Posted on by shirindawna

howl.

when i was a kid, i had an irrational fear of wolves. i was convinced they were going to come to my house & ravish me. clearly, ‘little red riding hood’ and ‘the 3 little pigs’ traumatized me.

my fear of wolves has since faded, but when i heard about this old native american legend, i was once again intrigued.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

just goes to show…not all of them are big, bad wolves. and there’s nothing to fear.

Posted on by shirindawna

oh boy.

i’m single again.

which means i’m dating. and guys are weird. and also amazing. and strange. and dreamy.

it’s no secret that i’m hoping to find my mr. forever. and if the recent boys are any indication of what’s out there, i’m simultaneously nervous and excited. i’ve been lukewarm about the whole dating thing recently…i like being single because it lets me focus on my favorite thing, me.

my absolute favorite thing about dating (besides the possibility of love) are the stories. every date ends in a fabulous story that i get to share with my best friends. (and you)

for example, there was one boy whose calls i avoided for over a year (if this sounds like it might be you. please stop reading. seriously. stop.) and then one day i decided maybe i wrote him off too quickly…so, we went out. (did i mention he lives over an hour away and drove down here just to take me out? i called it sweet, my brother called it desperate) regardless, it was a lovely time. he was considerate, nice, made corny jokes, opened my door for me, let me hide behind him during the scary parts of the haunted house, and didn’t try once to smooch me (which would have totally scared me off, i’m a little skiddish). so, i went out with him again. and (here’s where it gets good) he downloaded every single P!nk album ever made because he knew she’s my favorite. umm…trying too hard? now, i’m a big big fan of music…and i’ve been won over more than once by a mix tape, but this was too much. and then it got worse. he turned out to be one of those people that agrees with everything you say…doesn’t really form his own opinions. i was annoyed within 10 minutes. i found him completely obnoxious. which is unfortunate because he genuinely is a nice guy. boring. but nice. but i’m looking for a hell of a lot more than just ‘nice’.

then, there’s the dreamboat that i met over 6 months ago. i was involved at the time, so nothing happened. (i’m a good girlfriend) but we reconnected (thank you, facebook!) and he’s the perfect blend of sweetheart and asshole. intelligent, attractive, funny, and smooches like a dream. it’s rare for me to click with someone, so when i do – i don’t take it lightly. i’m not doodling his name in my journal yet, but he’s been taking up a lot of real estate in my head recently. and i rather like it.

it’s refreshing to know that there are still boys out there who can make you swoon and make you think. i like being challenged and i love me a smart boy (especially when he’s toned, tan, fit, and ready). i’m thankful that in the course of a week i’ve gone from lukewarm to hot for someone.

and grateful that when it comes to love (or like), i’m always optimistic.