And the beat goes on...

Today was an eventful day, full of last minute learning and stress from a final exam that had me all in a fluster at 7 in the morning (coffee helps :) Sometimes, you feel like when you are under stress that you are learning all this information over again even though it was being taught all semester. When you feel as though you are up to your head in information, nothing else seems to matter and you can't seem to think about anything else.
After I took the exam though, I walked into my office and started talking with one of my girlfriend's about her new baby that she is expecting in September. This is her and her husband's first baby, and she is ecstatic! It's going to be a little girl named Emma. They are getting ready to paint her room (pink and green- adorable!) but they have come up with a lot of adversity from friends of the family. These friends don't believe that they should start on this big of a task yet or be this exctied about the baby yet, because so many things could go wrong yet and it would just be devastating after all they have worked towards.
Well I am so sorry, but honestly, why not? Why shouldn't she be excited about her very first baby girl?? Why shouldn't she be bursting at the seams trying to fix it up ahead of time for this sweet bundle of happiness?
If we live in fear all the time, what have we accomplished but being afraid. I understand having reservations because things do go wrong, but keeping your emotions hidden and not allowing yourself to get exctied is keeping you from enjoying the beautiful opportunity that is right in front of you. To live in fear is to be completely controlled by something that is surpressing what you can do in your life. Be excited, take risks that other people think you can't or shouldn't (within reason of course- I am not condoning anything reckless here ;) But just live. Have emotions and share them. Trust me- you will be surprised to find out who really wants to listen to them and who really cares. My challenge to you, find something silly that happened to you today, something that made you laugh, and tell someone about it. A close friend, a family member, maybe even someone you aren't that close to- just tell them. They will appreciate the time you have taken to talk with them.
The other side of that is to listen to them. Without bias, without judgement. If they want to tell you something, listen to them and don't try to make them feel bad about their feelings.
You never know who is going to need a listening ear....