serendipitous moments and thoughts that cross ones mind can make you enjoy things a little more, and love others the best you can.


ps. you made it. that's all i got for now. thanks for hangin' in there.