Thirty. Eight.

Gossip is a really ugly thing. Sure, it's basically what the whole media industry is based off of, however that doesn't change how terrible it can be. Rumors in particular. You know what those are. Biased, generally exaggerated claims or stories. They spread, like a case of herpes, something that nobody really wants, but if you aren't careful will catch. Only to unknowingly pass it on to the next person in a slightly more warped version than the last.

The thing with rumors is that they ALWAYS come back to the person who starts them, in one way or another. And more often that not, the person will not own up to it. Rather, they find a scapegoat. Namely, one of the people they told. It becomes an exceedingly ugly situation when the originator then claims they told nobody but that person. But you see rumors are essentially just words. Words are exchanged between individuals daily, like nothing. I know I can't remember everything I tell everyone.

My point? Be careful when you get involved in a rumor. You can't guarantee you'll remember everyone you tell. And that, in turn, may come to bite you in the ass. It could also turn a friend, or should I say scapegoat, against you....

Thirty. Seven.

Some life lessons hit you like a train. Out of your control and unpleasant as hell. Others kind of sneak up on you and just plant themselves inside your brain. Like those slug things from Animorphs (awesome book series, the tv show did it absolutely NO justice). But then there are those life lessons you kind of just stumble across. And upon discovering them, like finding a twenty dollar bill chilling on the ground, you can't help but smile. What's more is the smile is genuine and real and happy rather than a sarcastic expression of "Ugh. Fuck My Life."

Life lessons like those, far and few in between as they may be, always provide you with a sense of accomplishment. They always remind you of one thing: just how great life can be. For me, the moment came in realizing how so many of my friends (as well as acquaintances, frenemies, nd all those peripheral categories) are kinda just stuck in limbo at what is, the greatest time of our lives. This isn't a time to spend doing nothing. Or a time to spend in frantic frustration and despair. This is a time of exploration and enlightenment. THE opportunity. The next decade is ours to take hold of and either give way to greatness or give rise to ruin.

And yet so many of them waste time complaining about how suckish everything is. Suckish indeed. But guess who's doing the sucking?