Thats Life

Dear Mocha, 

That's life (that's life), that's what all the people say
You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top, back on top in June

I said that's life (that's life), and as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks stompin' on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down
'cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin' around

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race

That's life (that's life), I tell you I can't deny it
I thought of quitting, baby, but my heart just ain't gonna buy it
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
Each time I find myself layin' flat on my face
I just pick myself up and get back in the race

That's life (that's life), that's life and I can't deny it
Many times I thought of cuttin' out but my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothin' shakin' come this here July
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball a-and die
My, my!

'That's Life' -  Frank Sinatra

Written by: Dean Kay

Oh Frank. Our regular scheduled program will continue next week.

When One Door Closes

Dear Mocha 

Where do I start with this post? I'm currently going through a tough time. I haven't decieded how open I want to be on this blog but what I will tell you is I am bit stressed and I'll have more time on my hands. I'm trying to stay positive, and thanks to good friends and family I think I have been. I've had family and friends reach out to me and tell me everything will be ok and they're there for me. If you're reading this and it sounds like you, I really do appreciate it. 

During this time, I'm reminding myself that things could be worse and counting my blessings. Though things might be rough now they won't be forever and I'll pick myself up like I always do. 

I've been asked many times why I think bad things happen to good people and my answer is always the same. You may think it's naive or whatever, but it's encouraged me and gotten me through a tough spot or two. Bad things happen to good people because only good people are strong enough to handle it. This blog was made because I want to pass my advice to my sister and anyone willing to read. I feel like I can give advice because I've been through some things that have made me a stronger and better person and I want to share that. I've been through bad friendships and great ones. I've had my heart broken and I've also experienced a good relationship. I've had medical problems, financial problems, and even fought my own demons. My aim is not to judge and condemn but to help. As I help myself out of this tough spot maybe it will give me more advice to pass to you? I do believe things happen for a reason and like a text I got today reminded me sometimes a door closes so others can open. 

Mistakes

Dear Mocha

 Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect. I honestly don't believe it's our triumph that define us but our mistakes and how we handle them. I think how we learn to pick our selves up and handle situations when we are in the wrong is what defines you. The triumphs we go through are like trophies on a self. They look nice and show what you've accomplished but they don't really show who you are or your character. Hearing about how someone fell into a bad place in their life and was able to pick themselves back up that shows character. Seeing how someone made a mistake put their pride away and was able to right their wrong shows great character.

  Strive for good things in your life, get those trophies (figurative or literal) but remember no triumphs are earned without struggle. And through struggle make you better person. Be a better person. Fight the good fight. When your wrong make it right. When you fall pick yourself up with dignity and grace not anger and spite. I'll never be perfect and I'll continue to make mistakes. I've learned so many times how to pick myself back up and how to write my wrongs more times than I care to admit. We will make mistakes but how we handle them is what will define us. 

 

Advice for Highschool Grads

High School graduation is here. High schoolers all over the country are filing into a gym or aditorium and saying goodbye to adolescence. Graduating from not just mandatory education but also from childhood. There are a few things I wish someone had told me or talked to me about when I graduated highschool. You may not be a highschool graduate but you may know someone who is and who you could share this with. Or maybe you could just benefit from this advice. 

First of all congratulations graduates. Take it all in. Feel that sigh of relief that and release that tension that is highschool, you did it! Now what. I have 3 tips after high school. 

1.) Move forward with ambition. 

You are now a young adult. You are responsible for your actions and expected to have some sort of direction. Expect a sea of "so what are you going to do now" questions. Whether you are going to college or straight into work, find that ambition to be an independent adult and move forward. It seems, too often people graduate from high school and have no idea what should happens next. They find them selves not doing what they want or not being where they want. It may sound cliche but you really do have the rest of your life ahead of you. You are going to have crappy jobs and terrible classes. But move forward knowing you are doing whatever you are doing to better yourself.  Don't loose you're ambition when you realize growing up sometimes sucks. Trust me, sometimes it really does. But work hard put your best in whatever it is you're doing and move forward with ambition.

2.) Talk about money and bills. 

I wish I talked to my parents or anyone living on their own about bills and money before I moved out. When I graduated I was so focused on going to school and being "free", that I didn't think about all of the repercussions. When I moved out of student housing I didn't really know anythig about water bills, electric bills and I definitely didn't think about my accumulating student loans. If you are going out on your own, I suggest talking to someone who already is. Figure out how much they pay for rent and other bills. Maybe they have some money saving tips or tips on living on a budget. If you don't know anyone who is on their own, dare I say it, talk to your parents. Since they have been paying bills for you to live with them for the past 18 years they probably know a thing or too. And whether you want to believe it or not they were once your age and taking on the world after highschool. 

3.) Last but not least, make the best and enjoy your life. 

This is your one shot at life, so make the best of it and enough it. Adulthood is not easy and it can be stressful. Majority of the time as much advice that you can get, you don't know until you learn for yourself. Sometimes that means falling on your face just to pick yourself back up again. You made it through high school. You passed your classes and you did your homework. You dealt with the high school drama and heart breaks. You pushed passed the annoying teachers, overbearing parents, and fairweather friends. You did what you needed to get through it all and now you are a high school graduate. I'm not telling you that the rest or whatever comes next is going to be easy, but from here on out your life will be whatever you want it to be. Your life will be what you make it, so make it a good one. 

"Good luck exploring the infinite abyss" 

Managing my Time

Dear Mocha 

   So I haven't been feeling well. So this is late. I'm sorry. My blog has been just Mocha Monday posts lately. I'm sorry. There's just been a lot going on lately to distract me. 

    I have a lot of things I want to do with this blog like update the layout and look. I also want to do videos and finally finish that Maleficent post. I have so many ideas but sometimes finding time can get difficult. 

    One of my problems in general is my job and managing my time outside of my job. Without being to revealing about my job, let's just say I'm not a fan. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned job frustration before. So when I get home sometimes I want to do nothing. I don't want to stress or "work" anymore for the rest of the day. And then I remember this is real life and I'm an adult. I have to remind myself that the laundry won't do itself, dinner won't cook itself, and a blog post won't write itself. I have to remind myself that I am not a magical being that can finish all the mindless tasks with a swish of my finger. 

    I've learned that being an adult sucks. Enjoy your youth. Not that I'm old, but responsibilities are not as easy as they sound. 

     So the best tips I've learned to manage time (what little I've learned about time management) is that writing things down and plannig helps me. If I see it written down or layed outed out in schedule I can follow, helps a lot. Having a schedule and sticking to it is easier for me. Also rewarding myself. Like reminding/telling myself if you just do this or finish this you can relax and watch tv for the rest of the night. Or just do this quick and you can have all the ice cream. Or just get this done and you can hoop the night away. 

    Basically, I need to take my own advice and manage my time better. I need to start writing things down and rewarding myself. I love this blog and whoever reads it. I need to put all the ideas out there for you to enjoy. 

This post is kind of scattered and random, you know why? Because I didn't plan it or manage my time efficiently. Ugh. 

    So note to self and anyone who needs it - get off your lazy butt and figure out the best way to help yourself. 

Count Your Blessings

Dear Mocha 

 Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like EVERYTHING is going wrong? Like you can't escape whatever curse you're under because a curse has to be the only way all these things keep happening. I know you do. We all do. It's those days that it's so easy to focus on the negative and all the things going wrong. It's easy to count all the bad things and focus on how miserable all the piling things are making you. When your ready to cry in a corner and eat donuts or smash everything you own with a baseball bat (I mean those are my two extremes) I encourage you to count your blessings. I had one of those days today, but it was the little things that went right and the little things that made the bad things tolerable that kept me sane. It was the blessings I had to stop and consider to turn my frantic mood around. 

I'm sorry if you're having a bad day or week. You have things to be thankful for even if those things aren't easy to see right now. After the storm comes clearer skies I promise. Hold on to the good things and count your blessings.