The Royalty Revealed

Hi there blog :)

For how exhausted I usually am when I get home from classes and work during the day, it amazes me that I have the time to continue thinking when I sleep: I mainly just pass out from the sheer exhaustion of things. However, a few nights ago, I was lying awake in that awkward state somewhere between conscious and asleep, thinking about the paths my life has taken over the past four years, and it made me really stop and think about something. Granted you, I make the disclaimer that I choose to live in my fantasy world when the stresses and realities of life become too much, so take what I've written below for what you will.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Pokemon (of course) and I happened to come across the episode where Ash decided to head out west to the Johto League, which at the time was a region previously unexplored by all but a few trainers. When he arrived at the region, one of the first battles he happened to participate in saw a character named Falkner, who told him "we do things a little differently out here in the Johto League." 

At the time, this seemed to be an inconsequential statement, a mere line in a story where there are thousands of others. However, when I was lying in my bed later that night, I stopped for a moment and thought about the realistic implications of that statement. When I was sixteen, my parents moved us out west and I was faced with a whole new set of challenges: accepting my sexual orientation, finding my strides in my personal and academic lives, learning who my true friends were, and finding my voice. In a lot of ways I faced the same challenges that Ash did: I was in a new place, having new experiences, and working towards one common goal: the bettering of myself and removing obstacles from my path.

In a lot of ways, I think I've succeeded, but there are other aspects where I know I still have a lot to learn. After four years, I've settled into my academic stride: I push myself to the absolute limit because I don't believe in taking life easy on myself - and that helps me to further draw distinctions between myself and my parents, which is something I work hard at. I pull 15-hour days four days in a week in a row and I always try to do at least one nice thing for someone each day. I'm learning more and more to become optimistic and view life in a positive way, as opposed to letting the past drag me down. I'm taking each day with a smile (after I allow myself a minute or two of inward ranting) and finding something to look forward to with every step that I take.

I'm not quite there yet, but I've definitely made significant headway towards accomplishing my goals and dreams.

To the next step, friends!