Do not dwell in the past,

Do not dream of the future,

Concentrate the mind on the present moment.

--Buddha

For once in my life, I don't know how I feel. I'm not really quite sure how I'm feeling or anything. If someone asked me who I am, I would only be able to list the things I like, or what I like to do…. This bothers me.  Who am I? I guess I'm not really one specific adjective or a certain few… and I know this sounds bad but depending on who I am with brings out a different me.  I'm always me, but different qualities stand out stronger depending on the situations and people I am with.. I've been thinking about who I want to be… and I don't think that I can be who I want to be without appreciating who I am now, and what I have now.  I came across this quote recently from Miss Angelina Jolie, "I don't believe in guilt, I believe in living on impulse as long as you never intentionally hurt another person, and don't judge people in your life. I think you should live completely free."  So basically, if it rains on your parade go puddle jump, catch raindrops in your mouth, and dance in it. Inspiration comes from seeing the beauty in everyday things. I mean maybe I don't know who I am right now, but I am enjoying life to its fullest with everything in me. These little moments that occur every day aren't going to last forever, moments are temporary…but memories last forever. Never forget to take part in something you want to because it could lead to another flawless, romantic, comedic memory.  An unknown author once said, "To learn you must listen, To listen you must hear, and to hear means you have understanding." Understanding of yourself and life, go out there and break rules; Break the norms. Don't ever let yourself worry whether you fit someone else's standards, create your own. When you're mad, write the best hate speech you'll regret writing the most… When you're happy, share a smile with complete strangers, When you are feeling sexy, dance naked in front of your bathroom mirror…. Embrace every emotion you have because that's what makes us human. Learn to express yourself and do so, don't let life pass by wishing you had said something or done something, just do it. Act on emotion. Be spontaneous… Just be you. I'm realizing now at the end of this rant that I don't have to know who I am or be able to explain who I am, but just be me. Why do I need to be another definition, right? Stop analyzing yourself people; realize you are your own worst critic. Stop planning and worrying, just let life happen. Ashton Kutcher once said, "Don't believe in that old cliché that good things come to those who wait, I think good things come to people who want it so bad they can't sit still." You might not always score the winning goal, but those errors give you a lesson that maybe one day you can pass on to someone else; a lesson that might change someone else's life. Remember there will be hardships and there will be pain, but suffering is optional. We cannot learn without pain so Tough it out, and live to tell your story. Everyone has a story, kind of cool huh? We are who we are, we do what we do, and you may never know the reasons, but that doesn't matter. Life's an enigma. So I leave you with this, Practice makes you wiser, but too much makes you a whore. Don't try to learn everything because learning is endless, just go with the flow.

 Later Gators,

Mandi Kern