Another late night thought a friend of mine told me:

Well… It’s true to not dwell on the negatives, but one should not turn a blind eye. Some might be constructive criticism out of something you can learn from. Sometimes knowing pain and suffering, although unfortunate, may make you stronger. One can’t appreciate happiness without first knowing sadness.

It’s so true when people say the happiest people are the ones hiding their sadness. Or however the actual statement goes. Actually let me re-phrase that, you never really realize that people are suffering, but some people are just better at hiding it. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s surprising to just hear that there’s some people who can go through either the same emotion/thought as you or can feel a certain way and have this burden to them that they hide everyday in their life. And it’s totally, 100% true when people say that there’s people out there who know how you feel or can relate to you. You might know them or maybe you don’t, but you shouldn’t feel alone.

A late night thought a friend of mine told me:

Today, many people, when it comes to love and friends said things are complicated. But love and friendship is simple. We just make it complicated. Love is simple enough that even infants can recognize it in their parents. First friendships don’t start out complicated either. My childhood best friend and I became friends when he made fun of my English and I made fun of his big forehead. Boom! Instant friend. I guess that’s why sometimes when I say I wish I was a kid again. That’s because 2+2=4 is as complicated as it gets. It’s just that people get too caught up in the details and miss what is important.

Things I’ve learned my freshman year of college:

(I’m sorry it’s a long list, but bear with me here. Enjoy though, if you can read through it all.)

1. Be open to change. You encounter so many people coming from different backgrounds, cultures, morals, values, and so much more. You might not be use to what other people say or do and might not make sense of people’s actions. Stay calm and understand that everyone is different and not like you. Keep an open mind and don’t judge so quickly. Be open to new experiences and explore your new surroundings.
2. Balance is key. Between academics and social life, there are a lot of distractions. No one is going to tell you what to do and how you should do it. You’re on your own. Managing time isn’t always easy. There is always a bunch of distractions to keep you off track. You really need to focus and understand your responsibilities. When you work, you work. When you play, you play. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but once you have that balance, everything will come out smoothly. It might take time, but eventually you’ll get the hang of things.
3. You are going to fall down. You are going to be sad, angry, upset, and maybe have a meltdown or two. What you have to do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try harder next time. Sometimes college isn’t fair, and sometimes you don’t study as hard as you need to. Just try and try again. Some things might not work out and that’s okay, just keep going and don’t let anything let you down. Remember: “When it seems like you’re at rock bottom, the only way to go is up.” 
4. People are going to drink, have sex, smoke pot, and do crazy hardcore things. Now is the time to pick your battles, and know what you are getting into. Be careful and be smart. Know your limits.
5. Following #4, you absolutely, positively do NOT need to do any of those things stated above. College is what you make out of it, and there’s no set rules or guidelines on how you want to spend your time at school. There are so many other things to do besides drinking, drugs, or whatever. What did you do to have fun? I doubt you drank or did any of that stuff. There’s events on campus, movies, anything. You don’t need to succumb to anything. The college mentality is the worst thing that ever popped up in every freshman’s head and you really don’t need to follow it to have fun. I mean, if you want to do those things, go ahead, but make sure you know what you’re getting into and most importantly make sure you stay safe. College isn’t all about drinking. But if you must, go for it. So long as the substance doesn’t dominate your will power, do what you do.
6. Your social life is what you make out of it. If you feel like you don’t have many friends it’s up to you to go make some. If you want to have more social interaction in your life it’s up to you to make that happen. The key word is YOU. What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t fit in? What if I’m not good enough? Stop thinking this way, if you keep on thinking this way, you are sure enough to fall into that trap of thinking your social life will always suffer. Don’t waste your time with these thoughts. Be bold. Connect with others. Don’t worry if you get rejected, not everyone is going to like you anyways. There’s so many other people you probably haven’t met at your school. Stay confident. Focus on what you can control. Your social life is in your hands.
7. Freedom is bliss. One of the greatest things of being at college is the amount of freedom you have. No one tells you what you can or can’t do. If you don’t want to go to class, you don’t have to. If you want to spend your day doing harmful things, go right ahead. You can honestly do whatever you want. But with freedom comes consequences both good and bad, and when you make a decision you must accept the result. Your life is a result of what you choose to do or not do. Everyday you have a choice and it honestly makes an impact.
8. Family and friends are important. Back when I was living with my parents, I didn’t really appreciate them as much as I should have. I was annoyed, bothered, angry, irritated, and really didn’t understand any of their reasonings for anything. They became so ingrained in my everyday life that I just expected them to be there. But now that I’m in school, I would say that I finally appreciated the time in which I get to spend with them. They’ve given me so much and the least I can do is to do awesome at school. I owe them a lot and they’ve definitely helped me with where I am today. I’ve gained a better understanding of the importance of family and remaining close to those who love you. No matter where you are in life it’s always important to remember where you came from and whose definitely got your back in the long run.
9. Just think about this. You got into a college and that is the first step to many new adventures and possibilities. College has opened you up to so many new doors that are waiting for you. Don’t stop here. You have so much potential to do something to change your life and no one’s stopping you except yourself. Take charge. You can do anything you set your mind to. You’re paying for this college education and you should definitely use your money’s worth and use all the resources and opportunities your school offers. This is just the beginning, go venture out and do something amazing.
10. Always put yourself in awkward, uncomfortable situations. If you don’t do something different, you’ll always get the same thing, right? Step out of your comfort zone and you might learn a thing or two and maybe a funny story can come from it too. Never be afraid to take chances, because you’ll never know what amazing experiences you can get out of them. Try something new. Meet new people. Doesn’t hurt to try.

I expect a lot out of you and I hope and hope that you do certain things, but I know deep down you won’t do it. And I still have this little, tiny, minuscule piece of hope that you will do it. Literally it’s like 99.99% never going to happen and the hope is .01% and somehow that small percentage of hope outweighs and beats out the extremely unlikeliness of what I want to happen. And, spoiler alert, you never do it.. Typical. That hope always gets me going every single time and it’s the same result every time — you never do what I expect you to do and then I get so angry. But, why? It’s not even something to be mad about. It’s just a repeated cycle over and over again. I hope and wish and nothing. I still don’t learn my lesson. It’s just hopeless and honestly, pathetic. Why am I expecting something out of you anyways? I should just drop it, but the thought of it just bothers me. Whywhywhy? I just wish things could just go back to the way they use to be. And I’m 100% positive that it won’t go back to normal, no hope here. Or am I just fooling myself? I don’t know anymore.

Although good things come to an end, doesn’t mean that we can’t make good memories that will never end. As corny as it sounds, it’s true. And even with an ending to something, it makes room for the next good thing. One door closes as another opens. Honestly, the thought of it sucks sometimes, but every time a good thing comes to an end, another good thing starts.That’s the way I like to look at it. With every exit is an entrance somewhere else, right? Live in the now, enjoy where you are, appreciate the people you have in your life, and cheers to that.

To the people I miss, haven’t talked to in a while, lost connection to, or anything related to these:

I hope all is well with you. Maybe we can talk soon? Yeah? Miss you.

I don’t know why I’m just realizing this, but if you exude confidence and great personality, you can look really good or even beautiful to people. It’s not all about the physicality of a person. This might be such an obvious post, but it’s the truth. For some reason, I’ve been receiving compliments lately and I’m honestly not the prettiest out of the bunch. It’s weird for me to receive compliments, and it’s me out of all people.. But, all in all, everyone is beautiful and good in some way and in someone’s eyes.