I figure it is usually best to take any information gained via social media with a grain of salt. If sources and references are provided alongside an educational social media post, that’s wonderful; the majority of things we see on social media platforms, however, in an educational context, are often presented without any background information, … More Have you heard of the ‘let them’ theory?
This past Monday, I celebrated my 28th birthday. I feel as though I should stipulate that while I am more than willing to share my age with all of you now, I may not be so willing once I’m over 40. That won’t be for a while, though, so we should be just fine in … More Another year, another birthday
In case you’re unaware, this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. I imagine there are still a few folks out there scrambling to come up with some gift ideas for their mom, so I thought I would compile a list of some gift ideas to potentially help anyone out. Also, just as some useful advice for … More Read this for some Mother’s Day inspiration
Occasionally, I get the impression that being a good listener is a skill that is harder and harder to come by. I have my own speculations about the reasoning behind this lack of attentiveness in the context of listening, but I do believe social media and technology have been significant perpetrators. Considering how much time … More How well do you listen?
While I sadly cannot recall where exactly I read it, I often think about a quote I came across a while ago from someone commenting on the millennial generation as a whole. The message was implying that millennials, collectively, are a generation of people built on the foundation of pleasing others before themselves because of … More People pleasing: know when to quit
Perhaps I am isolated in this opinion, but I have always felt as though the concept of setting boundaries for oneself is often perceived as a negative thing. I speculate that a lot of us, when we hear the phrase ‘setting boundaries,’ cringe internally, or even have a mental flinch, if you will, regardless of … More The importance of establishing boundaries
I would bet money that just about every adult on planet Earth has heard the expression ‘forgive and forget.’ Typically, this mantra is shared with us when we have been done wrong by someone for whatever reason – we are told to forgive them for whatever their transgressions may be, and forget about the transgression … More Forgive, but don’t forget
I would argue that just about all of us would say we are busy. Busy seems to be an inevitable state when it comes to this thing known as life, and I find we are becoming busier and busier the older we get. While I’m not certain if we truly are taking on more duties … More The significance of designating time to spend with your partner
I’ve been told a few times in my life that I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I think this is a good attribute to possess, within reason. This idiom usually refers to someone who is quite open in terms of their emotions and vulnerability, and while the majority of folks wouldn’t take advantage … More The sad realization that some people really don’t care
Put simply, exclusion, in a personal sense, sucks. The concept of being left out of something isn’t one that I imagine anyone desires, and further, it shouldn’t be one that we wish upon others. Exclusion can be isolating, depressing, and lonely. I firmly believe that we exclude others, from time to time, unintentionally. I say … More The harsh reality of exclusion
A few days ago, I slept in. This happens to the best of us, but because I could literally sleep through a bloody hurricane, it tends to happen to me more often than I would like it to. One of my responsibilities with the farm is work affiliated with our poultry barn, which includes walking … More The consequences of projecting
I recently took on a new tutoring client. The client in question is 10 years of age, and, actually, they just turned 10 a couple of weeks ago. When this client’s mom first reached out to me inquiring about tutoring their child, I’ll admit I was a little hesitant to take on a student so … More Talking to children: a how-to guide
As I mentioned in the past couple of posts I’ve written, Blaine and I got married last weekend. For about a year-and-a-half leading up to the wedding, he and I have been preparing our future home with the help of our wonderful contractor, trying to get it ready for us to live in. I predicted … More Leaving home: a bittersweet realization
Relationships as a concept are a highly subjective one. No two relationships look the same considering no two people are exactly the same, so approaching a relationship with an objective mindset isn’t going to work out well. While relationships are subjective in terms of their composition, there are things within relationships that are, in fact, … More The significance of understanding boundaries in relationships
I think it is fair to say that the majority of long-term romantic couples struggle to keep the concept of dating alive and well. And, really, it’s understandable; I believe it makes sense that in relationships that have been in existence for a few years the idea of dating becomes one of the past. We … More Read this for some date inspiration
Every now and then I’ll stumble across a saying that seriously resonates with me. I’ll admit that the quote itself has to be rather astounding in terms of the message it delivers for it to remain with me for an extended period of time as my short-term memory is shit, but there are a few … More Need to vent? Read this first
I realize that the title of this post and what it specifically implies is a bit of a given when it comes to relationships, but hear me out. I genuinely feel as though this topic is one that has a lot of prevalence amongst all different sorts of relationships but isn’t necessarily understood. It is … More The significance of being transparent with your partner
A couple of days ago, my mom and I got into it. She and I bicker every now and then, but full-on arguing is a bit of a rarity between her and me, so when it happens, it ain’t pretty. I won’t disclose the topic that prompted the argument, but at one point I said … More How to stop speaking out of anger
The concept of combining friendship and business can be a controversial one, depending on who you ask. It’s a fickle verdict regarding the matter; there are folks who have had nothing but positive experiences in terms of mixing business and friendship, and there are others who might say they would never do it again. When … More The risks of mixing business and friendship
There is a saying that suggests those who are older than us deserve our respect, unequivocally. It is something that we are taught from a young age and are expected to practice for the remainder of our lives. There is some truth that exists in the concept of respecting authority, and in some situations, it … More Respect: earned, not given
I’ve mentioned before in some of my blog posts that finding and further sustaining friendships in early adult years can be tricky. For a lot of us, once we enter our 20s and 30s, the friends we made when we were younger, for example, friends from high school, slowly begin to trickle off of the … More A moment of appreciation for timeless friendships
I’m willing to bet that just about all of us know someone in our lives who is a complete and total unjustified asshole and lives their life abiding by the “I’ve been this way for this long so I’m not gonna change now” mantra. Often times, this narrative applies to older folks, but not necessarily … More Here’s why we need to stop changing ourselves to appease others
As many of us are aware, relationships tend to change a wee bit from when they first transpire compared to when they reach the status of being long-term. In the beginning, or ‘honeymoon’ phase of a relationship, if you will, sunshine, rainbows and puppies seem to blossom out of bodily ports and everything is covered … More The danger of getting too comfortable in long-term relationships
Listening is something most of us likely do not consider to be a skill, but rather an innate characteristic of being a human being. I disagree, however, as I do, in fact, consider listening to be a skill, and I firmly believe it is a skill most of us could use some assistance with. I … More Listening: a how-to guide
I am a firm believer in recognizing someone’s efforts and a job well done when appropriate. Perhaps this stems from a history of working at jobs where hard work goes unnoticed, because I’ve endured a few (like most of us, but regardless of where the incentive comes from to applaud people when appropriate, it is … More Giving credit where credit is due
Venting, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, typically involves a person unloading their stresses, anguish or frustration with a given situation via conversation with someone. It is something probably all of us have engaged with at some point or another, and a lot of us associate the concept of venting with positivity; getting things off … More Venting: good or bad?
Confrontation is something I’m willing to best most of us would prefer to avoid. Addressing an issue face-to-face with someone isn’t necessarily the most pleasant thing to do, and while at times needed, most of us tend to shy away from confrontation whenever possible. That being said, there are times when confrontation simply cannot be … More The beauty of straightforward confrontation
Maintaining healthy, balanced friendships is a relatively tricky concept. If you disagree with me, consider yourself quite fortunate; for a majority of us, though, keeping up friendships isn’t always a walk in the park. Friendships, like relationships, require effort, time, commitment and sacrifice, and at times, staying on par with multiple friendships and friend groups … More The reality of friendships when you’re a young adult
Honesty is something that I value. I always have, and likely always will, and I do believe being honest is a character trait in life that really isn’t overly popular among us. There is a difference between being honest and being blunt or brash, though, and I believe this difference is worth noting. Honesty in … More Is honesty really the best policy?
Projecting is something that a lot of us partake in, whether willingly or unwillingly. For anyone unaware, projecting is when we force our thoughts and emotions onto those arounds us, therefore it can be negative and positive. For the sake of this post, though, when I say projecting, I’m referring to the negative form of … More Here’s why we need to stop projecting
ontheedgeofeverything 