Finz and I crossing the Golden Gate Bridge during the San Francisco Half Marathon.....our first half together....step-for-step...nothin but awesome :) It was still really difficult, but I guess I should have trained much harder...
Wow, can 3 months pass any quicker than they just did? Man, where DOES the time go... You'd think that I'd have some cool story to say what's been keeping me so tied up recently, but I don't. Yes, there's been a lot of things going on...running, working out, wedding planning, moving planning, etc...but nothing out of the ordinary. But lately it seems as though its a little overload on this lil brain of mine...I've been forgetting lil things like closing a window here and there and forgetting to close all doors. All tell-tale signs of...SLOW DOWN Jay. Maybe it's God's way of saying, "Dude, rerrax!" So here it is...the attempt to slow things down. Chill a little bit more, and just veg out. I've actually been reading more often again lately, so maybe I can just get more into writing during chill time too. Gotta plan...to be
less planned...how odd.
of Speaking UP, or Speaking OUT?Speaking of odd, I find it just so when I want to write about so many things, but then the hecticity of life gets in the way and the writing...well, gets put on the proverbial back burner, and poof, it's forgotten. I guess I've been keeping up with the writing, in a very loose manner of...
writing - if one can count Yelping as an actual written expression. But at least my fingers and my thoughts are on the go in some sort of creative fashion, right?
Of confronationalismWhy is the word "confrontational" taken in such a negative light? We often label people as confrontational, and when we do so, it leans more on the derogatory rather than the constructive. Yet, being confrontational is often seen as a strength because it shows one's assertiveness. One of those weird catch 22's - if you're not saying anything at all, you're too quiet, and if you
do decide to speak up, you're confrontational...in said negative light. Now as far as
www.dictionary.com is concerned, the site defines the word "confrontational" as:
–adjective
tending toward or ready for confrontation: example: They came to the meeting with a confrontational attitude. Now even in definition, it seems to be tainted with more darkness than light. And again, we come full circle to the conundrum that maybe only I think about inasfar as this topic is concerned...that you almost can't win either way, he he he. And it would be nearly impossible to determine or confirm if someone was right in the perfect balance between the two sides. Someone who is just assertive enough to not be considered a negatively confrontational person; but since that doesn't exist, let's take in the reality...or a least
MY reality. Throughout my experiences, I've seen that most people lean towards the NON-assertive side. There is the saying that if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say it at all, but I don't believe that this quality plays any part in most people's non-confrontationalism, present company involved. I think it mostly has to do w/ avoiding uncomfortable situations, and at other times, downright fear of confrontation, even in the slightest. Even with a high likelihood of resolution, and a positive one at that, people remain silent. But it is the silence that often cripples and even causes issues to fester and grow. Rather than speaking out, most often we "bottle up" our emotions and thoughts...which can build like pressure in a balloon as it inflates, over time. We do not have the infinite capacity to contain it all and eventually, it all blows up. And then, the problem cannot come to any rational conclusion; because the reactions and post-reactions are so completely fueled that they burn the relationship bridge. So I think it's better to let out the pressure in small amts by speaking UP before the pressure builds and causes catastrophe. At times, it IS better to say nothing, but that is not often the case. So folks, let's all work on being more confrontational, and make it a POSITIVE thing!!!
Quote of the dayIf we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
