Blackbird, fly.

In ninth grade, my english teacher challenged every class- including most of my siblings years before me, to a project that I will never forget. We were to put together a scrapbook. A list of writings that were requirements, and then some of our own from complete scratch; and I remember one assigned page in particular being my favorite. A personal credo.
Reading the list of beliefs now, some seem juvenile, and some still very dead-on. I won't bore you with its entirety, but here are a few:

I believe in my personal savior, Jesus Christ.
I believe in prayer.
I believe in guardian angels.
I believe there is no place like home.  (which is funny, because this was written a year after my parent's divorce, and where we were living was not "home," but the statement still true nonetheless)
I believe in laughter.
I belive in myself.
I believe in soul mates.
I believe true beauty comes from within.
I believe that shopping makes me very happy. (it goes without saying this is one that is still very dead-on.)
I believe in traditions.
I believe in the power of music.

It's funny how our horizon broadens with age and experience. How one belief can be completely dismissed, and others can only grow more with truth. Like traditions- I believe in traditions, but never being traditional. March to the beat of your own drum.
Like soul mates. Over the years I'm not so convinced anymore. I believe there are mates out there that God intends for us, and we can either embrace the relationship with every blessing and challenge it brings, or we can choose to let them slip away and hope the next best thing crosses our path.  I believe that St. Augustine of Hippo said it best:
“Love is a temporary madness;
it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides,
you have to make a decision.  You have to work out whether your roots
have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.  Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement,
it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any
fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots
that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have
fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.”
I know that I want this one day.



I came across Audrey Hepburn's doctrine, and I think I'm going to add it to mine:
"I believe in manicures, I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything else is going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
So until my miracle, I will continue telling myself that tomorrow is another day and I will live it the best way I know how.  I will memorize 1 Corinthians 7: 17
"And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. "
And I will trust that my God knows what he is doing. 
And I will believe with my whole heart that it's okay for things to not be okay, for the best rainbows come after the greatest storms.

According to Yvon Chouinard, it's not an adventure until something goes  wrong.
Life is one giant adventure, and I'm going to march to the beat of my own drum and scout.it.out.
Take these broken wings and learn to fly.