I'm Back!!

Hello All,
I decided to get back to blogging and share my thoughts on current events and everything else that may pop into my head. Thank you for reading and I appreciate any comments or feedback you might have for me.

To err is human, to forgive divine

A very famous quote by Alexander Pope in 1711 and three centuries later those words are still very valid. Everyone makes mistakes, it is human nature. However, forgiveness of others and especially of oneself is very difficult. I openly admit to making plenty of mistakes and missteps in my lifetime. I often speak before thinking and tend to be quite overly-passionate. I often come across to others as harsh and cold, but I assure you, I am neither. In fact, one of my biggest flaws is that I often have too much emotion. I may not show those feelings in a conventional way, but I assure you I am a very sensitive person.

To those reading this that I may have offended or hurt over the years in one way or another, I do apologize. I usually know when I have said or done something wrong immediately after it happens. However, it is often too late to erase the situation and the only thing left to do is apologize. I understand it is often difficult to accept one’s apology and even harder to give complete forgiveness to someone. We have all been hurt, and forgiveness is a way to leave yourself vulnerable to possibly get hurt again. I am sure by this point in our lives; every one of us has been hurt in one way or another by several friends, family members, acquaintances and strangers. As a result, we build up apprehensions, walls and defense mechanisms to protect ourself from being hurt again.

I do find it difficult to forgive someone who has wronged me, especially if it was done intentionally. I find it even more difficult to forgive myself for things that I have done or said in error throughout my lifetime. I am my harshest critic and no one could beat me up as much as I have over the years. However, I cannot dwell on the past and on the errors of my ways, because that would only ruin today and the chance I now have to do things correctly. This quote that I wrote is very much how I am trying to navigate my life: You cannot change the past, but changes you make in the present can change your future. I believe I am a story in the making, an unfinished product, with still a lot to learn and improve upon. We all are.

I feel like I share an awful lot on these blogs, yet I cannot tell if anyone is reading. I encourage you to leave a comment or take a poll, just so I know someone has been here. Otherwise, I am going to assume you are all a bunch of voyeurs…lol :)

Eat, Drink, Sing, Meditate, Love

Ok, so I removed ‘Pray’ and added ‘Drink’ and ‘Sing’, seems more suitable to me. I wasn’t planning on seeing the movie, Eat, Pray, Love, starring Julia Roberts, but I ended up going with a friend on a spur of the moment outing. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the film and also at how much of the film pertains to my life. Based on a personal memoir of Liz Gilbert’s international quest for self, love, food, and the one word to describe herself, the film was quite entertaining. It was in no way the best film of the year, but it delivered some interesting messages in an entertaining way.

I think everyone can relate to either having her heart broken or breaking someone else’s heart along the way. The fear of putting yourself out there in a relationship and being vulnerable to someone else is a very scary proposition. Julia’s character, Liz, comes across as cold and heartless for parts of the film, often leading men on. She has no problem starting a relationship with a man, having sex, living with him for a while and then suddenly telling him she doesn’t love him or want to be with him any longer. In many ways, Liz behaves like a stereotypical man, perhaps out of fear of getting hurt. Regardless, the film delivers the message that it is better to put yourself out there than to shelter yourself from possible pain. If you never take any risks in life, how are you ever really living? Also, a big message in the film is to allow yourself to forgive yourself for past indiscretions, which is a very difficult thing to do. The film also made me realize that I would like to travel to Europe, particularly to Italy to enjoy some of its delectible cuisine. Also, I really need to follow through on my promise to myself to meditate; it is a great way to be centered and to really be present in the moment. I still do not know what my word would be…I guess I will keep searching.