Euphoria. Infatuation. An obsession. Psychological dependence. Recurring compulsion to engage in something to maintain individual health, lifestyle or a certain mental state. Constant feelings of withdrawal. Whether you're racing to the nearest Starbucks for that daily caffeine fix, popping pills to take off the edge, ease your mood, stifle hunger or throwing back a cocktail or two after a long day, everyday- we all have our thing(s). It is amazing to think about all the things in life that we have the tendency to abuse without consciously abusing them. What starts as a small obsession, turns into a lifestyle and ultimately becomes an addiction.

Questionable, although interesting, how one becomes so infatuated with one thing while another would barely blink twice at the thought. Is it the mass marketing of a simple logo, take Starbucks for example, that has some how managed to become an international must have? Or the plethora of
skinny-ass models who dominate the runway, magazine covers and the media? How about the easy access to prescription drugs that become next to impossible to live without after what was suppose to "A" prescription. Then of course there is society's love for alcohol, which is merely an innate desire to experience an altered state of mind. Exploring this concept deeper brings up a simplistic idea: people love euphoria. A part of our human culture, it is purely human nature. The idea of a euphoric way of life and the yearning to fill a personal void that is believed to result in perfection, but, really, can be a continuous cycle turning into an unsatisfied way of life.

I know there are things in my world that seem simultaneously attainable yet realistically unattainable. We live to achieve a certain image whether it be physical or emotional and is unsettling to think about how obsessed we can get with the little things or the big. A want becomes a need which becomes a must have and so on and so forth.

Take a moment and think about all the things in life that you could not be without and then slap on all things you desire about your physical state and way of life, finally close your eyes and define your own euphoric state of being...Is it attainable? Is it you?

Maybe we take our own individuality for granted and therefore can ultimately not appreciate the amazing-ness that each has to offer. That life has evolved into an obsession-filled, money making, perfection seeking, addiction crazed, living for the good, the bad and unnecessary that we've let simplicity fade away. We have let our culture, as a whole, turn into an individual journey of make believe. It is those nights alone [at home] that a glimpse of simplicity is brought back, a sort of sneak peak, until the first glass of wine is poured. Not to be confused with the natural, healthy desire for personal euphoria but the blurry vision that has become of natural human entities.

The simple life, although also not entirely attainable, should not be overlooked. We all have purpose and desires, passions and fears, reasons for the way we live and regrets for what may have been. Life should be embraced and allow oneself to be conscious of all the little things (and big) that have made us who we are. There is nothing wrong with the desire for a euphoric state, an altered state of mind, that daily caffeine fix, or whatever your thing(s) may be. Lets just not forget that there is value in pure individuality and at the end of the day embrace it and make sure to embrace YOU....... and every once in awhile without that glass of wine.

(500) Days of _________.

Love, more and more, is mistakenly, yet unintentionally confused with lust and by the end of the day, week, month, year these two words have been intertwined so tight that makes it almost impossible to undo. Life is by no means a fairytale and although waking up to your prince charming lingering over you with his sparkling blue eyes, luscious lips, perfect smile is a nice thought it can be almost destructive to reality.

Incredibly fun, lacking those cliches and stereotypes, a glimpse of real life, emotion and why love doesn't always have to last...
(500) Days of Summer is just that. Sometimes what we think is love is purely lust and hell, what is wrong with that? A story of boy meets girl. Boy finds the one, while girl clearly did not. This movie was all too perfect, jumping back and forth in time, by day 67 , they've become an item when "poof" sex aside they should be just friends.

Young adults, with two entirely different outlooks on love, lust and all things related the chemistry between these two is classic. A perfect depiction of two people who have a connection. A liking for one another that cannot be ignored but then again does not necessarily mean love is in the air only to lead to an intense and complicated dilemma of what's next? The best relationships can stem from that unique connection, a bond between two people that forms from pure fun, common ground, laughing and just living life with the amazing company of the other. Screaming penis in the park, louder and louder, trying to out-due the other without a care of whom may hear or might be around. An intriguing take on falling in "love" right from the beginning, when things are quirky, frivolous and all things new to that gut in the stomach that equates to unexpected heartbreak.

Youth is a gift that cannot be repeated and would be a shame if wasted on sadness and despair. More then I want the cliche I want to be silly, crazy, wild, able to run free with few limitations, leaving the practical for another time. It is when you meet someone to run wild with is when you have found your own cliche instead of the idea of finding that someone to stand still with.

All too often we look too hard for the stereotype thinking that is key to a self-fulfilling lifestyle of happiness and pleasure. In fact it is the exception that may bring true pleasure, a genuine connection with all inhibitions put to rest, that so-called front dissolves and allows for life to be had. Nothing really changes except putting down a wall and allowing for what was lacking- a bond. A connection with someone that reminds you of a frighteningly similar version of thy self. And it all makes perfect sense, unless we love ourselves how can one possibly connect and love another? Because in end maybe love evolves from a connection so easy and effortless that the love just happened. It is the lust we need to enjoy, embrace and maybe lust is what we need in order to realize the one thing that may have been missing...that common thread to always fall back on; a joke, moment, smile, frown, each unique and each its own. It is when I can say I Love Me is when I am ready to say I Love You.