We all have them; we all cherish them; we all have a few that we can't bear to remember; we all have ruminations; we all have questions. Are there any answers out there? That's on you, but for me, I have some thoughts. Let's see if you can agree.

Memories are forever. I'll make this statement and stand behind it. When I'm alone in my bedroom and the walls are caving in, I am left with the memories. When no one is there to listen to the voices in my head, I am left with my memories. When I am so lonely, so low, I am left with my memories. I'll try to stay away from talking about choice yet again. You're beginning to understand the power of choice, and I won't beat it into your head again. But yeah, choice...

I can fall hard in love, crash, burn, get back up, scarred, nearly broken, always broken, never shattered beyond repair, always a thought, always a memory. The people in life are there to make the memories with, but we are the ones who carry the memories, our unique version of the events that transpire. We all have a different view. We all, quite literally, see the world through different eyes. Are these views similar, yes. But they are certainly unique. We went down this road when discussing paradigms, but here we will explore how the memories are shaped by our past. We will also discuss how our memories are shaped by our feelings of trust. Friendship grows, love grows, we grow.

I see the world as it is; just kidding, I don't do that. I see the world as I am. When I am happy, the world seems happy; when I am sad, the world seems a little less happy. I am not, however, stuck in this view. I choose the response, and I choose the final result. I could have been sad that a beautiful friend walked out the door (in a figurative sense). I could have been sad that she was no longer by my side (in a literal sense). I won't sit here and say that I was not sad when the literal and figurative events transpired. I will tell you the truth because that's what we're here for; lies and half-truths do us no service. I was sad. I was half mad; angry, bitter, and jaded are likely better words. I got over that. Writing this was the exercise that helped move me beyond those false feelings. Feelings are a knee-jerk reaction to the events of the moment. We are not required to hold those feelings. We make a choice once the moment is over and the memories remain. We choose to frame the memories. Will it be a nice, matted frame to highlight the beauty? I prefer wooden frames with a white inner matting and a colored outer matting. The color depends on the contents of the frame, and the color of the wood is also dependent on what we have to frame. Although, I tend toward lighter colors.

These are my memories. They are not yours. You can fuck off if you don't like my memories. I don't like some of my memories either, but I do not judge myself for making those memories (at least I try not to...). Where I can stand proud is the growth that comes from the memories. If I may, I make this suggestion to you, don't judge yourself for your past. Don't let others judge you for your past. Make friends with those who want the best for you. Judgey folks are the ones to cut out. Fuck them and their stupid bullshit. They hate themselves, not you. They judge to make themselves feel better; they must put you down to exalt themselves to a level greater than those around them. This is all relative, folks. The king of the trash-people doesn't like to see the peasants of the palace because they are forced to look at themselves in the reflection of others. Be a good example, be that reflection.

The choice belongs to you, and no one can make it for you. The work is yours to do; no one can do it for you. Don't let the world be the confine and definition of you. You choose where you will go from here. The path that led you to this point will not get you to any position other than exactly where you are today. You are perfect in this sense, exactly what you are supposed to be, where you are, who you are. (You know I'm talking to myself, right?)

Fuck, I almost wrote my real name... We'll see if I can ever feel comfortable enough to share that piece of information.

Too tire to sleep in the morning and too wired to get it right. I'm just the cliche that walks in this life. I am just a regular guy working through his own issues by writing in a fashion that may ring true in the human experience. I have the memories that make me, me. I can't be anything but what I am, but I can become more. I am becoming more. I am more than my memories because I have thoughts and dreams. I am more of my dreams than I am of my memories. The memories make me into this man, but the future makes me what I desire, my choices make me who I am becoming. I am making memories. Memories are forever. People are not, things are not, plants, animals, fish, they are all impermanent. We last forever; we last for the rest of our lives; the rest is questionable. Get comfortable with yourself because you're gonna be there the whole time. Like yourself, love yourself, trust yourself. You'll be what remains when the dust settles. Even the dust won't be there.

Give me a memory. This I will carry with me. This will become a part of me. I wish you growth and a lack of comfort; I wish for you to build strength. If you need help, I wish you the strength to ask. Ask me; I'm here. I will be there. This could dive into a deep discussion "here" vs. "there" but that's not why we're here today. Let's give it three sentences to provide a glimpse. Here is where we are today, and there is where we are in the next moment. We can be here while others are not here. If others are not here, we can hope they will be there because here becomes there, which becomes the new here, and we will see each other there. Time is our friend.

Without time, everything would happen all at once, which would deprive us of the loveliest enjoyment we have with others, here and there. Have we sped through time trying to get there without enjoying here? Get out of the head and into the here. This moment is your moment. How do you enjoy it to the fullest? How can be use this time to get to the there we long to arrive? You figure it out. I'm not at your here; I am at my here. I hope to see you there, and I hope you're well (mmhmm, used that on purpose). Smile, it's all okay. If you knew what the future holds, you would dance naked on the beach with joy. Smile, love, enjoy, and dance naked, my love.

This is Learning Made Hard.