Diana Reader

I have a stomach ache. This is nothing new, I get them a lot.  I've had them sporadically within the last 3 1/2 years of college, but it's been intensified since last summer.  I get them frequently, sometimes staying up all night because I can't lie down.  I've had consultations with a couple doctors on possible causes of this, probably certain foods or anxiety or sugar free products.  I've changed my diet slightly, moderating it when I feel I can, but not a lot has improved.  I still have the option of getting an examination, but the thought of being put under freaks me out, so I'm convincing myself I can just keep altering foods until I find out a schedule that works.  Maybe not the best choice, but I think I can just keep changing until I find a way where it goes away. Since Friday it's intensified.  It's day 8 since my stomach ache came on, and it hasn't gone away yet.  I've been trying to keep a normal food routine, eating even when I...

I've been asking this question a lot.  For the past three years, I've been searching for an answer.  What does love feels like?  What does love look like?  What does love mean?  I've been asking people their own definitions of love, searching for a clearer description to understand.  How do you know if you're in love?  Sitting here with a  pile of books spread across my bed, papers with notes scribbled on them, reading through emails and messages, recalling phone conversations, late night delves, and searching within myself, I've compiled as best a list as I can.  Here are some of the responses I've heard to the question, What is love? : While no relationship is guaranteed a pain-free future, love is still worth it.  And how does love weather the storms of life?  A firm foundation helps.  Take time today to nurture your relationships. Love is an act of faith. The idea that somewhere out there is t...

"I saw the Runner far away in the distance, moving rapidly against the horizon.  His run was neither furious nor agonized.  Yet he seemed to have a goal, for his movement was resolute, vigorous, and confident.  Watching him as he ran, I was touched by the effort that he made.  I was also somewhat ill at ease within myself: The running figure inexplicably seemed to make a demand upon me.  I felt intuitively that he wanted me to run with him, try to match his pace, and share in some measure both the demand and the fulfillment of the race.  However, I succumbed to insecurity and fear.  Shielding my eyes, I turned away and moved swiftly in the opposite direction.  Now I knew that I was also a runner.  I ran alone."           [-The Runner] Have you ever felt that you're running alone?  That the race you've set before you is desolate, nothing ahead of you, nothing behind, yet you run. ...

"When you make a change in your life, you will have times where you fall.  You are going to try and fail, try and fail, try and fail, and fail, and fail, and fail again, but if you keep getting up and trying, soon your successes will outweigh your failures, and you will overcome.  You focus so much on trying to attain perfection, and that's exhausting.  To make the change, you have to change yourself.  That's going to be inconvenient for awhile, but that's part of the healing process.  You've committed to doing this, and the end process is you getting better.  You need to look yourself in the mirror and face what's controlling you.  The majority of it will be coming through you.   It's going to be inconvenient and some days will be easier and some days will be harder but you have to stick with it.  It's going to be very inconvenient but that's how you know it's worth it."  Have you ever tried to make a change in your life?  I...

I realized something today. What if life really is what you make it? Think about that.  Really think about that.  Like so many, I've been so focused on striving for happiness, wanting so badly to have genuine joy in my life, an unwavering peace that no one, no thing, no idea, no circumstance, no nothing can take away.  What if that was really in our reach and we were choosing to watch it slip away?  I've always been afraid to take too many chances, because I was afraid that I would somehow mess with 'the plan'.  I rarely tell people how I genuinely feel about them fearing that I will somehow give them too much, or change the course of fate, or fall harder and hurt more.  But what if we lived in a world where fear wasn't an option?  What if every time we wanted to say something that was placed on our heart actually led us to a better future?  What if we lived with a mindset that love, joy, and happiness are present in our lives and surround ...