random acts of kindness.

you know what i love more than anything in the whole, wide world? random acts of kindness. they are pretty much the greatest things anyone can do. it's one of those things where i was having a bad couple of days, but then someone does something that unknowingly makes everything a little better and easier to bear. the best part is, they have no idea that what they're doing will help you in some greater capacity; they just do it out of the kindness of their hearts. something as simple as a random compliment or unexpected hug (hugs are only accepted from certain people, mind you) can change my entire outlook on my current situation. a few days ago, i had two such things happen to me by two random people in a matter of an hour. one was a stranger and one was simply an acquaintance. it made me pick my head up a bit and think "well, someone cares." these people had no idea that i am going through hard times, which made it mean that much more to me.

it makes me realize that there are still a lot of good people in the world, who care about others enough to show it shamelessly. these two people have no idea who they are, and probably have no idea that what was said or done had such an impact on me, and i love that. i've been having a hard time here recently...the last few weeks have been rough as far as the homesickness is concerned. after these two things happened though, i honestly feel better. so, thanks a million, good-doers, for brightening my day. and to the rest of you: we all should do more random acts of kindness. i think the world would be a much more pleasant place to live in.

on another note, my weekend was amazing. i got to see barcelona twice in two days, ivoryline, the maine, and family force 5. i've been a fan of ivoryline and the maine for quite some time now, and they both exceeded any expectations i had for their live shows. what surprised me the most was how insanely sweet the guys from the maine were! they were so chill and i could just tell that they love meeting their fans, signing autographs, and taking pictures. they seem like one of those bands who really, really value every single person that comes out to a show, and every single fan who buys their album. those are the bands i love the most - no matter how popular they get, they still appreciate each individual person. it was kinda weird though, because they're all about my age. i talked to three of them, and they were just so real. i'm so happy they're playing at warped tour this summer, so i'll get to see them again. ivoryline was also really good. i only got to talk to two of the guys, and they were nice. they seemed kind of tired, which is only logical...i can't imagine having to drive all day long, unload all your gear, play an intense show, then have to go to your merch booth and put on a happy face for all your fans, load all your gear, and start all over again. i bet they are just constantly exhausted. at least they still came out. family force 5 was the craziest thing i've ever seen or heard...and that's all i'm going to say. unfortunately, after that wonderful eve of music, i had to go to relay for life. i had already been standing for about 5 hours, then i had to go walk around a track. i was so exhausted that i just tried to go to sleep....but i had to sleep on the gym floor with nothing but two thin blankets between me and the floor. because of this, i now have a huge kink in my back that refuses to retreat.

on an extremely somber note, holyfield is coming to spokane tomorrow night. the person that was supposed to go with me told me he's not going to come any more. i'm not going to go alone. that would be worse than simply not going at all. i'm hoping rebecca will be well enough to accompany me to the show tomorrow. i've been looking forward to this concert for at least three months, and when i found out that my friend wasn't coming, i literally came back to my room and cried. that sounds so lame, but to me, going to this concert is like seeing a piece of home that i haven't seen in 6 months. holyfield is one of my favorite bands, and i'm praying that i'll be able to go.

i'm supposed to be writing a philosophy paper right now. it's due on tuesday. unfortunately, for some reason, i cannot force myself to write a paper until the day before it's due...so apparently i'll be writing it tomorrow. but, it is 11:55 already and i'm utterly exhausted from this eventful weekend. sleep tight.