Princess in China- Coldplay

Once upon a time we burned bright

Now all we ever seem to do is fight

On and on, and on and on and on

Once upon a time on the same side

Once upon a time on the same side in the same game

Now why d’you have to go

Have to go and throw water on my flame?

The relationship game is a fun one to play. Who doesn’t enjoy being sought after or chased? Who doesn’t like being desirable or the playfulness of a new relationship? It is a fantastic feeling! It is like Christmas morning on crack cocaine! The thing is… Christmas doesn’t  last. And neither can “the game”. At some point, the honeymoon ends and it stops being a competition, it becomes a journey. Your relationship stops being 1 on 1 and becomes the two of you against the world. It has to or it will not last.

My point is, if you are going to play the game… Fantastic! Have fun while it lasts! But don’t get stuck playing against everyone. Relationships are a game best played on the same team. If you can’t deal with that or get with that, then I suggest you  find a different game to play because there are some of us out here that are locked and loaded, ready to play the shit out of some “co-op mode”!

Georgia on My Mind- Ray Charles

“I said Georgia,
Ooh Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you..”

Some days there is someone or something I just can’t get out of my head. I try to fight it… I try to move along and forget about it. Sometimes it would be much simpler, or easier if I was able to do that. I would be able to spend that time wondering, worrying or caring about something else…. But I have thought that maybe I should stop fighting it.

Maybe I should go with where my heart and head are telling me to go. Perhaps there is a reason I can’t get certain things out of my mind. Despite any amount of distractions or alternatives I may try… I always come back to the same things. Maybe that is where I belong. Maybe I should stop fighting myself, trying to do what I am “supposed to do” and do what my heart truly wants… go where I want to go. Maybe that is where peace is… in what my heart wants.

– J

Become- The Goo Goo Dolls

“You’ve been hiding in the shadows
Have you forgotten how we used to dream
Let me remind you
The light doesn’t blind you at all
It just helps you see
Can you see

Yeah you have become
Yeah you have become beautiful…”

Know what you deserve out of your life and go get it, look in the mirror and realize how beautiful and special you are. Then allow the world the opportunity to witness and experience you for all that you are. Do not hide behind social norms, crass sarcasm or excuses. Instead, open up for the entire world to see. Take a leap of faith and hope to God you can fly. Sometimes we hide for so long, that we can’t see or even remember beautiful we have become… maybe it’s time we had a look.

– J

The Weakest- Emery

“Lets leave this place
And say that we escaped
Well say that there’s no difference between right and wrong tonight
We’ll leave no trace of plans that we have made
So they can’t find us
And take what is ours…”

There is a certain beauty to innocence, an alluring characteristic to ignorance, and an addicting property to irresponsibility. But as we “grow up” there is an expectation to maintain a certain level of maturity and dignity. There is a social expectation that we must act proper, keep a calm demeanor and avoid “childish” actions. Our jobs, our family, our lives seem to demand that we act “grown up”. There is no room for error, for fun or spontaneity because we have obligations to fulfill, asses to kiss, and moral standards to uphold (often not our own).

Growing up is something to cringe at in our society. Bills, stress, jobs, school…. they all suck. For most of us, we forget to enjoy life because we are too busy being adults.  We forget to play with LEGO’s, we forget to sit on a swing in the park to see how high we can go, and we forget who we really are. I want to challenge everyone who reads this to do something fun. Not because you need to, or have to… but because you want to do it. Forget what other people will think, throw caution to the wind for a moment and do something just for the hell of it. Don’t let growing up take something that is yours. Don’t get so caught up in being “grown up” that you forget to live life.

– J

Ugly Side- Blue October

“…I only want you to see
My favorite part of me
And not my ugly side
Not my ugly side…”

Hidden deep inside our souls, trapped and kept in darkness is a part of each of us. We all have an ugly side, a demon or a tormentor that we bury. It haunts us, stalking quietly behind our façade. Some are tormented by their past, others haunted by their future. There are those paralyzed by their fears, while a few are crippled by their own actions. Each of us possesses an “ugly side” as well as a beautiful side. That is humanity, good and evil blended into one. We hope the good outweighs the bad inside of us… and we pray our beauty will outshine the dark in our heart. But that dark side does exist and we cannot deny it. We must find a way to love one another in spite of our imperfections, and our flaws. Or, love each other because of our imperfections. Appreciate the ugly side of humanity, because without it… Well, without our ugly side, our beauty would cease to matter at all.

-J