Would?

veni, vedi, vici. i came, i saw, i conquered. A phrase reportedly made popular by Julius Caesar. plenty of times in our lives we feel the need to take control and conquer whatever its is we're trying to overcome. as of recent, ive just passed a crossroads in my chapter. finding common ground with common sense and what i think is morally correct has been a struggle for me since my adolescence. but with age and experience comes knowledge and wisdom, the latter compensating for time spent figuring out what to do. the point im trying to make is that sometimes letting things just naturally fall into place isnt enough. the optimist dreams while the opportunist takes advantage. veni, vedi, vici. why limit and become complacent with ourselves? tomorrow has yet to be written.

like i mentioned earlier, i just passed a crossroads in myself. in the most unexpected of ways, ive realized that people dont see me the same way i see myself. as individuals, we focus on our faults and imperfections because those are the things that we know for sure. but how do we know if we're nice? how do we know we're caring, compassionate, a good listener? we dont. qualities that define a person as "good" cant be seen in oneself. sometimes we do things involuntarily. within the last few months, ive noticed a growing trend of people discussing their personal matters with me, quiet openly i might add. at first it annoyed me, (with the exception of a few people, they know who they are), but it got to the point where things got personal and i didnt know them very well. i thought to myself what could be the reason for this? the answer has been in front of me the whole time. people want to be heard. they want someone to listen to them. maybe they dont get attention at home. maybe they dont feel comfortable talking with anyone. or maybe they just dont have anyone in general to talk to. the reasons are unknown, but in some sort of way, i sympathize with these people. i remember what it was like longing for someone to talk to, someone to listen to me. i didnt find that specific person i could confide with, so i made a promise to myself years ago. it doesnt matter who you are, i will listen to you, because i know what it was like not having anyone to talk to. i know what it was like having so many thoughts and emotions bottled up and not having any sort of outlet available.

i have always valued peoples time. its something thats engraved in my soul. every moment that a person spends listening to me, every phone call i get asking me how im doing, every random "hi" text, every good morning that people tell me are things that i cherish and appreciate deeply. those are things that take time, and time is a precious commodity. when something is using and spending their time on me, that is a person i respect and care about deeply. this is one of those things that no amount of words or using any in depth vocabulary can describe. i am very serious when in comes to peoples time. and i know that i sound redundant describing this, but thats how intense i feel about time. people arent obligated to listen you, talk to you, look at you. knowing that someone genuinely cares about your well being is something that shouldnt be taken lightly. what we take for granted others could only wish they had. use your time to let someone else know that you appreciate theirs. acknowledging your appreciation for them can make anyones day. sometimes the people that listen to us need a little boost of their own. why dont you start by thanking them for being there for you? Like Layne Staley said, "if i would, could you?"