Importance of appreciation

Have you ever tried really hard at something and not really received the recognition you felt you deserved? It's hard, huh? Why don't we spend more time giving compliments to people, instead of just writing it off as work/quality that they should have been producing?

I'm going to take this out of the office and give it a personal feel. How often do you tell your friends you appreciate them? Sure you hang out with them, laugh with them and sometimes tell them you love them, and you mean it. But how often do you really outright tell them that you notice something they're putting effort into?

I've had a lifetime of trying to be a good friend. Make sure that whoever is close to me has what they need at all times, and if they don't they know they can come to me. When a friend asks me for help with something I always think, "yes, because I hope they'd do it for me." I've lived by the "treat others how you'd like to be treated" rule.

Honestly, I haven't been able to test this theory much. I haven't had too many times that my car has run out of gas, or I've had a broken heart that I need help mending; I just haven't. I just hope that at the end of the day, I have surrounded myself by people that wouldn't blink at a chance to help me as I haven't for them.

Back to compliments.

I always try to tell my friends I appreciate them. I'll often give them a sincere "thank you" or "you're a really great person" so that they know I mean it. And I hope that they do. What confuses me, is when people feel uncomfortable getting these sincerities. Are there so many people in this world that don't really say thank you that we can't take it?

Also, if you say something, mean it. Don't throw around words like "I will" or "love" if you don't feel it for someone, even if they're just a "friend" to you. Too many times people who barely know each other say, "Aww I love you," and they don't really care enough about that person to pick up the phone and call them.

I'm lucky enough to have people that I know mean things. I've also had a few times where people have been tested, and I've been able to see the results. I take it for what it is, for it's face value. Unfortunately, sometimes my feelings are hurt, but other times I find myself the luckiest person in the world to have found such genuine people. And I have found truly genuine people.

In closing, if I have said thank you, I'll help you, I'll be there or I love you... I mean it. Trust in that, and I hope that you'll always trust in me.

What's goin' on?

You wanna know?!

It's been a crazy, fun couple of weeks. I have been to Japan and back, and now I'm writing a feature article for the Astros Magazine :)

Japan? Yes, Japan.

I had the AWESOME opportunity to make my first international trip, and I loved every minute of it. It's a big world out there, and I've caught the bug to explore more.

I experienced a castle, shrine, brewery, aquarium, sushi, grocery store, other countries (Little World--kind of like Epcot), more sushi, different forms of traveling, looooong plane rides (18 hours one way), international shopping, Yen, bike riding on the wrong side of the street, riding a luggage rack and soooo much more.

It was the experience of a lifetime, and I have too many stories to write about. I'm thankful to have a family that supported me and a friend that gave me the opportunity to visit.

Thank you.

As for the feature, I'm pumped. It's leaving me a lot less time to blog, or really do much else work, but it's what I have been waiting to do.

Writing is a part of me I can't let die. Whether it is blogging for myself, a pro sport, or writing a book, I feel like it's where I want to be.

I thought about posting a preview of my story on here, but I might just keep that a secret, and hope that you purchase the magazine. I won't get any monetary credit for it, but I can promise the hard copy will be more enthralling than something I post here.

I'm going to try and get back into the swing of blogging, I know I've been slack about it. Sorry :/