X = XANTHIPPE

This word refers to any nagging or irritable woman and if I was not in some desperate need to find a word starting with x, I would never have found it in my dictionary. Whenever I meet a new male person, whether they are a colleague or a possible new friend, they always ask me what kind of woman I am. Whether I was just like all the others or whether I was different. I think most men have had a run in with a woman with Xanthippe like qualities and many times they possibly messed with that particular woman on the wrong day. But just for the record, not all women are like that. We as woman have to lift our opinions and be heard, but not to the point where the males in our lives want to strangle us. I know it is hard, but for the sake of keeping the peace and all that…

W = WILDLIFE

There is no life without all the creatures on this plant, even the creepy and crawling ones. Everything was created and placed on this earth for a reason. Why anyone could think they have the right to destroy it, I do not know. The very idea of knowing how terribly our wildlife is suffering all over the world and the common perception that it is not our problem or that it is okay, sickens me. We cannot simply kill and neglect life and think that it is okay. Yes, we are human, we are supposed to be the most advanced and intellectual life on this planet, but why can we not protect? Why do we have to associate killing our own wildlife as part of our human survival and existence? Why can we not leave a wonderful legacy of natural life for the upcoming generations? Why are they not allowed to see a rhinoceros or a lion in the wild in the next 20 years?

We are so great and so wonderful yet we are killing the world and most things in it, the irony. Though, I am well aware that not all of us are the ones doing the damage. 

V = VIOLENCE

Violence is a terrible thing, especially when it is directed towards you. I know for a fact that I wish most days that there was a lot less of it in my country and all around the world. I wish people could change and realize that it is not a way to live. But, having said that, I am not beyond it. If anyone dared to hurt me or anyone I love and thought that I was simply going to stand idly by and watch, they are sadly mistaken. Violence is also a last resort when and if you need to defend yourself or a loved one. I have been placed in situations in the past, where people thought it was okay to do to me what ever they pleased and I have simply had enough. A little violence is needed in certain situations to defend, but not to solve an issue.

Though, most days I just wish that there was a pill out there in the world that could take all the violence away and make it unnecessary to have the need to ever defend yourself. Would it not be great if we could all just get along? 

U = UNHAPPY

When most of us are unhappy, we have this tendency to suffer in silence. I tend to be silent about certain things, but then again I am more than happy to complain about others. But instead of simply accepting our unhappiness and the factors or people that cause it, why do we not change things? I have made a few changes and though I am not completely happy about everything, I at least am no longer unhappy. So, instead of suffering in silence with your unhappiness, why not do something about it, and improve your quality of life. I know that I have many more changes to make, to live the life that I want. 

T = TOUGH

When I speak of the word tough, I don’t mean that you have to go to the gym every night. I am talking about a certain mindset that you need when things get rough. If you get a rejection letter from a publisher or an agent, let’s take that hit on the chin and keep on going. We need to be tough during certain experiences in life and though it is not necessary to be tough while handling every situation, it is a great quality to have in reserve when the occasion calls for it. I know that I have to toughen up a bit myself, as peoples words still have too much of an impact on me sometimes. 

S = SURVIVAL

When I think about survival, I never think of myself on some deserted island having to fend for myself. I think of how I am supposed to survive in this ever changing world and understand how I am supposed to live alongside unpredictable people. I have learnt that surviving meant being careful with regards to how you approach people. Here where I live children are no longer just playing and seen as the innocent. No, children can be criminals too and have evil tendencies, torturing and mistreating animals simply for the fun of it. If you can do that with a smile, what else are you capable of? Sometimes your nice neighbour is not so nice and you need to stand up for yourself, which means you have to be a bit more assertive if you wish to survive in the long run.

It might sound terrible, but surviving has taken on a whole different meaning for me. It is more about how I live and not being able to be too friendly with stranger any more.  Survival I think can mean something different to everyone, but to me, it means taking care of my safety and that of my loved ones. 

R = REGRETS

I think that regret is one of the most awful emotions ever. It makes you feel bad about yourself, even though there is nothing that you can do about certain situations. Regret is also one of the emotions that I feel most often. I am one of those people who hang onto bad memories and experiences for far too long, when in truth, I am supposed to simply let them go. I worry about the regrets that I will never have a chance to fix and in truth, I will probably never be able to do anything about most of them, which is why I believe that regrets should simply be left in the past. If there is nothing you can do to make up for regretting to do something, then simply let it go, leave it behind. I know I have lost too much sleep already, worrying about things that I have no control over.