"
THIS
TOO
SHALL
PASS.
""We’re so young. We’re so young. We’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time. There’s this sentiment I sometimes sense, creeping in our collective conscious as we lay alone after a party, or pack up our books when we give in and go out – that it is somehow too late. That others are somehow ahead. More accomplished, more specialized. More on the path to somehow saving the world, somehow creating or inventing or improving. That it’s too late now to BEGIN a beginning and we must settle for continuance, for commencement."
Written by Marina Keegan, who graduated from Yale University a week ago and was set to be an editorial assistant at The New Yorker on June 11th. She died in a car crash this past weekend. We lost a good one. | via aprilmayparker (via teddybear-hugs)
(via ftong)
choice
we are all incredibly different people
with different values, different upbringings, different opinions and personalities—that is unavoidable.
but it is in our uncompromised acceptance of a special few that we transcend these differences that separate us and form deeper connections.
uncompromised acceptance.. it’s a difficult ideal to strive for, and—i admit—i struggle with it every day. but in my efforts to achieve this ideal, i find myself growing closer to those who i choose to have in my life.
choice
a friend recently told me that with relationships, you must make the decision to embrace it or leave it. wandering in the murky middle ground in between does you no good, she said. though difficult to accept, i believe there’s some truth to that.
embrace it or leave it…
![thedailywhat:
Heartwarming Tearjerker of the Day: Meet Ramen Noodle, a teacup poodle puppy who’s managed to thrive despite losing his front legs, and who is the subject of a new photo series by famed animal photographer Carli Davidson, known for past series Shake, Fetch, and Pets With Disabilities.
He was probably a mill puppy, inbred to achieve his tiny size. When he was 8 months old, his first owner brought him to the vet, with a broken arm. Unfortunately, the owner did not properly care for his injury, she didn’t come back to get the cast checked until nine weeks later. At that point, to no one’s surprise, the arm was nearly eaten away by gangrene. By then, Ramen Noodle was listless and refused food. It was a wonder he survived.
Jaime Salata Van Tassel, his clinic caretaker, ended up adopting him. But Ramen Noodle’s struggles weren’t over.
A second injury cost Ramen his other front leg; this time he jumped of a chair and broke the bone. Again, one of the effects of interbreeding dogs for small size is week bone, so his single teacup poodle arm broke so badly it could not be mended. While Jaime was devastated, Ramen surprised everyone and bounced back.
“Ramen gets around the house on his hind legs,” Jaime says. “I’ve watched him run at full-speed for toys, and to play with other dogs, he is essentially unrestricted despite his lack of front arms. … it’s like it never happened.”
[mmm]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m48g2tzqgc1qzpwi0o1_500.jpg)
Heartwarming Tearjerker of the Day: Meet Ramen Noodle, a teacup poodle puppy who’s managed to thrive despite losing his front legs, and who is the subject of a new photo series by famed animal photographer Carli Davidson, known for past series Shake, Fetch, and Pets With Disabilities.
He was probably a mill puppy, inbred to achieve his tiny size. When he was 8 months old, his first owner brought him to the vet, with a broken arm. Unfortunately, the owner did not properly care for his injury, she didn’t come back to get the cast checked until nine weeks later. At that point, to no one’s surprise, the arm was nearly eaten away by gangrene. By then, Ramen Noodle was listless and refused food. It was a wonder he survived.
Jaime Salata Van Tassel, his clinic caretaker, ended up adopting him. But Ramen Noodle’s struggles weren’t over.
A second injury cost Ramen his other front leg; this time he jumped of a chair and broke the bone. Again, one of the effects of interbreeding dogs for small size is week bone, so his single teacup poodle arm broke so badly it could not be mended. While Jaime was devastated, Ramen surprised everyone and bounced back.
“Ramen gets around the house on his hind legs,” Jaime says. “I’ve watched him run at full-speed for toys, and to play with other dogs, he is essentially unrestricted despite his lack of front arms. … it’s like it never happened.”
[mmm]
love, respect, and understanding
it is a rare woman (or man) who has a friend for whom she can confess all of the above feelings. i do. and boy am i grateful.
this girl is probably the closest person to mother theresa that i know—and no, i am not exaggerating. she is infinitely caring and selfless, and always makes me strive to be a better person.
she recently helped me through a difficult time, and made me realize that my ways were flawed. no, not in the way of harsh criticism, but rather through a quiet sincerity that makes you come to terms with painful truths that are hard to accept. honest criticism is hard to come by from friends, and only those who truly care will overcome the fear it takes to give such criticism (and not the sugarcoated stuff that does you no good in the end). as randy pausch put it, “when you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore that’s a very bad place to be. your critics are the ones telling you that they still love you and care.”
we have shared many struggles through our years together, and i am always amazed at how well we can understand each other’s problems despite the gaps in time that separate us.
thank you for being such a wise and patient friend. you are a much more amazing person than you realize or give yourself credit for. really.
i’ll end on a quote that i recently stumbled upon, which reminded me of you:
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
don’t be afraid to let go of things from your past that are holding you back.
if you don’t let go of your past for fear of loss, how can you ever set yourself free to a better future?
aloneness
aloneness is a really strange feeling.
you can be surrounded by so many great people, so much love and care, and yet feel utterly and indescribably alone. it makes you wonder if something is wrong with you (or if your hormones have gone seriously awry). but when you look deep within, there is always a cause.. the root of the problem.
when i think back on what gave rise to this feeling within me over the past week, it traces back to a sense of feeling abandoned when a person is most needed.
i feel that i am taken for granted, that my time and attention spent on some is less valuable than the time they would spend on me. i don’t typically feel disappointment from those i don’t care about, because i’m not one to dole out my time or affection to people i don’t truly like (hypocrisy is the last thing i can deal with in myself). but maybe that’s why the sting of disappointment comes even stronger, because it comes from those who i care about, those who i deem important in my mind. because i expect a lot of me when it comes to their needs, and i hope for the same consideration in return. my time is no less valuable than anyone else’s.
i feel sad and disappointed, and i don’t like myself for that. it’s not a place i want to be at right now.
