Re-defining

  I was talking to my friend, Austin, the other day about why I'm here in Mexico, (a conversation I've had a few times over) and my response to him was, "Life is an adventure... I love that everything is like a test- every chapter of life challenges you to rise up and be better than you were before.  You can truly surprise yourself with what you will and can handle."  I honestly believe that.  I think a lot of people live in a comfortable and familiar way, because they are afraid trying something new and it not working.  I don't condemn those people or think there is any fault in that decision, but -as a Sagittarius- I find it personally confining... I suppose I'm scared to NOT know the unknown.

  Something I've always loved about living with people from varied backgrounds, is that you are constantly forced to better define yourself.  Well-known and "easy" answers are insufficient as they don't hold a whole lot of meaning to those who aren't familiar with your native idiosyncrasies.  Different backgrounds also result in different definitions.  I think this is something I first really realized with my Korean roommate, Luna, in college.  She was always asking me social questions... to this day, her famous quote to me is, "I see that you always wear red lipstick...it is very appealing- that is why red is often the color of whores."  Heh- thanks, Luna. 

  Even though Luna asked me more social questions, my current roomies are always asking me the meaning of particular words.  I find myself having to define the difference between exaggerate and overreact, fainting and passing out- and the appropriate uses for both.  Truth is, I like it.  Words are more meaningful- they have to be properly chosen to explain yourself sufficiently... as it should be.

  It's not just the words that are being re-defined, but when living in ANY new situation, many things are re-defined.  What is a party?  What constitutes as good food?  What is clean?  What is clean enough?  These are particular questions that have been defined again and again over the numerous living situations.  Heh- and you will do yourself no favors by comparing one situation to another on a scale of preference... It is helpful, however, to accept the present definition- to live in the current "truth."