Thursday, December 22, 2011

Friendship is a Horizon

Friendship.
It's a force to be reckoned with.

What is your true meaning of friendship? Maybe, being able to talk to someone on the phone for hours?...or maybe knowing that someone will always have your back no matter what?...or maybe it's someone that you always have fun with?...or even someone that simply has a lot in common with you, and you never disagree on anything....?

Now before I say any more, I just want to clear the air: Before reading further, you need to understand the difference between acquaintances and friends. I'm talking about the true friends that you love. The ones that you expect your future children to call "aunt" and "uncle." Now then...

Friendship can come in many shapes/fashions/forms/variations/stages or whatever you want to call it. Think what you want, but to be quite frank, friendship revolves around one thing and one thing only: honesty.

Some of you might be a little surprised, but think about it. Would you ever expect one of your true friends to lie to you? Or would you expect them to be someone that they're not? Or talk the talk and not walk the walk? Would you ever expect your friend to give you bad advice just so you can feel better? Would you ever want your friend to steer you down the road less traveled just because it was easier?

No. You wouldn't. At least, I wouldn't. Not in a million years.

I want a friend that not only will always be there, but will always want to be there. I want someone that will tell you straight up how it is, no bull crap. I want them to have integrity. I want them to show that they care. I want them to call me out when I'm being stupid. I want them to tell me if something troubling is on their mind.

I want them to feel comfortable talking about anything and everything with me. I want them to have respect for themselves and others, as well as me. I want them have faith when others don't. I want someone to fight for me, not against me. I want them to know they're needed, and vice versa. I want them to love me at my best, and love me more at my worst.

I want them to believe in me. I want them to support me, even when they don't agree. I want them to trust me wholeheartedly, and know that the feeling is mutual. I want them to cry with me. I want them to see me vulnerable without judgement. I want them to accept me for me. I want them to be who they are, and no one else. I want them to appreciate what they have. I want them to see.

Find a friend you love. Hug them. Kiss them. Thank them. Talk to them. Appreciate them. Be honest with them. Love them. Show them. Always. Every day.

"Friendship is a horizon which expands whenever we approach it." - E.R. Harlip

What kind of friend have you been lately?

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Decisions

Bad is easy, good is hard. Lying is easy, honesty is hard. Losing is easy, winning is hard. Holding a grudge is easy, forgiving is hard. Sitting is easy, standing is hard. Doubt is easy, faith is hard. Talking is easy, listening is hard.

Passive is easy, acting is hard. Sex is easy, love is hard. Spending is easy, saving is hard. Telling a secret is easy, keeping a secret is hard. Making a promise is easy, keeping a promise is hard. Laughing is easy, crying is hard. Drugs are easy, abstinence is hard. Feasting is easy, fasting is hard.

Taking is easy, giving is hard. Playing is easy, working is hard. Fighting is easy, resolving is hard. War is easy, peace is hard. Killing is easy, reviving is hard. Reading is easy, understanding is hard. Falling is easy, getting up is hard. Friends are easy, friendship is hard. Following is easy, leading is hard.

Sleeping is easy, waking is hard. Touching is easy, feeling is hard. Failing is easy, succeeding is hard. Forgetting is easy, remembering is hard. Hating is easy, caring is hard. Jealousy is easy, trust is hard. Fake is easy, sincere is hard. Saying it is easy, meaning it is hard. Getting opportunities is easy, taking advantage of them is hard.

Secrets are easy, confession is hard. Mistakes are easy, correcting them is hard. Dependence is easy, independence is hard. Betrayal is easy, loyalty is hard. Dishonesty is easy, integrity is hard. Immature is easy, responsible is hard. Dying is easy, living is hard. Lusting is easy, loving is hard.

Easy = less.
Hard = more.

Be more. Trust more. Cry more. Listen more. Get more. Give more. Love more. Live more.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

7th Grade

She has committed,
the biggest of them all.
She lied to his face,
and slowly watched me fall.

I cannot believe,
what she did to me.
It tears me apart,
that she can't hear my plea.

I was told to retreat,
and I probably will;
For I am not a fighter,
but just an ordinary Bill.

I was supposed to trust her,
and now I cannot;
And her smiles live on,
but I still might fall and rot.

I still cannot believe,
that I fell for that plan.
I can't even talk to her,
Can't even pretend to be a man.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Welcome to the Mind of Zackary Keaton Peddicord: Two-Part Finale

Love. Honesty.

Most people will agree that these two things go hand in hand. If you don't, you need to realize that real quick.

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: You have to love yourself before you can truly love anyone else. You have to accept who you are, accept your own strengths and weaknesses, accept your hopes and dreams, accept your values, accept your wants and needs, accept your personality, accept your appearance, accept your abilities, accept your faults, and accept your fears.

Understanding who you are as a person is the first step in discovering true love within yourself. Being honest with who you are as a person is the second step. Embracing who you are as a person is the third.

When it comes to loving others, it's simple: repeat the above steps, but for someone other than yourself. Find out who they are: What makes them special? What makes them laugh? What makes them cry? What separates them from the crowd? What makes them smile? What drives them? What do they believe? Why do they believe that? Who do they love? Why do they love them?

True love can't be defined. It simply comes from every possible reason, or even no reason at all. When you truly love someone, or yourself, you'll know. You'll know 100%, and hopefully, you won't ever look back. And once that happens, you're that much closer to being happy.

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Of course, no love would be possible without honesty. Like I said, you first have to be honest with yourself.

When I say being honest with yourself, I mean keeping true to your beliefs, actions, words, lies, thoughts, feelings, loves, fears, heartaches, passions, emotions, dreams, wants, needs, prayers, and hopes.

When I say keeping true to all those things, I mean don't be a hypocrite. You only have one life, so what's the point of going through it if you're just pretending? Pretending to be happy when you're not, pretending to love when you don't, pretending to not have feelings when you do, pretending to be dreaming when you aren't, etc.

If you feel it, show it. If you want it, take it. If you love her, tell her. If you need it, get it. If you hope it, dream it. If you hear it, consume it. If you like it, do it. If you think it, write it. If you believe it, trust it. If you love him, hold him. If you miss it, reminisce it. If you talk it, walk it. If you regret it, forget it. If you hate it, protest it. If you catch it, run with it. If you fail it, prevail it. If you drop it, regain it. If you love it, live it.

Be true. Be honest. Be faithful. Be loyal. Be loud. Be proud. Be humble. Be responsible. Be you.

If you don't love yourself, you'll never love anyone else. And what's a life without love?...Honestly?

Friday, December 2, 2011

Welcome to the Mind of Zackary Keaton Peddicord: Part Four

Opportunities.

When I was growing up, my dad always told me, "You don't know until you know." For some reason, I've always taken that to heart.

There are tons of opportunities that fall at our feet each day. Some good. Some bad. My question to you is, "How often do you take advantage of those opportunities?" Yes, I know, why would I be telling you to take advantage of bad opportunities? I'm not. So, listen.

I've wanted to be a hundred different things in my life: dump truck driver, fireman, meteorologist, doctor, lawyer, athletic trainer, accountant, professional outdoorsman, NFL star, actor, writer, Sportscenter anchor, teacher, and basketball coach....just to name a few.

I never really was sure which path I wanted to take, so I just went with the flow. I took advantage of the opportunities I had, the people I knew, and the world I was exposed to; I've tried to live life day by day, and to never live with any regrets.

I've never turned down an opportunity to try something new. I eat weird things. I go strange places. I watch movies that look terrible. I talk to people that are intimidating. I listen to people that I think are annoying. I put up with things that frustrate me. I accept things that I don't fully understand.

Are you content right now with the life you're living? Do you think there could be more? Have you skipped out on opportunities that now drive your conscience insane? Have you had an influence on other people in your life? Do your peers listen to what you have to say? Do you say anything that's worthy of listening? Have other peoples' lives been better because of you?

These are the questions you need to ask yourself. Find your opportunities. Live your opportunities. Don't wait around forever, because life might just pass you up before you know it.

Eat. Sleep. Ask. Tell. Travel. Dance. Kiss. Cry. Ride. Dream. Love. Be loved. Live.


You never know until you know; and you never know when your next opportunity might be your last.
Don't miss it.