First paragraphs, take two

[Note: I must have accidentally deleted the first version of this entry, which was posted on February 12. My apologies.]

1. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on the man who would, as it turns out, be the one to drive me completely insane. It started harmlessly enough. I walked into an unfamiliar house and he was there, sitting on the couch. He smiled a magnetic smile and introduced himself. At that point, I realized it was all over. The torment began. I would never be the same.

2. All my life it seems that nothing in the world has quite fit right on me. Shirts aren't long enough. Jeans aren't wide enough in the hips. Religion isn't flexible enough. People are too shallow and quick to make assumptions. Then the thought occurs to me: Maybe I am not the right shape for the world, not the other way around.

3. Of all the places to observe the ubiquitous stupidity that runs rampant throughout humanity, perhaps the least expected place I have found it is in regards to the cell phone. It can be seen clearly in the car accidents caused by overly ambitious texters. Teachers and even professors see it when the words "you" and "are" are replaced by single letters in students' papers. Movie lovers witness it in the theater when a girl just has to take a call from her boyfriend in the middle of a particularly dialogue-heavy scene. The people have the phones plastered to the sides of their faces. They can't leave home without them. They have to turn back and go get them on the way to work. They scorn those who prefer to wear watches. Cell phones are an epidemic, making the world stupider one person at a time.

4. In my mind, movement is sacred. It is as sacred as the body which produces it. When viewed from a scientific perspective, muscles, tendons and bones working together to create an effect should not be such a beautiful thing, but it so often is. By far one of the best and most powerful examples of this is dance.

5. It is surprising what nature can offer in the way of imparting knowledge on the spiritual world to those who will simply stop and listen. Lightning storms can dampen plans or they can invigorate. The sun can burn or it can cause life to grow. Plants can cause allergies or they can produce beautiful scents and colors. Winter can chill one to the boen or it can remind one to be introspective. The earth is full of mysteries and wisdom; it is completely up to perspective to dictate whether one sees it or not.