Look how far you’ve come.

by Katie Welker

Yesterday I found myself witnessing a situation that was similar to one that I was directly in the middle of eight months ago. One of my very close friends was heartbroken, and it broke my heart to see it and to know that I couldn’t make it better. Of course, I tried to anyways by filling my bag with her junk food of choice and listening as best as I could.

All I could really do was offer my honest, and somewhat brutal, point of view. Heartbreak sucks. It physically hurts. It will exhaust you and leave you feeling lonely, confused and somewhat belittled. But as I sat in my friend’s kitchen and told her, “This is the best thing for you. It was difficult, but you will be so much better because of it”, I realized that I truly believed those words that were coming out of my mouth.

I believe that one of the best feelings in the entire world is being faced with a gruesomely difficult obstacle, working through it, and then reflecting back and thinking, ‘damn… look how far I’ve come’. It is empowering. Those points in your life instill a confidence in you, toughen your skin and (hopefully) make you realize something very liberating: you are stronger than any obstacle you are faced with, more compassionate than anyone who tries to tell you otherwise and better than any situation that knocks you to rock bottom. Stand back up. Learn from your troubles. And become a better version of yourself because of them.

A blessing and a curse.

by Katie Welker

My best friend said something to me earlier that really stuck with me:

You love so intensely. You love so deeply, and so much. Maybe it’s a good thing that now you’re just content with things and are putting in a normal amount. Maybe now you won’t get so hurt.

She’s right. I love with everything that I have. I know no other way. But by just putting in 100 percent, rather than the 1,000 that I typically lay on the table, am I doing myself a disservice? Am I doing the person on the other end a disservice?

It’s a question that I’m not sure I know the answer to. Each time I have loved another, I have given that 1,000 percent without hesitation. I was head over heels. I shouted it from the roof tops and I displayed it for the world to see because I was proud and happy of the people that I loved.

They say you never fall in love the same way twice, and I believe it. But does that mean you settle for the, ‘oh that was nice’ rather than the, ‘I just cannot get enough of him’? Are those deeply-rooted feelings of love, passion and eagerness something that grows over time? Or is it something that you’re supposed to feel right away?

If you have the answers, fill me in. If not, here is what I have learned through my years of acting on my favorite ‘I love love’ motto:

  • Love the ones who treat you right. If there are toxic people in your life (negative, belittling, condescending, degrading individuals who just make your blood boil), get rid of them. You are better than that. Unless you are one of those people, in which case you should do us all a favor and start smiling and recognize that there is so much to be grateful for.
  • Live each day with love. Maybe that means having a meaningful conversation (no, not a string of text messages, actual face-to-face conversations) with your parents. Perhaps it means saying yes to that date, or ignoring the silence in the elevator and striking up a conversation instead. Love your family. Love your friends. And above all else, love yourself, appreciate yourself and recognize that your opportunities are limitless.

But most importantly…

  • Stop living life so fast. Do not worry about what will happen in two weeks when today is not even half way over. It will drive you nuts. It will waste your time. Live for now. And make now a moment to remember.