Lessons Learned

It's been a while because I been debating on whether or not I should share this with people and I just sort of decided why not.

The grown ups always said growing up, "Son you're going to wish you'd listened to us old folks."  Here at the ripe age of 23 I can already admit that is partially true.  The true part is the advice and instruction they gave was typically sound and should have been followed.  But it is also entirely false.  Living life isn't about success in the sense of having the perfect relationship, the perfect job, the perfect education, the perfect background.  Life is all about the lessons learned along the way.

People have regrets about past decisions and wish they'd done it differently.  Some folks don't like who they turned out to be.  Some people still haven't learned the lessons of life and are still experimenting.  Those lessons though, they make your life real.  It's what separates the real world from television.

Think of how dull your life would have been if you'd followed ALL the rules and ALL the advice given?  You wouldn't have very many stories to share, you'd probably have less scars, and let's face it we all know you'd have less "rough experiences."  While sex, drugs, stupid stunts, drunken nights, skipped classes, hookie at work, and countless other "social experiments" might have have had their drawbacks, they're what have made you who you are.  Without all of life's experiences you wouldn't be who you are.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's one thing to be told, it's another to experience, and still another to learn the lesson provided.  Countless people go to college, do an experiment in a lab, and never figure out what the results mean.  Unfortunately some people even do this in the real world.  But for those of us who are able to analyze our lives and our little experiments, we all need to remember the data presented.  We all need to remember that it has taught us valuable lessons that we use on an everyday basis.

Do I regret some stuff I've done?  I'm human so the answer to that is yes.  Am I proud of some of the stuff I've done?  I'm human so the answer to that is no.  If I honestly had a time machine set before me and told I could go back and change it, would I?  The honest answer here is no.  It's what has made me who I am.  It's what has given me the outlook on life that I have.  It's what has built this character that I have, whether you deem it good, bad, or whatever.  It's the scars on my head, the tattoo on my arm, the heartbreak I still feel for past relationships, the tears that form when I think of the time I didn't spend with my now dead grandmother, it's all of this.  All of my stupid, stupid mistakes have shaped me into the person I am.  I was able to take those lessons learned and apply the data to my life.  I was able to reshape who I am and what I stand for. 

Do I still do "social experiments?"  Well, I haven't lied so far so I'll be straight forward here too.  Yes.  But these experiments, experiences, lessons, life, whatever you want it call it.  It's what makes me the person I am.  It's what makes you the person you are.  It should be embraced and accepted and not shunned and depressing. 

Hug your past, thank your present, and envision your future.
And most importantly...
Never forget...
LESSONS LEARNED