Realist

–noun 1. a person who tends to view or represent things as they really are.
2. an artist or a writer whose work is characterized by realism.
3. Philosophy. an adherent of realism.

–adjective 4. of or pertaining to realism or to a person who embodies its principles or practices: the realist approach to social ills; realist paintings.

I've had my eyes opened to this idea of being a realist. I've always considered myself pretty accepting of others of ideals or others opinions, other cultures, etc. But recently my eyes have been opened to how truly beautiful the world we live in is. Yes, not everyone agrees with my ideas. Not everyone shares in my retail addiction. Not everyone likes Def Leppard. Not everyone likes to eat raw cookie dough until they're sick (well, maybe?), not everyone likes to workout, not everyone shares my religious belief. Everyone on this planet is unique. Truly. And are we all not doing the best we can everyday?

I've gone through some faith trying times, some heartbreak, I've experienced letdown and pain like I've never felt in my life before. I've been face down in the mud. Down and out. I've also been given a second chance at life (in my mind). I've been lifted up by wonderful family and friends in my life. Through all this pain and suffering I've never felt so much joy.

I literally have had my eyes opened up to how wonderful life is. How beautiful the blue sky is, how sweet it is to be loved by family, how clean laundry makes me feel so happy, how blessed I am to be where I'm at in life today.
I've also been blessed with a sense of acceptance. I've never felt like I was good at being non-judgemental, but as of late I feel like I'm mastering this quality. How dare I judge someone based on their looks, based on their social status, based on their spirituality, based on their intelligence, their weight, their confidence, what car they drive, etc. Everyone on this planet has something to offer; no matter how large, important, insignificant, small. We are all here for the same purpose. To grow, develop, succeed, and ultimately find joy.

That is all. Hope I can become a better person each and every day.

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist."
— C.S. Lewis