To Share or Not to Share, That is the Question

Often in life we come across many opportunities to voice our opinions. In this great country we are privileged enough to have freedom of speech. I wonder if I take full advantage of this right that I am lucky enough to have. Many a time I have been asked, confronted, put in situations where it is certainly appropriate to share my views. On life, on politics, on situational matters, even just the daily chatter of what is happening in our society today. No matter the situation, I hold my tongue. I, for the most part anyway, try to tell people what they want to hear. I don't know what to do about it. Yes, I should speak my mind, but what if doing that causes everyone I'm working with (on a project or something similar) to hate me, to automatically shut me down, to hate me, to mock me, to be rude to me. I'd like to have as little enemies as possible in this life. I don't want some silly little opinion of mine to affect the way someone feels about me before knowing that one opinion. I'm such a people pleaser. I am working so hard and trying to learn how to voice my opinions and how I feel about things while a) sounding intelligent and well-versed and b) not stepping on peoples' toes. Why let something petty ruin a friendship or the like? I'm slowly beginning to understand that no matter what I do, someone, somewhere won't like me, won't agree with me, may even hate me or my ideas, the standards I live by, or even just the friends I have. I feel this come up most commonly around gossip. First, let me just say, you may judge me for gossiping if you can honestly say you never have (so that would be no one). Especially when you're stuck in the middle, friends of two opposing sides. What if you see and understand both sides. What if you just hate conflict. What if you'd rather not gossip about it at all and you hate confrontation? I'm not the type to be able to say "hey, let's just not" without feeling guilty for some bizzaro unknown reason. It also seems so hard to me to understand when it is appropriate to share how I feel, especially if it will cause conflict. This is one of my greatest faults. I am a people pleaser. I am trying so hard to start to stand up not only for myself, but for what I believe in as well. I will try NOT to sit idly by as others lead life for me.

We Live For Each Other and for Alpha Delta Pi

All this week I get to represent Theta Xi one of the newest collegiate chapters of Alpha Delta Pi at our International Grand Convention. The event is held every other summer; this year, the beautiful city of Dallas, Tx is hosting! I am beyond excited and honored to be here with three of my other wonderful sisters. I am so fortunate to have been blessed with this wonderful opportunity. Last night my sister Brighton and I got to sing in front of the entire grand convention body including members of Grand Council to begin this week's celebrations. So far I have gotten to meet some truly amazing women, learned how to rope (just a teeny bit), and share some already amazing experiences with my Theta Xi sisters (and yesterday was only day one!!!) I am so proud of my sisters of Theta Xi; we have all worked so hard to come so far in such a short amount of time and I feel so blessed to call them mine (clever because Brighton sang an AMAZING rendition of Martina McBride's "I Just Call You Mine" last night). Abbey got to celebrate the first day of her double dose birthdays and won a door prize! (and won a really cute purse! maybe I'm a little jealous) Kalisa got to escort to dinner one of the most extraordinary women I have ever been privileged to meet, Mrs. Linda Welch Ablard. Theta Xi has really made a presence here at Grand Convention and makes me SO excited to see what we are capable in the years to come.

Post singing at convention! SO EXCITED!!

Brighton and I throwing up diamonds!

This morning starts a new day filled with many new friendships to make and adventures to have. Abbey's birthday: round 2 coming up! Abbey and I are both carrying flags in the processional for dormant chapters and Kalisa will be proudly carrying Theta Xi's flag! How exciting! Today starts a whole new day filled with friends, fun, business meetings, lunches, dinners, songs, and beautiful sisters. I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to come to this wonderful event. I want to say thank you to our 2012-2013 leadership consultants: Ashley, for truly introducing me to the wonderful world of Alpha Delta Pi, Mary, for being the most amazing, uplifting, inspiring women I have ever met. I am so beyond thankful for her friendship and sisterhood, and all of the other wonderful leadership consultants I have gotten to meet on this amazing journey. I'd also like to thank the members of Grand Council, and Anne, for asking me to sing at this momentous occasion. Last night truly blew me away. My heart nor my head can express the awe, amazement, and gratitude I feel today. I am so incredibly blessed to be here. We Live For Each Other and for Alpha Delta Pi.

Food For Thought pt. 2

~live life without regrets

~take chances

~dare to dream

~stay up all night

~get swept away by love

~dont ever give up

~make mistakes

~shine brighter than the stars

~cherish the cliches of this world

~laugh at yourself

~remember the good times but dont let them get in the way of your future

~your future is bright

~take the world by storm

~believe in yourself

Poetry

Well hello again. Sorry I've been gone for so long! Didja miss me? So obviously I haven't blogged in awhile, I was kind of waiting for something newsworthy to happen, however we both know that my life is far from newsworthy.

Anywhoooo.

So I've been starting to write. Actually write, not blog about my pointless life shenanigans. But it's only poems and songs. And they're all either very Taylor Swift-esque and I have no life I just want to be loved blah blah blah or very depressing and sad (same thing, I know, sue me).

There's a part of me that wants to share my writing, however, we both know that that is incredibly nerve-racking  to have someone read your work, especially if you don't know who the heck the person reading it is... so I'll just share something I wrote in my sophomore English class to test the waters.
Disclaimer: It's really lame and cheesy but I'm not going to share the one I think is really good. So there's that..

English Poem (that's the title, embarrassing huh?)
I had to write a poem
for my English class.
I thought to myself,
"wow - I don't stand a chance"

I sat there and thought
and I got one line done.
I looked down at my paper,
I had finally begun!

I just started writing,
then I couldn't stop,
all my new poems in a pile
with this one on top.

So I sat there and read
and I read there and thought
and when I chose what to read
I chose this and said, "Why not?"

So this is the poem
I'm reading to you.
I hope that you like it
because I know that I do.

Bahahahaha cheesy huh??? TOLD YOU.
I think I like writing, if I ever really had the time and patience to just sit and write. Or if I had anything to say (again, which is why I haven't blogged in awhile)

Well I hope you have all had a wonderful day. :)