Jewels

“You don’t want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions. The questions are diamonds you hold in the light. Study a lifetime and you see different colors from the same jewel. The same questions, asked again, bring you just the answers you need just the minute you need them.”  ― Richard Bach, Running from Safety: An Adventure of the Spirit

Hindsight being 20/20, we can look back at the events of our lives and marvel at the lessons we missed. I know I would like to have written a letter and sent it back in time to my early self. "DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!!!" would probably be the best advice. Whoever "them" might be, I wish I'd trusted myself more and others less. We've all been burnt by those we thought loved us, that were looking out for us. Lessons learned, hopefully not too late.

One thinks you can always trust family. But not if they have the crazy. Find that out early enough, and you save yourself a lot of heartache. You are not required to love, contact, or even acknowledge those who do you harm. Not even family. Some people are just toxic, and should be avoided. I missed some of my grandparents last years due to a nutty parent, but we knew that we loved each other. They understood why I couldn't and wouldn't be anywhere near the crazy. Sometimes you have to save yourself.

Those friends that said they always had your back? Closer to stick the knife in, if you aren't watching. Choose wisely, and choose few. You lose focus in a large group, and someone will be talking smack about you. Then you have to get all stabby too, and nobody likes that. Exit their drama, and you'll be better off in the end.

Co-workers. Lawdy. If you watch from enough of a distance, you see that work is not much unlike high school. Hell, junior high sometimes. Flirty women (at work? really?) and bragging men (boys.) Finger-pointing when things are bad, attention-grabbing when they're good. Knowing who is real and who is fake can save your career. Hooking up with the wrong crowd can get you the wrong kinds of attention.

Just remember that the shiny things are often a distraction from what's real. Pick up a few chunks of coal along the way. Crack a few open, and see what's inside. Save a few, and watch them turn into diamonds.