just alyssa

To my best friend's guy: So you're dating my best friend. Let me start by saying, I am NOT your enemy. I know there are tons of girls who are overprotective of their best friends and often interrogate you and might sometimes be hostile, but I am here as your friend. I am here to tell you that I am on your side, because I am on her side. Let me first tell you about our friendship. She and I have been friends for years. I've been there for all the heartbreaks and all the loves. I've seen her at her best and at her worst. We've laughed together. We've cried together. She will eat literally anything I cook and we always eat off each others' plates at restaurants. We stay up late searching new bands and finding new songs to fall in love with. She's always bringing me little gifts, just because that's the kind of person she is. She's that friend who is 10,000 times more attractive than me, but still firmly believes we are equal. S...

There comes a time when you finally hit that age where relationships, kids, and families start to come into the picture. You do the job thing and your life starts to take its natural course....or it's supposed to. The societal norm would be to go to college, meet your dream partner, get a job, get married, buy a house with a white picket fence, and have babies. Voila. You've done it. But what I don't understand is how this went from being a dream to an actual goal. People who get engaged look at it as some sort of success. A success of what? Capturing someone's heart? Finally following what society has shown you to be the "norm"? I, too, have had these same ambitions. They have just looked a little different. I am extraordinarily selfish, in that, I chose not to date in college (setting aside the fact that I literally didn't have the time) because I didn't want it to get in the way of what I was trying to accomplish. I didn't want a distr...

There's 2 things I've learned about life. 1st, nothing is set up to go my way. 2nd, I'll be okay. Sometimes, we grow up, convincing ourselves of the perfect life we will lead. We think, "Well today isn't so great, but 10 years from now, I won't even notice." I'm sure there comes a time when that statement is true, but so far--I remember 10 years ago just as much as I remember yesterday. Our pasts shape us into who are. The experiences we have. The friendships we develop. The faults in all of our perfectly laid plans. Recently, after quitting my job in social work, where I was for the past year, I was told that I looked happier and healthier. Really? After a week in a new position, I'm healthier? My position was definitely a struggle and I knew that. I just didn't realize how much it effected other people in my life. It was emotionally taxing in more than one way. I'm so used to helping other people and trying to be their ...