to a teenager

This is a reply to an email from a young teen that I know. She's having some fights with her parents.

"Girly, EVERYONE gets in fights with their parents. I'm no exception. It's def a stupid girl thing too though! :-D It's okay to be mad and confused. Just remember to take your time and be real with them. And by far the most important is to be open to their ideas. This is the stage when you think you know everything.
A little hint that some adults don't get: the point where you know everything comes when you realize that you know little to nothing and use common sense to figure things out. It's not about "knowing" more; it's about how you approach each item or task. Few people go at the same thing the same way. There are many ways of doing most things. Parents are focused on showing you the easiest ways so that you don't get hurt or have things cost you too much."

The reason that I posted this is that so many people think they KNOW stuff. They may know a lot of stuff, but it is usually irrelevant. They let their egos get in the way. I do it too! But, again, it goes back to the approach. If your fundamentals are sound, your approach will be too. You will be able to tackle anything. You may need help bringing it down! BUT! You already knew that!

We are a social species. Why we are built that way, I'm not sure. However, we are. And that means that we NEED each other. We NEED guys and girls nights out. We NEED a drinking buddy. We NEED wing men. We NEED lunch dates. We NEED our colleagues. We need each other. We need help and we need it often.
Mk, I'll stop beating this dead horse. You get the idea.

I am blessed

I have been having a rough 4 days. REALLY rough. Something just happened to set things back.

A man walked into my office a few minutes ago. (crazy I know that a man would walk into an office) He looked a little rough. He introduced himself and asked if I had any work for him. I told him that the office was a bit slow at the moment, being the holidays, but that I would try to find an application for him to take with him. He stopped me and told me that would not be an option as he has no cell nor home. He is living at the mission in town.

Even as tough a time as I have been having, I feel better about this past year and how much I have grown. I have a "real" job now. I have a nice place to live. I have food when I need it. My life is good. It's tough, but good. I'm at a better place. I'm ready to have a woman for a girlfriend instead of a girl. I'd say that I need a woman instead of a girl. I'm standing up. I usually buy dinner when I go out (unless it's my birthday; thank you Jackson and Heather). I have friends. I have a good life.

I guess I work a lot

This is a post that I put up on Christian Forums regarding my social life.
"hmmm.. Well, I'm not married yet. So, IDK what that will be like. But I'm not really crazy with booze or debauchery. I'm currently working through hard on Guitar Hero 3(?) with a friend. He and I have been through some times for sure. Our beliefs are VERY different, but I try to hang with him at least once a week.
I have a group of friends who play poker. There are about 5 or 6 of us who are pro or semi-pro. I try to meet with some of them at least once a week to keep my game sharp and continually growing.
My rock climbing job takes a night each week too! I love teaching! I was asked if I was a middle-school teacher a couple of weeks ago; this lead me into the bigger Q of not wanting kids, but that's another thread.
Then I work on other projects: a website for a law firm, analysis of a poker database/poker website management, my own blog of course, and once in a while I will have a lighting tech rehearsal for my church.
On the weekends, I work a shift at the desk for my climbing gym and run lights every other other Sunday. I try to go have a drink with my best friend Heather at least once a week too. Usually it's chai, but sometimes its a good scotch or cognac.
Man, I didn't realize that I work so much."