The time has come… Execute Order 66…

My bad, this isn’t about Star Wars 😅. Let’s try again.

After living with my mom for the entire 23 years I’ve been alive, and in the same area for almost 20 years, the time has come where I move out.

Moving is one of the most stressful times in one’s life, and I can see why.  While I myself haven’t fully processed relocating, I’ve seen how it has been affecting those close to me, including my cat.

I’ve had my cat, Gavin, for 15 years.  We adopted him when he was 1 year old, making him 16 years old now (80 years old in human years).  He’s still very active, though, and doesn’t look his age at all.  Gavin is an indoor cat; his knowledge of the outside world is nearly nonexistent.  When moving in the past, he was very stressed and unhappy being in his cage and traveling in the car.  He will be staying with my mom and her boyfriend, but regardless of who he would have been going with, I know he’ll be very stressed like usual.  Fortunately, he and my mom’s boyfriend love each other, so we’re hoping that will help soften the blow of me no longer living with him every day.

As mentioned earlier, I still haven’t fully processed moving, and the big day is less than a week away at the time of me writing this.  I think once I’m actually in my new place, and have spent the first night alone, it will hit me hard.  I will certainly miss my mom and cat.  I’m sure that not living with me everyday anymore will be the most difficult part of moving for my mom.  I think Gavin will miss me too; a few months ago, I spent about a week in New York, and my mom sent me pictures of Gavin sitting outside my bedroom door.  The good thing, though, is that I won’t be too far away, so visiting won’t be a problem.

Of the three places in my current town that I’ve lived in, I haven’t become attached to any of them.  I have, however, developed an attachment to the town itself.  As I’m sure a lot of people experience, I feel most comfortable in familiar environments.  I know my way around this town very well, so I’m thinking it will be a huge shock to my system living in another area that I’m not too familiar with yet.

Ready or not, though, the day is upon me.  Whenever I finally experience the full effect of stress caused by moving, I know that overall I am looking forward to beginning this new chapter in my life. The place I’m moving into seems very promising, so that definitely helps. 

Wish me luck! ~ TM

I have been single my entire life.  While I used to think my life would be better if I were in a relationship, I now realize that being single isn’t such a bad thing.  

Throughout high school, middle school, and even the later years of elementary school, there was this sort of social pressure that you should start having a boyfriend or girlfriend.  These days, I think it was quite silly that we were all so worried about that when we were so young.  

I remember when I was a freshman in high school, I was made fun of by another student for not having any romantic experiences.  At first I was embarrassed because of peer pressure and social status, but now it doesn’t bother me as much.  Not everyone will experience the same things at the same time as everyone else. 

Since the pandemic, dating has become even harder for a lot of people as there have been less chances for in person social interaction, something that many humans crave.  Most people are making connections online which definitely isn’t the same as in person.  It’s difficult to determine if you have a bond with someone when you’re only communicating through text.

My main reason for wanting a relationship was due to being lonely.  While I still get lonely sometimes, I know one can still feel that way even if they are in a relationship.  I’ve seen first hand and have read countless stories of people who were not too happy in their relationship due to lack of affection and what not. 

In my opinion, it takes a lot of hard work to be in a successful relationship.  When you want to do something, you more often than not will have to keep your significant other in mind and how what you want to do might affect them.  You also have to (do your best to) satisfy the needs of your partner.

I’ve also come to realize that I am not yet ready to be in a relationship.  The time and energy that it takes is something I am not capable of giving at the moment.  I feel I still need to work on myself so that when I am ready, I can give my future partner the best version of myself.  Until then, I will appreciate being single.

Therell

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Day/Week/Month focuses on the mental health of mothers who are going through childbirth.  At least 1 in 5 new mothers go through some sort of anxiety disorder regarding childbirth in many countries.  The illnesses often go untreated which can have long-term consequences to both the mother and the child. 

Anxiety disorders can be developed by women who are from many different backgrounds such as culture, age, ethnicity, etc.  Symptoms of such disorders can be seen any moment during a mother’s pregnancy as well as the first year after childbirth.  Effective treatment options are available to help mother’s recover.  

If you are a soon to be mother or you know someone who will be, contact the maternal mental health hotline at 1-833-HELP4MOMS or 1-833-943-5746.

Star Wars has been a part of my life since I was a little kid.  I grew up with the prequel trilogy (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, & Revenge of the Sith), so I tend to like that set of movies the most, but I still love the originals (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, & Return of the Jedi) too.   

Watching Star Wars has had a positive impact on my mental health.  Whenever I watch it, it puts me in a good mood.  Even the sequel trilogy (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, & The Rise of Skywalker), which I don’t really like that much because of the story, but I do like most of the characters.  

I honestly feel like parts of my life would be drastically different had I not been introduced to Star Wars.  For example, I wanted to be a Jedi when I was younger, I often quote Star Wars in my day to day life, and I have also lived by some ideas within the franchise.  One of these ideas was that negative emotions (the dark side) are bad.  However, I don’t live by this anymore because I have learned that continuously suppressing negative emotions can be unhealthy.  

Star Wars means so much to me.  I still have a lot of merchandise from the franchise; toys from my childhood, clothes, books, video games, etc. 

To end off, I will leave some of my favorite Star Wars quotes below:

“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda

“Try not.  Do, or do not.  There is no try.” – Yoda

“I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.” – Chirrut Îmwe

Happy Star Wars day everyone!  May the Force be with you!