Fortunes and Cookies:

I save slips from fortune cookies: 

• "Do not be afraid to take that big step" 
• "Working hard will make you live a happy life" 
• "Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life" 
• "Your kindness will lead you to happiness" 
• "Your heart is pure, & your mind is clear" 
• "You are capable, competent, creative & careful" 
• "Desire, like the atom, is explosive with creative force" 
• "If your desires are not extravagant, they will be granted" 
• "You will be unusually successful in business" 
• "You will always have good luck in your personal affairs" 
• "You should be able to undertake & complete anything you desire" 
• "The real test in life is not in keeping out of the rough, but in getting out after you are in"
• "Your dearest dream is coming true"
  

These among others... Because, I control all of those. I can take "that big step." I can work hard. I can intertwine my perceptions with my emotions and succeed in whatever tasks I choose to take upon myself. I can be kind, have a pure heart and a clear mind. I know I am "capable, competent, creative and careful." I have desires, drive and the ability to be successful. I know I can deal with all the problems life throws at me, and I will make the most of every second of my life as a building block to every dream I have. So, I keep them to remind me that I can undertake whatever entities challenge me and make an impact like anything that has left a scar on my life.

However, I do not keep those pertaining to love. Love is such an undefinable, irrational thing. An entity that can be given and not received, that can cause joy and pain, that can change the course of your life for better or worse. Love is not something I can decide. I cannot force someone to love me back, just as I could not force myself to love another or attempt to control the constantly changing weather. It is not something you control. It is not a destiny you can plan. It happens or it doesn't. So, I do not hope for it. I do not long for it. I do not rely on it. Because, in the end we may not truly have it. And, who can base their life on that?

Often I wonder how thin the lines are that we walk. If a facade is just that, how can it bring us happiness? But, can we find happiness without it? Do we fool ourselves into believing that we have distaste or lack of necessity for things only because we have a fear of never obtaining them? Possibly.