I like birds.

I don't think that learning is really learning unless there's some pain involved. The more elbow grease I lather onto something, the better it seems to stick to me. It's not any kind of deep philosophy; it's just a truth that applies to most everything from learning not to wear your favorite white sneakers while mowing the lawn, because suddenly they became your favorite work shoes, to learning to spend as much time with your family as you can, because they aren't always around forever. I am learning a few things right now; some are new battles, others are old:

1. I'yam who I'yam. Sometimes I hide Elise because I forget how much I really like her. Just like anyone else, I have talents and I have things to offer and they ain't too bad. Every day, I'm learning to fill my own shoes and love them.
2. Life comes one day at a time. Gawsh, pity my roommates. I say this a LOT here in Club201. It's something I remind myself of often- decisions that are far down the road must be made far down the road, and the thing to do now is not to fret about things that will come when I am in completely different circumstances and able to handle them, but rather just to keep myself clean and moving forward and not too stuck in any one place. Let the future come when it will.
3. Opportunities that matter only come once. Only once the exact same way. Taking a look at the things I am really grateful for, I find that nearly all of them stem from a choice that was made that could easily have been made differently. The people I love dearly (even the ones I call my family) are with me as a result of somebody's choice. When trivial opportunities come, take them.

I love the symbolism of little birds. To me, they are the image of freedom. What it would feel like to have wings.

TBF