it happens for a reason.

i

love

my

country

music.

i especially love the song

"This"

by Darius Rucker.

i've been obsessed for quite some time,

but i've really been thinking about the lyrics.
my favorite part of the song says:

"Like the girl that I loved in high school
Who said she could do better
Or the college I wanted to go to
Till I got that letter
All the fights and the tears and the heartache
I thought I'd never get through
And the moment I almost gave up
All led me here to you
I didn't understand it way back when
But sittin' here right now
It all makes perfect sense

Oh I cried when my momma passed away
And now I got an angel
Looking out for me today
So nothing's a mistake
Every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
Everything I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to this"

that's how i feel.

i know i'm young.

so very young.

but i've had my fair share of bumpy roads.

disappointments.

let-downs.

changes of plans.

plans i assumed wouldn't ever change.

i've come to realize nothing is subject to staying the same.

but that's what i've come to love.

i love that everything that happens in my life happens for a reason.

all the times i've been hysterical in my bed

or car

sobbing

because plans were changing.

things weren't going the way i wanted.

i can look back on all those times and realize that i'm glad it happened.

i'm so happy to be

here

in THIS place

and i wouldn't be here if it weren't for everything else that's happened in my life thus far.

it led me here to this.

well poop

isn't it amazing what paper can do?

money money money

it's crazy to think that money buys us whatever we want

even though we have to work for it.

working for it is the hard part.

don't kill me.

i watched this for the first time tonight.

i'm obsessed.

but let me tell you

that i don't think i'll ever be able to walk around campus alone.

i now have a fear of being murdered at school.

just what i need.

also.

random question of the day:

do you ever look at someone and wonder what goes on in their mind?

i do.

i really love life.

i love every little thing about it.

there is so much

beauty.

so many people that i learn from.

people that make me

better.

i heard a quote once that has stuck with me.

i don't know it word-for-word but it is something along the lines of this:

"surround yourself with people who are better than you,

smarter than you,

more accomplished than you.

being around them will naturally lift you

up."

i love that.

it's so true.

i learn so much from people every day.

regardless of whether someone is a successful businessman or

lawyer

computer wiz

..and so on...

everyone has characteristics and traits that i can learn from.

i love being around people who are far more brilliant than i could ever dream of being.

i love being with people who have a larger vocabulary than i do.

or people with exceptional cooking skills.

especially people who possess more wisdom than myself.

i love it because i take bits and pieces of them with me.

i look at people and think,

"wow. i want to be more like that."

so i take them with me.

i think people have naturally lifted me up.

i continue to learn from others.

daily.

i learn from the conversationalist at Target when i'm checking out.

or the person who i cut off while driving that doesn't give me the

"crusty"

as we make eye contact.

i hope to be a person that teaches someone.

what a wonderful thing.

like mother, like daughter?

people fascinate me.

we're wonderful creatures, really.

everyone is so incredibly different.

we all have different opinions, goals, ideas, and ways we've been brought up.

there is no right or wrong, really.

you can't look at someone and tell them they're wrong, and you're right.

but sometimes i want to.

i'm very opinionated.

but i'm also very open-minded,

at least i like to believe i am.

i guess i don't really know what i'm trying to say.

i know what i'm thinking, but i don't always know the words to say.

i'll try.

i had a conversation that won't leave my head.

someone said to me, "oh they've had a horrible life."

(referencing to a person i know)

it really bothered me.

i don't think you can look at someone and decide they've had a horrible life.

sometimes people have horrible circumstances,

but that doesn't mean they're life has been horrible as a result.

i know i don't know everything.

there are so many things i've yet to figure out.

but i do know what i know

and what i feel.

you CAN NOT judge someone before you know them.

[[[ judgemental ]]]]]]

something i think everyone can work on in some way or another.

we all judge.

even a tiny, little bit.

but stop it.

i've come to realize that most everyone is a good person.

most people don't strive to be bad

or mean

most of the time it's good people making somewhat bad choices.

we've all made mistakes.

we've all been judged for them.

everyone has a story.

a story of how they got where they are.

what made them the person they are today.

can't we just listen?

try.

please try.

sometimes i get these crazy gut feelings.

most of the time people look at me like i'm crazy.

once i saw this kid.

i didn't know him AT ALL.

i didn't know his name.

i knew nothing about him.

but i saw him and got the impression he was going through a hard time.

i thought he needed something.

a friend.

a hello.

someone to acknowledge him.

so i said hi.

i smiled.

i asked how he was.

i left from the encounter, not being at all satisfied.

it wasn't enough.

he needed more.

i told quite a few people how i was feeling.

"jasmine, you're thinking too much."

"you're fine, you're imagining it."

"you said hi, that's great! feel good about that!"

no. i didn't feel great.

i needed to do more.

so i got in my car

by myself

and drove off to figure out what more i could do for this kid i didn't know.

my friend and I got him some gifts.

something i felt like he could use.

we found out where he lived and dropped them off on his doorstep.

i felt great.

my feeling went away.

turns out,

this kid (who has a name, and i won't use it)

was suicidal.

i wasn't imagining this.

no one else paid attention.

everyone looked at me like i was

crazy.

thinking too much.

let me tell you.

i believe i made a difference to this boy.

i didn't judge him.

i've realized that people just want to be loved.

people just want to feel love.

everyone.

i challenge you to show a little more love.

be slower to judge.

quicker to listen.

quicker to help.

good people.

we're all good people.

nevermind, i'll find someone like you

i'm having an adele obsession.

i'm weird with music.

i pick a song

get obsessed with it

and keep it on repeat

until i find a new one.

right now it's "someone like you."

and all of adele, really.

this is my favorite part of the song:

"nothing compares

no worries or cares.

regrets and mistakes,

they're memories made

who would have known how

bittersweet

this would taste."

(regret)

what is that?

wishing you didn't do something.

wishing you could take it back,

take it all back.

it's a sad thing, regret is.

thinking about it, i don't think i really have regrets.

i've learned from everything.

every mistake

turns out to be a lesson.

sometimes a bittersweet one,

but a lesson indeed.

point of the story:

adele is brilliant.

life as of lately

sometimes i wonder why i do this.

why do i blog?

no one reads it

oh well.

this is for you sarah.

mom decorated the whole front of the house :)

cute siblings.

so excited to walk. love them.

me with kayla, getting ready.

loved this.

i'm a high school graduate.

i am done with high school.

with all of it

i'm done with the immaturity

i'm done with being around people i don't want to be around.

being with fake friends just because i have to.

being in classes i don't want to be in

hearing the dumb drama.

waiting to graduate.

waiting for a change.

waiting

waiting

waiting

i'm so done waiting. i'm ready to DO.

so that's exactly what i'm doing.

i'm working two jobs

saving for my apartment and school in general.

i'm doing what i want.

i'm being who i want.

i can choose who to surround myself with.

 i feel like everyone i know is so different.

so many people are still stuck in high school.

being sad, and letting themselves feel that way.

being stuck in bad relationships.

not going where they want in life.

seriously your life can be anything you want it to be.

you just have to make it that way.

i guess people's choices are making me somewhat sad.

roads that i'm not going down.

i'm rambling and i'm probably not making any sense at all.

deal with it.

my favorie book is "oh the places you'll go!" by Dr. Seuss.

i love it a lot.

even my quote

<<<<<<

over there is from the text.

i feel it especially relates to my life right now.

so here are some of my favorite parts:

"You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you."

for how long i've waited for this moment.

it's here.

i'm on my own, and i'm so ready.

i'm ready to see where life takes me.

and i'll keep you posted along the way :)



yay for life.

goodness, i've missed blogging.

i can tell this is going to be a very addicting and time consuming habit.

i love it regardless.

this past weekend, i went

SKYDIVING!!

it was absolutely incredible.

 

see, i loved it.

 

 

 

skydiving was on my lifelong bucket list.

is it cheesy that i seriously have one of those?

i keep it in my journal.

and add to it all the time.

i think it's important to make goals, and work towards them in life.

you have to know what you want in order to get it.

i have so many things i want to do.

so many places i want to see.

what's on your list

?