Tag: life

Gratitude

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

January 27, 2021

I’m grateful for life.

Unfortunately, many aren’t alive to say this. The year of 2020 has been filled with a tremendous amount of chaos, violence, death, and with it, mourning. Even 2021 started with its fair share of chaos and turmoil. Every time I pass the t.v. that’s near the kitchen, all I hear are reports about the alarming amount COVID-19 cases and deaths. When I scroll through my Instagram feed and tap my screen to view Instagram stories, I often find myself viewing information and stories regarding crises in other countries and people who have died as a result of racism and hate crimes. It could have easily been me in the “wrong” place at the wrong time, or a family member of mine who had died from the coronavirus, or me taking my last breath because I didn’t have the resources to survive a natural disaster.

I thank God for life, and health, every single day.

I’m grateful for my loved ones.

My closest friends help keep me sane through their consistent love and support. They listen to me when I excitedly talk about an idea or project that I want to see through and they use much of their brain power to understand me when I’m basically speaking gibberish. They are genuine, loving people who bring me so much joy, which is why I can wholeheartedly say that I have so much love and appreciation for them.

I am also thankful for the challenges I have faced and for my faith.

Though periods of tribulation are trying, I’ve learned something about life and myself during them. They make me stronger. And through it all, God, and the people He has put in my life have been there for me, holding me up in my moments of weakness.

While life isn’t always easy, and some face significantly more difficulties than others, there is always something to be grateful for, whether it’s the fact that you are alive and breathing, have access to food, or are surrounded by love.

Find your reason to be grateful today.

Here

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Creative Writing

Here they stand.

One girl and one boy, face to face.

And here they are standing hand in hand, with fixed gazes. They look at each other, close in proximity, and warm smiles are exchanged. They are the kind of smiles that reach the eyes, that’s how the pair know they’re real. Nothing but bliss is being shared between the two.

Here they stand in the living room, unintentionally ignoring the noise coming the T.V. and the sound of kids laughing outside. In this moment, the sounds of the characters on the television show yelling at one another and the chatter outside all fade away.

In this moment, no words are said, no comments are exchanged. The mere presence of one another is enough to fulfill them both.

Here they stand.

One girl and one boy. They are facing each other with their backs against the world because right now, the moment being shared between the two is all that matters.

 

This week I wanted to write something on the more sappy, romantic side. When I think of true, pure love, I think of moments like the ones the characters in the piece of sharing. Sometimes, the simple act of just sitting by, or in this case, standing near one another is enough. It doesn’t always have to be expensive outings. The little things, they matter too. 

I think that once you are able to enjoy your time with someone, whether you two are out and about, having a simple conversation, or laughing after an intense staring contest, it is clear that a connection has been established. 

Within Me

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Creative Writing

I found love within myself. 

It wasn’t something that was easy or happened overnight, but rather took a lot of patience and a lot of time. It was countless days of telling myself that what happened was not completely my fault. It was nights of reminding myself that I am capable of being loved. I am worthy of being loved, even if the words of others suggested otherwise. 

It took time for me to understand that trying to find fulfillment in others never end well. People leave, and when they do, I am left with my own self — my self to work on, my self to appreciate, my self to love. 

I taught myself how to love again. 

Not desperately for I risk not being valued, and not helplessly for I could end up loving someone I never should’ve. I had to teach myself that it’s crucial to know my worth and to respect myself. And the same respect I have for myself is the same respect I deserve from anyone who claims to love me.

I had to truly understand that I must love myself fully, before I try to love another. I had to understand that the only way to know how someone else should love me is if I know how to love myself first. 

I found faith within myself again. 

Faith, and hope, that the last time will not be like the next because of what has changed in my life and what has changed in me. It will get better because I will not let myself remain on the ground. It won’t be the same experience next time because now I know. I know that the pain I feel is temporary. I know now how to treat myself. I know that if I don’t have hope, and if I do not have faith, then there is nothing to hold on to anymore. 

I learned how to love again. 

I learned how to love myself again. 

I reminded myself to hold on to hope, and to hold on to faith. 

And I couldn’t be prouder of who I’ve become.

 

I suppose that this piece is a different version of the one I posted last week. A friend of mine told me that people are often in the mindset that someone else has to save them. I personally can recall times when someone else has helped me through a difficult situation, but I think it’s important for people to understand that it doesn’t always have to be that way. You don’t always have to wait for the knight in shining armor or someone to dig you out of the hole. 

In life, there will (or at least that has been the case for me) be people who help you along the way, but never forget the power that you have in yourself.

Pure

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Creative Writing

You taught me what it’s like to truly be loved.  

You showed me that it goes beyond saying “I love you” and a few kind words, but is demonstrated through actions. You were never condescending to me, nor did you ever mock or belittle me. You uplifted me, constantly encouraging me to try my hardest, and to always recognize how far I’ve come.

You stayed even when I was at my lowest, even when you were upset, even when the situation seemed nearly hopeless. You didn’t leave. Instead, you assured me that you weren’t going anywhere, and you handled each seemingly hopeless situation with diligence. 

I don’t have to assume that you love me, I know you do. I see it through your care for me, through your patience, through your loyalty. 

You taught me how to love again. 

Not recklessly, desperately, or helplessly, but to love and have respect for myself, and to love someone who has respect for me. You reminded me to love fully, but before I do, to know whether or not what, or who, it is that I’m about to love is good for me or is worth it. 

“Understand this,” you told me. “When you give your all into something or someone, it will not always be easy. Some days will be significantly more difficult than others. Make sure that who you are loving, and what you put your energy in is not simply draining you or bringing you down.” 

I carry those words with me until this very day.  

You reminded me to have hope and faith. 

You emphasized that the broken heart of mine will not remain the same forever, and that even though it is broken, I am not. You helped me understand that we are all subject to hurt and pain, but we must not dwell on it, but rather grow from it, and to have faith that it will get better. 

You taught me love. True love. Pure love.

You reminded me not to neglect faith, and not to neglect hope. 

And for that, you will never be forgotten. 

This creative writing piece isn’t necessarily about a personal experience of mine, but I do feel that the lessons the character learned from the other are lessons that we should all learn, if it something not known already.    

To have love that is pure, I think, is such as beautiful thing. Growth, to me, is also beautiful. 

Friends

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

Choose your friends wisely. 

Fortunately for me, that’s a lesson I never had to learn the hard way. I’ve been graced by wonderful friends throughout my life. 

Others have not been so fortunate. Association with what can be described as the “wrong crowd” has caused trouble for individuals with pure intentions. For example, a night with said wrong crowd may have started as a simple hangout, but ended with someone in a jail cell. Or a goal-oriented, straight  A student losing sight about what’s important to them after having bad influences as friends.  

The people you surround yourself with also speaks to others about your character. If you spend all your time with a group who slacks off constantly and goes on mischievous adventures, nothing more than that will be expected from you. If you are a hard worker, or at least are trying to get there, and surround yourself with people who want the same thing, surely you’d be perceived in a different light than the individual who hangs with the ‘slackers.’ 

Surely it can be argued that the way others perceive you shouldn’t matter. Or even better, that just because you are friends with a certain group of people doesn’t mean that you are similar to them. But why would you want to be friends with individuals who hold you back instead of push you to do better?

Thus, there is an importance to having good friends. To me, a true friend is someone who will be there for you in the ways that they can. A true friend is someone who won’t leave you in your difficult time. It is someone who wants the best for you, someone you can laugh with, cry to, support, and vice versa.

 I can say with 100% certainty I have true friends, and I appreciate them more as each day passes by. They make the tough times a little more bearable. They celebrate with me, they advise me, and they support me. I want everyone to have those kinds of people in their lives.

So, choose the people you call your friends wisely. 

They can easily cause wreckage in your life just as easily as they can make your life better. 

 

 

 

 

image from: https://teenpregnancy.acf.hhs.gov/events/national-teen-pregnancy-prevention-month