soulmate

It has been said that humans used to be both male and female. They had two heads, two hearts, four arms and four legs. The gods became angry with this creature and they separated them into two halves. Thus humans were destined to spend their existence walking the Earth, searching for their other half.

I've heard this myth twice in recent weeks from two different sources. And because of that, I've been thinking about it A LOT lately. And talking about it. I'm lucky to have friends in my life who are willing to listen to my crazy topics of conversation. I have one friend in particular, who has only recently become a close friend, and he has opened my eyes to a new perspective on the topic.

Up until recently, I was certain of what I wanted out of life. I was certain I had found it, I just needed to convince fate that it was meant to be. But it turns out, I think there is something much better out there for me! Not to say that the people I have loved are not good enough, oh no, far from it. I think that the people who have been in my life up to now are irreplacable and I couldn't imagine not having them around. I am just beginning to wonder if perhaps I'm still in the middle of the search, not at the end like I thought.

I've always wanted a love like my grandparents had. The story, as it has been told to me, goes like this: Grandpa was stationed in California where he met Grandma. He liked her a lot, thought she was beautiful and he loved walking her home from church every Sunday. Grandma was playing the field. She liked Grandpa, but was ok with other men walking her home. Grandpa was NOT ok with this. Well, Grandpa got moved. He and Grandma started writing letters and she realized just how much she missed him. He asked her to marry him and she said yes. Grandma and Grandpa got married and he was immediately off again, seeing as he was in the US Airforce.

Grandma and Grandpa were passionately in love for the next 63 years, until the day he died.

I want something like that. I want my other half, someone that I will spend the next 60+ years falling in love with each and every day. I mean, who doesn't want that? Doesn't that sound ridiculously cool?

My friend, who I mentioned earlier, has told me that there is no better feeling than to love and be loved in return.

So, that's what I want. I want someone who will not only put up with my crazy, but cherish it as well. I don't want to have to convince someone that being together would be great, I want him to know it too.

I want to know on the first date that he was "the One". I want him to look at me and think the same thing. Conceivably, I want the type of crazy connection that could lead to an elope-ment with 24 hours. (Ok, not that I would necessarily do that, but I'm leaving my options open.)

Do you get my point?

I want someone who is just as crazy as I am. I want someone who will help me with what I want to do with my life. I need someone who is going to challenge me and compliment me.

Now...where to find him?

lindsayallison

the power of your words

I truly believe that one of God's biggest gifts to me was the gift of word. I LOVE to write. I love to read. I love languages (especially English, lol) and learning new words. I think I have a fairly decent grasp of words, how to put them together, and how to write down what I think and feel.

Having such a love of words, I have come to understand the importance of knowing the power of your words. I know that with a simple sentence, I can uplift someone or bring them to their lowest point. I know that I can move and inspire people, or I can spread hate and fear.

Corny as it sounds, "with great power comes great responsibility." I believe that my words are my power and that my responsibility is to understand them and to use them wisely by spreading light and love to other people. I don't always succeed in this mission, but I do try my hardest.

What I think is important to know is that even if words aren't your particular strong point, they still have power. I believe that all people need to realize that what you say is going to affect someone, even if it's yourself. Granted things like tone and intention count for a lot when one is speaking, but even taking those into consideration, people need to be careful about what they say.

"Think before you speak" comes to mind at this point. Again, it's another rather corny expression but there is so much truth to that. What people need to realize is that when you speak, even if you intended something to be lighthearted and funny, it can still hurt someone.

Take "you're such a loser!" for instance. Now, in written form you have no idea how I might have said that, you have no idea if I am picking on someone in a friendly, teasing manner or if I'm seriously calling them a loser. Even if I was trying to be funny and teasing, those words can really hurt someone. You never know what someone's trigger is. You never know what phrase, while in typical conversation might be perfectly acceptable, could really hurt someone's feelings.

Of course, there is no way that everyone (or really anyone for that matter) would be able to pause before every word they spoke to make sure it wouldn't hurt someone. The point is, if you find out you've hurt someone with your words, even if it was unintentional, I believe an apology should be in order.

What strikes me as rather sad is that putting people down is such a common occurence these days. Girls call each other such awful names, like "bitch", "slut", "whore", etc. It saddens me that this has become acceptable in society. No one even thinks twice! Probably because if they did really think about the impact of those words, they'd actually feel the pain that those words can bring.

Another thing I find sad is how often the words "love" and "hate" are thrown around. Those words used to have such powerful meaning behind them and it's quickly being drained. It doesn't mean the same thing when someone says "I love you" or "I hate you". Those phrases used to be used when a person actually felt those emotions. Now, they're just thrown out in casual conversation.

It's next to impossible to say everything you might say with love and kindness. Everyone has moments when mean, rude, and hateful words come out of their mouths. But I believe that everyone should strive to make most of their words come from a place of love.

Be careful of what you say. Because words give you power. Sometimes a power you never even knew you could have.

lindsayallison