Hugging Cactus

When you want something you just can’t have.  There is this inclination to slowly let this fixation eat away at you. Every day, every moment, is a constant reminder that certain things just aren’t meant to be. It’s like a faint ringing in your ear, a sound that you can’t ignore. It’s hard to believe some thing so close could be so far away. It’s just right there.  You can see it, hear it, feel it even; but it’s just far enough that it’ll never be.  Wanting this illusory dream is no different then hugging a cactus.  The harder you squeeze the more it hurts.

Acceptance of this inevitable end never comes easy.  It acts as a void inside you wanting to be filled and until it is you are never truly satisfied.  But sooner or later we realize that something might be better then nothing at all. So we fill our void with whatever we can, knowing that it’ll never compare to our original fascination.  The surrogate, if we’re lucky enough to find it in something other then booze, drugs, and loose women, tends to fulfill our needs for now and for that moment we are content.  But still deep down inside we still want that cactus no matter how much it hurts.

Second Chances: Part II

When we do get that second chance it could very well be our last chance. But sometimes second chances don’t come in the same form as first chances. They are a little harder to realize, often times camouflaged. And sometime we miss that second chance not because we weren’t looking but because it took on a form that we were unfamiliar with. As this second chance passes us by we realize what we maybe have neglected to see; but by now it’s too late. It’s too late to go after this second opportunity for it’s already too far gone.  Even if we were to catch up to it, our failure to realize its importance early has permanently hindered our chances of success.

Failure to recognize a second chance can ultimately be the beginning of the end. Second chances are rare, third chances are almost unheard of. Sometimes the best thing to do after such a rude awakening is simply to pick your self up, learn from your mistakes, and move on. There is little that a person can do to convince someone else that you in fact deserve yet another shot at making the same mistake. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. At this point you can only hope that with time all wounds heal. For there is really no excuse in not realizing a second chance however it might be camouflaged.

Have you ever been given a second chance and not realized it?

Second Chances: Part I

It’s not often that we get a second chance at a first shot. There are often moments in life where I think of the mistakes I’ve made, hoping that someday I’d be given another opportunity to make things right. Unfortunately, these second chances are far and few. We don’t give second chances regularly because in a way we are protecting ourselves. Giving second chances ultimately means that we allow people who have disappointed us in the past another opportunity to maybe do just that—disappoint us once again.

It takes a lot of courage and faith in people to give second chances. But second chances are golden. They speak much about us. They allow us the opportunity to show compassion and kindness, the opportunity to demonstrate our trust and confidence in others. But second chances must be earned. They’re rarely given away freely. When you do receive a second chance you know you’ve been given at least the prospect of a new beginning; the chance to make things right, the chance to regain someone’s trust.