Be genuine.

Well the last week has been NUTS, with multiple rehearsals, the start of a new semester, and trying to just catch back up on life after the holidays!  Two amazing performances over the weekend made from some great time with friends and Monday off to catch back up was exactly what I needed.  4 loads of laundry, caught up on some house work, tap class, and built a new bookshelf for my room!

Fancy, right?

Sunday after performances, I had a really good evening spending time with some close friends at home.  Besides the usual drinks and N64, we had some really good conversation about things in life that never really get talked about: where we grew up, losing people we love, and just all around bad things that can happen to good people.  While these topics aren't exactly light, happy things to talk about on a casual night with friends, it was such a good reminder of why it is so important to actually talk about these things!  

If you spend multiple hours a week with people, yet never take time to truly learn who they are and where they have come from, what is the point in investing in that relationship?  I love getting to know new people and truly looking beyond the "Hey, how's it going?" kind of conversations.  In this new year, I am really working on having strong, genuine, REAL relationships with the people around me.  Not only do I want to spend time with people that I enjoy, but I want to take an invested interest in the person they are and the things that have made them who they are.  Good, bad, or ugly, we all have things that have happened to us along the way that make up the person we are now.  When you can use those things to find stronger connections and grow a solid friendship together, that is when these situations along the way all seem worth while!  

No matter what happens, being GENUINE AND REAL about your life is what will make for stronger, connected friendships going into the future.

Enjoy every moment.

MQ