You want to know something? I really like blogging. I wish I had more to say and more to fill these pages with on a consistent basis. But instead of blabbering on anymore than I already do trying to plug out a blog every day, what blogging has really done for me since the beginning of this endeavor is make me journal more in between blogs and in turn it's made me really retain and think about things that go on in my day to day life much more than I used to: Conversations I have, quotes I read, movies I watch, songs I hear, etc. It's really nice to become more aware of everything going on around you because it makes you more able to avoid the negative things while allowing you to really pick out and enjoy the positive ones at the same time.
Recently I've really been interested in all the little things in life that can turn out to have the biggest impacts. What really made me think about this was a discussion I had with a friend of mine regarding the song "Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse, one of my favorite bands. (If you're not familiar with the song I would suggest looking it up, or at least read the lyrics: It's phenomenal) Now while the lyrics don't explicitly come right out and say it, I believe the song is about, more or less, how the little things that one person does can be enough to change the world. Granted this is my interpretation of the song but I feel that it is an accurate one. Even the title itself, Butterflies and Hurricanes, illustrates this idea of something as small as a butterfly causing something as powerful as a hurricane. I also think this piggybacks on the concept of every single thing that happens to you in life, every obstacle, every person you meet; is for a reason. With that being said I know that every single thing you do in a day won't change the world (necessarily) but it will have the power to change your world, which is just as powerful.
If you don't know already I'm a bit of a quote collector. Whether it's quotes that apply to what I'm going through now, quotes from people I admire, or simply random quotes that I find and like. I find it refreshing and thought provoking to have a knowledge of quotes that can often times really put things into perspective. Surprising to some, many of a person's day to day problems have been experienced by someone before them. Who would have thought? Anyways... I would like to share a quote that I recently found that I thought was very poignant and applicable to some recent discoveries I've made about myself: "Without freedom from the past, there is no freedom at all, because the mind is never new, fresh, innocent." This goes together with one of my favorite quotes: "Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is about as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum." These quotes coupled together make one really focus on being present, being focused on the right now, and this is something I've really been focusing on for myself.
But after a very illuminating and enlightening conversation with a new and wonderful friend I would like to add a caveat to this ideology: Free yourself from the past but know that it is because of getting through the past that you are who you are right now. Focusing too much on the future can sometimes be just as detrimental as focusing on your past. But the most important thing is to never be too content, never settle, with where you are right now. Mere contentment with where you are breeds apathy, indifference. I mean, you're put on this planet to love and grow and learn. People that say things like "Oh I know everything there is to know about that" are fools. Because you're never done, you're never able to just say "I'm content with where I am, I don't need to do anything else." You always have somewhere to go, and being happy with where you are and who you are is important, but it is just as important to know that there's always more to come.
In closing I'd like to go back to the Muse song I discussed earlier. You never know what kind of impact you can really have on yourself, on others, on the world; and now is as good a time as any to start figuring that out. You never know what kind of effect even the smallest ripple you make can have. It can simply be writing something, saying something, or meeting someone new that really takes your life down a beautiful new path. Like Richard Bach said (one of my most oft quoted authors/thinkers): "Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't." So if you're reading this, it's safe to assume you're alive, therefore you have more to accomplish, so go get after it! As for me: Life is amazing. I've got crazy butterflies. Butterflies like I've never had before. I'll have to wait and see what kind of hurricanes they make.
I love you all,
JB
P.S. Hey you sexy beast, you're going places.
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