Life Lessons All Over the Place

So, 2010 has thus far been full of life lessons. Being a generous person, I am going to share some of them with you. Being a tired person, I'm only going to give you one right now.

Lesson 1: If you have to ask... you probably know the answer. Often the truth is painful and we let ourselves get blinded by false optimism. Instead, we need to recognize that the very existence of those questions and concerns is often a big indicator that something is amiss. Questions in this category include:
"Do you think he might be gay?"
Yes. He is. He's not playing hard to get. He's not "just really shy." Time to move on.
"Is this friendship worth reviving?"
No. Some friendships have a clear expiration date and trying to continue them beyond that time is likely to leave a sour taste in your mouth pretty similar to that of expired dairy products.
"Should I get bangs?"
No. Well, maybe you should, but I have curly hair and there's no way I'm waking up early every day to straighten those things. So... that's a yes if you're Zooey Deschanel* and no if you're a curly haired girl like me.
"Is my cat the cutest cat in the world?"
If it's me asking the question about my cat Violet**, yes, yes, a million times yes.

*Zooey Deschanel is a professional bang-wearer. Proceed with caution when attempting bangs.

**Violet is the cutest cat in the world. Anyone who says otherwise is delusional and just plain wrong.

 

Friendship lessons (and possibly some mixed metaphors)

For the past few years, I have been involved in a precarious friendship. I say this because there were always warning bells going off in my brain. Don't say that. Don't do that. You couldn't possibly mention that! I shrugged off my mother's warnings that any friendship that could be so easily thrown off course was probably not very strong. Instead I continued to walk on eggshells--at least when it came to certain subjects--and it all seemed to work out okay.

Now, as I go through a difficult period of unemployment, I am realizing that friendships are not supposed to be fragile little flowers. They need to be able to withstand some heavy rains, maybe even the occasional snowstorm. Great friends are more like trees than flowers. I am lucky to know some oaks, and I know they will be there for me through this rough patch as well as when life gets better. There will be other flowery friends--they make life a little brighter, after all--but I know now that mistaking them for trees will only lead to disappointment. Maybe some friendships just aren't built to last.