Soulmates

Picture by Hihazuki

http://hihazuki.deviantart.com/art/Transcending-Humanity-448528914

"Maybe soulmates are just two ordinary people who are too stubborn to let the world pull them apart." - Unknown

A beautiful quote about love and a great story spark ^_^

Orginal source here: http://its-a-pack-thing-babe.tumblr.com/post/110407843686/because-rainbowserenity-wanted-to-see-this-insp#notes

Becoming (like) a diamond

I came up with this quote from a writing prompt, but now I find it to be true more than ever. It's important to believe in yourself, understand that you can be strong and you have every right to stand up for yourself.
I used to allow everyone to walk all over me, and I told myself that I didn't have the right to be brave, stick up for myself and just be myself.
It's one of those moments in life where you know that in order to get by, you have to create your own armor. And that armor can't be too weak or too strong. It has to fit you: your personality and your thoughts and dreams. It's an important lesson to learn that you deserve respect and that you have to be strong to deal with many obstacles in life, but you need to shine at the same time. Enjoy yourself! Become a part of something that you could only dream of and show the world what you are capable of.

Writing Prompt 47: What is your meaning of life?

42. Just kidding.

I find that a quote from Fruits Basket answers this question. Although in my opinion, living is the meaning of life. It's the great roller coaster, the ups and downs. Making mistakes, taking falls, but getting back up anyway. Appreciating what you have, and doing what you can. Believing in yourself. Growing and changing. Learning and teaching. So many elements come together during life. Change, loss, happiness, memories, moments you'll never replace. People you can't replace. Everyone has different reasons that they pursue their dreams, and they can only find that reason through the process of living.


 "We're all searching for a meaning to our lives. Everyone. We have to. Because ... no matter who you are ... I don't think anyone's born knowing the reason they're alive. It's just something you have to find as you go along. And it's different for everyone. There are as many reasons to live as there are people in the world. Maybe even more. So the reason for you being born, the reason you were put here in the world, I think it's something we have to find for ourselves. So we search within our hopes and dreams, our work, the people in our lives, in everything we do. And even if the reason you find is hazy or unclear, even if it's so tiny that you can hardly see it, the important thing is, is that you always have one. As long as I'm alive, that's what I want--to have a reason to go on. And you know, you can always find one, if you know where to look. The people in my life give me a reason for living ... I wanna live my life for the people that I care about. And someday, I hope I find someone who wants to live their life for me. So even when things are tough and it's hard to go on, it makes me want to try harder. Because, I'm not just living for me. I'm living for them, too."
~Tohru
          Fruits Basket

Roses and Thorns

 “Roses and thorns are parts of the same plant. Somehow though, some people are concerned mainly about the roses. The rose is not on the plant for more than a week, but the thorns are there forever.
Roses are teaching that the beauty of life will bloom, once you have taught yourself the lessons given by living with the thorns.” -Grigoris Deoudis

I saw this quote on tumblr today, and I thought it was beautiful and true.

We always look for roses in life, and who wouldn't? But we forget the many thorns that lead to them. I guess that's what someone means when they say that bad times are there so we can appreciate the good times. Stories teach this, for without the obstacles, how could the hero grow and change?
But still, this quote means more than that in my opinion. It's a quote about acceptance. Accepting the bad with the good is an important step in growing up. Understanding that good things don't always just happen and there are consequences to every action.
My problem is that I always look for thorns but I still expect roses. I go through life expecting the worst constantly, but still feel shocked and hurt when the worst happens. I guess I do this because I don't see the value of thorns. I only expect them and know that whatever I go through will be difficult and complicated. It's a grueling process, but it has become such a habit that I do this without thinking. Cringe for the worst and when it happens, expect it to be even more horrible.
I don't see the roses in my life. I don't see their value. I go through the thorns, expecting to come across at least one flower, but I have already set myself up for disappointment. All I expect are thorns, so all I get are thorns. There could be roses all around me, but because I focus on the thorns, I don't see them.
I'm not looking at the entire picture, and I have a negative bias that keeps me focused on the bad constantly.
At first, when I started doing this, I thought it was accepting the thorns, but it isn't. Instead of accepting the thorns, I am allowing them to control my life. So how do I step back to see the whole picture?

Photos by me