"If you don't understand my silence,

then how will you understand my words?"


Sorry it's been a while. A long while. I wish I could tell you I have a reason, but I don't. I was just procrastinating. But I'll make it up to you today: four new quotes, paragraph summary about each. Okay?


So, the intro quote definitely struck me on my quest for inspirational phrases. If you haven't already tried this, then now's your chance: go to school tomorrow, or work, or anything and speak only when spoken to. You don't have to act sad or mad or anything; just simply stay silent. Notice who will ignore you, and notice who will ask you what's wrong. I've done it many times, and I've definitely made some shocking discoveries. There are going to be those who notice that something's up, but would rather stay away. Those that ask what's wrong, who are willing to give you time (yet still check up on you to see if you're okay) are keepers. They are the ones who understand your silence and will listen to your words.

• "Do not pity the dead, Harry; pity the living. And above all, pity those who live without love." ~Albus Dumbledore

Yes. You know it was bound to happen, right? That I'd bring in a Harry potter quote, especially one made by none other than Albus Dumbledore? I find that, believe it or not, some people don't know the true significance of this quote. Yes, they understand that he's talking about Voldemort, and how he has no love in his life. Blah. Blah. Blah. What I'm trying to explain to you is that your life will be useless if you decide to live without love. And I'm not saying that you need a sappy romance with a foreign hunk who sings you love songs all night . . . I'm saying that you need friends. You need laughter. You need family (doesn't have to be direct blood; close friends are family.) Because really, if you block everything out, the world will block you out. Your life right now can be changed. That is why we pity the living, because they have the chance to change. The dead don't. So change your life now before it's too late.

• "Don't think too much. You'll create a problem that wasn't there in the first place." ~Anonymous

Oh boy, do I have this problem. You know that moment when everything is spiraling through your head, and then you decide to focus about one little thing? It may have been a test you think you did bad on, or a misunderstanding between friends that should have been there, or why someone is mad at you, or whatever. You nitpick that problem to a tee because you want to make sure it's a problem, so that you don't feel guilty later when you find out it is a problem because you didn't think about enough. Well, STOP. It isn't needed. If you keep on looking at that one thing, your making it bigger than it was before. They say to write what you know, but also think about what you know. If you want to analyze, analyze the facts. Worry about that test when you get it back, then ask questions to see if you can fix your mistakes. Remember what you and your friend said and only that. Don't read between the lines, because chances are you will be misinterpreting something yourself. Ask why that person is mad, but don't fret if they don't give you an answer. And above all, don't create a problem that wasn't there in the first place.

• "The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places where no one has ever been before." ~Albert Einstein

Yeah, girl power! Nah, I'm just kidding. He means man and woman. But no offense, we are known to follow the crowd. We want to be accepted and we want to fit in. It's not that we don't want to be different, it's that we're afraid of being different. If one is in a group, or following the masses, if they slip and fall or make a mistake, they can either blame their group members or find someone to help them back into their old ways. But once you're on your own, your mistakes are solely your own . . . but so are your successes. If you decide to take the road less traveled, it may be dangerous and scary and you may find yourself lost in the wilderness. But so what? You took the risk, you take the fall, you do it again. And you'll be the first one to do it, and others will choose to follow YOU. Why isn't that worth it?


Some other quotes I didn't want to go to waste, yet I don't have time to explain:

• "Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." ~Anonymous
• "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." ~Maya Angelou
• "Before you talk, listen. Before you react, think. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try." ~Anonymous
• "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily." ~Zig Ziglar
• "Everything you want is on the other side of fear." ~Anonymous
• "No matter how hard we try to be mature, we will always be a kid when we get hurt and cry." ~Peter Pan.
• "There are three c's in life: choices, chances, and changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change." ~Anonymous

I hope you enjoyed today's quotes! Until next time,

Yours Truly,

Angel <3

We're all a little fragile.

Oh, the truth behind these five simple words. And the corny, cliche, totally-not-me-but-I'm-going-to-say-it meaning behind the butterfly wing in the picture.


At one point in our life, we've all been a caterpillar-lazy, slow, fat, and green. Well, almost. We've been in a rut, where we feel useless. We all know that good things come to those who wait, that we will all be butterflies one day, but we can't help but feel like we're the only ones that feel this way. We think we're alone, that we'll be the last caterpillar to evolve. We're sad, we're tired, we're so emotionally drained that at times anything seems better than the life we're living.


Then, very slowly, we go into the cocoon state. We're in that awkward transition phase, where we know we're headed for something better, but can't quite see it yet. 


Very slowly, our shell starts to break. We see the bright new future, the changed us, the butterflies that we're meant to be. We feel as if nothing changed, but we start to notice after a while. We have colors, we can fly, we're happy.


Yet, those wings are not meant solely for flying. They're there to remind us of our past, of how fragile and delicate we truly are. They remind us that we can always get hurt, but it's okay, because we're not alone.


You are not alone.


We are all a little fragile.


It's okay to feel down. It's okay to cry, to get it all out. It's okay not to think. Whatever anyone tells you, it's okay to be you. I can't tell you how many times people have come to me and wondered why life is so hard. They've been suppressing their emotions for so long because they've been taught to respond that way. They've been taught to be strong.


But you can't be strong forever.


It's okay to be you.


Yours Truly,
Angel 


P.S. If you ever want to talk about anything, feel free to leave a comment below and I shall send you my email, or something. <3

"Even after all this time . . .

the sun never says to the Earth, "You owe me." Look what happens with a love like that--it lights up the whole sky." ~Hafiz

Just beautiful.

I've been through every stage of emotion out there--just ask my best friends. I've been extremely depressed, extremely angry, extremely happy, and everything in between. But between all these mishaps, I find comfort in my friends. They are there to listen, to have fun, and to let me be myself. And never, ever have they asked me for something in return. I mean, they do ask for small favors, but they don't get sad and walk away if they don't get something in return . . . 

What I mean to say is that successful relationships, whether friendship, family, or love life, must not have expectations. You shouldn't assume that what you give is what you get. It doesn't always work like that. And if you do think that--that everyone will notice that you want appreciation, too, and treat you like royalty--then think again. I'm sorry, but you will be much happier if you just feel happy simply because you brought a smile to their face.

Much like the sun, I have been a "light" to many people in times of darkness. From friends to total strangers, they'd come and talk to me about their problems and I'd do whatever I can to help them. But at the end of the day, I'd feel neglected, because I felt I never got what I truly deserved. It wasn't fair that they just 'used' me like that . . . so to speak.

But then, when I met my two best friends (shout out to Rae and Brie!), they taught me differently. Suddenly, I was the one in need of help and they were the ones listening. And not once have they felt that way, as if they were being neglected. I can't tell for sure, but they never implied that they wanted attention. They found pleasure in making me smile, and I suddenly realized that's all there is to it.

That the best feeling in life is to help someone and not expect anything in return.

Hopefully, someone will do the same to you.

So, feel free to comment on personal stories, opinions, thoughts, what you want me to do tomorrow, etc!

Recap:

• Expect nothing in return.
• Carry out a kind act.
• Be happy.

I promise I'll get better at these :)

Yours Truly,

Angel <3

When in doubt, tell the truth.

Kudos to you if you know who uttered those words. He happens to be one of the greatest inspirations of mine, actually. He wrote Prince and the Pauper and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.


Ring a bell?


Yes, yes, it is my dear friend Mark Twain.


So, with his words of wisdom, I decided to look at his other quotes. And read his works. Soon, I was reading other quotes and other works and other goddarn awesome things and I just thought, "I can't keep this all to myself!"


So, here I am. A girl with a passion for writing that usually sparks at random intervals. A girl with a dream to travel the world and live her life yet still refuses to get up and do something with her life. A girl who listens to music constantly even though it creates thousands of plot bunnies that she's tempted not to ignore. A girl with an interest in American Sign Language yet knows she may never meet a deaf person.


A girl with a goal to tell the truth.


Though I try (and often fail) to write books, I am very fond of writing short stories and poems. But that's not all. I can't just write them on a whim. Somehow, somewhere I end up talking about my real-life experiences that, most often, can be related to by the majority of teenage girls these days. Yes, that is an admirable trait that (in the words of my friend,) "take what's literally in my head or in my diary and create it into a story that we can all relate to." Too bad the main guy characters can easily be correlated to guys in my real life. Yeah . . . not fun . . . .


Anyway, besides my rambling, I made this blog because I need to get my inspiration for writing back. I've been in a major dump recently, and I hope that these blog posts will get me back in the mood. Plus, I love reading quotes and surfing the web for awesome pictures!


I also love giving advice, so you can send me any messages you would like and I'll do a Yours Truly post anonymously, y'know, kinda like "Dear Ally" thingimabobs :D


Also, I just got into the habit of reading again. I mean, I do read, but schoolwork takes up most of my time, so the only books I do read are in the 10th grade Honors English curriculum. But nevertheless, I found time to start it again with Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I read 100 pages in one day. That is an accomplishment for me.


So, recap:

• This blog is for: Daily Quotes, Daily Pictures, Dear Angel segments, Book Reviews, and just having fun :D
• Mark Twain is awesome.

So, I promise I'll get better at these posts and not rambling . . . as much.


Yours Truly,
Angel <3