 After resorting to desperate measures to escape an abusive situation, a young boy hides away from the world on the cold streets of Toronto. Surviving beneath the trash and debris in a cluttered alleyway, he remains undetected until one unique passerby discovers him. Although unable to trust, something buried deep inside the boy is drawn to the stranger.
Jeremy soon finds an exciting new world existing beyond the misery he's always known. At the end of his journey, he discovers a safe place where he can have a normal childhood, access to opportunities that would have otherwise eluded him, and the unexpected friendship of a boy who will stand with him against any odds.
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 Well, maybe sometimes I hate people, but let me clarify. On a sliding personality scale, I lean more toward the introverted side.  Introvert. It's a term used to describe shy people, right? Nope. I'm not shy. I have no problem saying what's on my mind. I've been known to strike up conversations with random strangers. Just today, I launched into a conversation with a ridiculously handsome guy at the recycling center about the volumes of junk mail I receive. (No, shy isn't an issue) I don't cringe away from confrontation and in fact, don't particularly mind a good 'clash of wills' if I feel strongly about an issue. It really all comes down to where you draw your energy from. Some people refuel by spending time with others in social situations or by group interaction. These people lean more heavily toward the extroverted side of the personality scale. They require more energy to arouse their minds, and they gain it from other people. They feed off of the energy of others. They need it. Introverts do not require interaction with others to re-energize. Actually, too much 'socialization' can zap the energy right out of us and over-stimulate our minds, exhausting us mentally and physically. People can suck us dry. Literally. Instead, introverts need time alone to rebuild their energy and regroup. We require much less stimulation to rouse our minds, and do so best in a quiet and less socialized atmosphere. Although about half of the population is introverted, most activities in our world are created with the extrovert in mind. Schools encourage such activities, sitting students together in small groups to inspire socialization. Work environments are no different, with clusters of desks in offices with no barriers of privacy between them. It's acceptable, right? Sure. It's a grand thing if it's in your personality. If it isn't, too bad. What happens to the introvert in these situations? Already on edge and drained from this forced 'social interaction', we tend to sit back and let others do all of the talking. (Not to say we don't add our two cents in if we feel the need.) We miss a lot because we're too busy trying to gain some composure and assess the situation, thoughtfully considering the best answer or solution. By the time we think it all out, the opportunity is gone. Personally, I don't seek out social interaction situations, and I'd rather stay away from activities where I might be required to work in a group. Am I able to work side by side with people? Of course, I do it every day. Do I like it? Not particularly, but sometimes you learn to adjust. I find that I'm way more productive if I can do things on my own. We are sometimes called shy, unsociable, boring, or stuck up, but we are none of those things. Don't judge. No, I don't hate people. Sometimes I just need a break from all of the suckers out there.  All organs in the body are crucial for survival.
The brain is the system administrator, slaving away day and night to insure all systems are a go, cracking the whip to keep them in line and working efficiently. Without the brain, we would fail to exist. Without its decision making capability, we would wander around like imbeciles not able to determine our next move. Without its memory retention, we couldn't recall cherished memories from days gone by, remember what we did yesterday, or be able to recite the names of our children. (I have children??) Why then, does this trusted organ betray us? Deep down inside, something else pulses with ferocious determination. It is said to be responsible for feelings of sadness, love, and compassion along with many others. There are tons of quotes about the passionate capabilities of the ever sensitive heart. "She has a good heart." (I hope so! She's in trouble if she doesn't.) "His heart is in the right place." (Ummm...there's pretty much only one place it can be.) "Trust your heart." (I trust that if it's beating, I'm still alive!) “The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of." (Eyes Without A Face...isn't that a Billy Idol tune?) How can a mass of mindless pulsating cardiac muscle be credited with such emotional sentiment? I'll tell you why. It is because we yearn for hope. When circumstances seem desperate, it's the heart that whispers reassurance. It helps us continue to search for the tiny shred of possible in the impossible, for the slim-to-none chance in ten million, and for the concealed needle in the haystack. It is responsible for the spark of passion remaining even after our brain has told us to give up. The heart was programmed to keep the brain in check. It comes forward when our brain is torn with indecision, urging us in one direction or another. When the heart is winning, the brain rebels. It screams, "Don't do it! It isn't the right thing! You'll be sorry!" To which the heart calmly replies, "Look, sweetheart (Oddly, my own heart calls me 'sweetheart' in a seductive male tone) Just follow me. What's the worst thing that can happen? Come on, you know I won't steer you wrong." Sometimes the internal chaos produces feelings of sickness; the back and forth turmoil as a result of indecision. We blame it on nerves, but it isn't nerves. It's the battle waging between our virtuous heart and realistic brain. While the brain pummels us with cold hard facts, the heart argues a soft, but persuasive rebuttal that promises what we are all searching for...hope. You can't live without either of these organs. Which one wins? © RC Woods and rc-woods.com 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to RC Woods and rc-woods.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.  Choices.
We are all faced with them. Sometimes they're easy to make while at other times, not so much. Do we always make the right decisions? Nope. Do we learn from our mistakes? Uh....well, we should, but not always. Should you beat yourself up over the bad ones from the past? Let me first ask, will it do any good? We've all screwed up. It's a given - it's life - we're human. Even those people who you think lead the most perfect and flawless lives have screwed up. They may never mention it, and you'll probably never know about it, but they have. We all do. They've just chosen not to dwell on it, and instead move forward. But, back to beating yourself up over it....should you? Here's my answer to that question. You can take it as you'd like, after all, it's only my opinion. (And, we know what opinions are like, right?) No, you shouldn't. If you are, stop it! (I might add, and I say this loosely... If you're making the same bad decision over and over again, I believe you may have other issues needing to be addressed.) Today, at this very moment, let go of any guilt, blame, fault, or anything else you carry with you related to the bad choices in your past. The past is over and gone. It stays alive only if you keep feeding it a steady diet of your insecurity or guilt. You can't go back there, and even if you could, you must ask yourself... Do you feel lucky... punk? Ooops! <clears throat> I mean, would you really want to? It's what you do from this day forward that matters most. If you want to be a better person, strive for it, you will become such. Don't let the past haunt you. It will destroy this day as well as future days ahead. You've got this one life...that's it. (Unless you believe in reincarnation, under which circumstances you may return as another person, sloth, or possibly dirt depending on the level of wrongness resulting from your bad decisions.) Once again, it's your choice how you wish to proceed. As for me....see ya later, past. I don't live there anymore.  I've been reading an interesting book in preparation for my next exciting endeavor and I've found that I can apply the same principles to my own life. It might be because the book just makes an obscenely amount of sense, or it could be my writer's brain attempting to create something more exciting from a mundane "How to" book. (Actually, it's an interesting "How to" kind of read)
Either way, it's human nature to constantly attempt to validate our actions. We need a reason to do what we do, the promise of accomplishment for some long anticipated goal if only we take the proper steps. If we get that raise at work, we will be content. If we find true love, we will finally be happy. If we win the lottery, all of our problems will disappear. (I'd like to give that one a whirl!) If we write a book, we'll sell it, make millions, quit our day jobs, and write books for a living. (Go big or go home!) Seriously though, sometimes our goals aren't realistic; not in the context of how we think we need to accomplish them. There are times when we need to re-evaluate the things we want. NO!! I don't mean to give anyone the false impression I think you should give up on your goals and dreams...that's just a brand new kind of crazy! What I'm trying to get across is, sometimes we need to revisit, regroup, and possibly change things up a bit, choose another course of action to obtain what we want. The goal doesn't have to change, but perhaps the way we are pursuing it does. Maybe we're going about it the wrong way. As you know, there are more ways than one to skin a cat. Everyone wants something; love, success, notoriety, happiness. The list goes on and on. I've never met anyone who is perfectly content with what they have. It's human nature to always want more, or at least something different than what we already have. But, there's very little point in being miserable while you're trying to accomplish your goals and dreams. If you are, it's a terrible waste of something very valuable and irreplaceable called LIFE. If you're getting nowhere in the pursuit of your "happiness", whatever it may be, it's time to reconsider you plan of attack. It may take some serious thought, and you may end up feeling frustrated and ready to yank out your own hair (or maybe someone else's!) but, give it some time and you'll figure it out. There may be a few different ways to get to your destination so don't lose hope. I've found from my own experiences that all dirt roads lead somewhere. © RC Woods and rc-woods.com 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to RC Woods and rc-woods.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. |
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