08.10.08
Kismet
Kismet- Any word that pertains to destiny or fate is simply beautiful to me because of its very essence. I am a strong believer in destiny. I believe that all things do happen for a reason, though it isn’t always obvious what that reason may be at the time. Appreciating that the relationships, experiences, and situations of our individual lives are all parts of our own story, our own destiny, makes the joyful and wonderful aspects that much more significant and meaningful. How our stories intertwine with those around us is magical and when we believe in kismet, every day is an adventure. Anything disheartening, or disappointing that happens along the way really doesn’t seem to matter so much when we consider that it is all part of our story; it is all necessary.
The word kismet is not used as often (or at least I don’t come across it as much) as its synonyms. I wonder why that is so. I really like the sound of the word. Even though in the pronunciation, the “s” sounds like a “z”, the beginning three letters, “kis” reminds me of the word “kiss” and makes it a much more romantic word than even “destiny.” It isn’t as poetic-sounding as “serendipity,” but since it is of Turkish and Arabic origin, it does feel a bit exotic. I will keep my eyes and ears open and try to see which instances, and in what context I find the word.
~Melissa 
08.08.08
“And now, I’m glad I didn’t know…”
And now, I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end
the way it all would go.
And our lives are better left to chance.
I could have missed the pain, but I’d've had to miss the dance.
-Song lyrics from Garth Brooks’ “The Dance”
When people are asked if they could go back in time – and know “then” what they know now – would they make the same choices in their lives, would they do it all over again, I am always really interested to hear the responses!
I think that it is important to live without regrets and to live each day to the fullest, learning from our past, but never letting the past take away from the present or what the future can bring. Life is just not long enough to spend time wishing that the past could have been different or that you could change it.
I think that I like these lyrics specifically because even though there may have been certain choices or events in our lives that have at some point brought us pain, they may have also brought tremendous amounts of joy and happiness…and without that choice, without the pain, how do we know that we would necessarily have had the joy and happiness, too?
~Melissa
