Post Secrets

I absolutely love PostSecrets. Its a community of people who anonymously mail in their secrets in form of art on one side of a postcard.

I crack up reading some of these, and others are a little more sentimental.

Words I try to live by :

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's. Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen.
-Mary Schmich

my life

"finish each day && be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunder && absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. you shall begin it serenely && with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense"

It seems life has been moving rather quickly, I've been given a blessing of becoming a parent all too soon, without knowing where to begin. I'm overwhelmed with excitement and fear, not knowing where I will stand financially scares the living crap out of me. I'm 11weeks and 2 days pregnant to be exact. When I first found out I couldn't believe this happened to me of all people. I still had so many years ahead of me and things I wanted to accomplish before I even thought about settling down and starting a family. At first, I was having second thoughts even if I should consider having this baby. I had a million and one things running through my mind all at once. I definitely wasn't ready for this type of responsibility. Then, I really started to think like an adult, and I said to myself “who is ever ready for a baby?” No one! It doesn't matter whether your rich, poor, old, young etc. No one is ever really ready...a baby's simply a surprise, a blessing from God, one of the greatest accomplishments. Wouldn’t you agree? I mean, millions of people pray everyday for this blessing. So really, who the hell am I to kill such a beautiful and innocent life? A life that one day I might have regretted. Have you ever heard this quote "If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it". I'd also like to think that God does things for a certain reason. Before my pregnancy, I was drinking socially every single day pretty heavily, a path which leads to no where. I know that I had a drinking problem but I ignored it because everyone else around me was drinking just as much. I remember times driving home intoxicated, not thinking about the consequences. It was affecting me in many different ways...emotionally, school, work, and money. It was tearing my life apart and I wasn’t even realizing it. Now that I am pregnant, I don't drink at all nor do I care for it, because I now have a greater responsibility.If you really think about it, this baby may have been the one to save my life.I'm beyond happy with the decision I've made to keep our baby. The love that I already feel is unexplainable. I've been to two sonograms and every time I hear its little heart beat, I can't wait for the day he or she is in my arms. I know that I have a long journey ahead of me, but no one said this would be easy right? The way to becoming a parent is by learning something new each day as you go. I'm not ready, but I'm going to give it my all.