Journal from April 14, 2018 @ 11:58 p.m.

People -I have learned- are far more complex and intricate than we sometimes care to acknowledge. Every single person on this earth is an ornate being with stories, memories, aspirations, goals, and dreams which illusion and enchant us with the idea of being, of existing. We are more than we credit ourselves for being. The potential we hold within is overwhelming, but we have to access it and contribute to its growth in order to unlock its extravagant potential. What a shame that some don't believe this of themselves, never opening a door which opens the portal to the start of a powerful beginning and journey.

Humans: a species that resides on earth. We are not as simple as this definition entails. An individual being has an extensive background, whether we choose to share it with others is up to us. In doing so, we allow others the opportunity to begin to understand why we have become who we are, what we think, and where we may go. Every single person's timeline is different, and every timeline is made up of events that shape our existence and what we profess. An individual deserves to be looked at with a greater intention than what we see at face value. After all, we are not just made up flesh.

We are more than our physical presence. We are not just a bundle of cells and matter, or simply skin and bones -we have a soul and conscious. We have a terrestrial being: the tangible part of our existence -what people see. Ah, but our soul? That's what people feel and connect with. We shouldn't limit ourselves to the superficial and physically obtainable world. Speaking who we are and letting our thoughts be known is what creates human connections and intimacy of the minds -two vital aspects of human survival. Without companionship in this world, life becomes lonely. Sharing our thoughts with people we come across creates the inevitable amity that every single person who breathes has the potential to discover. The terrestrial embodiment of who we are should be an authentic representation of our values, ideals, morals, philosophies, mantras, timeline of events, memories, and the love we receive and return -all of which makeup our souls.

Sonder: a word I came across right at the moment I needed it. It's a noun, and it means "the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own." I reached a point in my life not long ago where I unconcerned myself with the expression "what you see is what you get": it is one of the biggest lies I have ever been sold, and I, gullible enough to buy it. I realized that each person I see on my day to day life may be just a face in my life, but they are the protagonist of their own narrative, just like I am of mine, and you of yours. Every individual has an incredibly long list of likes & dislikes, beautiful memories & haunting nightmares, moments of love & moments of hate -just as you do. We are all the same in the sense that we all possess a timeline, but different in what the timeline consists of -and what a fascinating thing that our own timelines crossover with that of other inhabitants of this beautiful planet.

I'm learning to live my life free from preconceived ideas that were born from snippets of information I have on the person: that will never be a truthful conceptuous image; just as I don't want people to do so of me. We are all more than a bad day, capable of unimaginable connections with people, even brief ones. There are moments I have recollection of that excites me to be alive because of the experience in the moment, of laughter or conversation or observing other human connections: a mother and her child, a lover and his/her soulmate, a family, two friends -you name it. If we share who we genuinely are, cleanse ourselves of influences we don't identify with, and channel our craving for human connections we will come across people who we didn't know we desperately needed in our lives. Or maybe connect with someone you already knew but are now seeing in a different light because you allowed yourself to be viewed further than your earthly presence, as they have decided to acknowledge more than the world that is physically seen.

-Natalie La Roche