the eugene bean

"Life is a beautiful struggle." Those words, from the hip hop artist Talib Kweli, pretty much sum up my idea of rejection and other daily negative situations. Life can suck sometimes, things can go wrong, feelings get hurt and emotions get dragged through the mud. But, that's life, and the way that I deal with those struggles is the most important part of my development.

I used to think that I could be so postitive because nothing really bad had ever happened to me. Well, that's a bunch of crap. I could list the negativity, the rejection, the bitterness and the sadness. I've had my share of hurdles to overcome. I made a conscious choice to examine the bad stuff so that I could learn from it.

And, I have.

I know that no one can hurt me with words, (my mom taught me that!) and I have learned that if some people don't love me I'm still lovable. I've learned to speak up when I'm uncomfortable regardless of what people think. I ask for what I need and want without fear of rejection because rejection only means that that particular thing wasn't right for me. I have learned to acknowledge my feelings and not be ashamed of them. I do not wallow in self pity, I may feel sorry for myself for a little while but I quickly move the hell on.

I try very hard not to waste the time I have on this earth. I have my one life to live and I'm going to nurture it with all I've got.