WELCOME HOME HEROES

            I don’t care what your political views are, but I hope that you pay tribute to every person that you know who serves in the armed forces.  I believe that putting your life in the midst of mortar fire and constant threats of attack is the ultimate sacrifice.  You make the freedom that is defined in the Constitution of the United States of America, a reality.  These brave men and women deserve our upmost appreciation. 

            Just this past weekend, I was at the airport waiting to board a flight back home from an EMT conference.  While sitting and watching the multitudes of people pass by my terminal, one man walked over and sat next to me.  He was a wearing a military uniform on is body and anxiety on his face.  It was clear to me that he was ready to go home.  He was a quiet man that sat patiently to board the plane while reading last month’s edition of Sky Mall and bobbing his head to the tunes on his iPod. 

            The Jet Blue employee announced that our plane was about to board and said that the first to board would be any military personnel on the flight today.  He stood up and the next thing that happened was miraculous; every single person in the surrounding terminals stood up and clapped, whistled and cheered.  People really do care about the individuals who serve and protect the people of this nation both domestic and abroad.

            So where am I going with this story? Well, the picture that goes with this blog post happens to be going viral on the internet.  It is of a marine who was greeted by the love of his life at his return to the United States.  I couldn’t help to think about how spectacular it is that after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell soldiers can be greeted by their same sex partners and they have every freedom to display they affection upon return from overseas. 

            However, I was disgusted to read some of the comments that people have wrote about this on Facebook, which aren’t even worth repeating here.  I hope that when this country is in a time of war that its citizens do not question the integrity of our military by the sexual orientation of its personnel.  Anyone who has the courage to put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good of this nation deserves the respect of the citizens for their contribution.  Also, there is no need to judge same sex couples who have just been apart from each other for several months who hug and kiss.  They have every right to show the same amount of affection as a heterosexual couple.  These people have been thousands of miles apart from each other, counting down the days until the end of deployment and worrying about their loved ones every night.   They are people too.  I can't help to think that someday, this picture could replace the picture of the sailor kissing a nurse on V-J Day in Times Square.  Times are surely changing. 

BREAKING THE SILENCE

            Today I need to talk about one of the most important topics not just to LGBT people, but also, to all of our nation’s youth.  After watching last week’s episode of Glee, the impact of teen suicide hit me hard.  To be honest, I’ve never experienced this problem so I never really thought it was important enough to write about.  Maybe other people think the same and that is why there is so much silence on the subject, but I am here to tell you to make some noise!  Let people know that teen bullying is not okay.  Words can hurt; they do hurt, so this has to stop now!

I have been fortunate enough to have supportive friends and family who have always accepted me for I am even before coming out.  I never had to face the reality of bullying, but I still realize the problem now.  Why is it that our nation’s youth are being tormented for being truthful for who they are?  This nation should recognize the importance of honesty and parents should be teaching their children the importance of tolerance at an early age.  If you are a teacher, don’t let your students get away with bullying someone for who they are, even if you think that it is “just words.”  Those words have the ability to kill.  They can make a person feel so worthless and not loved to the point that they take their own life.    

So for those of you out there who are being bullied, these are my words for you.  You have to tell someone what is happening to you; a school administrator, a clergyman, a parent, a sibling or anyone who can help bring a stop to this because you know what? You are important! You are important to your family, to your friends, to your acquaintances and even me.  You deserve a chance in life to do great things and I hope you do.  I know sometimes words can suck, yeah they suck a lot, but never give up hope.  Right now people make fun of you for being yourself, but pretty soon, those differences will be embraced by the people you meet.

I hope someday that you have a chance to make a difference in the world because there are so many changes out there that can be made.  You can be the change that could save another person’s life that is having the same problem that you had.  Let these hurtful experiences in the present become the fuel to your future.  Do something great with your life!  There is laughter to be shared, songs to be sung, knowledge to be gained, art to be made, people to be met and life to be lived.  Your time is not up, so don’t give in.  Prove to those bullies that you can rise above their hatred and do something spectacular.  Give other people hope.  You are important, you are unique, you are brave and you should never give that up.  Not everyone in this world can possess those traits, but you do.  I hope that someday I can meet you and you can tell me about the wonderful life you have.

If you ever need someone to talk to, please call the Trevor Project at: 1-866-488-7386 and visit the It Gets Better Project website and watch the videos; they’re inspiring: http://www.itgetsbetter.org/.

A WORLD WITHOUT THE CONCEPT OF DIFFERENT

One of my sister’s good friends and an avid reader of my blog sent me an article that gave me so much hope.  The story was of a 7 year old boy who came out as gay to his parents.  He didn’t understand that liking boys instead of girls was different.  He didn’t know that some people in this world believed that he was an abomination to the human race or that he could be arrested for stating these views in some countries.  All he knew was one simple thing, that he liked boys and not girls and he was not afraid to say it.

This boy had no fears about his sexuality, and in fact he probably doesn’t even understand the term sexuality yet.  But this 7 year old has given me so much hope. The fact that someone can grow up knowing that their parents will accept him for exactly who he is and take him seriously even at age 7, is absolutely inspiring to me.  This child has no idea how amazing it is to have such understanding parents yet, but I hope that someday he will. 

I am so hopeful that times are changing and that being gay is viewed as normal.  For this boy to not even have a concept of being different is astounding to me.  I want to someday live in a world where children cannot fathom why being gay is a reason to hate someone.  I’d like to think that hating on gay people will someday be viewed the same way that slavery or not allow the women the right to vote does in our nation’s history classes today.  We will look back on the gay rights movement and wonder why people had such a hard time understanding that they too are people; tax-paying citizens who deserve equal rights under the Constitution of the United States of America.  I hope that every student in their history classes will understand that the equal rights of people is something that we should never stop fighting for and that we are all more alike than we think; that difference is not as clear as we originally thought.   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/Amelia/when-your-7-year-old-son-announces-im-gay_b_1277910.html

THE LOCOMOTIVE OF LOVE

  

            I like to think of love as a train and you are the traveler awaiting the journey.  Sometimes you plan your journey out and you know exactly where your destination is, other times you hop on just for the thrill of the ride just to see where you will end up.  While you’re waiting at the train stop, you always seem to anticipate your journey, you like to think of how long the train will board, how fast things will go, but it is the unexpected that will leave the impression.  It is the wondrous mountain views that take your breath away, the interesting people that you will meet on the way and the problems that will stop you dead in your tracks that really leave an impact. 

            You can be ready for a train to come at a certain time, but you never really know when it will arrive; the conditions may not be right.  However, a train will always come, whether it is the one you expect or not.  Another train will always arrive at your stop, the destination may be different, but who knows, maybe it will be better than your original one.  However, I should advise you that trains are not a nonstop method of travel.  Sometimes trains will take breaks and sometimes a train will stop and you will need to get off and get back on another.  But don’t be discouraged, the trains never stop coming and you should never stop waiting and getting on.  So what are you waiting for, get to your train stop and wait for your train to arrive.  Get on and see where it brings you, the destination can be amazing. 

WHY I BLOG

            So people may wonder why I blog and the short answer is that I like to help people.  I figured that through this blog I hope that you can find something you can relate to whether you have a gay brother, a homophobic parent or just searching for inspiration.  I figured that the best way to get my point across through this blog was to reflect on personal thoughts and experiences and quite frankly, writing has helped me too.

            Before I came out, I would have trouble sleeping at night because there were so many things racing through my mind.  I would toss and turn for hours will my mind would be wrapped around so many thoughts.  But this blog has given me an outlet; a way to express the real me and all of my thoughts so I can finally sleep at night.  I have been silenced for so long and I feel like I could write novels on the things that I have to say.  So this is my start of those novels and I am glad that you are reading these in the hopes that you too can be inspired.

            Recently, I talked to my sister and she told me that one of her college roommates has started to read my blog and has become inspired by it.  This was one of the greatest feelings that I’ve had in a while.  Knowing that I am making a difference to someone only helps to further encourage me to write.  They say that in teaching you will learn.  I always found this to be a funny expression because how can a teacher teach without knowing everything?  However I feel like I have found my answer.  In this blog, I am the teacher and you, the reader, are my student.  I give you lessons about acceptance, tolerance and overcoming my struggles in hopes to inspire you.  However, one of you has inspired me.  I have learned from this that my stories really can help other people because you care enough about my stories to read them and hopefully act upon them. 

            So the take home message from this story is that you should always tell people about the positive aspects about them.  Tell a you friend that she looks beautiful today, tell your best friend that there is no one else in the world that he would rather spend his Saturday night with, tell your mother that you are appreciative of all the work she did to raise you and tell your teachers that they have challenged you and inspired you.  You never know where inspiration can come from.  Sometimes it comes in the form of a beautiful landscape, witnessing a random act of kindness, reading a biography of a war hero or in hearing that you have changed someone’s life.  So if this blog has inspired you, let me know.  Comment below, text, Facebook message, call, email or even tell me in person, because I have already taken the first step in telling you, that you inspire me.

SINGLE AND A VALENTINE’S DAY OPTIMIST?

            I’m not going to write a post how much I hate Valentine’s Day because it was created by the greeting card companies or even how there are 7 billion people in this world, but no one for me.  That stuff is quite frankly bullshit and shame on you for feeling like no one loves you or cares for you, because we do; I do.  Love is found in so many different ways and not exclusively with one person that you hope to spend the rest of your life with.  Family and friends can show you love too because any person that cares enough about a person to share their life with you obviously cares enough for you to describe this feeling as love.

            For those of you that don’t know me that well, yes I am single on Valentine’s Day, but in no way does that mean that I am alone.  I have friends who love and care for me, and in fact I have a skype date planned with my sister this evening.   So single is not synonymous with alone.  Don’t get me wrong, someday I want to be with a person on Valentine’s Day.  I want to be with a man who will laugh at my witty jokes, who will share random facts about the universe like I do, who can stand my aggressive driving and who can say I love you to me even after I lose a game of Jeopardy. 

            I hope someday to not be single on Valentine’s Day, but I won’t sit here and pity myself until then.  People out there love me now, even though I might not have found Mr. Right.  But I do know that he is out there somewhere.  I don’t know when we will meet, where it will be or how it will happen, but I still have hope and you should too.  The perfect person for you is out there, it is just up to fate for when it will happen.  Don’t try and figure out who it is, but the perfect moment when you meet will happen, be patient because love is on the way.

LETTER TO MY 14 YEAR OLD SELF

Dear Eric,

            It’s me…or you…or whatever you want to call me, but I’m sending you this message to let you know to never give up on your dreams.  I know that you spend the weekends now sitting at home on the couch watching movies with your parents or trying to hang out with your older sister, but there is so much more out there.  You need to start taking more risks in life and in fact, I already know you will.  I don’t want to spoil it now, but there are amazing opportunities headed your way and I hope you don’t deny a single one.  Trust me, in 5 years you won’t be regretting the things you’ve done but the things you haven’t.

            I know that there are things that run through your mind at night about who you are.  You wonder if people truly love you for you.  But, you’ll never know that they do if you never tell them who you really are.  You are unique and you should embrace this gift.  Someday people will love you for your confidence in who you are.  You will have more friends than you can ever imagine.  People will love you for who you are, but before they do, you have to show them.

            Yes, there will be times in your life that you will wonder if this is all really worth it, if you work so hard for anything.  This is me telling you that your hard work will never go unnoticed.  People can see a certain quality in you will always baffle them.  It is called passion, and it is one of your greatest characteristics.  Your passion is the stem of all your work ethic and every friendship you have made.  Never lose your sense of passion for the things you love because if you do, you lose what makes you special.  The ability for a human to care, is a characteristic that will attract people to their lives.

            I don’t want to ruin the rest of your life for you, but I want you to know that ever twist and turn will lead you to a new opportunity, every bump in the road will allow you to reflect on your past, every hill you rise up to will sometimes lead to a valley, but remember that the mountains are your destination. Every mountain has their highs and lows, but all paths lead to the summit.  Sometimes you will look in the mirror to see what you have passed, but never make a U turn and think that life was better back there.  Keep moving forward and don’t pause for a pit stop, keep moving and I promise that it will bring you places further than you can ever imagine.  Your destination is there, you just have to make the journey to it.

You’re the Best,

Eric (The future version)

P.S. Save yourself the trouble in high school and don’t take physics or AP US History.  It’s a waste of your time.