Where the heart goes, the will follows.

To Err is Human

I suppose that if everyone makes mistakes, it's how you vindicate or humble yourself afterwards that is the true test of character.

And friendship.

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The Perks of Being a 22-Year-Old

I thought I became an adult when I turned the legal age of 18. Then, I thought I became an adult when I turned the wise, non-teenage age of 20. One year later, I was told that I am only now finally an adult for being admitted into bars. Now, I am 22.

Now, at the age of 22, I receive teasing remarks from others about my young age on the daily. Somehow, conversations make their way to my being 22. What's up with that?! For example:

Scenario 1.

Me: "Oh, what a nice kitchen you have!"
Them: "April, have you never been in an apartment of someone over the age of 22?"

Scenario 2.
Me: "Hmm, decaf coffee, I'm not sure that I've ever had that before... I always tend to opt for caffeinated."

Them: "Let me guess, you are still in your college student mode of needing coffee all the time."

Scenario 3.

Me: (Posts on Facebook at 12 AM)

Them: "Staying up late on a school night?! You young'n."

**Answer Key: sc. 1. yes, I have; sc. 2. caffeine is my drug of choice; sc. 3. I don't have to go in to teach until 9:10am, so I can sleep by 1AM, still get 7.5 hours of sleep, and make it to class on time.

= = =

The following list is my defensive knee-jerk reactions to your haterade.

The Perks of Being a 22-Year-Old (5 total)

• 8 more prime-of-my-life years
• Only/1 whole year of experience of bar customer etiquette under my belt; I get to hang with the big boys, yet my n00b questions like, "what's a screwdriver?" and "what's the difference between a lager and an ale?" are still excused
• My every misstep is attributed to my "naiveté" by 23-year-olds and older; my mistakes are viewed as"cute, albeit well-meaning"
• Any somewhat meaningful observations I make cause others to see me as wise beyond my age (again, of 22)

= = =

Much love to my older friends & readers out there. You know I'm just playin with ya'll and that I take your teasing as a sign of affection. I shall hate on you back. And so it will be. For the rest of my life, probably.

This is a Love Note

Running in Oakland under the blue-black sky

Pounding pavement, running harder than ever

Venting into the wind about those which affect us most:

Teaching and issues of injustice

Talking politics while huffing and puffing

I pause only to look up into the rain, to feel it on my face

I vaguely consider removing more layers altogether to welcome the falling droplets

But I'm distracted by our intense conversation

And, of course, by the running.

After 30 minutes, you suggest that we call it a night, but I beg,

"Please... just 3 more miles?" And you say yes.

Thanks, Ms. Kwon, for tonight, for being my life coach, for feeding me, for teaching me how to cook, and, finally, for the fact that the day after I shared my blog URL with you, my numbers jumped to 30 hits in a day.

Photo Credit: oopsilon via Panoramio.

Friendship

...is a funny concept at this stage of life. How do you describe the people that you call friends?

-We have a shared history, and we haven't spoken in months, but she knows that I am there for her if she needs me
-I trust her
-He's always down to hang out, and it's always a great time
-He's always there to talk to me about the melodramas of a college student
-When we hang out, it's cool, but there is still an out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing going on
-We have a lot of shared interests. A lot. It's pretty ridiculous.
-I love her
-And him too

When I was young, I got into the habit of immediately labeling someone as my 'friend', even though we had just met that day. I think it came out of growing up in a military family and having to move around a bit. You were my friend if you:

-Welcomed me at recess or lunch
-Played basketball with me
-Partnered with me during classwork

In fact, from there stemmed a lot of the best friends that I have today.

And now, I use the term friend and best friend pretty interchangeably. Sometimes I feel that to not call my good friends 'best friend' would be to sell our relationship short.

So it goes. I'm a big talker (and listener, I hope). It almost doesn't matter if we have different interests, a different sense of humor, or different experiences... If I can talk for an hour straight with you, I immediately feel that 'best friend' closeness, and I only want to get closer.

So what's the problem? I argue that by today's standards, everyone is looking for a friend, a best friend, or a significant other. The lines aren't supposed to blur, the titles shouldn't overlap. Each role has its own specifications. People get uncomfortable when I interchange the meanings, afraid that I am getting too close for my own good. So what's the problem? It wasn't a problem, for me.

Until now. Maybe I'm buying into what society is teaching me is "right".

When it comes down to it, we all aren't looking for a 'friend', a 'best friend', or a 'significant other'. We're just looking for a human connection.

To my best friend: I am here for you because you need me. You may need me to step up to help you find the strength in yourself. You may need me to step back to allow you to use that strength. To my best friend: Thank you for listening to me, for holding me, without judgment. To my best friend: I miss you.

Maybe these words get tossed around too much for some, but I like it. To my best friend: I love you.