The Most Important Lesson of My Life

Thus far in my short life, I think the most important lesson I have learned is that I need other people. Granted, I am a fiercely independent woman. I do not need other people to do things for me most of the time. Of course, my friends, family, and I take care of each other, but that is not what I mean. There was a time in my life that after having a terrible day, I would have holed myself away in my room feeling sorry for myself and hating the world. Now, although my impulses still run in that direction, I try not to isolate myself.

Here is how my day went:
1) dropped Blackberry...broke Blackberry
2) microeconomics test
3) chewed out by boss
4) nobody showed up to meeting...meeting adjourned due to lack of quorum
5) ruined dinner...first accidentally cooked outdated eggs, then accidentally dumped cooked Ramen noodles into the sink...ended up eating cereal
6) after all of this, Andrew and Valerie were late picking me up, I had no phone to call and make sure I wasn't forgotten, and I was really fucking paranoid. When they arrived, I thought about telling them I was too exhausted and overstimulated to leave the house, but I decided to go.

So, Andrew and Val showed, and I followed them to someone's house. There was a large group of people, most of whom I knew. We played Dance Dance Revolution. I suck, but it was fun. We laughed, talked, joked, and had this Venezuelan bread stuff courtesy of a Venezuelan friend at the gathering. By the time it was over, I'd forgotten how upset and alone I had felt before leaving.

I guess what I am saying is that feeling alone sometimes leads to self-defeating behavior. By hiding away, you reinforce those feelings of loneliness by MAKING yourself alone. At any rate, human beings, even the those as reclusive as I have been at times, need to socialize with other people to be happy. I regret that I did not learn this lesson until years after puberty, but the current happiness is all the sweeter because of my not-so-happy experiences as a school kid.

In case Val, Andrew, Sam, Dustin, Gaby, or any of the others ever read this, thank you for keeping me out of a rut. I know you didn't realize you were doing it, but you all made me feel welcome and full of life, and that is always much appreciated.

Note to anyone reading this: expect my next blog to be about marking off the next experience on my list of things to do before I die. ;)