Part I and Part II: Completely Unrelated

Part I
There comes a time when life starts to get the better of you, and you just have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at things in perspective. Perhaps things will not run as smoothly as you planned, and perhaps your won't get that certain grade you so badly wanted. But priorities must be established, and the realization that you are not, in fact, superman, must dawn on you sooner or later. Better now than in the middle of a midlife crisis, as I like to think of it.


So organization is reassessed.
Certain communication is re-prioritized.
And the idea of prayer is re-evaluated.


Maybe I really can't do things on my own.


Part II
I always find it both touching and amusing when people come to me for relationship advice. Touching, because I'm honored do be seen as trustworthy and reliable. Amusing, because I have practically no personal experience to draw upon to help them out. However, I always end up saying things that, well, make sense... and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe giving relationship advice has less to do with actually having been in a relationship, and more to do with a history of anti-climatic infatuations and innate empathy and insight.


If you need a pick me up, or need a slap in the face, or anything in between, here are some of my thoughts on the matter:
-"Taking a break" from a relationship doesn't work well. How can you be both in a relationship and out of a relationship at the same time? Exactly. You can't.
-Most high school boys, and many college boys, and a surprising number of "adult" boys, lack the mental maturity to handle relationships well with intelligent, witty young women. (While we're on this, I must be completely fair: Many high school girls, many college girls, and a surprising number of "adult" girls, lack mental maturity to handle well-rounded relationships, too.)
-Don't idealize. Don't jump back into situations that were hurtful because the past has been romanticized. Memories do not always replicate the truth of reality.
-High school is a bubble, so it seems like everything. But it's not everything. And the fact that it's not is a beautiful thing.
-No boy/girl should ever make you feel the need to live up to his/her standards. He/she should make you feel perfect, not make you feel the need to attain an obscure "perfection."
-The prospect of being alone can be frightening, but not dating someone does not necessarily equate to being alone. Being alone can stem from a number of things, whether or not you're dating somebody.
-If you're single, you get to jam out to Beyonce's "Single Ladies." Yes, guys, that means you, too. "WhatWHAT!"--Burton Guster, "Psych"


And to close, a favorite quote of mine:


We have, as human beings always have had, an instinctive admiration for those who are apparently supermen, and our acknowledgement that we are not heroes goes with a sneaking with that we were, and a fear of what it involves.
-J.C.B. Gosling


Peace,
eleanor