Some people think I'm too extreme when it comes to how I live my life. So maybe it's true - I don't know. One thing I do know is that whenever I make a decision, I try to ask myself, "If I had a daughter, how would I hope she would act?"

This goes for a lot of things in my life...career, relationships, friendships, family life...just because I want to be able to tell my kids some day that there is another way of going about making choices as opposed to just going with the flow of the world.

I am careful because I'd want them to be careful. I pray a lot about things because I'd like them to pray a lot about things, too. I don't rush into anything because I'd hate to see them make rash decisions and get themselves into trouble - physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

Granted that there will come a time when I have to let experience teach them what I can't, should there ever come a day when they question what I preach, I can tell them what has worked for me and why.

Heartache is the worst thing in the world to go through. I myself have become very good friends with it but I can't say that I welcome it freely. At the same time, I have loved loving the people God has sent to me and I can't imagine being any other way.

But I know what my mom means now when she was saying that everything is a "calculated risk".You weigh the pros and cons, then you make the choice to accept whatever consequences (good or bad) come with your decision. That's the scary part, but it's actually the most responsible method.

A lot of people live in a world of "what-ifs" that keep them from doing things they really want to do. I take "leaps of faith" all the time and I've suffered somewhat from occasional crash landings. But I must tell you that I don't regret any of it.

When I rewind back to different things I've tried, places I've worked, people I've let into my heart, I then find myself asking a different question: "What if I never did this? What if I never met that person? WHAT IF I NEVER TOOK THE RISK?"

So amidst all of these random thoughts, I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at. Not satisfied, of course, because there's much I still need to learn and improve in myself. But at least I don't wish that I lived someone else's life or had more than I have right now.

I'm okay...I really am. Actually, I'm more than okay. Life is great. =)