On Middle Ground

Finding peace within your life is sometimes a difficult task especially when you go through a so called "metamorphosis" of who you were and who you want to be. Now some of you may think that old saying "People will never change" is true but I, on the other hand, beg to differ. I've seen it first hand that people are capable of changing whether it is for better or worse. I've watched people that I never thought would settle down get married and have a wonderful, healthy marriage. I've watched successful and intelligent people waste their life away to drugs. Change is inevitable in today's world but how we handle it really has more of an affect on us than we sometimes realize.
I've realized that just because you change doesn't mean that you have to let go of everything and do a 360. You have to find that middle ground and some sort of balance between it all or you will lose yourself in the change itself. For example, have you ever noticed how all of a sudden when people start going to church they suddenly become this totally different person? Not true. Just because you have religion doesn't mean that you are necessarily spiritual. Judging others, being selfish, and being a hypocrite are not acts of spirituality by any means. This is one of the main reasons that I have avoided church for so long. People get so caught up in the hype of telling others that they praise God they forget the real reason they are there. You have to find the middle ground where you can have a connection to God that helps you not makes you feel superior to others. It is a lot harder than it looks trust me...I'm there.
Growing up is another time when you must find middle ground to stand on. As we grow up we choose different paths than our lifelong friends and we meet new people. All of my good friends have children and sometimes I wonder where our lives coincide. While I may spend more time working or taking trips they are spending time with one of life's most precious gifts and making memories too. Does this mean that we can't be friends or spend time together? No! It means that there are certain aspects of my life that I turn to other people for advice or help on. I can't expect us to have everything in common because the truth is we are all wonderfully different. You must find that middle ground and remember the things that you do share in common. For most of us it is laughing and enjoying life. If you make yourself feel like an outcast then chances are you probably will be an outcast. Don't ever lose what you once loved about someone!
The relationship that my parents and I have is wonderful. It doesn't seem as strong as it once was but that is because I will someday have my own family too and that means that I must grow on my own. At first this was extremely hard for me to deal with because I am such a family person but I'm realizing that it is just life. I don't talk to my parents everyday anymore but I make sure that they know they are loved and mean the world to me. We take time out to do things together and we give each other our own space to allow me to grow. Do my parents really need to know everything that goes on in my life? Nope and I wouldn't want to stress them out either. At first this was really hard but I think I've found the middle ground. If I'm really hurting or bothered about something that Brad or my friends can't help with then I turn to my parents.
With all that said I think this mentality allows me to function in day to day life without letting too much of the junk get to me. There is no good or bad in things it is just an association label that we put on things. I mean if God is behind the scenes and we can't change certain things then why not accept them and be on middle ground? It's a great key to happiness I've found! And for those things that are sometimes hard to swallow....just breathe!