Everything I Need to Know...

...I learned in college.

You know that saying, that everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten? Or Primary? Well I don't think that's true.

Or if it is, you forget it when you start 7th grade.

There's just some things you need to learn later. Throughout your life. Without your family. By yourself.

Not that I'm saying right now I know all that I need to know. Good heavens.

I've got a long way to go. A very long way.

But here's a few things I have learned (or am starting to learn) this year. My first year of college.

Sometimes crying is completely necessary. It can be good medicine. It shouldn't be shameful.

I am learning to let go. It's healthier and more refreshing.

I am trying to love me. If I can't, how can I expect someone else to?

I am learning that it's his loss. I'm learning that THAT statement should be my first thought. Not, "What did I do wrong?" Or "What could I have done differently?" But, "He missed out." I'm learning that I'm the lucky one who gets the chance to find something better.

I will find better. At some point.

A little ice cream goes a long way.

So does a hug.

I'm turning into my mother. In all the good ways.

Doing something nice for someone you don't really like can help you, if even in a small way, to see what God sees when He looks at them.

It is always worth the extra time to send someone a little note.

"If we let ourselves be truly seen, then we can be truly loved." -Sark

I have learned to take a bit more off, and to rest a little deeper.

Silence is so loud.

There is something very therapeutic about watching a snowstorm. It's the way it quietly falls from the sky, even when it's coming down hard. It's walking outside, hearing the branches crack and break from the weight of the powder. It's catching a small snowflake on your sweater, looking down at just the right second to see the beautiful detail, more beautiful than a second-grade cutout, before it melts and vanishes.

There is beauty and joy in the simplest compliment, the smallest smile, or a short "hello."

You don't need to be in a church to feel God, to feel His presence, to feel the Spirit.

Compromise is so hard. But it's so rewarding.

Home isn't a place. It's with people. 

Jack's Mannequin - Swim

You gotta swim,
Swim for your life,
Swim for the music
That saves you
When you're not so sure you'll survive.
You gotta swim,
And swim when it hurts.
The whole world is watching;
You haven't come this far,
To fall off the earth.

The currents will pull you
Away from your love,
Just keep your head above.

I swim for brighter days
Despite the absence of sun;
Choking on salt water,
I'm not giving in.

You gotta swim
For nights that won't end.
Swim for your families,
Your lovers, your sisters,
And brothers and friends.
Yeah, you gotta swim
For wars without cause,
Swim for the lost politicians,
Who don't see their greed as a flaw.

The currents will pull us.
Away from our love,
Just keep your head above,

You gotta swim,
Swim in the dark;
There's no shame in drifting,
Feel the tide shifting and wait for the spark.
Yeah you gotta swim,
Don't let yourself sink,
Just find the horizon.
I promise you it's not as far as you think.

-Andrew McMahon