I have grown and changed much in the past year!

Many things are now extremely important to me, where before I was somewhat apathetic and admittedly immature in regards to certain aspects of humanity – one being politics. I have now learned that not caring only adds to our problems!

All that is important has become more clear to me than ever before.

1. As an adult, being kind, open, loving and patient. Letting go of any possible childish reactions and inhibitions [childISH..  as in 'immature'... not childLIKE as in innocent]. I tend to shut things out and cut things off completely when I’m reacting negatively to a situation; this needs work. It started when I was a child, and would simply lock myself in my room writing for hours, not talking about my emotions with anyone, almost secretively.

2. As a parent, being open, honest, affectionate, emotionally stable, and setting positive examples. One of if not THE most important thing to me right now.

3. Outward reflections of inner peace - exuding compassion, empathy, humility, reliability, not sacrificing integrity for any [selfish] reason. We all struggle, we all have a story, we have all experienced pain, we have all made mistakes. Reflect, accept, digest, reinvent, plant new seeds… GROW and let go of the past. This is the only way to feel some sense of peace within yourself. I struggle with heavy doses of guilt resulting from past mistakes and it is easy to be hard on yourself when you’ve done wrong. But others’ opinions matter not – if you can first acknowledge your wrongdoings and then work towards forgiving yourself, this is the important part.

4. As a human being – not acting like a human being!!! This is a priority. I want to project my spiritual side as much as possible. IGNORING what people think or say, or how I am perceived by others. Developing stronger senses of esteem and confidence, filtering people out of my life if necessary to 1) achieve goals, and 2) not be influenced by negative energy. Having GOOD MANNERS is important to me!!

5. As a spiritual being – connecting to my surroundings and nature, learning about my [Native American] ancestors, strengthening and maintaining a healthy, modest relationship to God, growing from mistakes, letting jealousies subside, staying on a simple path and surrounding myself with simple things, exuding thankfulness and appreciation for all things in my life. Sharing this side of myself with others is the biggest part of who I am, even though I am quietly spiritual and generally only discuss these things if I sense it in another person. But if you get me on this subject, I really come to life. If we can talk and learn from one another in this area, you will make me stronger and leave a permanent place with me… and hopefully I can do the same for you.

6. In my relationships, equal balances of respect, openness, understanding, loyalty, and willingness to exchange thoughts. It is highly important to me that whomever comes into my life understands and respects all aspects of who I am, whether or not he/she agrees with my personal opinions or perceptions, and you can expect the same in return. Our relationship/friendship may or may not succeed but the idea of pursuing any type of relationship is that both people learn and grow from one another, whether the experience is negative or positive overall.

7. Professionally, exuding dependability, consistency, inspiration, kindness, charisma, enthusiasm, quality, [and coolness, hehe].

8. The Sixth Sense, trusting in and listening to my intuition, dream significance and how it is more than just ‘relative to our waking lives’, the flow of energy through all things, and the idea that ’soul mates’ are more than just ‘the person we are meant to be with forever’…. you can sense your soul mates.. people you ‘click with’.. people who ‘get you’ naturally, people who have affected your life profoundly whom you still think of often when you haven’t spoken in years. I believe you may end up with a ’soul mate’ but just because someone is one of your ’soul mates’ doesn’t mean you’re supposed to be together….