What Are You Thankful For

This year I didn't post any pictures of food. I didn't post any pictures of a meal or a feast because that's only what brought the people I care about together. The food isn't what I'm thankful for though it's the people holding the forks and knives sitting beside me. No snapshot or edited photo of that moment can describe how I truly feel. It's the laughter we share as we tell our jokes and sip our champagne, sip our wine, that's truly indescribable. It's the love I feel as I look across the table and see somebody smiling back at me that's truly indescribable. Making me thankful for all the people who have stayed in my life. I am thankful for the love and support I receive when I need it. Even when I don't need it I am still thankful. I am thankful for the amazing friends I have and all the good times we share. I am even thankful for those bad times which makes me appreciate the good times even more. Thanksgiving to me is more than food. Thanksgiving to me is a time where I sit down at a table with the people I truly love and say thanks. I say thank you for loving me as much as I love you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Peace readers

-Stylish Ev  

Just Want You To Be Happy

I never truly understood what the expression “you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink,” meant until now. I knew of the quote and comprehended its meaning long ago, but I’ve never really experienced its meaning until now. People, like horses, are only capable of doing what they set their minds to. No matter how hard you try to make somebody realize what they are currently setting their mind on is wrong for them, a person would deliberately stray on the path their mind has set out. It’s inevitable to get them out of this mind set unless that person truly wants to. I believe it isn’t ignorance that keeps somebody on this path because in my experience the person fully understands what they are doing wrong. I believe it is a fear of allowing somebody to help them. A fear of something new due to the comfort that was developed from doing the wrong thing, a fear of change which will affect their pride in a sense. I question the people who stare happiness in the face, people who stare truth in the face, but will close their eyes and then look the other way. Why would somebody sacrifice another second of not being happy because of fear, because of change? Have you ever considered how the leader of that horse felt? Bringing the horse to its salvation, only to stand there and watch as the horse slowly dies from dehydration. As a leader myself I can tell you that it’s heartbreaking, providing someone with happiness only to watch them choose its polar opposite. If the leader would have forced the horse to drink that water it would only drown. The same goes with happiness. If happiness is forced it would only feel just as bad as being miserable. We can’t force somebody to be happy they have to want to be happy in order to truly experience happiness. If the leader stood there waiting for the horse to drink water he will begin to crave a thirst as well. It’s sad but in those situations there is nothing you can do but step back and wait. Step back and continue to live your life while that person will eventually realize that happiness is within reach. If you have somebody that you’re trying to help but they won’t accept your help readers just give it time. There is no need to stress over somebody else’s suffering. The good part is that they now know they can come to you if they decided to accept your help. They can take a day, a week, a month, or maybe some years but when the horse finally drinks the water it will be all worth it in the end.

Peace readers

-Stylish Ev  

Listen To Life

I’ve always enjoyed music as much as I love the craft of writing. Writing to me was always music on a page; a song that’s meant to be read, admired, and applied at the moment. You would never find me without headphones in my ear, and you would never guess the song I was listening to because I admire them all. I get this thrill, this extraordinary sensation in my ears when I hear a new song, or a classic song that I’ve over looked in the past. I know this sounds crazy but music is my life. Whenever I hear a song it brings me back to a time where I enjoyed it most. Whenever I hear a new song I stop and look around, because I know that the very moment I first heard that song would become a magnificent memory. Today I’ve made another memory. I’ve taken a step in the radio direction and applied to be a campus DJ for the University at Albany. I start off by sampling only one genre of music, but I want to create a station that samples all genres. Genres such as; Rap, Hip-Hop, Country, Rock, Alternative, Jazz, Soul, Pop, R&B, and all the other genres that come to mind.  Also I want to include local poetry and news. I plan on taking this radio station to new heights. For a long time I forgot what it is like to have a burning fire of passion, however today I will relight that flame and strive for new heights. I will bring a new meaning to my life and this time I will work hard for what I want.  As Thomas Edison said “our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” My message to readers is to not give up and continue to fight for your future as I am still fighting for mine.

Locks like fingers,

Grasping what’s important in life,

Closed shut, when protecting someone

With a clock,

Time is the only won, who remains free,

Picking fingers like noses

Hoping no one won’t keep in touch

Running around like a mad man

Ticking in people’s faces,

Tocking in people’s faces,

A chain of timed robberies

None of which with familiar faces,

Just left, with a trial of busted locks

So broken you can’t even hold yourself together

So broken you can’t even hold yourself

Just right,

Ticking,

Tocking,

But how are you suppose to grab time,

With a hand,

Full of broken locks

Fingers,

Like locks.



Peace readers

-Stylish Ev 

Man vs. Woman

I blame movies for the way society view masculinity. I blame this generation’s music for creating the idea that it is acceptable to talk to woman however they want.  I blame the male ego for thinking its right to be with more than one woman at once. But most importantly I blame myself for being a part of these stereotypes and false perceptions.

As I get older I find it harder to be different from the average man, conforming to the stereotype just seems easier than standing out from the rest. Ladies don’t help with this problem either. Women tend to label all of the men into one group, one idea, pressuring men to prove them wrong every day. Not to mention thanks to technology the second a man shows how he is the same to every other guy the woman would move on to the next man and forget about the first one. Men can’t get out easy either. You can’t blame women for feeling the way they do with how you act. 

The emotional and physical confrontation between men and women is just a large cloud of misconception. All and all we want the same thing in life, to not be alone. Even though we are born into this world alone, every second while we are growing closer to death we attempt to find somebody to share that time with. 

I use to be a huge hopeless romantic however, when I got to college my perception of love changed due to the conformity of other men and my new perception of women. I’d do anything to obtain the love and respect I use to have for women but it’s hard when you are surrounded by a world of selfies, likes, and followers. Living in a world where you can physically be with somebody but they are “technologically” with somebody else. Where lies seem like the truth and the truth feels like lies.

The only hearts I see now are ones on a screen you tap to show you like a photo. The only warmth I feel is when my phone gets hot from being charged to long. Ask yourself readers, would you give that person a chance even if they seem similar to the rest? Because personality is below the surface, not just a profile picture. 

 Peace readers

-Stylish Ev

"A Large World That Seems Small"

Is there truly a reason behind somebody from your past reappearing into your life? Some might say that its faith, others might play around with the idea of destiny, however, I think this situation depends only on who you are at that exact moment .Before I explain myself I must touch base on the common misconception of bumping into somebody randomly.  A phrase comes to mind whenever you see somebody in an uncommon place or meet somebody that knows the same people as you. The phrase is “it’s a small world we live in.” The population on this planet is 7.243 billion and me being almost 22 years of age I haven’t even lived that many seconds yet. This world is not small but the phrase depicts the odds of one person meeting another at the same place and time with similar history. Think about it though, most of the people we interact with share similar interests with is that’s how relationships are formed; because we relate. For example, how likely is it for your distant friend you bounded with years ago to a similar music artist to bump into you at a concert in your town; very likely. However, at that moment it is possible you felt a void, large or small, and the universe filled that void with this friend you haven’t seen in a long time. Today I bumped into somebody on my college campus who haven’t crossed my mind in years but I have a spent a great deal of time getting to know. Was I surprised? Not the slightest because of the week I’ve been having. This week I’ve been feeling slightly lost, home sick, and alone. Me bumping into somebody from my past took me back to a point in my life where I thought I had all of the answers and my social circle was at its peak. My brain triggered the universe to set balance to my emotions because no negative situation is permanent only temporary. I myself knew I had to get out of the emotional slump I put myself in and the person from my past helped me out of it just by seeing them. So I ask you my readers, think back to when you seen somebody from your past that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Now were you in a state of mind that was usual for you? I believe things do happen for a reason but more often times than not people tend to read more into things than they should. We shouldn’t forget how powerful our minds are and how the things we dwell on shape what we encounter. Next time you bump into somebody from your past simply think about the state of mind you’re in and what’s the single purpose of this person reappearing. And most importantly why that moment.  

 Peace readers

-Stylish Ev

All Heart or All Brain

There's a point in everyone's life when they get tired of sitting around and doing nothing. Now when I say sitting around doing nothing, I'm not talking about literally sitting at home and not doing anything, but of course that's included. I'm talking about the individuals that go through every single day of their lives without any meaning or purpose except survival. For some finding a purpose for ones life happens earlier than others. These are the people that have a single goal in mind and constantly strive closer to that goal day in and day out. To be completely honest I envy those people because they are the ones that are viewed to have the most preparation or the most qualification in the field they are pursuing. However you want to know what some of them lack? Probably most of them... Heart! The drive that got them to that very point many people strive for like myself. The reason why all of their dreams come true. The reason why they began that very journey to success. On the other hand when all you do is sit at home an idea manifests in your head of an ideal career. However the idea of working hard to progress just a fraction closer to your dream is frightening because with the effort of trying comes a possibility of failure. The people that sit at home are mostly heart and the heart can't take failure or rejection as easily as the brain. The brain recognizes something that the heart doesn't. That with every failure comes the opportunity for improvement. Which is why the individuals with purpose seem more qualified and prepared. However I'm here to tell you that I am a person with all heart that sits day to day just living without a purpose. People seem to think that I'm about my future because of the way I carry myself but indeed I'm not. The only difference between me and other full hearted people is that I may follow my heart but my brain always steers my ship of life. An inch here and an inch there is all I need to realize that I'm heading in the right direction. This is how I've gotten to where I am and success is surely along the way. What type of person are you my readers? Are you all heart or all brain? Or maybe even a mixture of the two like myself. Recognize this now before its to late to get off the couch. Before it's to late to keep pushing yourself farther into success.

 Peace readers

-Stylish Ev

More Time More Problems

Your day to day problems don't just magically disappear if disregarded. Sadly the same effort put into creating the problem is the same effort that needs to be used to get rid of that problem. Some people may say that they didn't cause or create the problem but honestly how much can people remember every single thing they did. The past is a large amount of time and every second that goes by adds to the past. Any little thing that happened can cause a snowball effect eventually leading to a problem or issue that hurtles into our present delivered by the past. Continuing to move forward with life disregarding that snowball would only make the snowball larger. In order to solve that problem you must think back to the origin of the issue because trying to attack a flake of snow is a lot easier than attacking a gigantic snowball. Maybe in the beginning it is easier to out run our problems when it is a flake of snow. However in time they will catch up to you and when they do it probably would be to large to solve. That's why I beg you my readers, if you have a problem or issue in your life try to solve it the second it comes to your attention. The longer you wait the worse it could get resulting in some internal or even external consequences. Take some time out of your day to really think about the issues in your life and attempt solve them, big or small solving these problems will eventually lead to a better, healthier life.

Peace readers

-Stylish Ev

Friends With A Phone

Have you ever noticed how hanging out with somebody requires almost no in person communication anymore. How most of us as a society allow technology to control communication even when we are right next to the person we are communicating with. The world has become a real cold place and it isn't because of global warming. The change of temperature came from the metal, plastic and glass that binds our friendships together  today. Using technology to stay in touch and document memories is one thing. However, when technology is abused and used as a shoulder to cry on when we need someone; that is a robbery of ones emotions and experiences. What happened to compassion and empathy? We handicapped our true understanding of one another. Where pop-ins at someone's house turned into pop-ups on a Facebook newsfeed. Where I can be closer friends with somebody on the other side of the world than my next door neighbor. How could we hangout with somebody and we are both updating our statuses saying what we are currently doing... Because it raises an undermining question... Are we really doing what we say we are doing at the moment? Enjoying a moment in time that is meaningless until it is documented on social media site. I can sit in a crowded train or sit at the park and still be alone because of the music coming from my phone. Yes technology is useful in maintaining bonds and allowing them to grow over time. But at what cost? It's hard to see in front of you when you are looking at your phone. To my readers, why don't you try going one day a week without using your phone. Talk to somebody face to face rather than texting people. Most of us are victims of this victimless crime. Keeping in touch with people we don't even touch... Society is not heading in the right direction if technology continues to control communication. When love is shown through status and posts of pictures. We need to remember how to share feelings face to face, not how to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Vine and share feelings through technology. This isn't an attack on anybody's life or my friends. Just an outlook on a better more fulfilling life with truer emotions! Bringing more warmth to our hearts and showing a better more fresher way of appreciation to people we adore. Next time you hang out with your friends try not to invite technology. 

Peace readers

-Stylish Ev

Nice Guys Finish Last

Hello readers, it has been quite some time since I have had the pleasure of posting one of my philosophical looks on life. Since we are still in the month of February I felt like writing about something that pertains to love. I want to talk about a saying that dates back to the origins of what some might consider "The Bro Code."  The saying is "nice guys finish last." The saying itself is self explanatory, it clearly states if you are a nice person you will finish last in what ever you are competing for. However, in today's upbringing this saying is correlated with relationships and how woman prefer a difficult man rather than an easy-going, nice gentleman. As mind blowing as it seems this saying means way more than that! That is just a ground level understanding of nice guys finishing last. I decided to dig a little deeper and really ponder what does it mean for a nice guy to finish last and it hit me. In order to get ahead in life at an exceptionally well pace you have to be more than nice at times. I'm not saying to go around and start demanding the things you want in life. I'm expressing how there is a necessary balance in life that is needed for man or woman to get ahead. You need to be nice when it is necessary and also assertive when the time is right. If not, being nice all the time would leave you handicap in this world labeling you as a pushover or probably worse. This balance isn't easy to recognize either because if you are assertive at the wrong times it would come off as you being pushy and aggressive, which is worse than being a pushover in my opinion. Nice guys do finish last when they are walked over and not appreciated as much but, if they stand up for them selves when necessary they will get far in life... Maybe even in that relationship as well! So take this reading as a hint to reevaluate your lives readers. If you feel like too nice of a person then stand up for yourself more often. More good things will come to you in life.

Peace readers

-Stylish Ev