And This Is Who I Am Today.....

My life is changing. I am changing. Faster than I could ever imagine. I am happy. I am terrified.

 I feel like I have spent so many years seeking out answers but it seems that I wasn't even positive the questions. Turns out that the answers in life are the easy part; it's the questions that are difficult. They are what will keep me awake at night ....wondering...wanting....waiting.

The best things in life are those that you never saw coming. That appear out of the blue and uproot your entire way of thinking. That blindside you. The type of things that remind you that regardless of all the bad in this world, there is still a whole lot of good. Remember to hold on tight to that good. It is rare and beautiful.

I have always been comfortable in my little corner of the world. For me, comfort often means the easy way. The way I am accustomed to...simple, if you will. Don't get me wrong, being comfortable is okay. Nothing wrong with that but comfort doesn't necessarily equate extraordinary.  Truth be told, my extraordinary is going to look a little different than yours....that's okay, too.

What I have always thought I wanted has always seemed so concrete, so trite. I am a walking contradiction. A proverbial hot mess-those things will never change. I don't think I would want those things to change. However, I am learning that what I want is a far more fluid concept than I had ever imagined. Turns out my life is turning into everything I never knew, I always needed. And with that I have to being willing to adapt and look beyond my little corner of the world and see someone else's.

All of our future's hold so many unknowns. So many questions without answers and answers without questions. I could sit here and worry about every thing that is changing and everything that could go wrong. What I am going to do it just sit back and enjoy all that life has to offer.

Life Lessons By Lou

My name is Laura Louise Whitesel. My life if not a Bruce Springsteen song. Let's all take a moment to acknowledge and mourn this news.

Moving on....

I have come to realize that life can be best summed up as a series of lessons. As you all may very well know, some lessons are more pleasant than others. I think it is no big secret that I have always marched to my own beat. A little weird, a little quirky, a little discontently content with the mundane mechanics of the world, kinda a Hot-Mess Express...basically, a walking shit-show

I don't have a lot of expectations out of this life. I have no desire to change the world. I don't want people to read about me in history books or recognize me walking down the streets but what I do want to do is LIVE. I want to truly live in both the simplest and most complex meanings of the word. I want to experience things that scare me, that move me, that make me question everything that I believe in...things that possess the ability to change me at my core. I want to be challenged. I want to love, as freely and as fearlessly as possible.

What better way to channel all my misguided nonsense than to offer a series of life lessons...I could either be your hero or your cautionary tale. I'd probably choose the later.  Hold on to your britches, my lovelies....it's about the crazy up in hurrr.

Life Lessons By Lou

Lesson # 1: Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

Guess what? Your life probably looks at little bit different that everyone else's. It's okay. Your career, your relationships, your finances, your goals...THEY ARE YOURS!!! They belong to no one but you. Stop feeling bad, stop trying to fit your life and yourself into unrealistic standards. Let me share with you something I've learned along the way. The people whose lives appear to fit into a perfect cookie-cutter mold, typically are overcompensating for issues far beyond my scope of practice.

Lesson #2: Don't Be Afraid of Waiting

Trust me, I am the queen of impatience. I want things to happen. The best thing I can tell you is to not be afraid of sitting back and seeing how things play out. Sometimes life will surprise you. Sometimes life will piss you off. Either way, everything will work out the way it's supposed to.

Lesson # 3: Don't Be Afraid To Be A Little Crazy

You cannot take life too seriously. Act how you want. Say those ridiculous thoughts. Mix things up a bit, yo.

Lesson # 4: Surround Yourself By People Who Make You Laugh

Be around people who make you laugh. I learned a long time ago that if you don't find a way to laugh at the hard stuff, you'll spend a helluva a lot of time crying. Life is hard enough as it is. Sit back and enjoy it as much and as often as possible. If you have friends who you can share inappropriate stories about body functions or a guy who isn't afraid to ask the cashier at Taco John's if the food we just received was authentic, then in my book, you just about have it all.

Lesson #5: What Would Lou Do?

When faced with a daunting decisions including but not limited to: 1) Should I wear glitter eye shadow to work 2) Should I have ANOTHER piece of pizza? 3) Should I have Taco John's for lunch, again? 4) Should I run for Congress even though I have no experience in anything political?.....If any life altering decisions should arise ask yourself :What would Lou do?  And then proceed from there.

Stay tuned for another fun-filled life lessons fueled by nothing more than my meandering thoughts...