Class of April 2014 Part 9
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 684
Not living up to my potential has been a constant theme in my life. My parents hate that I work with my hands, not my brain. My middle and high school teachers that I've run into actually get angry at me for it. My university advisor was in my booth a couple years ago, and expressed disgust with me over it. It took me a while to realize that I don't owe my mind to anyone, and whatever potential I may or may not have is my own to do with as I please.
We only get one life, to live it for other peoples dreams or visions of success is to waste it.
We have every right to create the lives we want, others expectations should have nothing to do with it.
There's my rant on potential. I really hate that word.
We only get one life, to live it for other peoples dreams or visions of success is to waste it.
We have every right to create the lives we want, others expectations should have nothing to do with it.
There's my rant on potential. I really hate that word.
Formerly ScrewdUpInDe
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: In the Nightmare in my head
Posts: 5,329
But Adna to me you are living up to your own potential. You are doing something you love and by the sounds of it you are good at it. Me on the other hand I have been wasting my whole life.........
I got to stop this.
I got to stop this.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 684
I was thinking about this poem by Mary Oliver today. She's not really one of my favorites, I think she's a bit trite, but I do really like this one, and I think it's relevant, especially the first couple of lines.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Administrator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,473
Originally Posted by Adnamaeel 
Up, you've spent you whole life getting to where you are now. You haven't wasted a minute.
I think we've all kinda been around a while...we all have a few dents and scrapes and chips, maybe a few coats of paint...but all that adds to the character of who we are today.
It all tells the story of where we've been and how we got to where we are today...and we're all nonetheless valuable to someone.
Every piece is unique, jut like every story and each one of us, is.
That's the definition of special to me
Don't regret the past - it got us here.
D
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Long Beach, NY
Posts: 2,317
Originally Posted by ScrewdUpInDe
But Adna to me you are living up to your own potential. You are doing something you love and by the sounds of it you are good at it. Me on the other hand I have been wasting my whole life......... I got to stop this.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 801
That's a beautiful poem Adna- Thank you.
Good nite Up- you sure do have a way of packing a lot of wisdom into a few words. Although i do agree w Dee- this is just the beginning of the rest of your story- Don't forget it!
ST- that's awesome that you're like the grumpy old man- lol! Grumpy old men are funny (have you seen the movie, "second hand lions"?)
Top- loved your thoughts on expectations and serenity. I had some similar ones today.
Kat- that cake looks beautiful and yummy!
I went to the grocery store and heard the pesky little AV say something about it being a holiday and why not? But I quickly shut her up with a box of little Debbie's. I've discovered, there are not many problems that can not be solved with chocolate.
Nite everyone!
Good nite Up- you sure do have a way of packing a lot of wisdom into a few words
. Although i do agree w Dee- this is just the beginning of the rest of your story- Don't forget it!ST- that's awesome that you're like the grumpy old man- lol! Grumpy old men are funny (have you seen the movie, "second hand lions"?
)Top- loved your thoughts on expectations and serenity. I had some similar ones today.
Kat- that cake looks beautiful and yummy!
I went to the grocery store and heard the pesky little AV say something about it being a holiday and why not? But I quickly shut her up with a box of little Debbie's. I've discovered, there are not many problems that can not be solved with chocolate.
Nite everyone!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Long Beach, NY
Posts: 2,317
Originally Posted by izzy8
That's a beautiful poem Adna- Thank you. Good nite Up- you sure do have a way of packing a lot of wisdom into a few words . Although i do agree w Dee- this is just the beginning of the rest of your story- Don't forget it! ST- that's awesome that you're like the grumpy old man- lol! Grumpy old men are funny (have you seen the movie, "second hand lions"? ) Top- loved your thoughts on expectations and serenity. I had some similar ones today. Kat- that cake looks beautiful and yummy! I went to the grocery store and heard the pesky little AV say something about it being a holiday and why not? But I quickly shut her up with a box of little Debbie's. I've discovered, there are not many problems that can not be solved with chocolate. Nite everyone!
. Although i do agree w Dee- this is just the beginning of the rest of your story- Don't forget it! ST- that's awesome that you're like the grumpy old man- lol! Grumpy old men are funny (have you seen the movie, "second hand lions"? ) Top- loved your thoughts on expectations and serenity. I had some similar ones today. Kat- that cake looks beautiful and yummy! I went to the grocery store and heard the pesky little AV say something about it being a holiday and why not? But I quickly shut her up with a box of little Debbie's. I've discovered, there are not many problems that can not be solved with chocolate. Nite everyone!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lowcountry
Posts: 2,762
Originally Posted by Adnamaeel
Not living up to my potential has been a constant theme in my life. My parents hate that I work with my hands, not my brain. .
Twenty years later , I reminded her of that notion , and she sincerely apologized, ...realizing just how asinine the thought was, and is.
I mean , everyone knows master craftsman are mindless idiots.
And for that matter , I guess all great musicians who use their hands must be too !!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 361
That looks delicious applekat! And nice job Izzy!
Love the poem Adna. Particularly the part about forcing yourself to repent in the desert.
It seems memorial day is a hard weekend for quite a few of us. Soli and ST, right there with you on the gloomy train. Self worth and feeling like you lived up to your potential are hard for everyone and harder still I think for people that have been covering up that fear of not having lived up to their potential or not being good enough. Sometimes I try to tell myself that anything I do today is okay as long as I'm not drinking. I can be a little crazy or goofy or angry or sad, but as long as I'm not drinking I can't judge myself. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
I myself am stressed because I have lab tomorrow, just received a zero online on an assignment that they told me I was excused from last week and told them I have a note to cover that day that I do not have. I'm worried I need the note for them to clear it and worried I will not pass the class if I can't get it cleared. Worry worry worry about tomorrow. Who knows, maybe they won't even ask me tomorrow and all will be fine. But I keep ruminating and beating myself up over missing something mandatory. If I had a job I would've long been fired. Sorry for the rant.
Love the poem Adna. Particularly the part about forcing yourself to repent in the desert.
It seems memorial day is a hard weekend for quite a few of us. Soli and ST, right there with you on the gloomy train. Self worth and feeling like you lived up to your potential are hard for everyone and harder still I think for people that have been covering up that fear of not having lived up to their potential or not being good enough. Sometimes I try to tell myself that anything I do today is okay as long as I'm not drinking. I can be a little crazy or goofy or angry or sad, but as long as I'm not drinking I can't judge myself. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
I myself am stressed because I have lab tomorrow, just received a zero online on an assignment that they told me I was excused from last week and told them I have a note to cover that day that I do not have. I'm worried I need the note for them to clear it and worried I will not pass the class if I can't get it cleared. Worry worry worry about tomorrow. Who knows, maybe they won't even ask me tomorrow and all will be fine. But I keep ruminating and beating myself up over missing something mandatory. If I had a job I would've long been fired. Sorry for the rant.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Too far up North
Posts: 284
I downloaded a cool photo edit app called Aviary and was fooling around with a pic from Halloween '12. I think it looks really cool! I had a lot of fun with that makeup. I wore a Betty page wig (that's why my hair's all pinned back like that) and put regular makeup on the other side of my face. I love Halloween! And it's OK to start getting excited about Halloween '14 because it's more than halfway here!
And the award for most random post goes to
And the award for most random post goes to
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Long Beach, NY
Posts: 2,317
Originally Posted by Soliloquy
I downloaded a cool photo edit app called Aviary and was fooling around with a pic from Halloween '12. I think it looks really cool! I had a lot of fun with that makeup. I wore a Betty page wig (that's why my hair's all pinned back like that) and put regular makeup on the other side of my face. I love Halloween! And it's OK to start getting excited about Halloween '14 because it's more than halfway here! And the award for most random post goes to
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Long Beach, NY
Posts: 2,317
Originally Posted by rockstonic
That looks delicious applekat! And nice job Izzy! Love the poem Adna. Particularly the part about forcing yourself to repent in the desert. It seems memorial day is a hard weekend for quite a few of us. Soli and ST, right there with you on the gloomy train. Self worth and feeling like you lived up to your potential are hard for everyone and harder still I think for people that have been covering up that fear of not having lived up to their potential or not being good enough. Sometimes I try to tell myself that anything I do today is okay as long as I'm not drinking. I can be a little crazy or goofy or angry or sad, but as long as I'm not drinking I can't judge myself. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I myself am stressed because I have lab tomorrow, just received a zero online on an assignment that they told me I was excused from last week and told them I have a note to cover that day that I do not have. I'm worried I need the note for them to clear it and worried I will not pass the class if I can't get it cleared. Worry worry worry about tomorrow. Who knows, maybe they won't even ask me tomorrow and all will be fine. But I keep ruminating and beating myself up over missing something mandatory. If I had a job I would've long been fired. Sorry for the rant.
Hope for the best tho it's just a summer class, I'm sure it won't be a huge huge issue honestly, I have gotten into situations like that before at school and skated out of them...hope it all goes well
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