Life Lessons

I have always liked school. I may not have always been the perfect student, but I enjoyed almost all my teachers, classmates and classes in my education so far. However, in the last few years I have come to understand that you don't learn solely in a class setting, but in the real world you learn real life lessons, things only learned through experience. I've learned so much already in the relatively short amount of time I've been in Beirut, but more than anything I have learned about myself and those in my life. Here are some of the things I have learned in that respect so far:

People are complex. They come with different backgrounds, different views on life and everything in it, different character traits and personalities, and they each serve a unique purpose in my life, whether they are family, a friend or a stranger I just met.

Nobody is perfect in this world, and you can't uphold standards for people that you fall short of yourself.

You need people in your life. That doesn't mean you need them for survival, but being independent, you still need people in your life who can give you love, joy, companionship, and that you can reciprocate those things with too. No one should have nobody to share life with, as good or bad as it may be.

People change. They adapt, grow and move on in life, and they may or may not stay in your life. That gives you the chance in the present to cherish the people around you and to make communication a priority with those who you care about and wish to know for as long as possible.

People matter and people make a difference.

No one knows what you expect/want/wish to have/or need from them unless you tell them and have a relationship that's honest. Expectations unmet can ruin relationships before you even realize it.
You have to check your selfishness in order to be the best friend/family member/significant other etc., that you can be. True love is an action first and foremost, accompanied by emotion in order to further another's spiritual growth. Therefore, you need to be willing to serve the other person over your own selfishness for those in your life you truly love and care about. That's nothing short of a life long challenge!

People need you too. Relationships and interactions are a multi way street.

God puts people in your life for specific reasons, even if you don't know what that reason is.

Be grateful. Now that I am far from many that I care about and I miss them every day, there are people here that deserve my attention and focus as well, and it takes trusting in God to know that I am here to learn something He has set out for me to understand.