Lux Thinking Aloud My Virtual Friend 9:28 AM The Single Woman’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge Day 29: Who is your closest or most special friend that you've never met and what do they mean to you? How did you cross paths? Talk about how you “met” them: Facebook, Twitter, an online support group, etc. My Virtual Friend I have one good virtual friend whom I haven't met personally yet. We have a mutual friend, then we started texting regularly and he even gave me a Bible as a Christmas present. He was a seminarian then. Now he's a priest. We could talk about anything and everything under the sun. We argue and often agree to disagree. He gives me numerous advice about life and I'd give him my two cents. He asks me for medical advice too and he'll answer my spiritual inquiries. Our communication stopped when he got busy with priesthood and was assigned in a Catholic school. Still, whenever we get the chance to chat, it feels like the old times. It's been more than a decade since we started being friends. I'm glad I share this kind of friendship. A virtual friend whom I know is genuine compared to those I see face to face but are not 100% sincere.Amazing what technology can do, right?Bridging gaps, building friendships.Do you have a virtual friend you feel a genuine connection with?
Life Lessons 20 Things I Would Tell My High School Self 11:48 PM You may feel like it's the end, but it's only the beginning. The Single Woman’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge Day 18: If you could have a conversation with yourself in high school, what would you say? There are things I would like to tell my high school self. Don't we all wish we have a time machine so we can go back and redo or undo a few things? I bet if we could, most of us will go back to high school. That's when majority of our boo boos happened. It's also when we met great people who became our lifelong friends, when we couldn't care less, when we learned some of the best life lessons, and when some wonderful moments happened. 20 Things I Would Tell My High School Self 1. You've got brilliant ideas! Don't be afraid to speak up and share it to the world. I used to always hold back in sharing especially during a class. I know the answers while the rest of my classmates would stare back blankly when a teacher asks a question. Then I'd hate hate hate it when the teacher would reveal the answer because it's exactly what I was thinking. This did not happen just once, but all throughout my student life. 2. Time is important. Discipline begins now. 3. Don't cut your hair too short! It won't be as lustrous as it is now when it grows back. 4. Haters are confused admirers. Enjoy the attention but continue to work on improving yourself. 5. Watch T.V. less. 6. Learn to say "no" as early as now. 7. Careful who you trust. Not everyone who calls you friend are really your friends. 8. ALWAYS wear lotion. 9. Eat more veggies! You'll thank me later. 10. Sleep, sleep, sleep. 11. Don't take life too seriously. You're only young once. 12. Sweet Valley is nice, but read more John Grishams and Sidney Sheldons. You'll never have enough time to read. 13. Now is the best time to start tithing and investing. 14. Go take that risk! 15. Don't use that product. 16. Everything will make sense a little later. 17. Keep on dancing! 18. It will sometimes suck, but just hang in there. 19. You are the only one stopping you. 20. You may feel like it's the end, but it's only the beginning. High school is a beautiful prerequisite to the real world. It exposed us to different kinds of people, allowed us to experience different things, gave us our highs and our lows, gave us a preview of what life is going to be, provided us our first taste of hellos and goodbyes. My high school self had a blast. I know I could have done better, I could have made wiser decisions and I could have been more cautious. If I could go back, I'd tell my high school self all these 20 things. But maybe I would also just let myself be, and watch myself trip, fall, laugh and discover life the way I did. That's where the fun really was. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Life Lessons You Are A Story 7:00 PM Everyone is a story. Each vital to the world. You are a story. That person you sat beside on the bus or train, that little girl you saw sitting on her mom's lap at the park, that guy smoking a cigarette from the building across your office, or the homeless man you pass by every day near the subway, or the lady who got off the elevator as you're about to get in. All of them has a special story waiting to tell. They are stories for everyone to read. You are a story yourself. The world needs to hear your story more than you'll ever know. They need to know your joys and heartaches. They need to learn your lessons. People need to see your scars to know that their wounds will someday heal too. They need to know they're not alone in their journey because someone out there is exactly on the same page. Or has been through what they're going through. Make your story a beautiful one. One that even when you leave the world, those who have been privileged to get to know you will continue to tell with fondness and joy. Don't leave the world confused because they're not sure which part of your story is true and which is just a show. Don't leave the world worse than when you get here. Aspire to live in such a way that strangers would wonder if there are more like you, and inspire them to be like you to another stranger. Live in such a way that people will miss your absence, not rejoice over it. Live in such a way that if you are a book, people will not only give you a five star review, but will keep re-reading your story. That if someone asks them for a recommendation, they will recommend your story. Your story need not be known all over the world (although if you can, why not?). As long as those around you are inspired and blessed by it, you're good. Mother Teresa said, "Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." Never underestimate your story. If it can change one person, it can change the world. If you like this blog post about life and love, please share the article using the social media buttons below or on the left. Thanks!
