Words Hurt

Words hurt. That’s the title of my blog this time around. It’s something we don’t think about, and it’s something that affects everyone. Words are what make the world go round. We say stupid things when our emotions run high. We say stupid things to stupid people because we are stupid people. We don’t think about the things we say before we say them. And I am just as guilty of this as anyone else. Words hurt, and sometimes we don’t realize how much.

I’ve seen a lot of friendships break because of something that someone said during a stupid fight. When you make friends, you learn what they like, what they dislike, and how they think. You learn the best way to push their buttons, without even meaning to. And then when you end up in a fight, you use those things against them, most likely without even trying. Friends learn the best way to push each other’s buttons, and friends are the people who generally won’t push them. Or if they do, they know when to stop.

I’ve had a lot of friendships of my own have rough patches. No one is perfect. I’ve made friends, and I’ve lost friends. The best friendships that I have made have been through a lot of fights and rough patches. But I’ve fought to keep those friendships, and I know my friends have, too. Those friendships are stronger because of this, and I wouldn’t still have them in my life if it wasn’t a two-way street.

Yeah, we all make mistakes. And if there is one thing that I try to do, it’s to own up to mine.  So, I’m here to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry to everyone that I’ve ever said anything stupid to. I’m sure there are a lot of you. I’m sorry if I said something stupid intentionally. I’m sorry if I ever said anything that was extremely hurtful unintentionally. I’m sorry if I have ever done anything to make you feel less than human. I know I’ve screwed up, and I want to apologize. I just hope that’s a step in the right direction.

What to Do During Spring Break When You're Spending it By Yourself (Or, Spring Break Shenanigans)

So, through no fault of your own, (or anyone else's, really) you seem to have found yourself spending spring break alone. Now, eight days is a long time to spend with almost no human contact, or at least no face-to-face interaction. Just for kicks, I decided to create a list of things to do when this situation arises, in no particular order.

1. Order Jimmy John's. You'll get about 1 and a half minutes of human interaction.
2. Go for a walk--if it's nice outside. Extra points if you get a sunburn, double points if you get a sunburn in under an hour, and triple points if you manage to get a sunburn when it's only 40 degrees outside.
3. Teach yourself how to do basic yoga.
4. Read three books in one day (OK, technically it was three books in about 5 hours).
5. Watch The Lord of the Rings with cast commentary (seriously, you'll have plenty of time). 3 and a half hours per movie, extended edition.
6. Get yourself all dolled up for no reason--it's really relaxing.
7. Do about four loads of laundry. That'll take a good two hours, only because you get all the washing machines to yourself.
8. Write. Rewrite. Write for poetry class, write for fun, whatever.
9. Go on Facebook to see what your friends are busy doing, like a few pictures, and get bored after five minutes. Repeat as desired.
10. Watch a bunch of movies with no common thread; Ever After does not have to have a logical connection to A Knight's Tale, and the same goes for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters and Frozen.
11. Despite Netflix's recommendations, avoid watching Twilight at all costs.
12. Start three different TV shows from the beginning, with no consistent continuation: Parks and Rec, How I Met Your Mother, and Friends.
13. Remember just how grateful that you have your friend's Netflix and your other friend's Hulu. Yay for friends! =)
14. Make scrambled eggs. No, they are not the only kind of eggs you know how to make, they're just your favorite kind of eggs to make.
15. Clean your room. Clean your bathroom. Clean your room two days later, just because you can.
16. Remember that you forget to fold your four loads of laundry. Fold them.
17. Get really excited about watching a certain movie, and then realize you don't actually own that movie.
18. Scour your room that you've just cleaned for your missing beanie.
19. Scour your room for stuff to use after you have a sunburn.
20. Get really excited about the fact that your new (newish) laptop has Beats audio, and admire the sound quality.
21. Get really annoyed that the book Gone Girl does not have pages conducive to making notes.
22. Belt Taylor Swift's Blank Space at the top of your lungs, despite the fact that you have a non-existent list of ex-lovers. No one's around, anyway.