sometimes.

sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. you never know who these people may be, but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart. illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. it would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

the people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. even the bad experiences can be learned from. in fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.

if someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things. if someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

make every day count. appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can,
for you may never be able to experience it again. talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.

let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. hold your head up because you have every right to. tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

you can make anything you wish of your life. create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets. and if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

learn a lesson in life each day that you live. today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.

was it worth it?

let's go yankees.

take me out to the ball game,
take me out with the crowd.
buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks,
i don't care if i never get back;
cause it's root, root, root for the home team,
if they don't win it's a shame.
cause it's one, two, three strikes, you're out
at the old ball game.

bikini season.

i feel like a lot of people are obsessed with being skinny-minnies to the point where it's just plain old not healthy anymore. yes we are america - the land of fast food and free refills, but it shouldn't be so horrendous to your health. eat smaller portions, swap soda for water and cookies for fruits. seriously, it's not all that bad. and don't always be looking at hollywood for your role models - because that's well, hollywood - the land of air brush and plastic surgery. be proud of being a plain jane. there is nothing wrong with your size! the only reason people should be worried about their weight should be their health. it's absolutely ridiculous for tweens and teens to be talking about wanting to see their ribs in their bikinis! and women of all ages are battling size 8 and size 10 jeans for what?! if your proportions don't match up exactly to that of those model standards, so what. love your curves, embrace them, wear flattering clothes. it is not hard to work with your body type, but you should get to know your body type before you self-destruct in an attempt to fit into a size 2 skinny jean that a 12 year old probably can't fit into. don't let the media feed you bad press about your size, love yourself for you who are - big bones, curvy hips, and all.

filler, baby.

i just drove down ocean parkway blasting 'your favorite weapon' from my speakers and singing at the top of my lungs - and it was the greatest feeling ever. it's liberating, you know, singing your heart out to emptiness, to nobody, to the night sky and the cool air. it frees the mind. i immediately felt relieved, like nothing could bring me down. for the duration of 12 amazing tracks i was a rockstar. i drove through an intense fog and the only thing that kept me grounded in reality was the smell of the ocean, almost thick with low tide - you know, when you can taste the jellyfish in your mouth if you breathe in really deep. this is what home is to me - a three lane highway leading to a lighted monument that symbolizes the beaches of southern new york, the smells of summer wafting in through air conditioning vents even though it's still cold enough to leave the dial in the heat section, and good old long island bred brand new.

words to govern by.

as long as war is regarded as wicked,
it will always have its fascination.
when it is looked upon as vulgar,
it will cease to be popular.
Oscar Wilde