Since getting to know each other in high school, Albert and I became best of friends and today is his birthday which he doesn’t care about at all but I thought this would be cool.
When we used to go to college, even when we’d have nothing to do we’d just sit in either ones car and just shoot the shit and talk about things we’ve been thinking about lately, things we’ve read and how they relate to our life. We’ve had so many casual yet profound conversations that have led to countless epiphanies. I have tried to dig up a couple of those “light bulb” moments from the recesses of my memory to share with everyone else. Even though these are tiny bits of information, back then when I heard them they were new to me and very eye opening. Besides, it’s your birthday today Albert, so what better gift than to embarrass you bring up some nostalgia.
Light bulb moments thanks to Albert
1. How you raise your dog (or pets in general), provides insight to how you will raise your kids. Do you spoil your pets like no tomorrow? Is you one year old dog still peeing in the house and barely responds to its name, let alone follows any commands because of how much you suck at training? Or have raised a super-disciplined dog? If you take your dog to a large park and decide to be daring and unleash him or her for once in your life, do you yell its name hysterically so that it stays close to you because you’re… overprotective? All these little clues provide insight to how you may potentially raise your own (human) children because quite frankly how you do anything, is how you do everything.
2. You’re most probably feeling the same thing I’m feeling. If I caress a girlfriends arm and it feels smooth, that kinesthetic touch is most probably going to feel smooth for them too. Conversely if it’s rough or sticky, they’re going to feel that same stickiness. In other words, skin against skin is a mutual feeling, a great insight when it comes to intimacy. Trust that what you’re feeling is what the other person is feeling and go from there. If something feels weird or off, then change what you’re doing. Let your feelings, both physically and as an emotion, be your guide.
3. All the things that fascinate you, are completely unique to you so go ahead, deeply fall in love with them and yourself. You know all those little things that fascinate you? That combination of them is completely unique to you! This was one of those nice light-bulb moments because my love for clouds, canyon driving, cycling, and so forth, which all start with the letter C by the way, are what make me who I am. Somebody else might find chemistry absolutely mind-blowing and delve deep into it while I don’t particularly care for it.  So don’t assume that just because you love something, other people are going to be enthralled by it or “get” it. Embrace your fascinations and run with them because they are what give you joy and you’re more than likely to carve a niche for yourself if you keep doing what you love.
And lastly I’ll end this post with an eye-opener I experienced earlier this year. Albert asked me what it’s like to be a writer now that I have a blog. I replied with surprise and shock denying that I was one because I had never thought of myself as a writer up until that point. Albert replied staunchly with something along the lines of, “Oh no, you are a writer. If you don’t think you’re a writer you gotta change that! You gotta start thinking you’re a writer cause that’s what you are.” It was at that moment that I realized that I had a belief set inside me that to be a “writer” that I had to be an exceptional one or have a book published, but now I know that’s not true.
So thank you Albert for being a great friend and beyond. We don’t hang out as much now that we aren’t in school together but every time we do, we learn a bit more and more like this and I look forward to our top notch, top tier, high quality, grade A, USDA-approved hang outs.
