Having Good Character

How many times in your life have you been chatting with friends, and you mention that a particular person is in a class of yours. You've never personally met them, but you know who they are. Your friends then go on to say their opinion of this person because they know them. Maybe they say good things about this person. If this is the case, it is a relief to you because it will make that person that much more approachable if you ever need to go talk to them. On the other hand, maybe they do not know this particular person, but they know people who know this person and those people do not like them. So your friend then proceeds to say negative things about this person whom they do not personally know. Or, maybe your friend goes on to say negative things about this person because they do know them. Whatever the case may be, I think it is safe to say that we have all been in a situation where we hear things about a person that we have never met ourselves. Let's face it. Our friends shape our outlook on things. They could shape our outlook on people, they could shape our outlook on the things we like, or they could shape our outlook on our own opinions. To me, there is nothing worse than when a friend gives you a negative impression of a person. The other things mentioned above are negative, but for now, I would like to focus on when our friends talk about another person negatively before we have even met this person. I think we can all admit that we have been in this position many times before. My question to you is, how did you react? The way I see it, there are two ways you could have reacted. 1. Did you let your friend's opinions of a person shape yours before you even met the person? Or 2. Did you ignore your friend's opinions and shape your own of this person after you got to know him or her on your own? If you chose #1, well, to say the least, I am disappointed. If you chose #2, awesome! I am glad you have the character to know the difference. For those of you who chose #1, maybe it did not even occur to you that you do this. I have good news, you can change. You can acknowledge when things like this happen, and make the personal choice to react differently. It comes down to your character. Do you have the character to recognize that your friends ultimately bring you down in a situation like this? It is up to you to rise above this. Now, maybe your friends told you that a person was not nice to others. I am not naïve; I know that the world is filled with people who are not nice to others. My point is this: if you make the choice to not judge a person based on someone else's opinion of them, you allow yourself to make your own opinion of the person. Maybe you will see that your friend was right. What is even better is when you learn that your friend was wrong and you gained a new friend because of it. Your friend could have had a negative experience with that person and said things that were not true because they did not want you to be friends with them. If you let other's opinions shape your own before you even give a person a chance, you are automatically going to miss out on a potential friendship. The choice is yours. Next time, choose option #2 because it will make you a better person.

Thankful. Blessed.

It has been a long time since I've last posted. Hopefully this doesn't happen again! In the midst of a crazy life, a lot of time has been spent on my part reflecting on what I am thankful for. Even though Thanksgiving was almost two weeks ago now, I still feel a blog on things I am thankful for is very appropriate. Here's the running list, in no particular order.

1. My horses, Sage and Vogue, because I am lucky that I somehow have found a way to support them financially while in college. I never expected to have them during this point of my life. Ultimately, I am just thankful they are still in my life. Also, what is more exciting than having horses? I mean, c'mon, it has been my childhood dream forever, so I plan to live this dream out as long as possible. Not only are they a dream I have had that came true, but they are a true test that I can do anything I put my mind too. After all, somehow I convinced my parent's to let me get them.

2. That brings me to the next thing, or people, I am thankful for. My parents. My parents have done nothing but support me in the things I do. They are always there to help me when I need help. Quite frankly, I'm lucky to have such cool parents. Yes, cool. I said it. I wish I had the maturity in middle school to realize just how cool they were then too. Not everyone can say that their parents will be there when they mess up or change their mind, but I can. Hopefully they know just how much I appreciate them, and how thankful I am that they are my parents.

3. God. I have never been one to be open about my faith, but I do know that I have a strong faith in God. I am thankful for that faith. Growing up, every night I would pray for a horse. I would always say, "God, if you help me get a horse, I'll never ask for anything again." Well, that has proved to be untrue, but He has continued to answer my prayers.

4. Friends. I have the best friends a girl could ask for. I'm not even going to elaborate, because they deserve their own blog post.

5. Music. No matter what I am doing, music helps me. Whether it is working out, studying, cleaning, or just hanging out, there is always the right song to boost my mood. Sometimes, I think I could go insane without music.

6. My boyfriend, Nick. He too, deserves his own blog post, but I want to say a few things. Never in my life have a met someone who "gets" me the way he does. He is the one person I always turn to, and he is always the first person to hear about how I am feeling. Have you ever heard the song, "Crazy for this girl" by Evan and Jaron? Well, change the lyrics a little bit, and it describes how I feel perfectly. No good love songs are written by girls anyways, ha ha.

"Would you look at him/He looks at me/He's got me thinking about him constantly/But he don't know how I feel/And as he carries on without a doubt/ I wonder if he's figured out/I'm crazy for this guy/

Right now/Face to face/All my fears/Pushed aside/And right now/I'm ready to spend the rest of my life/With you."

He knows how I feel, and all I can say is that I am so thankful he knows. And from the movie Juno, "He's the cheese to my macaroni."

7. My brothers, Nathan and Jacob. They are just cool. Each one spices up my life in their own way. Nathan helps me stay gangsta (in a good way) and has renewed my faith that everything happens for a reason, and Jake reminds me on a daily basis why I love being a country girl. It is quite the combo if you ask me, but I love them. I am thankful I have 1 overprotective older brother and 1 overprotective little brother, who has officially outgrown me.

Lastly, the more simple, yet important, things that don't need much elaboration.

8. Food.

9. Shelter (I really sweet apartment I might add).

10. Freedom. We are so lucky.

Ahh, yes. I am so thankful that I am so blessed.