I meant what I said, and I said what I meant: Unspoken.

From time to time, and I don't know why, acquaintances ask me to give their opinions on their love life, relationships, and every aspect surrounding that. I mean every...aspect surrounding that. I'd generally be the listener, the shoulder, or whatever they need me to be, but not the advice giver. I've had questions and comments arise this week that have puzzled me, upset me, annoyed me, flat out pissed me off, and made me smile.

I think all of my friends will agree with me on this: it's not the words spoken, it's the things did in a relationship that matter the most. Even more of a dissection, it's the little things done that matter the most.

I'm direct. Now I've not always been that way, but I became more comfortable in who I was to realize...why should I mind? I have class, and I have manners, but I also speak my mind. I have heard the "how do you DO that?" or "I could never do that." I can. I think everyone can. I wish people would stop being so afraid of what people will think, what the reaction will be.

I posted a blog earlier in the week of how my friends see me, and I told a friend today, "you are who you are." You need to figure out who you really are. Instead of various adjectives, you need to look inward. Is how you portray yourself to others who you really are? Do you say one thing and do another? Do you act differently around people, or are you always the same no matter what? Are you true to yourself, and can you be true to yourself? Until you know who you are, and until you're true with yourself, how can you share yourself with others?

This is a mantra, if you will, that you should keep in the back of your mind.

In 7th grade, our teacher group came up with "Take Care of Yourself First." Back then, it was goofy. It was corny. We thought it was ridiculous, but as I've grown into adult hood, I've realized it makes a lot of sense. Think about a stressful time in your life. How did you feel? What was the cause of the stress? How did you overcome that point in your life? Did you rely on others to help you, or did you look inward and say, "take a deep breath. Breathe. Think it through. You can do this"? This whole mantra can apply in any area of your life including relationships, family life, and just other things (finances, etc.).

Take care of yourself first so you can take care of others. Breathe. Just....breathe.