Remnants

We used to say I love you like breathing—
without thinking, without fear.
Now the words taste different,
like something once sweet
but left too long in the rain.
You still smile, but not for me.

I used to know your silence,
now it’s louder than your voice.
You used to hold me like you meant it,
now your arms feel borrowed,
and I keep pretending not to notice
how far you’ve drifted while staying near.

We were a promise half-kept,
a fire that forgot how to burn.
You gave me warmth once,
then left me holding the ashes,
asking myself if love ends quietly
or simply forgets to begin again.

I still wait for you in small ways—
in messages that never come,
in memories that don’t fade fast enough.
I still love you, somehow,
even when every part of me knows
you’ve stopped trying to love me back.

And here I am, caught in between,
where love used to live and now just lingers.
We are not together, not apart—
just two hearts pretending not to break,
trying to remember
how it felt before everything changed.

Resurgence

 Resurgence

Glad to be back!

The past few months have been a whirlwind. As the youngest son and an ESL teacher, I’ve faced my fair share of struggles—financially, emotionally, and in ways I never expected. That’s why I haven’t posted since the start of the year. But here I am now, and while I can’t say everything is perfectly fine, there’s a quiet sense of relief settling in. Maybe it’s because I’m finally home, no longer stuck in a place that stifled me. Maybe it’s because, despite their imperfections, my parents are here, trying their best. Maybe it’s because I have more control over my work and my space. Or maybe, it’s just the feeling of finally being where I belong.

It hasn’t been easy. There were moments I was completely drained—broke, exhausted, and silently fighting battles no one knew about. But I held on, clinging to even the smallest thread of hope. That little hope was enough to push me forward, even when I felt like I couldn’t take another step.

I’m grateful for the people who played a part in getting me here, but at the same time, I can’t say it was all because of them. There were times when help felt transactional—given out of obligation rather than genuine care. And while that used to bother me, I’ve learned to let it go. My intuition rarely fails me, and my pride? Well, it still echoes loudly. Maybe that’s a flaw, maybe it’s not—but right now, I just don’t care.

To wrap up this little reflection, all I really want to say is: I feel free. Not completely, not from everything—but free enough to breathe again. Life doesn’t get easier; we just get stronger, and I’m carrying my scars with more wisdom than before.

Here’s to moving forward.

Love,

Jonas

Pagsulay ug Paglambo: Ang Pagpasalamat sa Ginoo ug Pagpadayon sa Pangandoy

 01/01/2025
Pagsulay ug Paglambo: Ang Pagpasalamat sa Ginoo ug Pagpadayon sa Pangandoy

3:49 AM

 

Dear Akong Kaugalingon,

Una sa tanan, Malipayong Bag-ong Tuig!

Walay kataposang pagpasalamat ko sa Ginoo alang sa iyang walay puas nga pagkamatarong ug pagkamaayo sa akong kinabuhi. Karon nako mas nasabtan kung nganong gihatagan ko Niya og mga pagsulay ug kalisdanan. Salamat sa kinabuhi nga imong gihatag kanako ug sa akong pamilya. Bisan pa man sa kalisod ug kapobre, wala gyud Nimo kami gibiyaan. Ang akong kasingkasing puno sa pasalamat kanimo, O Ginoo.

Paglantaw nako sa miaging tuig nga 2024, di gyud lalim. Sugod ko isip usa ka clerk sa Savemore, apan na-layoff ko pag-May. Tungod kay walay kapilian, nag-apply ko isip crew sa Jollibee pag-June. Didto nagsugod ang panahon nga murag dili na gyud ko magkadimao. Di na maihap ang mga gabii nga naghilak ko tungod sa kakapoy. Walay kataposang pangutana ang nagdagan sa akong utok: "Hangtod kanus-a man ni?" "Ngano ako?" "Kapoy kaayo!" "Gusto nako undangon kini!"

Grabe ang mga pagsulay, ug murag di ko katuo nga human ko makagraduate sa kolehiyo, maabot pa ko sa punto nga mahimong underemployed. Wala ko nagdahom nga mosulod ko sa usa ka trabaho nga pwerteng lisura, ug adunay mas deserving nga posisyon para nako. Apan milagroso gyud ang dagan sa 2024.

Pagka Mayo, nakabalik ko sa akong kuya, nga abi nako magtambay lang. Apan naablihan ang oportunidad sa online jobs. Lisod ang sugod, labi na sa ESL teaching. Daghan ko’g agi-an nga kalisdanan, apan tungod sa mga leksyon ug kalig-on nga nakuha nako sa mga nangagi, nakabarog ko.

Fast forward:

Pag-30th of December 2024, nakakuha ko og kaugalingong laptop pinaagi sa installment plan, uban sa akong kaugalingong paningkamot ug sa suporta sa akong pamilya. Tungod niini, nahimo nako nga hinay-hinay nga matuman ang akong usa sa mga damgo. Dako kaayo kini nga achievement para kanako, ug dili ko maihap kung unsa nako kalipay. Nahilak ko tungod sa dako nga pasalamat ug kalipay nga akong gibati. Proud kaayo ko sa akong kaugalingon nga nakaabot ko ani nga punto.

Kabalo ko nga layo pa kaayo ang akong maabtan, ug daghan pa ko’g pag-agian. Apan importante nga i-celebrate nako ang kalipay nga akong naabot karong mga adlawa. Nakita nako nga nalipay kaayo ang akong mga ginikanan alang kanako, ug kana dili gyud mabayran.

Sa matag adlaw, magpasalamat ko kanimo, Ginoo, ug itugyan nako kanimo ang tanan. Hinaut nga dili Mo kami biyaan sa mga umaabot pa nga kalipay ug pagsulay.

Hantod dinhi nalang tingali kay buntag na. Malipayong Bag-ong Tuig! Sugaton nato ang 2025 nga puno sa paglaom ug kalipay sa kasingkasing.

 

Jonas

4:08 AM

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢'𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠 #𝟐𝟏  

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢, 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 "𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞." 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐈 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐇𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦. 𝐇𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝.   

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝.   

𝐍𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.  

𝐈 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢, 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞-𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭?  

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢. 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.  

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫.  

 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐦𝐢 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫, 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢. ♥️🐶

𝟎𝟗•𝟏𝟑•𝟐𝟒

Stoicism

Blog #20

Have you heard of 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒎?

It's an ancient Greek philosophy that emphasizes the development of self-control and resilience as a means to achieve inner peace and contentment. Founded by Zeno of Citium, Stoicism teaches that...

...𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕. 

Key principles include the importance of virtue, rationality, and aligning one's will with nature. Prominent Stoic philosophers include Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus. Their teachings continue to influence modern thought on personal resilience and ethical living.

𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅?

Blog #19

𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅? 

𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑰’𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 “𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈” 𝒊𝒔, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝑰 𝒂𝒎, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰’𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉, 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒎 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔—𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔—𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒕, 𝑰 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏, 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑰’𝒎 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑰’𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇𝒇, 𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚. 

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆, 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰’𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈.

-𝑱'𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒌

𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏

Blog #18

𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏—𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑, 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝑰 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒚; 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔. 𝑰 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒐 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒚, 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝑰’𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐. 𝑵𝒐𝒘, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅, 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐. 𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝑰’𝒎 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏, 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒍.

-𝑱'𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒌