By The Way

2011 is finished at the end of today. It's hard to believe a year has flown by so fast. This year has been so much change and hustle and bustle. I'm almost excited for the mundane everyday life to set back in.

For this new years, I decided to do 11 truths for 2011.

11. Hamline university is the most amazing school ever. In my opinion of course. Besides offering fantastic academics and amazing people, it has become my home. Because for once, I belong.

10. I am who I am. No stupid social stigma or peer pressure will ever change that again. This year I learned who I am and although the process was long and painful sometimes, I'm aware of myself better than ever before.

9. Honesty I the best policy. Whether it's with friends, relationships, or just yourself, being honest about what you think and feel and believe makes life much more enjoyable. There is no reason to lie.

8. Love isn't simple. Part of love is being confused out of your mind because your heart is too busy being in love. Pain is part of love and so is happiness. The biggest thing to remember here is this; love changes us no matter who or how we love.

7. Time always seems slow, but it flies by too fast. This year seemed to drag on forever, but looking back there is so much that was so quick I didn't even realize what I missed.

6. Personal accomplishments are personal. I finished high school alive. I got into college. I moved away from home. I am OK. So many of those things seem inconsequential to most people, but for me, I worked harder than I imagined I could to make it this far. My personal accomplishments are personal.

5. People are individuals. Despite what we want, people are free to make their own decisions and live their lives the way they want to. We cannot change them, only our perceptions of them may change.

4. Wishes sometimes come true not exactly as we planned. This last year, I wished hard for someone to be in my life again. I got my wish granted, but it was an empty fulfillment. He was back, but nit where or how I wanted. Be careful what you wish for.

3. Dreams make goals for the future. We dream to process and understand our subconscious. The things we dream of are the wants our brain isn't always capable of saying.

2. Will power grows on itself. When we do something that takes a lot of will, accomplishing it makes us more confident and stronger willed than before.

1. Pain is not a sensation, it is a perception of a sensation. Pain can be mental, physical, and emotional. Pain is relative to the individual. It is not a pain tolerance, it is an ability to recognize a sensation and not perceive it of hurt. The things that hurt us emotionally and mentally can be avoided or they can be confronted and we realize it is only a temporary sensation.

These 11 truths are the essence of what I've learned and experienced this year. Some of it was pretty damn awful, but pain is conquerable. I did it. I made it through 2011 and 2012 is going to be a year to be remembered fondly :-)