The path less traveled on

     Life is a funny thing. At seventeen years old, finally done out of school, I was more eager than most to begin university and start my life. I felt that I was ready. Steered by optimism and absolute certainty, I moved 5,000 miles away from home to a place that was unknown, uncertain and unfamiliar. Regardless of this, I felt that I was so sure in who I was that it wouldn't matter- nothing would change me, nothing would distract me, nothing could touch me. I was invincible- a girl with a plan, a girl with a dream.

    Now, two years later my reality has changed drastically. I have been torn down, thrown this way and that and in the process, I have lost my way. I no longer see clearly the end of this journey; the certainty and clarity of my future has now been muddled, recut and remade with every new experience and every challenge that is thrown my way. It is as if I have been thrown into the middle of a unknown forest with no map, no compass and no one to show me the way out.

However, this is not a disaster. Just because I am lost, does not mean that I cannot find my way. Just because my surroundings are unknown to me does not mean that I am trapped.

If I am without a map, I will make my own.

If I am without a compass, I will use my other skills.

If there is no one to show me the way out, I will make my own path.

We are all in charge of our own destinies. We cannot rely solely on others to find ourselves...

If you find yourself in a time of your life where there is no path, or the path is less traveled upon and unfamiliar... Don't be afraid to continue forward.

Don't be afraid to take the paths in life less traveled upon. The unknown is not something to dread or to be afraid of... It is something to cherish, a time in which you can explore, dream and learn...A time in which you can discover who you are..

Carpe Diem

Unpredictable. Ever-changing. Ever-moving. Life is funny like that.

Tonight, sitting in the University's library I look around me and think, what if?

What if I hadn't chosen this school?

What if I hadn't graduated?

What if I had never let go?

What if I hadn't left?

What if I had never opened my heart to love?

What if..... What if.

"Life too short to even care at all... I'm losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control."

Somedays, I break down and look back. I start to think about what my life would be like if I hadn't moved 5 years ago from  the very place that I knew as hell, to Victoria. I think about what would have happened if I had kept the same friends, if I hadn't gone to Africa, if I hadn't fallen in love. Who would I be then? Would I be even remotely similar to who I am now? Am I happy with who I am now? Is this the life I want for me?

We all do it. We all have a moment in our lives where we break down and ask ourselves, what if?

"If we don't move forward, we are just standing still."

We can ask ourselves what our lives would be like if we made different decisions, took different paths, met different people. In the end though, we will never know.


Life is unpredictable. There is no way we can know what could have happened.

Life is ever-changing. The things we used to want for ourselves change and evolve as we do.

Life is ever-moving. If we dwell on the past, we will miss out on the present.

All of us, myself included, must stop dwelling on the past and the what-ifs in life. We must accept that what could have been is gone, but what is and what could be is still alive. We must make the most of what is happening now, and dream for the future. What has been, was wonderful. What is, is incredible. What will be, well let's see shall we?

Carpe Diem. Seize the day.

Seize everyday, for the rest of your life.


QOTB: Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. -Mother Teresa

No longer beside me, but within me.

"She's in a better place." "God is going to take care of her." "We are sorry for your loss."

No one ever says the right thing. Someone just died, don't say they are in a better place because if you do, all I want to to is smack you for thinking that I am actually happy she is GONE.

Death is never easy to handle. While some of us resolve to bursting into tears, others remove themselves from everyone else... Others, like me, have no idea how to handle it. Should I cry? Should I be happy she is no longer in pain? Should I be mad that she was taken from us so soon? Screw this, I'm just numb.

I loved her.

I miss her.

This isn't easy.

R.I.P GG Harle

QOTB: Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

Remember when.

Do you remember those days that made your heart sore? Those memories that will never leave your mind, for they will always be a part of who you are, and who you will be. Look back on your life. What is your most favorite memory? Does it involve your family, your friends, an old love? Or does it just involve you? Was it a time of self discovery, of first love, or just a moment thatyou will always think of with a smile on your face?
What is your favorite memory?

Think about it.

Sign: "Need a ride to a new start"

   I have a lot of respect for my great grandma. Considering that she is almost 105, she is tough as nails. For years her only child has been pestering her, putting her down, and trying to do everything to move her out of her home, but yet my great grandma stood tall and told her to bugger off. "She always been a pain, so why should I show her any respect?" As my grandmother said this to me, I could do nothing but give her a look of disgust. My grandmother looks at her mom and rolls her eyes as she repeats herself, asking my brother and I the same questions she did only minutes ago. "How are you not bothered by it?" My grandmother asks, "Why do you put up with her asking you the same thing over and over again." Giving her my most respectful 'I hate your guts, but I'm gonna pretend to be the ideal grand-daughter' look, I just say, "Because grandmother, unlike you, she shows interest in our lives." The only response I got? My little brother yelling, "BURN".

Serves her right.

*sighs* Rant over. Three days into the holidays and I already miss school. It finally hit me this afternoon that this may be my last Christmas here in a long time.. With my family already talking about moving back to Brg.C, it's been a little rattling. Having lived here a little more than three years... I can honestly say it's the only place that has ever felt like home to me. I love V.Island. I love the ocean, the nature, the people, the community. For me, V.Island has been a gateway into a different world for me. So many opportunities have come up, giving me the chance to spread my wings and really be something. I can confidentially say that if we hadn't moved here, I wouldn't be the person I am. I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people here, whether it was through school, the shelter, Red cross or just around. Individuality is not rare here, it is a requirement... And as much as it makes me sad to know that soon I'll be leaving, I can't wait for the new opportunites that lay just beyond the horizon. Soon, I'll be on my own, making my own decisions, my own mistakes and my own memories. I will take everything I have ever learnt, experienced and cherished from V.Island with me to my new home... For even though living here has been just a short part of my life's path, it has helped shape me into who I am today.


QOTB:The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post.

"You are beautiful."

     As I was on my way home yesterday, standing on the hot, overcrowded bus, my mood was dampened by the outcome of the day. Everything I hoped would go well didn't. As I stood there, mumbling under my breath as the bus lurched, causing me to grab onto the nearest pole to keep myself from falling, I felt a rough texture under my hand, and as I looked to where I held on, I saw a written note, taped to the pole. "You are beautiful", was all it said. At that moment, I forgot about all the crap that happened so far that day and just smiled, for without even knowing it, some stranger made my day.

   Ask yourself, when was the last time you did a random act of kindness for someone? Whether it was paying for the guy behind you in line's coffee, randomly sticking a note in a library book for the next reader or just looking the cashier in the eye, smiling and said, "I hope you have a great day." Not a lot of us do anything like this, for we don't think it will make an impact on the other person... But in reality, we'd be surprised. Doing a selfless act of kindness for another human being is one of the most amazing things you, as an individual, can do... So next time you are sitting on a cramped bus, turn to your neighbour and ask them how their day is going. When someones hands are full, open the door for them, and when someone is having a rough day, be a shoulder for them to cry on. Never underestimate the power of an act of kindness for who knows, next time it could be your day that was made.

QOTB: Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Climb over the hedge, find another way.

   Life is like an enormous maze. There are millions of different ways to go, but you can only take one at a time. Sometimes you will do it alone, other times you will have others around you, perhaps there to support you or maybe not. One can never be too sure as to what lies around the corner’s bend, maybe a happy and successful life, or a trip to the loony farm or you may even end up figuring out that you went around in a circle. Still, there will be those few unlucky people that run into a dead end. Some, when put in that situation tend to give up immediately, while the bright ones take it as a different kind of opportunity, by choosing to see the positive in the situation and figure out how to work with what they are given.

   No matter what is thrown at us, we all know that our main goal it to make it to the other side… Alive. No two people can possibly have the same experience, for each one is unique, just as unique as every single one of the 6 billion people that share our world.