5 things people should avoid that would make our world a better place

Hi!

I really am on a writing blog lately...seems more productive than just watching random things on TV.  Anyway...I realize the title makes this sound like I am about to give another deep post about things I've learned about myself and all of that...but it's not.  It's more humorous; however, I really do believe the things I'm about to say.  Granted, I'm all for the "you do you" mantra (in the sense that you should do what you like to do and not worry about what others think), but I have noticed that for the sake of society, some things should be done (or not)

(And yes, a minion picture! Yay!)
Presented below...5 things we should avoid:

1) Listening to music with headphones while driving

It's sad how often I see people doing this, and it just seems unsafe.  Granted, I realize cars and traffic are fairly loud, but it's so easy to zone out while wearing those.  Plus, cars have stereo systems that are probably better quality...

2)  Sitting on the lap of your significant other while in public

Yes, you two are cute together.  But I DON'T NEED TO SEE THIS.  I know that's not comfortable, and it's all being done as a sensual sort of thing.  It's just awkward-maybe I'm oversensitive, but to  me, it comes off as "I just wanna go punch the monkey with this person RIGHT NOW, but we're at the mall and this is the closest I can get without getting a nice misdemeanor" .  If you want to do this at home or a friends house where you are all friends, go for it.  But not at the pool or whatever.  Please.

3) Holding up a line by making small talk with the worker helping you

One of the best parts of going to the East Coast to see family is that you generally don't deal with this.  Why? Because it's socially unacceptable and I promise you'll get yelled at for it by other patrons.  However, Colorado is a bit slower-paced and friendly and this is acceptable.  Why can't we just order our coffee, pay the bill, and MOVE ON SO THE NEXT PERSON CAN ORDER AND NOT BE LATE TO WORK WHILE YOU SHARE THE STORY OF HOW YOUR KID DREW SUCH A CUTE PICTURE OF A BUTTERFLY.  Ugh.  I know the counter to this is that it's nice for the servers, but here's the thing: they're not going to remember you.  They will remember the stress of the super long and backed up line you made, however.  I'm all for being nice to the cashier-but by I mean saying "please" "thank you" knowing what you want when it's your turn, etc.  Not telling a story that is likely boring to them.   End rant.

4) Pretending you don't have any stupid guilty pleasures.

I say pretending because it's all a ruse.  EVERYONE HAS ONE. Or two...or maybe three.  I wish people would just admit them.  It's kind of a fun conversation topic, and who knows, maybe the person you're talking to has the same one.  Hey, now you have someone to gossip about Keeping Up With the Kardashians with!  Case in point: I actually now enjoy Justin Bieber's music and find the gossip about him fun to follow.  Yes, he's crazy. Oh well.  Judge me all you want.  But you have a guilty pleasure too.  This world would be so much better if people were open about this and not overly pretentious. 

5) Sit right next to someone on public transportation when there is still a lot of open sitting space left

PERSONAL.  BOUNDARIES.  And it just seems odd.  I realize the bus is likely to get full and I will have to have sitting right by me eventually...but not now.  Now stop creeping on my phone and sit over there.

If this was at all entertaining, let me know and I"ll do a part 2.  I'm just too tired to do more than five.  Also, feel free to share your thoughts-if you think these are great and that I should become the next Mindy Kaling or something, or if I"m a psycho that needs to stop :).

Night!

Some important things about friendship

Hola!

I've been thinking a lot about things I have learned about friendship recently...and today is Friendship Day, so it's perfect timing.  I think part of the reason that this is happening is because this August has some big things.  Today I met one of my best friends 10 years ago exactly, and this month two of my closest college friends are leaving the U.S. to do some great things.  I will miss both dearly, but the opportunities they have are amazing and I'm excited  to see how those turn out. :)

(I wanted to post a picture of minion friends-I haven't done a minion picture for a few posts-but the internet and computer I'm using are on their last limbs so just getting this posted is gonna be hard, without trying to put in a picture.  Sorry :( )

Anyway, there are two things about friendship in particular that I've been reflecting on that I want to share.

The first is a lesson that has been a struggle for me throughout my life but I think I may finally be learning it.  It's about quality versus quantity.  Yes, most of my life I have had a couple of friends that I have considered to be my "best friends" if you will...and they are amazing.  However, selfishly...that has not been enough for me.  In my life I have felt this need to have the most friends, to be considered "popular".  I admit, there were some points in school where I was the "desparate wannabe"...hanging around the cool kids hoping that they would accept me and I would get to partake in that popularity, ignoring the fact that many of them wanted nothing to do with me, and made a fool of myself trying to fit in.  Worst of all, there are a couple of times where I threw real (but not as cool) friends under the bus to get those other people to accept me.  How successful was I?  Not at all.  Generally, I have felt lonelier after.  Most of the real friends I had at those times took me back, but it wasn't an easy process. 

In college I had a similar feeling: that because I didn't have 938948392840, I was a loser, or something like that.  This feeling trickled into my first year in the "real world" as well.  Recently, it has really started to hit exactly how lonely that life is: sure, you may have a ton of friends, but you don't get the chance to know your friends as well.  In turn, people don't have time to get to know you.  Then, when you need a friend to rely on..they aren't there.  In my case, there are those people there, but I've looked for more and sometimes taken those people for granted.  This is stopping now.  I have been learning who my true friends are and will stick with them.  I still like having other people as acquaintances, but I'm excited to start really treasuring friendships with people that matter.  For those in a similar situation...being the most popular person is generally not all it's cracked up to be-at least from what I have observed.

The second thing I wanted to talk about was something I've been hearing recently from a few people (none of whom know each other-kind of crazy how universal some issues are at times).  It's about the give and take in friendship, particularly as we are settling into life after college. A few people I know have shared with me how since they've graduated, they feel like their friends are pulling away-not responding to outreaches of friendship, or making efforts of their own.  In some cases, this may be justified.  If a friendship is starting to feel more like work than anything...it's time to let it go.  However, my thought in a lot of these cases (and anyone that knows me is going to be shocked that I am saying this): just relax and let things happen naturally.  I feel awkward giving this advice, as I get anxious (sometimes very openly) when certain people don't text back in 3 hours (mostly guys I like, and yes this isn't a good way to handle this, but it's a story for another day).  But what I have noticed is that while I don't stay in touch with many of my close friends as much as I did in college (going from daily interaction to weekly or monthly), we are still okay.  When I go to see them...it is like we have picked up where we left off.  Some people I have drifted apart from, and that's okay too.  You have to let go of those people so that there is room for you to develop amazing friendships with new people.  And yes, you will find great friends after college-they may be different and have different life stories and may even be not actually your age-but it's okay.  Life needs to have spontaneity to some degree.  Plus, in a friendship, just like a romantic relationship, sometimes you will be giving more, and sometimes they will-it's not always even.  This is okay too.  So to my friends that have shared this issue with me, and others having this: don't worry about it too much.  With all of the adult responsibilities we have, it's too much to expect the same type of communication we had in college.  It'll work itself out and if you listen to your instincts, you'll figure out which friendships will last.  Some will be predictable, and some will surprise you.  Embrace it.

Hope you take something from these thoughts.  And go hug a friend.  :)  Until next time!