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Life is So Very Unpredictable

written by Parita Leave a Comment

I’ve always been someone who is affected by tragic news to her core. But now, as a mom and a wife, it just hits differently.

Earlier today, I learned about a mom in her late 30s from the Atlanta area who passed away recently, and I can’t stop thinking about her, her husband, and her baby. There really are no words or thoughts that do this kind of loss any justice. It’s tragic and devastating. And so freaking unfair.

The somewhat generic thought I keep coming back to is this…

Life is so very unpreditable.

You can do all the right things. You can eat well and exercise. You can mediate and think good thoughts. You dan be kind and giving. You can be a fun person. An amazing mom. A loving wife. The bestest friend.

But alas life is unpredictable…you just never know what’s going to happen.

I pray that this woman’s friends and family find strength during this time, and that the people she was closest to fill her son’s world with stories about his mama. I hope her soul is at peace.

And for those of us who have been given the gift of more time, I hope we use it wisely. I hope we take care of ourselves. I hope we love our people hard. I hope we don’t leave words or hugs on the table. I hope we never take a single breath for granted. I hope we find ways to let go and just be. I hope we take our big beautiful precious lives and live them to the absolute fullest.

Because…

…life is so very unpredictable.

Sending each and every one of you an abundance of love.

Written on December 21, 2022 Related:Life

Three type of friends friendship quote

Making and Maintaining Friends as an Adult

written by Parita 24 Comments

I’m not going to sugarcoat it.  Making and maintaining friends as an adult is hard.  Very hard.

With that, I’m going to put it all out there and be a little vulnerable with today’s post.  I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot lately given that we have yet another big move on the horizon.

Let’s put childhood friendships on the back burner today and fast forward to our early to mid-twenties.  Personally, I found it fairly easy to make and maintain friends at this age.  A lot of this can be attributed to similar interests/life situations and constant contact with specific groups of people.  The odds of finding/being surrounded by good people were always in your favor.

Here’s my story.  Seven months after graduating college, I moved 50 miles south to the big city of Atlanta.  I lived with one of my best friends, lived near lots of other close friends, and met awesome people quite often.  We would go out to eat together, go out dancing together together, and generally, spend a lot of time together.  It was so simple.

Now that I’m in my 30s, I find that making friends is much harder.  Putting our moves aside, meeting people who share similar interests and who are in the same phase of life is a difficult task.  And to make things just a tad trickier, I’m also throwing a need for similar values on the table.

Maybe it’s just me, but everything feels like a balancing act right now – husband, work, family, personal time, and friends.  On top of that, with our time being so limited,  I want to ensure we are spending it with the “right” people (not saying this is the best approach but I look for that instant spark/connection when meeting people now!).  With every year that passes, I’m becoming pickier and pickier about who gets my time.

Jane Austen friendship quote

As I already mentioned, maintaining friendships in my early to mid-twenties was easier too.  Not only did I live near most of my friends, but my responsibilities at that time could be summed up in one short sentence – pay rent and bills on time.  Time just wasn’t an issue back then.

Nowadays, maintaining old friendship as well as new ones takes a lot of effort.  Specifically in the case of old friends, it’s hard because we now live all over the country. In some cases, the effort is well worth it (phone calls, texts, FaceTime, emails, visits), and in others…not so much! This piece of the puzzle brings me lot angst because in the past few years I’ve actually phase out some friendships that meant a lot to me at one point. The main reason for this is that I didn’t feel like the other person was putting in as much effort as I was.  Or in some cases, we both stopped putting in the effort and the relationship just fizzled out. I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that not all friendships are built to last and that’s ok.

What I’m having an even harder time coming to terms with are the friendships that are put on hold because of uncontrollable life changes/events.  This one often brings me to tears, but I’m hoping that with time these people come back into my life…and soon.

Over the years, and more so recently, I’ve learned that just because you were very close to people in the past doesn’t mean you will stay or have to stay just as close in the future.  People change and so do friendships, and again, that’s normal…and ok.  Another hard lesson for me because I want to stay close with everyone.  On the flip side, I have a couple of close friends now who weren’t a huge part of my life in the past but now they’re very important to me!

Three type of friends friendship quote

And don’t get me wrong.  I still have lots of friends in my life that I’ve known for 10+ years.  I never feel disconnected from them regardless of how busy and crazy life gets.  With these select people, I always pick up where I left off.  Even if a whole year has passed.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Once in a lifetime kind of people friendship quote

I’m not quite sure I ended up where I wanted to with this post.  All I know is that at the end of my adult day, I want people in my life who get me – the real me.  The me who loves deep conversations.  The me who loves fancy meals out but would equally be as happy with take-out pizza.  The me who, above all else, loves shared laughter.

With that, have a wonderful Friday and an even better Saturday and Sunday!  And thanks for reading my rambles!  🙂

Written on April 22, 2016 Related:Friends, Life, Uncategorized

Life and Time

written by Parita 10 Comments

Buddha quote about time
On Saturday afternoon, I learned that my dad’s oldest brother passed away.  This uncle was the patriarch of the family.  In fact, he raised my dad like his own son after my grandparents passed away.  While he’s no longer physically with us, I know he’s in a better place and no longer in pain.  And from what I know and remember, he lived a really full and happy life.

When death hits this close to home, all I can think about is the concept of life and time.  Shortly after I talked to my parents on Saturday, I found this quote and couldn’t stop thinking about it and what it means.

Here’s what I came up with…

The quote is yet another timeless reminder that life is short.

But here’s the thing, we all know our time is limited.  The real question is how are we going to use what is given to us.  How are we going to fill our days?

I think we owe it to ourselves to think about what makes us happy and act on it.  And I’m talking about real happiness.  The kind of happy that oozes out of your pores.  The kind of happy that makes you smile for no reason.

Whatever that looks like for you – do it, act on it.   Don’t wait for tomorrow.

Live with strength, purpose, and passion.  Make mistakes and learn from them.  Try new things.  Travel more.  Say I love you every chance you get.  Call your friends just to say hi.  Learn to __(insert whatever it is you want to learn)__.  Wake up early to watch the sunrise.  Release your inner goofball.  Say you’re sorry.  Forgive people when necessary.  Follow your heart.  Make promises and keep them.  Laugh for no reason.  Be thankful.  And PLEASE eat the freaking dessert!

While we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, we do have a say in the quality of today.  We shouldn’t reserve life for another day, month, or year but rather make use of the time we have today.

Written on August 4, 2014 Related:Life

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