The Luckiest

I find that I always do my deepest reflecting when I should be diverting my energy to some other immediate task. I am running a little late this morning, and an epiphany struck while clumsily jamming one leg in my dress slacks and juggling a cup of coffee AND typing (its an interesting sight).

While I should be worried about getting to work "on time" (which in reality is twenty minutes early as I am ALWAYS early), all I could think about was how lucky I have been throughout my entire life. Literally, my life has been a series of incredible luck. This little mental revolution sparked last night over drinks at Broadway Brewhouse, where I was telling my friends that I was one fat-ass little baby and weighed 10lbs at birth. My mom had to have an emergency caesarean section to give birth to me. I began to wonder if I was born 100 years earlier, would I have survived an emergency birth? Maybe things would have been just fine, but to my understanding, I wasn't an easy newborn to bear (you try forcing a 10lb screaming baby full of watermelon out of your body and see how that goes). Something to be thankful for right off the bat. That spark resurfaced this morning in the midst of my failed attempt to multitask.

So I sit here, shirt unbuttoned and stubly face, thinking that I am the luckiest person on earth, and I am so thankful for everything I have. I can't help but think fate might have a hand in all my endeavors. I got the job I wanted. I have a college degree without any debt. I am healthy. I am pretty awesome :). I have great friends. Everything I could ever want. I realize these things, and I am eternally grateful.

My life feels like an interactive photo album. One with pages and pages of memories of incredible people, and the exciting part is I just got started. Thanks for being a part of that.

"jimmy goes hungry fund"

I have been trying to commit myself to eating out only a couple of times a week in an effort to save money. Owning a home is far more expensive than I previously projected and "old faithful" piece of shit car has a new issue every other month. So, I am attempting to be a responsible adult and,thus far, it hasn't been working out so well. I actually sat down and attempted to figure out exactly how much I am spending on a WEEKLY basis on eating out on lunchbreak alone, and came to a depressing estimate of nearly 20 dollars a day on LUNCH, which is completely ridiculous.

I am happy to report that I am making baby steps into this adulthood thing and am eating tv dinners for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So yes, that means my car isn't going to be making that horrifying, loud shifting noise much longer, and yes that new roof I just replaced was expensive as hell (feel free to make donations to the "jimmy goes hungry fund"---beer and home-cooked meals gladly accepted).

dear ann coulter

dear ann coulter,

i think you are a piece of shit.

love,

jimmy

a day without rain

i was outside today, and i realized something that has managed to evade me for some time now. i stopped walking for a moment and looked up at the sky and was reminded of how beautiful our earth is and how lucky i am to be alive.

a little over a year ago, a friend that i had back in college passed away suddenly. sadly, that is how life works. one day you are alive and happy, and the next you are gone.

just admiring something simple like the beauty of a tree, or the happiness a dog or loved one brings you, should be a reminder that you are still alive. life is about appreciation, and the more you do it, the more you feel alive.

take advantage of the little things in life. take advantage of the big things too. you never know when something or someone will be gone. tell someone you love them and that you appreciate them, and remind people of how you feel. it is worth it. i promise.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Throughout every day life, everyone is guilty, at some point, of being let down over something insignificant going wrong. It is the smallest things that can put us in a bad mood or even ruin the day. The small bumps in the road are enough to make you steam or get flustered, but they are the very things that make a good day what is it, when it happens.

In story of Adam and Eve, the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the entity that showed the very nature of evil (indirectly) and cost the two the eutopic life in the garden. However, without realizing evil, the two never truly appreciated the good. The concept may seem simplistic, but the moral of the story is incredibly relevant and can be applied to just about anything in life.

My point is the small things in life that make you feel like your day is ruined are the very things that make your life beautiful. Why? They make you realize everything you have, and then you appreciate things when they do go your way. Without all the little wrong things, you would be so used to everything going right, that it would be just as bad as things always going wrong. It would just be routine. Boring, unappreciative routine.

So next time your day is going wrong, be thankful. That day is going to make the next just that more enjoyable. After all, you never know when your last day will be.

Dejavu

We, as humans, have an inherent desire to give advice, and most of the time that advice is an ideal solution. It seems so easy. We hear others' problems and the outcome is simple, and the solution is seemingly common sense.

So why do we never take our own advice? Life seems to be a giant, cyclical process where past mistakes are relived. Sure some people are more adaptable and others are just stubburn, but overall the concept is relevant to just about everyone.

Girls that like "bad" guys seem to always like "bad" guys, no matter what friends say. Party animals never really seem to become responsible, and people who are always late never will considerately arrive on time. We, as humans, are inherently flawed, and incapable of totally avoiding past mistakes, else at some point we would be perfect.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I always will---no matter what anyone says. That might sound dumb, but that is what makes me me, a flawed human.

here's to the nights we felt alive

Having just gotten in the real-world swing of the full-time work life, I have gone through a major transition in my life. No more college. No more classes. It is all work now, and the working world makes college look like a complete breeze. Though I will say I still look forward to making more great memories with my incredible friends and family, who God has truly blessed me with.

Looking back, college did provide me with incredible memories--some of which I will never forget. Those years really are some of the best years. From UTC to UT, I look back on all the parties and football games that made my college experience so unforgettable. It is so interesting, as we are taught so much within a classroom realm, but seem to take away so much more from the life experiences we have during those four plus years. The friends. The good times. The love.

Clarifying, a college education does do a lot for someone in a lot of ways. It definitely is a supplemental relationship between the studious side of college and the social life that builds a collegian's experience.

Reminiscing, I can't help but feel a touch of nostalgia for those nights with the Knoxville and even Chattanooga crowd that made the night feel so alive. Those memories that make you smile when you remember, or recall a story or even relive for a small moment in time, are the very thing that make you who you are and your life what it is. I wouldn't trade mine for the world. So here friends, is to the nights that we felt alive and, yes, tomorrow will come too soon.