So, yesterday, a beautiful day indeed, found me walking a trail I had never seen before with my dog, Josie, faithfully traipsing by my side. I suppose that doesn't sound particularly noteworthy, except for the fact that this trail I had never seen before exists on my property. [As a sidebar, I live on 123 acres of property, most of which consists of woods and a pretty little lake that I like to refer to as "Lake Bunj."]
So, in any case, there I am, walking with Josie when I see an opening in the woods that opens up to a trail, so immediately I want to explore it.
Which started me thinking and drawing parallels. For instance, the same thing happens when I open a notebook to a blank piece of paper--I immediately want to fill it with words, ideas, thoughts (some half-baked, some not) etc. Or when I stare out into the ocean and immediately feel the urge to sail to the ends of it to see where it stops. I am fascinated by the unknown and it is because of that fascination I became a teacher in the first place. Why? Because the unknown triggers a desire in me to KNOW, to learn. And I am so thankful for that because without it, I wouldn't be here, in room 204, typing out this blog.
And that, my pumpkin-sunshines, is what I want to focus on this week, especially in the spirit of my favorite holiday--Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for? Now, please don't limit yourselves to the trite old cliches like "I'm thankful for my family" blah blah blah...Not that it isn't good to be thankful for your fam--of course it is. But what I want you to do here is go a little deeper. I am thankful for my desire to KNOW-for wanting to explore unknown trails, to add to the store of things I learn on a day-to-day basis. I explained why already--and I want you to do the same. It won't be enough to tell us what you are thankful for--you also need to include the WHY. Try to consider yourself--who you are, what you value and where you imagine yourself to be in the future.
Use the force.
(450-500 words/60pts)
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Oh, this is going to be a good one. I can tell. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha JV always gettin the first word in
ReplyDeleteThe main thing that I'm thankful for is my ambition. Without it, I wouldn't be good at playing sports, making friends, or getting good grades. I don't really have a parent on my back telling me to study or practice or go talk to some friends. I have to do all of that stuff by myself, so I'm thankful that I have ambition to keep me going.
ReplyDeleteThanks to my ambition, I have achieved many of my goals in sports. I've had the most goals on my team this year in soccer and tied for first last year. This year I won best offensive player and I had the second most assists. This makes me feel like I didn't waste my whole summer and weekends practicing and running and that I have a purpose on the team. Soccer keeps my mind off of everything because when I'm playing I completely forget about everything in my life and just play. Without ambition, I wouldn't be able to play soccer and get that 90 minutes of freedom per game. I think everyone needs time like that because it relieves stress.
Also, ambition helps me make friends which make my life a million times easier. Everyone has those days where nothing is going right and they just want to vent to someone about how everything is going wrong. Or they just want to tell them how everything is going right and they're happy! Either way, friends are good to have. If I didn't have the ambition to go up to a person and talk to them and become their friend, I wouldn't have this benefit in life. I'm glad I'm not really shy because I like being friends with everyone. It provides me with plenty of good times and laughs.
Ambition is also the main reason why I put any effort into school. I really want to go to Rowan, play soccer there, and become a pharmacist. My ambition to succeed keeps me in line and keeps me studying. I know that my future won't work out the way I plan if I begin to slack off and not care about my grades.
I need a desire to want all of these things since nobody is really pushing me. Most people have their parents to make sure they're doing the right thing, practicing, studying, or whatever else is important. Since I only really have myself to look out for me, I am thankful that I'm not one of those kids who completely gives up on everything they've ever loved because nobody is pushing them to work harder at it. Without any ambition I probably wouldn't be doing this blog right now either- so thanks ambition!!
“You are always right. You know my life better than I do. I should never have doubted you. Your improvisation and perfect forgery are renowned. I would be lost without you. You are perfect. Thank you.”
ReplyDeleteLet’s get one thing straight, I’m a talker. I can talk my way out of a lot of things, I can talk my way around a lot of things and in arguments with friends, I’m pretty epic at wording things to make whatever I had done sound a hell of a lot better, making them seem wrong for ever accusing me in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, this devious skill of mine is fantastic (and I certainly am thankful for it), but because of me not really needing to apologize or admit being wrong much has caused me to despise when I do. But sometimes you got to bite the bullet…my mom is always right. This phrase I have written up there that I recite whenever it proves true (which is just about always) does not make me happy, but she deserves every word of it.
Oh, wait- I’m guessing you actually think I mean my mom, like my flesh and blood momma who got preggers and had me. No, I do not mean her. She’s lovely and all but considering the fact that I feel like a stranger to my home, I don’t have the world to thank her for, ok I do but that’s not what I’m writing about. By mom I actually mean my best friend, whose mommying skills are never too far below the surface, especially when it comes to me. Her name is Fiona Erickson. If you don’t know her, think girl who’s practically me, except has longer hair. (On multiple occasions people have asked if we were twins, just today my Spanish teacher said we were like the same person.)
When it comes to Thanksgiving, I could talk about thanking that talking thing or thanking my bold go and get it philosophy. But what I’m really thankful for may not be center of the earth deep as Bunje’s but there’s no one I’m more thankful for than that girl. I live in her house. No really I do. They’ve got a mattress in their living room for me and her mom already designated that my room. Her little brother asks where I am whenever I’m not at their house and mom makes announcements to our family whenever I’m actually at my own house.
Though I love my third home (what I call Fiona’s house) that’s not just what I’m thankful for. What I am thankful for is her mommy-ness that couldn’t help me more. I may perhaps not be making the best decisions at the moment and she’s certainly helped- rather saved- me with keeping those decisions not so bad. I have a list of rules from her that keep me in check and she always has the exact advice I need, even if I don’t always listen to it. But she always listens to me, even if I’m ranting the most ridiculous story, she listens. No one to talk to? I’ll call Fiona! To write all the times she’s had my back and helped me out would fill a book, like a Bible sized book, with those transparently thin pages. Yeah, yeah that’s a big book with lots of room for lots of stories.
She gives me hope when I have none, she loves Borders, baking, shoes and accents as much as I do, she drives, she’s just awesome. I honestly would be lost in every way without her. Like legit next year, I’ll be texting her every three seconds when she’s at college asking what to do. So even though she may not be reading this blog, (even though I’m showing it to her the moment I finish) I don’t say it enough, so…Thanks Fiona for being an amazing friend <3 =).
*Everyone feel free to Awwhhhh because I know I just did*
I am wholly, undeniably, humbly grateful that everything in the universe has played out just the way it has. Just the way it’s meant to be. When you stop and really think about it, there are an infinite amount of possibilities of how the world could have been. How you could have been. You could have been born in a different place. You could have been born in a different time period. You could have been born into royalty. You could have been born into poverty. You could have never been born at all. You could grown up in a different house. You could have never met your best friend. You could have never had that perfect teacher. You could have never known your parents. You could have never had any siblings, or suddenly find yourself with a multitude of them. You could have never cared about school. You could have never went to school. You could have been pregnant before you had the time to think about happiness. You could have never met your boyfriend, your husband, your lover. Everything we do from birth to death is interconnected and inextricably intertwined. It’s like a domino effect, in which each and every decision we make influences the next, ultimately making us who we are in the present. If some of those dominos were different, or hadn’t fallen, you could have never been….you.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet you are. Out of the innumerable possible outcomes, I am so, so, so grateful that I am Kale Nagasaki. When I think of all the dominos in my life-- what would have happened if I never met Alexis, if I never danced, if I never had Mrs. Franks, if I never watched Dragon Ball Z, if I never had played tennis, if I never had Mr. Cera, if I never decided to make that one joke about going to see a movie-- it’s frightening. But the point is, it all happened. And every single, second of my life impacted the next, and I absolutely love who I am right now. I’m unstoppable, I’m talented, I’m intelligent (hopefully!), I’m beautiful. I am beautiful. And with the overwhelming amount of other possibilities, the overwhelming odds that say it wasn’t meant to happen this way, it did.
Now, why? Why does this matter to me? I have to say that’s probably the easiest question in the world for me to answer: I believe man still has a noble destiny. We are all exactly the way we are because there is something greater for us each to have, some greater happiness for us all to enjoy. I want to say that Destiny bred me, for there are no coincidences. And yet, I want to also say that I am Destiny. I am Kale Nagasaki because the world needs a Kale Nagasaki. The world needs Kale Nagasaki because Kale Nagasaki is beautiful and will fit into and become something grander, something more beautiful. I feel that transformation everyday; I feel innately more beautiful. It’s a growth of my soul, an awareness of the reality that I am making my way to something better. That I matter.
And mattering, having a purpose, is everything to me. Feeling worthless, meaningless was the only thing that made me truly doleful. When I felt like I didn’t matter because there were so many other options, that can’t even be put into words. When I saw that a guy thought another girl was prettier and funnier, or when I saw a friend choose to be with someone else over me… That’s when Kale Nagasaki felt like.. .nothing. But that was seventh grade. This is now. I have potential, I have purpose, I have the world. My friends choose to be with me and I choose to overachieve as me. I am the best Kale Nagasaki there is, and only getting better, because I know that this world needs me. It needs all of us at our best, just the way we are. From my love of Japanese culture to my curly hair, I am grateful for being exactly who I am.
Deanna:
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog topic, for I often find myself pondering what could have been. It’s both eerie and awe-inspiring at once to consider that each one of us is one-in-way-more-than-a million. It seems amazing that the cards fell in just the right places to make us the people we are today, but the probability that our even genetic selves came into being in the womb—the cumulative effect of our life experiences notwithstanding—is so low that I can’t help but feel that I’m some sort of accident. Your thought that “man still has a noble destiny”, though, is comforting. While it doesn’t tie too neatly into my spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof, I do like to feel like I have some sort of higher purpose.
Hannah
ReplyDeleteYou are so motivated! I think your success has helped drive your ambition. The more you succeed the more you will want to do. I know I’ve said this before, but I really do envy how strong you are!
Taylor
That was so nice. I don’t even know who she is, but the fact that anyone would say such nice things about her must mean she’s a wonderful person. It’s nice that you have someone you’re so close to.
P.S. As I was reading this I was thinking in my head, ‘Wait is she talking about the same mom she talks about in Physics?’; but than you cleared it up ☺
Deanna
Deanna your voice in your writing is so confident, and then you get to talking about you’re intelligence and that confidence goes right out the window. You are beautiful, talented, and unstoppable, but you are also one of the smartest people I know, next to Mr. Sopuch of course, never doubt your intelligence.
Taylor- Awhh that was really cute! When I see you two together (which is quite often) you do remind me of the same person pretty much. It's good that she keeps you in check with those rules!! She is really nice I've only talked to her like once at Nick's but ever since we've said hi to each other and stuff. Telll her I said thanks, too!
ReplyDeleteDeanna- Dang your first paragraph really made me think and be thankful for a lot! I didn't really think of all that, like how we could have been born into something different. Or like one thing in our life could have been different which would change everything. That's crazy.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, can I just say how much I love Thanksgiving? I mean...I know we're celebrating being thankful and the pilgrims and all that; but this whole day you do nothing but EAT. Eating is my hobby! I love food! I love this holiday! More than Christmas! Okay, now that that's out of the way...well, of course I'm thankful for family and everything, but you asked not to talk about that! So, I won’t!
ReplyDeleteOkay. I guess (and I know this sounds corny) I’m thankful for laughter. There's nothing really more that I enjoy than that. I grow incredibly happy when I'm in church and I'm playing peek-a-boo with a baby in front of me and he lets out a loud giggle to break the silence. Oh! And you know what else is great? Old people laughter. I was telling Shelly and Paola this at the train stop last weekend. There were a bunch of old people waiting for the train to Atlantic City. (probably going to gamble. Yahoo!) They were all in hilarious fits and the smiles on their faces literally melted my heart. Seriously though...laughter can come in handy at all times and I'm thankful for that. Laughter will cure any awkward silence and break the ice in any situation. I'm also thankful that I have the ability to laugh at myself. When I goof up or say something weird that no one else understands, I just laugh at myself and forget what happened. It may not work for others, but it helps me from embarrassing myself and makes me feel a whole lot better afterwards. Honestly, laughter has saved me many times in my life. When feeling depressed, misunderstood, and one time suicidal, laughter has saved me. I won't go into detail how, but it has. Like they say, laughter is the best medicine! Or like the quote from Woody Allen, "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose!"
The second and final thing I am thankful for (and don't laugh! Wait! I just said laughter was a good thing! Augh!)
The other thing I am thankful for is cartoons. The first thing I do when I flip on the TV is turn to Cartoonetwork, then Nickelodian, then Disney Channel(for the animated shows), then Nicktoons Network, then to Boomerang. (BEST CHANNEL EVER)Cartoons aren't just something I enjoy, but they have seriously inspired me for my career choices and I think they're the reason behind why I am so immature and whacky all the time. When I was a kid, we didn't have cable, so I'd have to wait until Saturday morning to get my fill of cartoons on The WB. Batman, Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, and Earthworm Jim were some of my favorites. Even though I don't really like the new cartoons being shown now, I still watch with my brother and laugh when he laughs. They're really quite hilarious sometimes. I like how they bring even more of the kid out of me and always remind me of my incredible childhood.
There are many more things that I am thankful for, but I think those two have affected me the most. So, keep on laughing and watching cartoons because it makes me happy! :)
There is a lot I’m thanking for, I have everything I have always wanted. I remember I was telling Jon Williams about when I wrote my occasional paper, and he was like “I bet it’s about happy things” (but it ironically wasn’t at the time), but still I am very happy, and I am very thankful for that. So I’ll just start out with the cliché things and then get deep.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for my family. For my sister and I am thankful I have her. I am thankful that even though she doesn’t live at home anymore, that she can come home on Sundays and watch Degrassi with me. I am thankful that we are still so close. I also am thankful for my parents and that I am now able to be honest with them and have legit conversations. Also that they drive me around and cook for me and pay for me and most importantly love me. I never take them granted. I am also thankful for the location of my house. That people can come over after school and chill here and we can do projects and they can leave their book bags here and then they can just get picked up here after what ever we’re doing. Also that some people can park in our drive way (don’t get any ideas) if they live far away or have something right after school. I am thankful for my boyfriend. He may boss me around and get a tone with me, but I am thankful we can talk about it and fix it and things are always better after. I am thankful that he loves me and makes me feel special and I am thankful that I can make him happy and I can feel good about it. But as always, I have to give a shout out to my friends. I am thankful that they are here for me, that they allow me to be myself. We have a good thing going and we always have fun and I am thankful for all the memories and inside jokes. I am thankful that I can walk into chemistry and “fuel the jet” and be the “dream team” and that I can text someone when I have a problem at 10:30 and talk to them. I am thankful for everything in my life right now.
But I can’t overlook the little things that matter. When I think about my life, I think about the things that make me happy, and those are things that I am thankful for. So it brings me back to times where I was upset and couldn’t clear my head but there was that one thing I could go to: soccer.
There are two times where I am really thankful that I have soccer in my life. First example: I was in a car accident and everyone kept bringing it up to me in school and just made me feel really embarrassed. So, thankfully, I had soccer after school. Second example: my mom was frantically freaking out because our computer had a virus and my sister needed money. She kept going after me saying that I caused the virus and my dad kept saying how I can’t be on the computer as much (first of all I am never on it), so I just felt like I was getting blamed for something a computer hacker was doing. So thankfully, I had soccer practice that night.
I am thankful that I have soccer because for 90 minutes or even for a 2 hour practice, I can just focus on playing and nothing else matters. All my focus is on playing and playing my best and I don’t think about my personal drama, or even homework or a test. My stress level is a lot lower when I play soccer. Having soccer just distracts me, it keeps me sane. I love having soccer to turn too, to take my mind off of things.
Now that I have listed what I am thankful, I realized that I am not just thankful, I am blessed. I have a healthy life and healthy friends and family. I have good people and good times. I am blessed. So I am thankful that I am blessed. I am thankful for living another day, for being able to type this paper, for breathing, for living. I am thankful for everything good. I am blessed, therefore I am thankful. So this thanksgiving when I am thankful for that delicious food that is placed in front of my greedy eyes and starving stomach, I will be thinking about this, and then smiling…then grubbing!
Taylor: I think your blog to Fiona is so cute! You should show her! I never knew you really that close. So it's good you to take her for granted or her home, etc. It is good you can see how much people can really have an influence on you.
ReplyDeleteHannah: I got mad when I read your blog because mine was going to be like it! About the whole being able to play soccer, blah blah blah. But I still ran with it. We are pretty much the same person anyway! So our blogs are always similar sometimes anyway!
KTG: Oh Katie, I love your blogs. I am thankful that I cant take gander and read them! I am laughing! So thank you for being able to point out how we shouldn't take those things for granted. You always open my eyes to the little things! Thank you!
Deanna-
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you mention that you are thankful for the way things have worked out for you. A lot of times when something good happens to me, I fnd myself thinking, for a while, afterwards about why things played out like they did. Sometimes I can't tell is it was meant to be or if it was just sheer luck. The same goes for everything bad in my life, but that's not the point. When I read your blog, I was thinking to myself, "Whew, thank goodness someone thnks like I do." I just didn't know if other people reflected back on certain events like I do.
Hubby (to everyone else, Meg S),
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I already park in your driveway so too late! Second, I know what you mean about being thankful for your sport. With all of the shit that goes on in school (you were there for a big one today and THANK YOU SO MUCH!), there's nothing better than having a sport as an outlet (personally I lke travel sports because of their distance from school). I can have the worst day in the world, but when i go to softball, I'm forced to only think about making plays for a good 2 and a half hours. It takes my mind off of everything I dwell on. It keeps my sanity and I'm able to pretend like nothing ever goes wrong in my life.
KTG- You are soo adorable in your little blogs. Laughter, is like one of hte best things to be thankful for. Without laughter life would be so miserable and you got me thinking how beyond thankful I am for the opportunity that I get to laugh!!!! Thanks girl :)
ReplyDeleteThe force is not with me. I thought about this blog for a long while and nothing seemed to come up, nothing of substance anyway. I am thankful for my family, I am thankful for my boyfriend, and I am thankful for all my friends and coaches on the chess team, but none of those things are different. Everyone has heard those. What could possibly be so special in me that I am honestly thankful for it?
ReplyDeleteAfter watching TV show and talking with my family on commercials, I thought about something that is important to me. I am thankful for my sense of humor. It is important with the events that I have gone through to try and see past the pain. In some cases, I would still have depression if I had not tried to get around problems that I had gone through by finding the humor in a particular situation.
I have gone through a few hard things. I have almost lost my house at least ten times. There have been times when my parents borrow money from me to help pay the bills. (By borrow, I mean ask nicely to have…) With just those examples, you can probably tell the days in between are not much easier. I push myself in school and after school. I earned my second degree black belt and became an aunt at the age of ten. With all those things come great responsibility and a lot of stress. Without my sense of humor, I would have only help onto the stress put onto me when those things went on instead of laughing off some of the pressure.
I love to laugh and have fun. Joking with my friends and my boyfriend are things I do on a daily basis. Without my humor, I wouldn’t be me. I am thankful for having it.
Megan: I love how you took something that was completely cliche but made it your own. The way that you described how you were thankful for your family, or your sister, made the cliche not so cliche.
ReplyDeleteKale:I was reading your blog and it really made me think. What if I had never met you or never taken Mr. Sera's class? What of I had settled for the CP classes like my friends did just because I am lazy? What if I had not pushed myself to dream and try and achieve those dreams... Your blog really got me thinking. I am thankful for you too.
Katie: The things that we are thankful for sort of go hand in hand. I am thankful for my humor and you are thankful for laughter. I also enjoy the happiness and feeling that people get when their is laughter involved. On a completely different topic, I love how you write. You are outright and strong with what you say. When you say something you mean it.
The Pines. The middle of nowhere. The place barely anybody knows about. Jenkins. That’s one of the things that I am most thankful for: living where I do. Now that sounds like a contradiction. I always say how much I hate where I live because it’s so far away from everything and it’s partly true. I’ve always been annoyed by the fact that I have felt trapped here until I get my license. With my test to get my license approaching in less than two months, I have started seeing my town in a new way. Yes it still annoys me and I want to escape it sometimes but it’s a part of me. It has definitely shaped who I am. One thing that I’ve always loved about where I live is that it is surrounded by nature. Many places are but Jenkins is sort of engulfed by it (that would be why I sort of feel trapped by it). So anyway seeing how beautiful it all looks driving down the road has turned me into the kind of person who questions why it all changes and why beauty is brought with each new season. It has influenced me, by more than one way, to want to travel and see new places. One way it has done this would be the fact that it has left me with the feeling to escape it but also it has caused me to want to see just how gorgeous other parts of the world are. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I just know I wouldn’t be the same person if I had grown up somewhere else like a city. With all the rivers and paths and everything surrounding this small area I have also developed a sense of adventure. I feel the need to explore and with that comes a sense of being random. I’ll explain what I mean.
ReplyDeleteBeing random and feeling the need to be adventurous go together for me. They are both also very important to me and I am so thankful for them. Saying random things and doing things that don’t always make sense keep life interesting in my view. It helps keep things from becoming boring and sometimes even leaves a funny impression. I’m not trying to say life is naturally boring I just think certain random aspects spice it up. I don’t always think every detail of life out. I make random decisions at times but I think that is what leads to most of the adventures that we stumble onto throughout life. I don’t really have this detailed plan of where I want my life to go. My plan is basically to not have a plan. I’ll just see where it goes from the various (some random, some not) decisions I make.
ReplyDeleteKTG— I loved reading your blog! I think laughter is so important too. I think I’d go crazy if laughter didn’t exist. It’s helped me relax when I’ve been super stressed out. So thanks for writing that because it made me realize how thankful I am that laughter exists!
ReplyDeleteTaylor-- Awww that’s so sweet. It sounds sort of like you guys are sisters. I think everyone needs that one person who is there for them and understands. I’m glad to hear that you have someone to help you out.
Deanna—I really liked what you wrote about the domino effect. It’s true, every decision you make determines who you are. That’s one of the reasons we are all different, we all make different decisions. It’s strange to think that if we changed some decisions than we may not be the same people depending on the size of the decision.
Britt:
ReplyDeleteI’m thankful that you posted your blog tonight… I usually don’t get a chance to read yours! But seriously, I’m super thankful for living in the Pines too. Growing up here has inspired my love of peace and quiet and my appreciation of the natural marvels of the world; I’ll go more into that in my blog. I admire your enthusiasm for getting out seeing the world, too. You will one day, and when you do, I’m sure that you won’t only have a blast yourself, but that you’ll also make everyone you meet smile just by being your random, fun loving self.
KTG: I loved your blog! Laughter is super important, especially when trying to deal with stress or a particularly challenging situation. Like, I love Chem class, even though it’s one of the more challenging courses I’ve taken, because Matlack always makes the class laugh. Laughter not only brightens my mood but also prevents me from turning into the AP kid from one of our vocab quiz sentences sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth and singing the Star Spangled Banner!
Responses firstttt~
ReplyDeleteTaylor -
That's really good that you have a go-to person. Especially in high school where everything begins and starts to develop, friends can make or break lives, and it's an amazing thing to hear you have a go-to person, since not many do. Those kind of friendships last forever, I believe.
Deanna -
First of all, thank you. <3 I definitely wouldn't be able to be who I am without you. You save me from so much.
I'm loving this confidence, keep it up. I'm very happy that you're happy, I'm very happy that you're growing and becoming alive. Don't ever forget your infinite worth. I never forgot your worth, you shouldn't either.
That's a very interesting thing to be thankful for. Makes me think a lot. Thank you.
KTG -
Oh my KTG, I am so with you on both the things you're thankful for.
Laughter! Laughter is something that I think everyone doesn't realize how enjoyable it is. Just pure, simple laughter is lovely. It brings happiness!
And I completely agree with you on cartoons. Cartoons are essentially what makes kids, kids. I grew up on Sailor Moon, Batman, Scooby Doo, DBZ (<3!!), you name it. All of it. We grew up on it all. And it's a beautiful thing. Everyone grew up on cartoons, it's something that a generation can relate to each other about, be nostalgic with each other about.
Those were very nice thoughts. Hah thank you hon!
I am truly mind boggled because in every year that I am either asked this question or telling others what I am thankful for I have never have looked at being thankful for something in this perspective. Every dinner I recite the usually clichés of what I am thankful for, such as my supportive family and friends, my health, my home and anything that we all generally believe we are thankful for. Though, all of those things I am beyond thankful for, there are things that I treasure dearly that I tend to avoid and now I can finally venture those unappreciated things that I am thankful for.
ReplyDeleteNow, the question stands what I am truly thankful for? Though, I love the concept that we can finally venture off to deeper versions of what we are thankful, it’s was quite difficult for me to pin point exactly what really triggered me to think “ Wow, I am really thankful for that.” Then, sitting there in my room contemplating on what I could be, it hit me like a ton of bricks. What I am thankful for was not brought up by my own reorganization, but by the comments or frequent questioning of my fellow peers and family members. The question always seem to be pertained to How do you run every day, that must be so hard? How can you do cross country? How are you a vegetarian? How do you take those AP classes? The simple reason for all the ones who ponder on how I achieve all these things is because I realized I have incredible “will power” that I never realized before. Usually, when people question me I look at it from this perspective, running/ working out every day is something that doesn’t faze me and I believe everyone could do, running cross country and being a vegetarian is something you get used to over time, taking AP class just takes hard work, but it’s achievable.
These are my lovely answers for the burning questions my peers issue me each and every day, but when I really sit down in think about it how many people every day actually go home and run 5 to 7 miles a day? How many people can truly give meat up for a year? Or how many people can say they ran multiple 5 k races without stopping? The people that achieve all these goals have incredible will power, without my will power I would not have the strength to carry out all of my beliefs that I have in running, my decisions that I make in being a healthy eater and my plans to better my future by taking AP classes. There are many days where I wake up unwanted to go through my normal routine of running, finishing a race in cross country, resisting certain foods, and do school work. The force that drives me that I am ever-so thankful for is my will power, because it allows me to realize that all of these decisions, plans and beliefs I have made for myself are important to me, thus driving me to rise above all inhibiters and to carry out all of those things that I promised to myself that mean the world to me. I also give accolades to my will power with aiding me to issue new plans, to believe in myself and to plan out a better solution to deal with things, so I could move on from a dangerous past, without the desire I evoked from my will power my life would be completely different, I would be completely be different and I feel I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Though my will power can get a little over- powering in the running department, I still would not trade it for the world. My will power is the one who opened my eyes to a new life, it’s the desire that drives me to live each day to the fullest and to spend my time the way I want , and my will power is the force that keeps me stable and keeps me on the right track. Thus, without my will power I would be an utter mess and completely clueless. Will power, this thanksgiving is what I am truly thankful for because without will power, there are many things that I would have never achieved because I would have never believed they would be achieved!
For some reason, when I read this, not one thing came to mind. It was just a whole flood of ideas that came to mind, and I couldn't discern a central idea that I am thankful for, which is rare, because usually in blogs I know exactly what my response is. So, after quite a bit of thinking, I thought of this:
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for connections.
I try to see the best in people, but always be conscious of the bad in them as well. Whenever someone hurts me, or leaves, looking back on memories does hurt, but ultimately at the same time, it makes it all better. There was a period of time where I seriously thought I lost one of my best friends. She wouldn't talk to me, and when we did, it was awkward. She would hang out with my sister, and never me. And it really upset me. I lost a part of me. But the minute we decided to move past the awkwardness, we were almost instantly back to normal, I was brought back to life. It's because of memories, that makes relationships unbreakable. It makes it easier to forgive, it makes life worth living. Everyone wants to be remembered, by someone or in some way. Memories, they make a life worth living, they make connections. I am connected to everything by love. I am so completely thankful for love. Any kind of love. I think this year is the strongest I've ever felt all kinds of love. I've felt romantic love, friend love, family love. I've never felt something stronger than this. It's not only something that can make me strong, it's something that has the power to make me the weakest I've ever been. Love is something that makes people feel alive, and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for all the different things that we feel, all of it comes back to love and connections and memories and just living. I'm thankful for it all. Love connects me to music. Love connects me to writing, it connects me to dancing and singing and performing. Love connects me to my girls, Gwen, Alix, Mel and Perri. My boys, Paco, Bryan and Dan Peterson. It connects me to my amazing sister. Love connects me to the two who keep me in check, my inspiration, Steven Burrichter and my rock, Deanna Nardy.
Love, memories, connections. They mean the world to me. I would never be able to live just by myself, without looking for passions. Looking back on my life, there are things that make me smile, things that make me cry. My life, all the memories and people and events that have inspired passion in my mind and in my soul just keeps me alive. I love that feeling of being alive, to feel worth. I love it.
There’s nothing I love more than listening to an evening musical number performed by summer’s finest musicians: crickets and katydids. Well, except for watching the first powdery snowfall of the season flutter down, transforming pines to marshmallow trees overnight… or walking through a forest of maples painted in fall hues… or hearing feisty humming birds “hum” as they battle for position at the feeder… or feeling the splash of the cool dew drops that lace grass blades in the early morning and tickle my bare feet.
ReplyDeleteOn my mental “list” of everything I am grateful for, my proximity to nature makes the top five, if not tops the list all together. Some might say that I live in the middle of nowhere. When I step out my front door, I don’t see cars or street signs. There are no sidewalks, no stores, no traffic lights. The mall is not five minutes around the corner; the nearest Wawa is about 30 minutes away. But there is so much more. The way I see it, I’m in the middle of EVERYWHERE. My family’s property alone—the rest of Lower Bank notwithstanding—is filled with far more interesting sights and sounds than any cityscape or suburban town. The dominant theme of my 101 acres of Pine Barrens is nature. Nature permeates the driveway, defiant dandelions sprouting up between stones and elegant trees lining the road. Nature imbues my yard, flowers and trees encircling the house and pool area. Nature, in a shocking array of media, fills the woods, from oak trees near the yard to cedars further back, to, further still, swampy wetlands filled with briars, sphagnum moss, and an old “lake” (well, sort of) that occasionally floods full from rain water. While others spend their days hanging out at the mall or going to see the latest chick flick, I spend my time in nature, be it by playing fetch with my dogs, riding my horse, or walking one of the trails.
Growing up in such close proximity to nature has shaped me in countless ways. I can’t possibly get through them all, so I’d like to share two in particular:
First off, nature has compelled me to open my eyes wide to the world around me, or risk missing something spectacular. Instead staring at the TV, I watch the birds eating seed, I listen to the wind rustling crisp leaves, and I feel sun beams dancing on my bare skin. If I focused primarily on something human and artificial like TV or video games, sure, I would be entertained, but I would miss out on the beauty of the natural world. By staying tuned to all of the workings of Mother Nature, I get to observe not only the unparalleled beauty of nature but also to better how everything in nature acts and interacts harmoniously to form the world as we know it.
Secondly, my constant exposure to nature has taught me to be grateful for the small things, and this has made me more appreciative of life as a whole. The first crocus, invariably, a small, purple one, is my personal harbinger of spring and fills me with immeasurable joy. While some may brush off delight in this tiny flower as meaningless and juvenile (Aren’t there more important things in life than a silly purple blossom?), there is a certain beauty to this small spectacle. I see meaning and life in the most seemingly insignificant phenomena and, because Mother Nature has encouraged me to find pleasure in her smallest marvels, I am better prepared to make it through the day with a smile on my face.
Where ever life takes me, I will always be thankful for having grown up in nature’s arms.
I am thankful for my best friend, mentor, support system, chauffer, and fashion advisor, all who happen to be my mom. We are always together, tell each other everything, and can be completely honest without hurting one another’s feelings. Most of all, I’m thankful to have someone who will never let me down no matter the circumstance. Whenever I ask my mom for help, she never disappoints me.
ReplyDeleteFamily is a big part of my life and has made a drastic impact on the person I am today. My grand mom always says, “There’s no one like your family,” and I couldn’t agree more. Now matter how close you are to a friend, they will still talk about you, forget about you, choose their boyfriend over you, take advantage of you, etc, etc, etc. However, you’re family will never hurt you because they always have your best interest at heart. Blood is thicker than water, after all. I am thankful that my best friend happens to be family, too. I am gracious for the close relationship I have with my mom because I know I will always have someone I can count on. Friends come and go, but family is forever.
Trust is a trait I value deeply, probably because I am hesitant to trust other people. I have this notion in my brain that people are always going to let me down, no matter who they are or how long I’ve known them. Some people might think I have a “chip on my shoulder,” or that I think I’m better than everyone else, but that’s not the case. The truth is I’m afraid of getting hurt. I’m afraid that if I “put myself out there” I’ll get rejected and look like an idiot in front of everyone, so for the most part, I keep to myself. My point is, I trust my mom infinitely, which is one of the reasons our relationship I so strong. I am thankful that I have someone to confide in, and someone who knows me better than I know myself.
Making my way into the future, I am thankful that I will have my mom by my side. Without her love, guidance, and support I wouldn’t be anything like the Lauren I am today. I hope she will teach me how to be an extraordinary mother so that my children will feel as loved and protected as I do right now. I am thankful to have an excellent role model that I can look up to and ask for advice during life’s twists and turns.
Without my mom, I would feel miserable and alone, never have a ride anywhere or know what to wear. Without my mom I wouldn’t be Lauren Michelle Day, and I am more than thankful to have her in my life.
Jessie:
ReplyDeleteWhile you were describing your backyard, I felt like I was standing there, too! I’m sorry that I always bring up swimming, but in the beginning of the season we had to practice at an outdoor pool because the pool we usually practice in was under construction. For one month I was surrounded my nature all of the time. I would swim in it, (literally, there were leaves and bugs in the pool all of the time!) and after swimming my teammates and I would run the trail close by. At the time I complained about it and called it “The Wilderness,” but I grew and appreciation for nature and its effortless beauty. It must be so peaceful to hang out at your house just looking around and exploring simplicity and beauty at their finest.
Brynne:
You go, girl! I’m so proud of you and your dedication to school, running, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. People often ask me how I juggle everything, too, and I usually give them a sarcastic comment like, “by sacrificing my sanity.” However, you excel in all of these areas with an optimistic attitude, and I admire you for that. Keep up the fantastic work! ☺
Deanna:
As always, your blog was awesome and made me think about the deeper meanings of life. It’s so weird to think that if one decision was changed, our world would be flipped upside down and we wouldn’t even know it. I think a lot about how different my life would be if I were born into a different family. When it’s cold and raining, I think about what I would do if I were homeless. Sometimes I think about what my life would be if I was a princess or born during the founding of our country. It’s a lot to wrap your brain around, but one minute change of your past can lead to paramount changes in your future. Your blogs inspire me, and I’m so happy that our paths crossed and I get to be friends with the best Kale Nagasaki in the world!
Megan- Yea we basically both feel the same way about how soccer is a stress reliever and we get a break from the crappy stuff in the world for a good amount of time each day (during soccer season). Right now as you're talking to your friends like Mckenna and Chelsea, I'm sure you're really thankful for them....
ReplyDeleteI am gifted in many ways, but at the same time I am also cursed. Very few things are one-sided in a good way in my life. I am gifted with extraordinary senses of perception – it almost seems unreal, how acute my senses are, but most of the time it is painful, how intensely I feel things. I am gifted with a flexible mind, capable of wrapping around and encompassing the most abstract of concepts, but at the cost of being unable to deal with the every day ordeals of being a human being. Sometimes it would just be nice to be stupid, too. I am gifted with a strong body; strength and constitution are traits that are often downplayed, since in this day and age it is so easy to get by on the toil of another. But, with great power comes great responsibility, and it is often a great burden to require so much self-resignation to control it.
ReplyDeleteSo I thought long (by my standards) about what something I have, that I have worked hard to acquire, something hard-won and apt to serve well. I don’t think much of myself (in any of three ways that you could take that statement), but I found that my fortitude is what I am most thankful for. By the grace of fate I was bestowed with a gift for protection: the ability to be strong as earth or gentle as a spring breeze and achieve the same affect. I am strong enough, in my mind and soul, to support five people – and I have, for a long time. I can face danger and anguish without batting an eyelash, a trait that a surprisingly small number of people possess. I am thankful for it because it makes me more useful than I could ever hope to be with my other useful traits. I like to think of myself as a guardian of the weak, whether that is an elevated position to hold or not, and being able to be strong for someone besides myself helps me fulfill that position well.
Taylor P.: "She gives me hope when I have none, she loves Borders, baking, shoes and accents as much as I do, she drives, she’s just awesome. I honestly would be lost in every way without her."
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that you can have such a good friend, and even better that you appreciate it. So few people seem to be aware of just how good they have it, especially how great their friends are. It could be worse, I suppose - you could think you have it good and be wrong.
Deanna N: "Why does this matter to me? I have to say that’s probably the easiest question in the world for me to answer: I believe man still has a noble destiny."
ReplyDeleteI've found that a lot of people bother themselves with the question "why?", when why isn't so important as "how" - I think you'd agree with me. It doesn't matter how we find ourselves in the situations we are in, but how we deal with them, and what we get out of them. Sometimes the petty details just don't matter.
KTG: "Laughter will cure any awkward silence and break the ice in any situation."
ReplyDeleteI agree, laughter is a better social tool than most people would admit. They prefer to make awkward turtle signs. My best friend laughs enough for the both of us, and it certainly makes things better, more fun.
When I first read this blog, I have to admit that the usual Thanksgiving-y thoughts popped into my head. Of course, I’m thankful for my family and friends, but aren’t all of us thankful for that in one way or another? I also thought about my health. I’ve heard the elders in my family constantly tell me to be thankful for my health, no matter what the circumstances are. Normally, the stubborn teenage Gwen comes out and I reply, “Whyyyy?! Something’s always wrong with me, how can I be thankful for that! Pfft, You crazy.” However, after I stop to think about it, my circumstances could be much worse. Despite all my… issues, my body has been able to recover and come back stronger for a pretty long period of time. There are some people who will never have that benefit, and will always have to battle some type of sickness or injury. This list can go on and on, and although I am thankful for all those things, there is one thing that, to me, connects them all.
ReplyDeleteOptimism and the ability to hope for the future.
For most of my life, I have always been able to hope for something in the future or see the good in things. Granted, I went through a dark, hormonally driven phase where I hated the world, but that year doesn’t count. Other than that, I have always tried to look for something that I would look forward too, so that I would never get too absorbed in my own misery. Whenever I was in the dentist getting the heck drilled out of my teeth, I forced myself to think about the candy that I would be munching on in an hour once I was out. If I was in the hospital getting a countless amount of scans and tests done, I made myself think about how much fun I’d be having the next day when I would be going to one of my friend’s parties. I’m extremely thankful for having the ability to do that. I always find myself thinking about what would’ve happened if I let myself get swept up in a whirlwind of depression. I doubt that I would’ve had such an easy time getting out of that if I didn’t have the tendency to believe that something better was coming.
This trait had also helped me in seeing the good in people. [Usually] I try to automatically see the good in people, because I think everybody deserves at least one chance. For the most part, it’s helped me find the friends that I’m closest to and the people that I know will always be there to support me. In some cases, that one good trait that I find in a person may be the only good thing about them, and by then, I usually just don’t bother with them. :]
For me, just being able to hope for something, even if it’s really small, helps to keep me sane. It drives me to work through any situation, even if it’s tough, and it keeps my emotions in check. I know for a fact that I wasn’t able to do this, I would most likely be emotionally unstable and have even more problems than I could possibly imagine. It’s helped me so much through my life already, and I’m more than positive that it’ll come in handy in the future.
P.S. Quick Question: Am I the only one that DOESN’T eat a lot on Thanksgiving? I just want to make sure I’m not a freak. :P
Dear KTG,
ReplyDelete"Oh! And you know what else is great? Old people laughter."
Hahahahaha. I laughed so hard at this because it's totally true! But that's probably just because i also love old people. :]
Anywho, I completely agree with you when you talked about how laughter can come in handy for several situations. I have also used laughter in many different cases and it's always helped to solve something or make something just a tad bit easier to endure.
In my eyes, Laughter is good. Laughter is fun. And it sounds funny when you have a stuffy nose.Haha
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ReplyDeleteDear Jessie,
ReplyDelete"On my mental “list” of everything I am grateful for, my proximity to nature makes the top five, if not tops the list all together."
Wow, the thought of being thankful didn't even occur to me until you mentioned it to me today in school. But now that I think about it, theres so much about nature that I tend to overlook on a day to day basis. I really like that you are frequently able to experience nature in a way that opens your eyes to several other aspects of the world. Nature is beautiful and I really wish I had more time to reflect on that.
Dear Lauren,
ReplyDelete"Trust is a trait I value deeply, probably because I am hesitant to trust other people. I have this notion in my brain that people are always going to let me down, no matter who they are or how long I’ve known them."
I do the exact same thing. Some people have actually told me that not being able to completely and wholeheartedly trust someone was a bad thing and that it made me a bad friend. But I don't believe that. I'm terrified of getting hurt too, and I don't think that it's always a bad thing. Because one day, I'll probably meet someone who I do trust more than myself, and it'll make the relationship that I have with that person so much stronger.
One word: passion.
ReplyDeleteIf I were ever in a beauty pageant (I will never), and they asked me to describe myself in one word, I would blatantly answer with "I'm passionate." There really is no denying it.
I once asked on a procrastinating-causing Facebook note what my friends truly thought of me, and what they would describe me in one word. I got the usual “drama-queen” classification which, to my dismay, is starting to become my identification. Emily Brill, suddenly, responded with saying, “You’re passionate. That’s why I love you.” I kind of reflected on her answer, doubted it, and then accepted it. I guess I underestimate myself. Sure, my confidence is hiding underneath my fears, but I do have that everlasting fire in my heart, and it has never ceased to exist. Passion simply wasn’t a word I would have thought of, but it surely describes me to the tee. According to the ol’ dictionary.com, passion is an extremely powerful feeling for something. (I had to make a justification of the accuracy of this word). We are, by nature, very passionate from time to time. However, the form of passion I behold is purely extraordinary. I know this because I hold strong to it every single day of my life.
One word: acting. My love. My life. My dream. My passion. For me, acting and passion go naturally hand in hand. Ever since the 6th grade, I’ve become overly-obsessive with the hobby, and realized I couldn’t live without it. This deep and extreme love is known as my passion. I spent the entirety of last night vivaciously researching theatre colleges. In my free time, I slip on my jazz shoes and sing along to “Hello, Dolly!” songs. As worried as I am for the future, I know my passion will drive me towards my much-anticipated goal. And this goal, unfortunately, is one of the hardest ambitions a girl could have.
Not only just acting, I’m fully passionate about life in general. I’m a fierce political junkie, was a fervent Class of 2011 secretary, and currently an inspired AP student. I love learning, I love leadership, I love life. Being highly sensitive, my strong emotional feelings often become public. Wonder why I’m constantly called a “drama queen?” Yes, I am in the drama club, but I am extremely, extremely emotional. Let’s not mistake that for bipolar disorder. I just love expressing my emotions, which express my passion.
Thus, I am thankful for my passion. It’s my ultimate drive in life. Without it, I would still be Chrissy, but a non-motivated and doubtful Chrissy. I probably wouldn’t take AP classes, I’d be reluctant to consider acting as a career, and I would have never run for secretary. My lack of confidence wouldn’t allow it. My fierce passion will, undoubtedly, carry me towards success. A German poet named Hebbel once said, “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” Another goal of mine: I want to change the world. I know, that’s both far-fetched and pretty impossible, but my passion is my secret weapon.
So, this Thanksgiving, I will pat myself on the back. I often enjoy kicking myself in the butt for not doing my ultimate best. Yet, I do underestimate myself. Here goes the cliché moral: I can do anything if I put my heart into it. So, I always and forever follow my heart and let my passions do the actions.
Gwenny:
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog! It was so adorable and optimism is certainly something to be thankful for. I hate when everyone is all Debbie downer y and ruins my day, no fun. I like to believe that my coffee cup is always half full, so I certainly agree with everything you had to say!
“P.S. Quick Question: Am I the only one that DOESN’T eat a lot on Thanksgiving? I just want to make sure I’m not a freak. :P”
P.s Yes, yes you are.
KTG:
You’re so freaking cute! Your entire blog couldn’t have been anymore KTG. I never thought about being thankful for laughter, but it really is something to thank. Laughing breaks silence, it makes people happy, it brightens your day, what could honestly be any better? Plus your cartoon thing was cute, too. Ever since my parents deleted our subscription to HBO, Showtime and Starz, I’ve had nothing to watch every morning. Finally, I started watching Fairly Odd Parents before school and I love the memories! So I know how you feel. But then they went and stopped playing it, hence ruining my morning. Sighhhh, oh well.
There are so many things that I am thankful for big and small. I think there are many things that we take for granted that we don’t even realize; things like being able to wake up the next morning in a healthy condition. Sometimes it amazes me that I’m even moving around with all the exhaustion that I put my body through. But I’m here, still walking around, dazzling the world with every ounce of my personality.
ReplyDeleteThat’s what I’m thankful for the most. I’m thankful for being able to be me everyday. I’m thankful that I can have confidence to keep my head held high. I’m proud that I can still keep a smile on despite the fact that I’m going through some tough times in my life. I’m happy that I can still have fun expressing my self. Nothing depresses me more than people suffering everyday because they’re miserable living lies.
I’m also thankful for happiness and being able to share it with everyone that I love. It’s not just holidays that I feel like we can all be happy. I think being able to spend time with anyone that you love will bring you happiness. Recently, I performed my show for drama, and it brought so much joy to my heart being able to finish the show with my friends and being able to spend time with them after. I felt as if once you complete something of that grandeur in your life, you can feel like your life is complete.
I’ve never felt so happy in my life after my performance that night. That happiness felt as if all the anger and depression that went on in my life went away. Have you ever felt that happy? I mean, it’s not just a great performance that can cause you great happiness. Many other things too can bring that happiness that I felt on stage. The holidays bring happiness. Thanksgiving gives us so much especially because it’s one of the few nights where, hopefully, we can spend time with our family.
One last thing that I can be thankful for is drive. I don’t think I, or anyone else for that matter, will get to anywhere they want to go without drive and determination to achieve their purpose. We need to be able to push ourselves to the limit to be able to accomplish things in life. I took the AP course because I know that I’ll stick through it no matter how many times it beats me down. I know that once I take on a challenge, I won’t back down from it. I’ll try to fight it as much as I can.
In life, I think the things that I mentioned is what will help us through achieving success. We’ll achieve success, whether it’d be personal or financial, if we still have our personalities to keep us in check of who we are. If we’re happy, then we’ll be able to have the drive to keep pushing through the toughest times. Life’s going to be hard, so we’ll need all this to help us get through all the obstacles that may come ahead of us.
I love soccer. That’s no secret. I have loved soccer since the first day I showed up to the Hamilton Township “rec” fields in my yellow tee-shirt and kicked a ball around with some friends. It wasn’t long before I began spending my Saturdays in a royal blue number 10 jersey, playing for the Hamilton South Hurricanes.
ReplyDeleteI use the word “playing” loosely. I was not (and quite honestly am not) very fast. I lacked the foot skills of my competitors. I was incapable of matching the passing accuracy of others. And then just when it seemed I would have the chance to play, Brianna Belsky came along. My team was missing a few players but not in dire need for guest players, but since “Big-foot” Belsky was free for the weekend, she played in my spot and I rode the bench for three games straight. Needless to say, I was devastated. But I hustled. I kept working hard. I even began to see more playing time.
And that’s when an opportunity arose. Our goalkeeper, Chelsea, was to be in a wedding. The wedding was on a Saturday, which was game day, and she announced on Tuesday that she wouldn’t make the game. The coach asked for volunteers, and I, willing and outgoing, threw my hand straight into the air. I then spent the next two practices picking up a few tricks of the trade from Chelsea. I worked just as hard at that as I did in sprints, scrimmages, and any game-time opportunities that came my way.
Saturday rolled around and I played really well. The team decided that Chelsea and I would split time in net. Eventually, I was the only goalkeeper, and I was good at it. Now, I play for one of the top twenty teams in the nation (we fluctuate anywhere from #5 to #19) and am in the final state pool to become the state team’s keeper. And it’s all because of my dedication to passion, for which I am incredibly thankful.
Not everyone is dedicated to their passion. How many diehard football fans say that they love football, but could never play it? How many unhappy adults sit in their cubicles wishing they had pursued that career as a marine biologist, fashion designer, or police officer? How many people regret not chasing after the person they love?
When I am passionate about something, I chase it down regardless of how the odds may be against me or how easy it would be to settle for something else. Two people, in the same week, told me that I have the personality of a drug addict. This struck me as odd, but the second of the two, who is on my soccer team, explained what she meant. I’m one of those gotta-have-it people, but only in regard to one thing at a time. I need an obsession. I thrive off of that obsession. When that obsession is snatched from me, even if only temporarily, I can’t get my head right.
In spring of freshman year, I was diagnosed with compartment syndrome. To make a long story short, I ended up needing surgery on both of my legs and I could not play soccer all summer. I was a mess. I sat in my wheelchair and had to force myself out of the house. Even when I was with my friends, I just wasn’t happy. All I talked about was soccer and what I would do when I was back on my feet again.
Until I thought about what my friends had said about me having the personality of a drug-addict, I was a little self-conscious, but I realize now that that is my drive and dedication to passion put in a negative light. Regardless of whether my dedication to passion makes me driven or like a drug addict, I am indescribably thankful for it.
"Whenever I was in the dentist getting the heck drilled out of my teeth, I forced myself to think about the candy that I would be munching on in an hour once I was out."
ReplyDeleteGWENDOLYN!!!
At first I thought this was a metaphor and was impressed, but then I realized it wasn't, and I was even more impressed. I've never had a drill in my mouth, but I'm pretty sure I would either be thinking about the pretty shapes and colors on the ceiling (as a result of the anesthetic) or the fact that there is a big, loud, scary DRILL IN MY MOUTH! You're a trooper, Gwenny. I have admired your optimism for as long as I can remember.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteKnowing your mom and seeing your connection with her is an amazing thing. I think that the best connection that a child can have is the connection with their parents, but mostly their mother. I, myself, have a great connection with my mom and growing up, I find her understanding me more and I can see her learning too as we go along since I am the first born. I can just picture you and your mom calling each other on the phone when we're all grown up in the adult world and talking about something random like a seven course dinner that you just had.
Alexis-
ReplyDeleteYour blog both got me thinking and made me say (in my mind), “Touché!” Memories are what “connects” every AP kid that has been together since Ms. Kennedy (remember her from Hess?). I as well, value love, memories, and connections. We’ve grown up and matured so much since our elementary years, and it’s kind of mind-boggling realizing that we are juniors! Yet, we still have those everlasting memories, and I am forever grateful for being connected to all of you guys. Even if we don’t talk for a year, we instantly click once we’re in the same classes. It’s just natural. I mean, Mrs. Hudson memories almost put a tear in my eye. Anyways, your thanks is completely personable, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Gwendo,
ReplyDeleteI wish I was as optimistic as you. You and I both know that I'm a pretty pessimistic person. (Alliteration!) With your circumstances though, with your many problems that you went through with your body, it's an amazing feat to see how you can still bounce right back up and be optimistic about it. I know I'd be awfully down in the dumps if all those things that you've been through happened to me.
For some reason, I know that if I don’t write about the cliché things that I’m thankful for, I’m going to feel guilty, so I’ll just run them by quickly because my reasoning as to WHY is obvious. I’m thankful for talent and passion, the gift of intelligence, amazing friends, a home, and a loving family, things that people often take for granted. Now I don’t feel guilty.
ReplyDeleteWhat I’m really thankful for, is a characteristic that many people don’t possess. I am thankful for the ability to heal quickly. Ironically, I’m quite possibly the slowest healer when it comes to the physical bumps in the road. I’ve been sick for over two weeks, cuts last very long before healing, and my bruises stay black and blue for over a week. Yet emotionally, I heal very quickly. People say some hurtful things, do they not? They do, but the words only affect me for less than a minute. People lie and people cheat, yet I’m always the first to believe that they have changed. One insult or argument will never ruin my day. I won’t let it. When something goes wrong, I don’t take the time to stress. I guess I’m not thankful for the ability to heal as much as I am positivity. I am able to overlook the bad in people and in situations. If I weren’t as positive as I am, I would be some random other girl named Kristen.
Being able to overlook the bad in people is what allows me to have such positivity. Disappointment is a fact of life, and if I let it bother me, I would be putting a mental block in my head. When we convince ourselves that something is never going to change, it won’t. We put up a wall in our mind so we are separated from the struggles that glare into our eyes. With a wall based on disappointment, I would never be able to trust people, nor would I feel the desire to be around people as much as I do. I’d rather concentrate on positive attributes of people than the negative downfalls, which is why I love being around people. I rarely stop talking and I’m very outgoing. My friendliness and interaction would be limited though, if I kept disappointment in mind rather than happiness. Most people, I think, are afraid of being hurt, which is why they tend to be less forgiving and less positive. In my opinion though, we won’t experience life fully if we keep ourselves limited.
With that said, I like to remain positive. It gives everyone a chance, makes me friendly, and makes me a generally a fun person to be around. I cheer for a team that doesn’t always win, and I’m okay with that. My attitude is, “Well, there’s always next time.” I feel no need to get upset or angry, but instead, be positive. I am thankful for that ability.
Megan:
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about having soccer as an escape from stress. Whenever anything is going on, I can clear my head and focus on playing my game, and nothing else. I usually look at playing soccer as, well, playing soccer, but I've realized in the past few years that sports are just as much a form of expression as painting a picture or writing a song, and everyone needs a form of expression.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of you. I think that you're in the perfect place to find so much inspiration. See, I live in the middle of all these houses with barely any room to enjoy nature. I'm a city boy and prefer the city more than anything because that's where I'm planning my future. But I think that where you live is amazing in itself. Nature is so inspiring in every single aspect when it's unharmed by industrialization. I find so much inspiration in just sitting outside in my itty bitty back yard but to think that you have all this land to work with is amazing.
Alexis B,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog. I was considering doing soething along those lines to begin with, but then I changed my mind. I think the way I connect with people of one of y best assets and I'm so thankful for it. I like having the abiliity to make friends wherever I go. Sometimes, my connections to people aren't as strong as I want them to be, but at least it's something!!!
One night, my best-friend and I sped down the highway in a night full of mayhem, wild spirits and erratic bursts of laughter. We parked in our special cul-de-sac, and propped our seats to get a view of the grand stars above. And there it was, that moment... All I could hear was our heavy panting, and the leaves rustling in the wind. In fact, it was almost as if we controlled the world, as it seemed completely in harmony with us. The whole world breathed in. And out. In. And out. There is nothing more compelling than those quiet moments after the matter. You know, the after-climax; the coming down; the post-adrenaline. Maybe I just appreciate these moments more than others. Maybe I'm just awkward for enjoying the so-called 'awkward silence'. Maybe I'm just damn-straight crazy. Okay, maybe I am definitely crazy, but that's not the point. These are the moments that I feel the most valunerable because it's me and the world. There's no interference, no noise pollution, no lectures, no worrying... Absolute Nothing. And there and then, I feel absolutely naked, but completely invincible. God, there's nothing more exhilarting than these moments. And I am thankful to ever experience what wonderful moments.
ReplyDeleteKATIE: I don't think what you're thankful for is corny at all! In fact I feel the same way. My blog wasn't about that, but it connects perfectly. I wrote about being positive, but being able to laugh at things instead of stress helps us remain positive. Your blogs are always so cute by the way.
ReplyDeleteCHRISSY: I agree with you so much! I know we've talked so much about how were pretty much in the same predicament, and I love that I have someone to share that with. I think passion is what leads to success, so I agree with you. I'm thankful for passion too.
JESSIE: Wow. You are a brilliant writer. When you write, your word choice makes me feel as if I'm write there with you. I live in a different "middle of nowhere," so I know what it feels like to be so separated from most civilization, but I never realized how beautiful it was. I could look at my window, but your words seemed to do a better job.
Lauren- You are soo cute!!! You are soo mature for your age that you already have that you know best friend relationship with your mother. That usually comes later in life, but i am glad that you are able to experience that now. I understand why you dont trust people because it's a scary world, but lauren you shouldnt be scared of rejection because you have qualties that are soo incredible that whoever you are scared that will reject you is stupid because you are an extradionary person. Also you have killer style! :)
ReplyDelete"Laughter is the best medicine."
ReplyDeleteIf some of you haven't noticed, I love laughing. I love making people laugh just as much as I like laughing myself. Laughter truly is the best medicine. It can brighten up my day, automatically put me in a good mood, and lift my spirits. That is what I am thankful for the most, my sense of humor and ability to find humor in everything.
Over the summer, I had surgery to remove my tonsils and adenoids. (for those who don't know, adenoids are basically big tonsils in the very back of your nose.) They are also very close to your eardrums, so when they removed mine, the trauma caused my eardrums to swell. Even if a breeze blew on the side of my head, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the ears with a sharp, red-hot poker. Naturally you would think that if I laughed, the pain would be a bazillion times worse. Well, you're right. If I laughed, I could have sworn someone had just shot me in the head. but I didn't care. The feeling of laughing was much more powerful than the pain, and I easily overcame it.
The moral of that story is that laughter got me through some of the worst physical pain I've ever felt. Not only does humor and laughter get me through physical pain, but it also helps me connect with my family and friends.
When I was 11, my family and I moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a city in 'hick town' New Jersey that I had NEVER heard of before, Mays Landing. Along with moving houses, naturally I would become a new student at a new school. I had never been in a place where I had no friends, so I was determined to make them. That's where my humor comes in. In order to meet new people, I made a lot of jokes. Even though some people (ha-ha who am I kidding, MOST people, like our very own Lauren Day and Kelsey Cheek) just thought I was a creepy weirdo, I did make friends. (Shout-out to Kristie Aaron for being my first best friend in New Jersey <3) All of this because I used my humor to be out-going and friendly.
Not only does humor help me make friends, but it helps me help my friends. I love all of my friends. I never like to see them hurt or upset, so I try to make them feel better any way that I can. Usually I try to crack a joke or two and most of the time, it elicits at least a smile. Some of my best friends, like Felicia Graumann and Eden Steinstock even tell me that my jokes help them through the toughest stuff. The ability to help the people I care most about through humor is example enough for why I am thankful.
I don't believe my sense of humor and ability to laugh is all because of me though. I would not be as sarcastic or funny as I am (or believe myself to be :P) without my dad. For those of you that have met him, you understand. For those of you who haven't, Edward Leszczynski, Jr. has the driest, most sarcastic, biting humor of anyone I've ever met in my entire life. Needless to say, I've picked up on a few things.
"The man who laughs, lasts."
Megan Sherman- I totally agree with your blog and how thankful you are for your soccer practice because that is how i am about running. For however many miles I run each day that is the amount of time that I get to escape from the constant pressures and all the chaos. It's the one thing that I do for myself and yes I run selfishly but it's really the only thing I do that makes me happy!
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for my ability to question. Most of my questions are about people and the moves that they make. I spend a lot of time thinking about why people do the things that they do. I think of my life like chess. Sometimes my opponent makes a move that hurts me, and sometimes I make a move that can help me succeed in the future. Hell, my opponent can even mess up and help me succeed. I don’t think about the actions people make, I think about the motives behind them. Why did my opponent move their pawn and not their knight? The ability to take into consideration something that most people wouldn’t even bother to think about, is what I’m thankful for.
ReplyDeleteIf I never asked myself why someone did something, I wouldn’t be the same person. I would be empty. I would lack half of the knowledge that I have right now about human interactions. I value my widely based knowledge about human interactions greatly. I can use it to my advantage in so many different ways. I base the way I interact with people on what I just witnessed the other day. I try and find out if people are likely to be hurt by something I have to say or love something I have to say. Knowing how people are going to react to my words, I can manipulate any conversation I want. can make people feel happy or sad because of everything I’ve learned my questioning why people do things.
I am thankful for my ability to question. Most of my questions are about people and the moves that they make. I spend a lot of time thinking about why people do the things that they do. I think of my life like chess. Sometimes my opponent makes a move that hurts me, and sometimes I make a move that can help me succeed in the future. Hell, my opponent can even mess up and help me succeed. I don’t think about the actions people make, I think about the motives behind them. Why did my opponent move their pawn and not their knight? The ability to take into consideration something that most people wouldn’t even bother to think about, is what I’m thankful for.
ReplyDeleteIf I never asked myself why someone did something, I wouldn’t be the same person. I would be empty. I would lack half of the knowledge that I have right now about human interactions. I value my widely based knowledge about human interactions greatly. I can use it to my advantage in so many different ways. I base the way I interact with people on what I just witnessed the other day. I try and find out if people are likely to be hurt by something I have to say or love something I have to say. Knowing how people are going to react to my words, I can manipulate any conversation I want. can make people feel happy or sad because of everything I’ve learned my questioning why people do things.
Some of my questions have nothing to do with people, though. Academically, I find that if I ask questions about the material I’m covering in class, I learn more about the topic than if I were to just read a book. If I ask questions, I can make my academics personal to me. I can find out what I want to know, specifically, and not what someone else wants me to learn. Questioning books or calculus problems helps keep your interest in the topic, and in calculus, it can prevent you from failing. By asking questions, you learn only what you want to and only what you find important.
ReplyDeleteChess is all about knowing your opponent and thinking ahead to the move they’re going to make. If you pay attention to their strategies and moves and ask yourself why they did that, you 100% will win the match. By questioning the opponent, you find out the way they think. If you can get inside of their head you will black their moves before they even make them. I like to ask questions in my life for three reasons: academically speaking, to make everything I’m learning personal to me, and in my life, to manipulate the way people feel, and to prevent myself by getting hurt by others if I can already see their attack coming.
I am thankful for failure, as ironic as that may have sounded. Failure is what strives the whole human race to work harder, or well, the ones who like to step forward. There are some people that blame the world for their mistakes, and are too blind to realize that failure does many splendid things for us. When most people fail, they work harder and try to figure out ways to hurdle their problems. This streams out curiosity, dreams, and motivation. We're forced to keep on looking ahead because dwelling in the past will never change anything about old memories.
ReplyDelete"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious.....And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney.
Bella:
ReplyDeleteYour post was short, but you said all that you needed to say. It's great that you can savor those quiet moments and recognize their sancrosanctness (Crikey! It's a big vocab word!). I think that too many people, myself included, get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to enjoy such moments. From now on, we should all be thankful for silence.
Alexis:
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea! My lord, I swore I was going to write about being thankful for my interactions with people, my environment and the whole world that surrounds all of us. It's a beautiful concept indeed, especially for the two of us since connections are needed to occur in music with all of instruments working together. Your writing is beautiful, and you always seem to have things to say. I loved your blog post!
Hannah: You would write about ambition! You are possibly one of the hardest workers that I know. For example, when you broke one of your bones or something like that, during powderpuff! Most people would whine and cry, but you, my girrrllyy, saw past the pain. You WANTED to keep on working out there in the cold, dampy weather because you know what, you are definitely a leader in this world. Girly, you are one of a kind, and I applaud for you for that.
Bunje: Bunje?! Yes, you missy! I absolutely loved your introduction for this blog. It gave me vivid imaginations about your encounter with the mystical woods. I would have written about curiosity and my ultimate hunger of knowledge, but then I saw your example. It was beautiful, and splendid, and I think I love you more for that. Have a nice thanksgiving, sunshine! :D
Chrissy bear:
ReplyDelete"So, this Thanksgiving, I will pat myself on the back. I often enjoy kicking myself in the butt for not doing my ultimate best. Yet, I do underestimate myself. Here goes the cliché moral: I can do anything if I put my heart into it. So, I always and forever follow my heart and let my passions do the actions."
I like your moral...and the rest of your blog haha. It's very Chrissy, the whole passion thing. That truly is the number 1 Chrissy adjective, passionate, it makes you, you. Oh and speaking of all those Facebook thingys: As Akon once said "She's a diva! Damn girl." =)
Tay P-- Fiona is rather amazing, I agree. I never saw the similarities between you guys until you brought it up in your blog. Now I definately can tell how alike the two of you are! Fiona and I are good "dance" friends. In the studio we kick it together sometimes, but it must be utterly ahhhhmazing to be so close to her. She is such a good and kind person and very humerous too.
ReplyDeleteBella P-- Yay failure!!! woooooh! I am thankful for most of my failures, maybe not the really big ones, but the littler ones are great. They give you this...I'm going to kick this problem's ass even if it kills me...mentality. and THAT is when things get accomplished! You seem like a person who goes incredible hulk when you fail, coming back with a vengeance and such. Keep on failing Bella!!! (meant in the most positive way)
ReplyDeleteMeh...........what am I thankful for? I guess I could say I'm thankful for everything. In fact, I could be thankful for anything, one way or another. Maybe that could work: I'm thankful for being able to be thankful for everything I can think of, good or bad. I feel like it's easy for me to be thankful for anything; it's easy for me to adapt to anything, or at least quite a few things, and use it to my advantage (that's probably the best thing I can come up with) most of the time.
ReplyDeleteLet me see if I can word this better. I'm an adapter, I can control my own mind and make it work for me. My mentality for my life at any given moment is directly derived from what's going on around me and how I feel at that time. I like being an adapter, and I'm thankful for feeling like I can adapt to anything, that I can change myself if I can't change what's around me, that I can alter my perception of reality if I need to to look at something from one point of view as opposed to another, and that I can always do what I need to do to succeed, or fail and still accept the outcome. I'm thankful for being a conscious, sentient being, aware of my surroundings, and aware of my mentality, and thus being able to change it to suit those surroundings. I'm thankful for being able to introspect, to look at how I've failed in the past, and easily convince myself of the right way to change my method, to tell myself what to do and what not to do, to have a little inner dialog in my head that can repeat whatever advice I got from a coach or teacher and apply it to anything. I'm thankful for having a clear and level head, for knowing when to talk and when to listen, and for not letting my emotions get in the way of me, most of the time. And I'm thankful for not feeling like I have any sort of dignity when I don't want to, as in I feel no shame talking to someone when I know I need to talk to someone--even though I don't think I even need to talk to anyone all that often (getting back to the whole clear head thing).
That's it; I don't have much else to be thankful for. There aren't any experiences or people that I feel have really made me who I am. I feel like I'm a well-spoken, logical, tactical person when I comes to dealing with trouble. I know a lot of people who would just say I seem emotionless, tired, and unenthusiastic in school, but that's just what I mean. I'm more relaxed, more focused, and less likely to do anything stupid that way. I can manage myself in the best way possible like that because I adapt.
-Jourdan S.
ReplyDelete“When I am passionate about something, I chase it down regardless of how the odds may be against me or how easy it would be to settle for something else.”
Good for you Jourdan, because I can honestly say that, for the most part, when I want something that I don't really feel good about, I quit, often. I've quit so often that I feel like I don't really want much of anything anymore. Wanting something that I'm not starving for just makes me feel like I'm wasting my time and energy when I could be doing something I want more. Though I don't know if it's really a bad thing...it works for me a few times. Instead of staring at something that I wish I could have, I focus on what can benefit me more in the long run.
-Alexis B.
Connections? Well, I think you're pretty lucky that you can connect to people in any way on a human level. I feel like I'm somewhere between (in AP Psych relationship terms) the “anxious-ambivalent” category, and the “cold and rejecting” category when it comes to connections. I can't connect myself to anybody, even when I try (though I doubt I try that hard). I'd sure be thankful for being able to connect to people IF I actually did connect to people.
-Gwen C.
“Optimism and the ability to hope for the future.”
God I hate optimists. I'm jealous of optimists and their creepy way of always sorta being happy. I don't know; I feel like blatant optimists don't take into account their surroundings as much as they should, and yet still find some way to feel good about it all. Is there some kind of optimist agenda that I should be knowing about, where optimists are always happy about the future because they know they're going to take over the word or something?
ALIX - "Laughter is the best medicine."
ReplyDeleteYOU...YOU...BETCHHH. Take my laughter thing and my quote?! IT'S GOING DOWN! AT APPLEBEES.
SIKE! I'm actually really happy you wrote about laughter too because it makes me happy to know how similar we are because you're really great. I too have gotten my sense of humor from my parents. (and cartoons!)It's amazing that laughter can get you through the physical pain too. It really is, indeed, the best medicine. YOU KNOOOWWW
Bella - "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious.....And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney.
Okay. You seriously did not use this quote. I'm about to cry. Did you watch Meet The Robinsons? They show this letter with the quote at the end because the whole theme was to keep moving forward? I'm tearing. Waa! Bella, you stink, but wow! I never thought about failure like that. It never crossed my mind to be thankful for it, but you're right. Without failure, there would be no motivation to do better.
"When most people fail, they work harder and try to figure out ways to hurdle their problems. This streams out curiosity, dreams, and motivation."
SO well said. Thanks for that.
JV - Your post really made me think about our freedoms and how we're so lucky to have the chance to be who we are and really open up to the world. Back then not many people had that chance. Now, so many people take it for granted.
I will probably kick myself for writing this, but I am most thankful for my ability to love.Without love, what do you have? Everyone loves something, whether it be a person, a thing, a feeling… anything. My brother loves video games which have become his life and his inspiration to go back to school. My sister loves singing which has crushed the fear of being in front of a crowd so she can follow her dream. I love the fact that I can overcome my past and love again.
ReplyDeleteDon’t get me wrong, love has its downfalls. I’ve never been so hurt by one thing more than love, which also proves my thankfulness to be able to love. I can get hurt, get thrown to the ground and trampled on by those who I never thought would do such to me. From then on, I can get up and move on again and love more. With the emptiness that my father left, I am able to love my stepdad unconditionally and have no regrets doing so. With the disappointments of a few people around me, I am able to love who I am around more than anything.
I am thankful that my ability to love just doesn’t end one day after being shot at. What I mean is that my sister and I fight constantly, some much more serious than others, but our relationship doesn’t end in a fight. We went through two months my freshman year that we didn’t speak or even look at each other (for love, ironic?) and it was honestly the worst two months of my life. One night she yelled at me and told me I wasn’t her sister. I’ve heard a comment as coldblooded as that one other time in my life, and I’ll never forget how extremely hurt I was. What I’m trying to get at is that that didn’t stop me from loving her and vice versa. I love her even more, which I didn’t even think was possible, as everyone can see how close we’ve become.
I think that after being hurt, a lot of people tend to close the rest of their friends and family out. They block out the chance of loving and hurting again and forget what those four letters really mean. To love doesn’t mean hurt is soon to follow; it doesn’t always happen that way. To love is to experience one of the greatest feelings a person can feel, whether it be towards another person, an animal (I would LOVE to be one of Bunje’s dogs – unconditional love foreva), a place, anything. It is a pretty brave thing to do and the fact that no matter what I have gone through I can still love and love stronger is absolutely mindblowing and I’m eternally grateful for it.
Happy Thanksgiving, guys!
In class today, after mistakenly saying “I don’t know” and losing two points (it’s what I get; who knows, maybe this will help me to stop saying that phrase all the time!), I decided that what I am thankful for is the way that I make myself laugh and others laugh, making life fun and optimistic. However, upon further thought, I found a better way to word it. I love my optimism in general. I love my care-free, optimistic attitude. The way that I look at everything and approach situations. As contradictory as it seems, however, I am also trying to work on these things because they are one of the most flawed parts of my character.
ReplyDeleteI love my attitude towards life and happiness, and friends and family. Over the years, I have learned to let shit slide. If I let every little argumentative statement uttered by my sisters get to me, I would not be a happy camper. I’d be pissed all the time! However, I have learned to get over things quickly so that I can get back to my happiness and desire to have some fun. I have learned to be carefree in that sense. Also, I try not to regret too many things. If I make a mistake, I may regret it, but then I usually get over it quickly so that I don’t get myself down about it. Life goes on. Why stress over something that you cannot change?
I have too much stress, and that is another reason why I strive to make things more optimistic and fun. I am running out of time! Not time left to live (well that too, but hopefully I’ve still got at least ninety or so years for that), but in the here and now. Crew is about to start and I know that if I let myself get overwhelmed, I will just be stressed and unhappy. So I’m going to approach this with ambition and determination -- I’m going to complete my goal of accomplishing some sort of time management, and I’m going to do it for real. If I am too care-free, I won’t get anything done!
When it comes to approaching situations, sometimes I do so in such a way that will only hurt me in the long run, because I am just trying to keep myself worry-free for the time being. My uncle passed on last week, and as hard as it is to even think about it, I’m going to use this as an example. You guys saw me last Monday and Tuesday- a total mess! Well that was before I found out he had passed, but it was still hard because my whole family knew he would, but didn’t know when. After that, I tried so incredibly hard to just push away the sadness. I told myself, “Be strong, you got this, don’t cry. Don’t think about this, keep yourself together.” While this may have made it a tiny bit easier at the moment, I know that bottling this up will only result in another mess later, which I could have easily avoided if I had just let it all out. But since I work in a optimistic kind-of manner, the kind where I keep myself cheery and sometimes even make a fool of myself to make others happy (especially in really rough times), I felt I had to do this. I’ll worry about the later mess, well, later.
Those points bring me to another part of me that I didn’t realized I valued until now. My flaws. Everyone always tells us, “ Work on those flaws, flaws are bad, bad needs to be good. The less flaws you have, the better you are.” Well, guess what? I’m not going to listen to that anymore. While I know that I do need to work on some things, I know that my flaws help make who I am, however imperfect. And everyone should be happy with the person they are, right? Or maybe this is just the care-free optimism speaking. =]
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ReplyDeleteIt took me a good, long, introspective look to figure out what I am truly thankful for. Chuang-tse, and ancient Chinese thinker, once said "Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it." I felt like an especially good example of this wise aphorism while contemplating this blog response because most of us don't really understand or recognize our emotions, character traits, or the other deeper, sub-surface pieces in the puzzle of life. Then it hit me. I'm thankful for life's mysteries.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that I seem quiet some times, but I do love meaningful conversation. The best way to get to know a person is by seeing the world from their point of view. It shows their life experiences, their personality, and what kind of person they are. Now think about all of the meaningful conversations you've had, most of them I'm sure are about one of life's mysteries. Mysteries supply us with problems to solve. This problem solving forces everyone to work together for a common goal. Humanity's problem solving phenomenon provides for an exchange of ideas, exposure to different types of people, and encourages tolerance. In order to solve the climate crisis for example (sorry Bunje), everyone is going to have to work together. The governments of the world will join and work against a problem that is threatening not just one group of people, nor one country, but the entire world. Global warming is a serious problem that I wish we didn't have to deal with, but now that we're here we might as well look at the positive side. People are going to have to work together. No matter what our race, gender, or religion all of us are going to have to unify against this common threat. That's why I'm thankful for life's mysteries, they work on relationships the same way the climate crisis will work on a global scale. Discussing our greatest wonders about things like the meaning of life, our place in the world, moral values, and the arts bring us closer to the people we know. Imagine the bland conversations we would have with each other if we we knew everything and never disagreed. Not only would our social lives be very boring but we would never develop close, emotional relationships with those around us.
I'm thankful that I can learn and grow from the people around me. I'm thankful that humans have the ability to share their ideas. We may not be able to solve all of life's mysteries, but the journey really is more important than the destination.
I am thankful for my self-motivation. I realized this year that I am highly self-motivated. Almost everything I do, I do because I want to be happy, make money, to succeed. From an early age, my parents told me that in order to achieve these goals, I had to do well in school, and thus they motivated me to get good grades. Fear was my motivation when I was younger as I earned a spanking every time I disappointed my parents with poor grades. Today, however, I get no spankings. My parents no longer monitor my school work, go to back to school night, or ask me questions about college because they know that they don’t have to. They know that I have everything under control.
ReplyDeleteI am glad my parents no longer motivate me. My self-motivation has taught me that everything comes with effort and that more effort equals more success. My success so far, unsurprisingly, is due to my effort and nothing else. What I lack in intelligence, looks, and skill, I make up for in effort because effort is the only thing I can control. I always invest the utmost amount of effort into everything I do as to ensure that the results of my labor are as beneficial as possible. For example, when I don’t understand a math concept, I, unlike other people, will open the book and do some research until I finally understand it. When I am assigned a chapter to read, I, unlike other people, read the chapter so that I fully understand it. When asked to figure out the meaning of life, I, unlike other people, take the time to find the correct answer.
I am thankful for my self-motivation because it will help me succeed in life by giving me something to always lean on, something to always rely on, and something to always count on—myself. I know that I will always be there for myself, and therefore there is nothing better to rely on than myself. Everything else I can rely on, I can lose—friends, family, objects, ideas. Already, my self-motivation has helped me achieve academic success, and in the future, it is sure to help me achieve even more.
In addition to my self-motivation, I am also thankful for my confidence and my ability to ignore the hurtful words of other people. Too many people I know are unconfident. They have no voice, no passion, no presence. They are fragile and weak, allowing other people to overshadow them and unkind words to hurt them. All of these problems can be easily fixed with some confidence.
I am a firm believer in the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Words only hurt people if people allow the words to. The people usually unhurt by words are confident people and the people usually hurt by words are unconfident people. I am a confident person, and therefore I am often unhurt by the unkind words of other people. My confidence allows me to do what others cannot. I can sit quietly in a room filled with talking friends without feeling awkward. I can enter a room filled with strangers and leave with friends. I can walk up to that girl from across the room and talk to her. These and other confident actions will help me succeed in life, and that makes me thankful for my confidence.
Of course, I am not one hundred percent confident in myself, and a key illustration of this is my problem with dancing. However, with some self-motivation, time, and effort, I am positive that I will become entirely confident in myself.
Taylor P – I absolutely love your post. Now that I think about it, whenever I see one of you, the other is not far behind. I have a few friends that randomly possess those mommy characteristics, like Erica Williams, and I love her more than anything for it. Without her, I’d be crazy. And I totally understand how you feel when next year Fiona leaves – both Erica and my sister leave for college so I’m basically going to die. Treasure your time with her now, hon!
ReplyDeleteSarah C – I find myself doing the same thing as you, questioning why someone did the thing they did. I then find myself throwing in every single possibility and from there, I hate myself. I don’t know how you love that questioning factor; I wish I didn’t care half as much as I do. You’re crazy. Goodbye!
Jessie - I honestly want to come over right now. As much as I seem like the girl that wants to be around everything, I want nothing more than a big field, away from everything. I love the way you described EVERYTHING - when I read it I felt like I was sitting in the midst of it all. It's beautiful and I'm happy you have that all for you!
Every year at Thanksgiving dinner, my grandmom goes around the table, asking everyone what they are thankful for. Most of my family throws around the cliché things to be thankful for. Our family, our health, and the occasional humorous addition like “all this food!” get thrown into the pile of things we’re thankful for. However, no one has ever said anything deep, from inside themselves. I guess we just don’t usually think about it. I mean family, health, and after all, food is really important to me and I am very thankful for them all. Everyone in my family has every right to declare any of those as the thing that they are most thankful for. But in the end, if we lost all those things, what would we have left inside ourselves?
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for my desire to succeed. My parents have never pressured me in school. They never pressured me to take honors or AP classes and have never pressured me to study hard or ace every test. That was all me. When I came home with a C on my report card, my parents weren’t disappointed. They thought that I did very well, especially for it being an AP class. However, I wasn’t satisfied. I want straight A’s. I want my GPA to remain over 100, to solidify my spot in the top ten. I want to get into a good college. I want the perfect job (with the perfect, large salary). I want the big house with the perfect family waiting for me inside. I want to be successful in life and all these things define success to me.
I am so thankful to have this desire for success because to me, success equals happiness. If I’m able to achieve all the things that I strive for, I will be happy. What creates even more happiness inside myself though is the fact that I know that I did it all myself. It’s like when you get a job and make your own money. Once you make your own money and you buy something with it, it makes whatever you buy seem that much more special. This is how I see my desire for success. If I’m able to achieve success on my own, it’ll make me that much more successful.
So this year at Thanksgiving dinner, when my grandmom goes around the table, asking us what we’re thankful for, maybe I’ll throw a monkey wrench in there. Maybe I’ll spruce up the usual line of “family, health, family” with “my desire to succeed!” I may get some weird looks at first, but I think that everyone would see another dimension to me.
Megan: Like you are thankful to have found soccer, I am thankful to have swimming. During swim practice, I can forget about everything else that is going on in my life. For those two or three hours, it’s just me and the water. No stress from my life exists. It all temporarily floats away and I can just clear my mind. This break from my crazy, hectic life relieves so much stress and just allows me to relax, despite the intensity of some sets. While most people may think you’re crazy for being thankful for something that can cause so much physical and occasionally mental pain, I see where you’re coming from and completely understand why you are so thankful for it.
ReplyDeleteGwen: I wish I had your optimism! Optimism is one of those traits that I’ve always wished I just naturally had. However, I have to work for it. I literally see the cup as half empty, wishing I would’ve taken smaller sips so I’d have more rather than just being happy to have all that’s left in my cup. I’ve been trying my best to be optimistic, but my pessimism still comes out occasionally. And by the way, I think you’re crazy for not eating a lot at Thanksgiving! It’s the one holiday that you actually have a reason for being a total fatty! Eat up!
Isabella: I loved your intense description of that one night of crazy fun you had. I also love that post adrenaline feeling. When you just did something so fun and you can just sit back, relax, and reflect on it, that’s one of the best feelings in the world. I live for those moments, those moments that create memories that last forever and I’m also grateful to have a decent amount of very special ones in my life.
Kristie: I know how you feel, and I can relate to a lot of what you wrote. Not all of it, obviously, but enough to tell you that I admire the fact that you are able to still love your sister, and others who have hurt you. I can’t love my mom anymore, because of what she has done to my family, and honestly I can’t picture her ever actually deserving any. Maybe that’s harsh, but I think that proves your point “I think that after being hurt, a lot of people tend to close the rest of their friends and family out.” The way I see it, sometimes it is just easier to forget than forgive. But I like your views! =]
ReplyDeleteTaylor: Today in that class that Bunje will kill me for naming, I saw how you were telling Mrs. Baird that you and Fiona had to work together. At first I thought, “Oh, they must be like best friends or something.” But now I can see why! Right when I read “*Everyone feel free to Awwhhhh because I know I just did*,” the “awwwh” just came right out. I think it’s great that you have someone like Fiona in your life. Everyone needs a someone like her!
KayTeeGee: I didn’t even read your post until after I posted mine, and it made me think of how much we have in common! Laughter really does make everything better, except for when you laugh and you aren’t supposed to… but it’s all good! It’s better for people just to laugh everything off and move on with their lives, and not get stuck on little embarrassing moments. Be optimistic, people, and laugh! =]
I can blatantly say that I hate high school. I hate the entire system of school--the cheating, the competition, the subjective scoring. I hate that students learn only for tests and to forget it afterwards. I hate that students do not learn for the thrill of knowledge and thrill of opening our perspective to the wide world. I hate what my peers think of me--that when they see my name, they don't give me the benefit of the knowing that my opinion is worth it. That when I genuinely ask "What's wrong," I'm shot down as if I'm not the type of person who would understand. That I don't "look like a fun person." That people like me are seen so negatively, especially at this day and age. And out of all the things I could continually list, I especially hate that I haven't had the high school experience I wanted.
ReplyDeleteBut I am COMPLETELY thankful for ALL of those negative events, negative thoughts, and negative feelings I had about me and other aspects of high school. Without those terrible things that happened to me throughout my high school career, the future that lies ahead of me, in my eyes, wouldn't be as spectacular as I know it would be. I would have no drive to do anything. Plain--I would be plain and boring. I would probably have a monotone voice. My confidence level would remain extremely low--along with my self-esteem, ambition, and value. School would just be memorizing solely for that 100 on a test. I would have no courage, no silliness, no life. To put it bluntly, I would be a mechanical dummy going through the motions of life.
These horrific things that happened will, I'm ecstatic to declare, NEVER happen again, as long as I'm fully functional. Every mistake I've made (and I've made way too many to list) have had such an impact in my mind, ideal, and perspective. Once I leave high school, I've thought about forgetting my entire past and starting anew. But then I wouldn't have learned anything during these four essential years. I concluded that after high school, my eyes will cringe at my past, but sparkle with overly ambitious eyes into my future.
By the way, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I will probably eat more than all of you combined tomorrow! :)
ReplyDeleteFor instance, the biggest mistake I've made this entire year involved doubt. And I can say that I've made this mistake too many times these past two and a quarter years. I doubted EVERYTHING. I doubted that I could learn how to play trumpet my freshmen year. I doubted that so-and-so would like me enough to be my friends. I doubted that I could join this club, talk to this person, say this impressive thought, be this type of personality, play with this type of enthusiasm. Everything I thought of--every idea, every revolution--I doubted. Even now, I really doubt that I'll get a job soon. DOUBT is one of my worst enemies.
ReplyDeleteBut NOW, I know that all I need is continued confidence, passion, and drive to get what I want. I will not let myself down, fall down, or drop the vision in my head because of DOUBT.
Thankfully, I can blatantly say that I will LOVE college. And I know this because I will live it the way I should have lived high school. In college, I wouldn't become a different person; I would become the person I've been hiding for since I entered the ancient doors of Oakcrest. I'll let the rest of my crummy, unsatisfactory high school life wane. Sometimes I think of it like this: the worse my high school life is, the better my college life will be. I know that is way off course. But still, my life in college will be extraordinary. I will expand my knowledge ten fold while making life-long friends. I will play my instrument with more passion that I could have ever thought of now. I will run as many charity 5Ks or marathons as my body will take.
I can't wait for college!!
Tay Palm,
ReplyDelete"Let’s get one thing straight, I’m a talker. I can talk my way out of a lot of things, I can talk my way around a lot of things and in arguments with friends, I’m pretty epic at wording things to make whatever I had done sound a hell of a lot better, making them seem wrong for ever accusing me in the first place."
Taylor, this sentence fits you perfectly. You are a talker in every sense of the word.
Even though I hadn't really gotten to know either of you that well until the beginning of this year, the type of relationship between you and Fiona is apparent. She really does act like a mom towards you in a lot of ways! I think we all need someone like that (although some of us more than others, ahem) in our lives. They are good at counteracting our craziness.
AHH!! Kyra split my blog in half!
ReplyDeleteKTG
ReplyDeleteYou're right, laughter is really important! Think about what life would be like if laughter didn't exist, that would be so boring! And it really is good for the soul, like how you said when you saw those old people laughing it melted you heart, we need that feeling! I also like how you mentioned laughter as an ice breaker or a cure to awkward silences. When ever I get nervous or I'm around new people I always tend to laugh a lot.
Gwen C,
ReplyDeleteBeing able to hope is a really great thing. In general I'm a pretty optimistic and hopeful person, but sometimes if something (or someone for that matter) gets me down, I tend to get in a rut of hopelessness. All I'll be able to do is think about how I was wronged. I know that I shouldn't let things get to me, but I can't really help it. If I was at the dentist getting the heck drilled out of my teeth all I would be able to think about is the pain I was in, so you're really lucky that you can think about candy!
Oh and I don't eat all that much on Thanksgiving either.
KTG:
ReplyDeleteGOSH DARN IT! I should have read the other blogs before I posted mine. I feel stupid that I wrote basically the same thing. :(
Anyway, I love how similar we are too! I love you!
To Alix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jwm_-bvycs
ReplyDeleteKTG: this makes me love you more <3 hahaha
ReplyDeleteHannah-
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it like that, but making friends is pretty “ambitious.” You pretty much go out of your way to talk to people and try to become their friends. It’s like a goal in school, sports, or anything! And like a goal, friends are extremely worth it. The joys in having company and people to talk to are amazing. When I finished my blog, I still had the thoughts of college fresh in my mind. So when I read what you said about being ambitious to make friends, I feel really inspired to be “ambitious” when I head off to college and make the greatest friends I could ever meet!
Stephanie-
I can totally relate to hard things that happened to you. I’ve been through many of the same things. And I feel like they will even get worse as I have to start, for instance, paying for college with hardly any help from my parents. It frightens me. But I love how you have humor to sooth you! For me, I have my amazingly fantastic future and wackiness to keep me going. But sometimes, I think I don’t laugh enough. As much as I want to, it just doesn’t happen. Laughter is great and I think that it can solve anything. Just laugh Stephanie and all the pain will go away!
Brittany—
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the first part of your blog, I was extremely confused! I knew that you hated where you lived and always complained about it. But after reading the rest of your blog, I really understand. I also would love to explore the world and experience nature in other places of the world. But living in the suburbs makes me closer to civilization than you. So I can just barely imagine what you feel like. Personally, I would never want to permanently live in the middle of nowhere. However, I think maybe if I spend a week or two in completely nature, I would start to appreciate the action that happens in more populous places.
Jessie: To your comment on my blog, I have to say it constantly astounds me the lack of confidence you have in yourself. Jessie, although I’m positive the world has told you this again and again, let me remind you again: you’re amazing! You have drive, you have discipline, and purity of intention. As for your blog, I like how you are close with nature. That’s something I’ve always prided myself on too. With all the technology and distractions in life, few people care for the natural anymore. But we can learn so much from it, after all “nature never wears a mean face.” I can see how Nature has helped your soul develop into the beautiful person you are!
ReplyDeleteAlex: Haha, I can be in front of Mr. Sopuch. Remember what he said? He just doesn’t want to be last =P
Hannah: I know, right? Mind boggling. But that’s why I believe everything, everybody has a purpose. There are an infinite amount of ways you could have been, but they didn’t happen. I’m not particularly religious, and my definition of God certainly isn’t the conventional one, but I feel with odds like that, how can you not feel yourself important to this world, you know? And as for your blog, when I read that you are grateful for your “ambition” I immediately thought there probably isn’t a better word in the dictionary to describe you. You are so strong, Hannah. I have this feeling that you’re going to just rock life. :]
Sarah C: Haha, no you aren’t alone. I’m glad that you wrote that, so now I know that I’m not alone either! About your blog, I never noticed that you liked to question things until I read it. Now that I think back on the conversations we had, you’ve never accepted anything at face value. And the things you question, I think that provides for god introspective values, which keeps you from being “empty” and on the level of “perfect.” :P
Stephanie: I love you and I’m so glad I met you, too!
Alexis: Whatcha got?!
Lauren: Awh, thanks so much. I’m glad we met, too. To think if I’ve never Ms. Perfect!
I glanced across the room. Her eyes had bursted into their own entire frigid winter world. Somehow I was supposed to sit next to her. Somehow I would have to transform her into anyone else. Somehow I had to concentrate on anything else but her. The room pulled me towards her, and every bad thing she had ever thought about me stung my mind. A day ago before I had known any of it, this would be nothing. However now just being around this person, so full of contempt for me, was everything. Like a flash of lightning, she checked my presence. Am I a challenge to her all the way over here, worlds away? I took each step at a time, every one expecting to trip. Familiar faces flooded the room, and voices broke my thoughts. I looked up again. I shed the stiff cold armor that I had clung to seconds before. She was just a girl. She was just the only girl sitting by herself. I had the strong urge to apologize to her, even if there was only the slightest chance she would understand.
ReplyDeleteHere is a story a lot less comfortable for me. In sixth grade, I was the quiet girl, who read a lot and had an obsession with being nice to everyone. A new girl came to our school, which shook little old St. Nicks up. She had a major anger problem, and I can still remember how shocked I was at her sudden outbursts. She punched a few different people, and most of the school had a secret fear of her. One day I was walking out of English, in my own little universe of thoughts. I was pretty clumsy back then. Somehow I tripped, and hr back caught me. She pushed me into the hallway, before I knew what had happened. I remember staring into her eyes, as she threw me into the lockers and hit me with my own books. She started to push me down, and for that second all time stopped. If I wanted to I knew I could kick her or hit her or something. I made the deliberate direct decision not to even try to hurt her. All the teachers and my parent who would lecture me about fighting back later seem like a daydream. However wanting to help her and shield her somehow as I lay on the ground and she stomped away will always be real. Days later, after she was long gone I would hear that her mother was never around, she had to take care of her younger siblings, and her stepfather was abusive.
Even when I am positive my anger or resentment will last forever, I can find a split second of warmth. After that, I can fully forgive and understand anyone. I may be a pushover, but I also know that I can be very loving. I have decided that my loving and understanding heart is completely worth being pushed down a few times.
I don’t get along too well with conflict. When faced with a conflict, I almost always feel like it is my fault, whatever the subject may be, and I despise feeling wrong. In fact, when faced with conflicts, even relatively minor ones, I often fall into a state of mini-depression, unable to turn my mind to other things and divert my attention from the situation at hand. In a situation where the problem can be solved, this may be a good thing, as I would be focused on finding a solution, but oftentimes conflict cannot be resolved by something simple, and it ends up tearing me up inside. When I’m in this state, life sucks. Because of this, my number one thing to be thankful for is a lack of conflict in my life.
ReplyDeleteHaving said this, however, I am also thankful that everything happens just the way it does. I honestly believe that all things that happen work together for good, whatever good may be, and that I have grown tremendously from the few conflicts I have had in my past. I would not be the person I am today without having grown from these experiences, and for that I am thankful. Just recently, in fact, many things worked together to make me want to be motivated again, and the results of this are already showing (I actually passed an AP Biology test!). So, no matter how hard conflicts are to get over while experiencing them, they end up making me a better person in the end.
I’m also glad that I live in Mullica and have for my entire life. I don’t think that Mullica itself has shaped me, but more so how my parents, who are also from rural areas, have. My father, for instance, taught me at an early age how to fire a gun. This may seem trivial and, in some people’s eyes, pretty stupid, but learning things like this has made me more well rounded, and not just some kid that sits inside all day. I used to be really afraid of guns, especially after my father’s M1911 38 Super hurt my hand as a little child, but I overcame it, and just recently found out that I actually enjoy shooting (guns are actually pretty interesting, and the same 38 Super is now my favorite handgun). There is also an abundance of wildlife in my backyard and the surrounding areas, and being around this all my life has given me a deeper appreciation for nature than I would have had otherwise. I think I would be really depressed and bored out of my mind if I didn’t live here, and I’m thankful for everything I can do in this seemingly empty place.
I suppose it would be heartless of me to leave out the cliché things completely, so I must say that I am also very thankful for my family. I realize that without them, I would be nothing. They don’t get on me about grades like a lot of parents do, and I think this is why I actually enjoy learning. My father taught me from an early age that learning things can actually be fun, given the right circumstances, and recently, I’ve actually found myself enjoying certain classes again. My mother provides for us in a way that I will never fully understand, and my brother is a guiding light of sorts, having done all of this before. My immediate family is fully functional, loving, and as perfect as I could possibly ask for. I would be totally lost without them, and I am thankful for them more than anything else.
I’m thankful for everything in one way or another. Even if something hurts me, it ends up making me better in the end. The things that don’t hurt me only facilitate the growing process that is occurring every day in me. When all is said and done, I’m pretty happy with the way everything has played out so far in my life. As long as I can keep myself motivated and hopeful for future success, my potential is limitless, and I don’t think there is anything that I can be more thankful for than that.
Postscript: I could go on forever about guns. It’s not a good idea to get me started. Actually, when I saw the title of this blog, I thought it was actually referring to tanks, and I got excited. I’m a loser… I know.
KTG-
ReplyDeleteI cannot emphasize enough how amazingly voice-compact every single one of your blogs are. It's both fun and amusing to read yours each week. Besides, your opinions and beliefs are extremely personable. Anyways, I absolutely love how you are thankful for laughter. Laughter, simply, makes everything in life better. Without a doubt. Without laughter, life would be bland oatmeal. I enjoy cinnamon bun flavored oatmeal, because it's fun! Growing old and still laughing about silly things is a true aspirattion of mine. Life should be funny! It is! And don't be ashamed when you say your thankful for cartoons! You obviously love them and they seem like your passion. I totally respect that and think it's really cool. Holding on to your childhood to adulthood is every person's dream. No one wants to grow up, even if they deny it. Immaturality, as well, just makes life fun. Let's just live in the moment, and not be so serious. Cartoons definitely bring back the child in me, and I enjoy that feeling! You're so optimistic and high-spirited, and that is truly an inspiration.
PS. I love Thanksgiving. You're not the only one! The.Food.Is.Amazing. 'Nuff said.
Simon V:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, what is the meaning of life?
Second, I've just recently become motivated like this again. I was that person that, when assigned a chapter to read, didn't do it. Now that I actually started to again, I am doing much better in just about everything (Biology!). It's admirable that you are, in fact, motivated like this, because effort is the only thing that we can control. I just wish I had figured that out sooner.
Shirley N:
ReplyDeleteThe first part of your blog described me eerily well. High school kind of sucks, at least for me. And I hate cheating!!!! I can't stand when I put in honest effort on something and someone else gets the same grade or higher by cheating. And as far as the monotone voice goes, be happy you don't have one. According to some people, I do, and I'm boring and uninteresting as well. I hate that. But I also realize that a lot of it is my fault. There is a lot more I could do to get rid of that label, and I often just choose not to.
Taylor-
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have that backbone. Like everyone else has said, it is pretty vital to have that person in your life. Brynne is my definite backbone, and holds me up when I'm about to fall. I know I'm kind of in the shadow when it comes to you two, but I don't want to be a nuisance to your extremely strong friendship. I'm glad you guys love each other and care for each other. I'm really thankful for you guys, and both of you have taught me so much in life, whether it would be school work or boy work. I don't think you two will ever know how much you mean to me, but let's just say I'm thankful.
Just when she goes off to college, try not to abandon me. =p
Also, you should be thankful for your sneaky skill in talking. You're devious, you're persuasive, and you're devious (hehe). You just overall have a brilliant way with words, which can definitely get you far in life.
By the way, I want to thank everyone in 9/10 for writing those amazingly beautiful and inspiring compliments on my construction paper. You don't know how much it means to me. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving everyone.
Kyle S:
ReplyDeleteI've found recently that I can relate to you in a lot of ways, and that I always at least understand where you're coming from when I read your blog. This week is no different. I, too, think that it is a good thing to be able to adapt, because without that ability, I would fail miserably at life. However, I've recently discovered that it is not good to adapt enough to change who you are. I've been guilty of that at least a few times, and probably a lot more. I think being myself actually makes me genuinely happier most of the time, even if some people hate me for it. Is being your "self" being that ball of clay, that object ready to adapt?
Why would one be thankful of one of their own qualities? This was a question that plagued me for a good ten minutes. It’s not that it’s a particularly difficult question, one that is unanswerable, it’s just that I don’t often think about myself or what I’m thankful for regarding my own being. Well, after some thought, and sort of expanding on the rather weak answer I gave in class, I am thankful for thoughtfulness and ability to understand and interpret. For those of you who are in my class and were actually listening when I described my initial answer, it may sound different, but it is really the same. The ability to formulate “good” morals, or those which a person believes are good, comes from an ability to truly think and interpret the world and its multitude of mysteries.
ReplyDeleteMorals are formulated based on personal beliefs, if I believe lying is wrong, then I take it upon myself to be honest. If I find caring for others to be particularly important, I make an effort to be kind. The ability to formulate these beliefs, based on personal perception of the world, is a truly essential ability. You may think to yourself, but everyone does that, everyone has beliefs, silly. That is in fact, not true. Some people are easily swayed, easily persuaded to believe one thing or another. One example of this is organized religion; people are drilled with religion from a young age, never making their own opinion, blindly following a set of beliefs forced upon them by their parents or guardians. (I’m not trying to bash religion or those of you who are religious, but that’s just my perception of the issue.) So, not everyone does things because they want to, most are almost entirely controlled by those around them, without their consent or even awareness. I am thankful for my ability to negate my surroundings, not block them out, but the fact that I’m able to look at something and formulate my own opinion.
I consider myself a good person. I hold myself to, in my opinion, much higher standards than most people. I do things with good intention, everything that I do. I don’t do things out of spite; I don’t seek revenge or dwell on the negative side of things. All of these abilities and qualities stem from my ability to think and interpret, to hold myself to a high moral code, to be the best person that I can be. It’s odd, I recently ran through a list of positive traits of myself with someone very close to me. I ran through the list, intelligent, compassionate, honest, mature, kind, thoughtful, etc. These qualities, none of them actually, came to me easily. I don’t like to brag about anything, I don’t like to make myself seem better than anyone else. After thinking about this blog, I realized that I truly can be thankful for the person I have become. In my mind, I am who I want to be, (for the most part).
I am thankful for life and my chance to live it, to experience it, the good, the bad, the beautiful.
Kristen D:
ReplyDeleteI wish it was that easy for me. Lucky... Being a perpetual optimist must be pretty fun.
Gwendo:
ReplyDeleteI eat truckloads on Thanksgiving. Everyone in my family does. Not everybody is like that though. It's normal for you to not eat a lot on Thanksgiving. Plus, some people just don't like the food. Honestly, I usually just end up eating a lot of the same food because most of the other food isn't very good. You're not weird. At least, in that regard... :]
KTG
ReplyDeleteI might not really be thankful for cartoons, but I am thankful for laughter. I never really thought about it but laughter is something very special and I thank you for pointing that out. One of the best traits about laughter, I think, is that it is contagious, and so when one person laughs, other people follow. To think of a world without laughter is to think of a world without ice cream!
I like how you always manage something about cartoons in your posts. It really shows your passion for it and I hope that your career choices work for you.
Kyle S
“Maybe that could work: I'm thankful for being able to be thankful for everything I can think of, good or bad. I feel like it's easy for me to be thankful for anything; it's easy for me to adapt to anything, or at least quite a few things, and use it to my advantage” I like how you started your intro; it was interesting.
“I'm thankful for being a conscious, sentient being, aware of my surroundings, and aware of my mentality, and thus being able to change it to suit those surroundings.” Kyle, I am beginning to think that you and I more alike than I thought previously. We share many traits and many things that we are thankful for. Although I did not include adaptation and consciousness and clear thought and other features you included in my own post, I feel the same way. I am grateful that we are both mentally strong enough to mold and shape our mindset and thought process into whatever we need whenever we need to.
Shirley N
“I hate what my peers think of me.” I’m not going to go all lubby dubby. I’m simply going to tell you what I think about your perceptions in a few words.
“That when they see my name, they don't give me the benefit of the knowing that my opinion is worth it.” I don’t think people see you that way at all. I think people see you as brilliant and therefore value your opinion.
“That when I genuinely ask "What's wrong," I'm shot down as if I'm not the type of person who would understand.” Although I cannot comment on the validity of your statement because I don’t see what others do to you, I do think that you understand the situations of most people but not all. Who can understand every situation of every person all the time?
“That I don't "look like a fun person." I think you look like a fun person, but I understand why others wouldn’t. I think you are somewhat correct in this statement in that some people think your fun and some people don’t.
“That people like me are seen so negatively, especially at this day and age.” I don’t anyone sees you negatively. Everyone thinks you’re brilliant.
Although disagree with some of your perceptions, I absolutely admire your response towards your high school career. It shows mental strength and stability along with optimism. I like how you stated, “But NOW, I know that all I need is continued confidence, passion, and drive to get what I want. I will not let myself down, fall down, or drop the vision in my head because of DOUBT.”
Shirley- Your post was eye opening. I know that people benefit from the negative events in their lives, the hardships, the trials. But I wasn't keen to the idea that one could appreciate those negativities, all of them. This view is unique and somewhat pessimistic. On a side note, I liked how you emphasized several words by writing them in all capitols.
ReplyDeleteStephen- I thoroughly enjoyed your post and agree with most of your points. I like how you value life's mysteries, and the pursuit of answers to these mysteries. You are very thoughtful and it shows in your posts.
Kyle- Your complicated post actually made some sense to me...some. I respect your quality of adaption, the ability to change to whatever situation you are in. This is a good thing, sometimes. The fact that you are constantly adapting to whatever is going on at a particular time, you may lose the ability to hold beliefs or personal qualities for yourself. You can't always adapt, sometimes you have to act on your previous ideologies. Sorry if this is completely out of context, bu that's just how I took your post.
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ReplyDeleteTo Lucas:
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of life is to...be happy? I don't know. I was being sarcastic.
Anyway, I hope that you will continue to motivate yourself and not slack off. You still have seven more months of school and many more years to live; so try not slack off-- ever!
To everyone:
Have a nice Thanksgiving! Eat, eat, eat and appreciate the lack of homework!
Bella
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you wrote your post. It flows perfectly and is insightful without ever being cocky or overdone. I like that you concentrated on a moment that a lot of people (definitely myself included) love, but still often overlook. I think it is because it’s far too easy to say “YEAH! We were speeding and it was crazy! We kept laughing! . . .yeah so much fun.” However trying to describe the subtly beautiful and truly magical moments is a lot harder, but you did a really good job.
Brittany
I think that the things you hate most can change you for the better, so in that way we should be thankful for them. I always feel like I notice the little stuff or even the big stuff that other people overlook (maybe I’m just imagining that), but it is an amazing feeling. I like the way you introduced that idea. You are very self-aware and open to thinking in a new way. Trying random or adventurous things are sometimes the only way to make new discoveries. Columbus didn’t get here by accepting the status quo. There are always things that can happen unexpectedly and break any plan, so being able to adapt and react to what happens is a good skill.
People suck!!! Everyone looks out for themselves, and some dame to drag u along on the way. This simple fact leads me to what I am thankful for, my intuition. Intuition is in my opinion the one of the greatest gifts to posses. Around the age of three, I realized two key facts about myself: (1) Not everything people say is true and I can distinguish the lies, (2) Adults (family) had know idea what I knew.
ReplyDeleteLet me start off by saying I was a horrible child. There was a person in my life that I hated, and was forced to live with; in return I dedicated my early life to making her miserable, until she gave up on wanting me. I was good at it. This may seem like a horrible thing to be proud of, but I was. Things were changing all around me, and the only thing I could control was how I made others feel about what they were doing to me. I love you. A fraise I heard all too often, with no substance. I could distinguish the true love, from the fake kind.
All this may seem like it has nothing to do with intuition, so let me get back to it. I was very argumentative towards this person; we would fight to the point of tears (hers not mine). It would always happen the same. I would ask Why? A question she hated. She would answer with a lie, and I would not only explain that she was lying, but also give her the reasons of why she was lying to me. I always knew I was right when her face would drop with defeat.
I used my intuition as a weapon. I truly believe that without it I would have lost my spirit along time ago, it was my only defense mechanism. As I got older and met knew people, I realized that my intuition weakened with people, I didn’t really know. It was always there, but with my family I knew exactly what everyone was thinking and why they were thinking it. However, with new people my certainty dimed and it was just a very strong feeling.
To this day there are many occasions, especially in school when I know that people are spitting crap at me, or a teacher or another classmate. I never say anything, but I never forget either. I used to see my intuition as a defense mechanism, now I just see it as a burden. There is naïve, and than there is normal. I would like to be normal when it comes to this stuff. It’s not always fun having a really good idea of what people are thinking about me, especially teachers.
My family doesn't really celebrate Thanksgiving. Possibly because giving is already one of the most important action to us. It wasn't until two years ago that my father brought home a turkey and we attempted to make a "Thanksgiving dinner" but only because my sister's and I begged him to. We were so use to hearing everyone describe what they were going to do for the holiday that we wanted to do it all ourselves too. Before then, we basically just took advantage of the days off from school. I was never really asked what I was thankful for. When teachers asked me, however, they accepted the so called "clichéd" things and moved on. But nobody has ever really asked me what I was seriously thankful for besides the most important things to me (family, friends, love, religion).
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for the fact that I'm still alive. Every second of it. I have the chance to do everything, see everything, feel everything. Being alive gives me emotions, passion, and ambitions.Being alive means trying new experiences, taking risks, and simply LIVING to the fullest. Being alive means breathing in every moment, from the milliseconds, and cherishing them forever. Being alive is something people cannot lose but throw away. Being alive is unlike an other thing in the world because without it...well...I wouldn't be anything but a completely lifeless blob of skin and bone.
I'm thankful for all of the horror and pain, both physical and mental, that I have ever experienced, for without them I would not be who I am today. Like we have all heard many times, the most uncomfortable, pain-inflicting experiences are those that grow us most. Without the pain I have gone through from countless surgeries and injuries, my body would not be strong enough to handle more disastrous pain that I am bound to encounter. Without the dreadful losses and disappointments I have experienced, I would not be as emotionally and mentally capable as I am. I learn my lessons from all of these negative times of my life. I grow from the knowledge they feed. And I simply move on, trying only to strengthen myself even more.
Also, I'm thankful for getting the opportunity to learn about Christopher Mccandless last year in Mr. Costa's class. The whole entire unit on transcendentalism enlighten me to the point where I became obsessive over it. Yes, I printed hundreds of pictures of Mccandless, Thoreou, and Emerson, glued them to my walls and stared at them for hours....Just kidding guys. Nah, I began researching just to learn more about the whole idea because it seriously intrigued me more than anything. I would tell my friends to read and watch "Into the Wild" because I wanted them to see, I wanted them to become enlightened too. Now, I do not agree with all of the ideas Transcendentalism stresses, but I think it has drastically and irrevocably changed me nonetheless.
Basically, I am thankful for almost everything. Although they are often clichéd, family, friends, love, life, religion, and freedom are undoubtedly the most important and I'm definitely thankful for them. We go through everyday not realizing that if a single entity of our lives was merely altered, it would have drastic effects on the outcome of everything. Kind of like a domino effect; one thing leads to many.
I don't really know how to end this so I'll just wish everyone a very very Happy Thanksgiving... and to Roosa, Happy Eid too! :)
Katie: "Laughter will cure any awkward silence and break the ice in any situation."
ReplyDeleteHaha, I totally agree. I know with me, if one person starts laughing I will too, even if I have no idea what is going on. Laughter is like a magic. It creates a jovial and exciting atmosphere that attracts everyone. I like how laughs are one-of-a-kind, like nobody has identical laughs as anyone else...it sort of makes a person who they are.
Brit-Brit: I'm glad you mentioned you were thankful for a place in your blog because it really got me thinking further. Being surrounded by seemingly endless miles of forest must be lonesome to you sometimes. Jenkins has always been there for you, it has never left you and it never will. It has made you who you are.
You made me think a lot about Pakiland (Pakistan) and how I desperately want to go there now. I'm thankful for it though because without having visited there many times, I would be completely oblivious to where I came from and how my family is living there. If it wasn't for the fact that I started school here and want to finish here, I would probably be traveling more to Pakiland and for longer times.
P.S. We're going on many random adventures in the future together...like skydiving! :D
Deanna: I love your confidence! You're blog is altogether so BOLD. Anyways though, I like how you mentioned all the ways our lives would have been different because I thought about every single instance. But I do know that everything in the universe isn't necessarily good. For example, this is random, but all of the wars going on around the world, and the planet's death rapidly approaching because of humans is not something I would be thankful for happening. I know that you are not thankful for them either and these things will only (and hopefully) teach us a greater lesson, but I just wanted to point it out. Sorry.
Thankful… that word automatically drives my mind into the “cliché zone” as I like to call it. To look past the surface of life, parents, and housing and actually to reach down into me took a little while. I believe I am thankful for many things internal but to single out a characteristic that I believe I am most thankful for is a hard task to be asked of. After long contemplation I believe it is safe to say that I am thankful for my ability to logically look at a situation, weighing the pros and cons in order to decide even the simplest of choices such as where to have dinner. I value this ability because I believe people get too caught up with “gut feeling” which I know is useful in some situations, but I am talking in a sense of choosing a door in a game show. If anyone has ever saw the movie “21” where an MIT student is asked to join in a systematic method to count cards and get large sums of money, a great example lies within it. In that movie the main character Ben and the professor Mickey are talking in the lecture hall about choosing a prize behind a door numbered 1, 2, and 3 in a game show. Now in the movie the example is that you, the contestant, are given a choice between door 1, 2, or 3. After you choose, let’s say door number 1, the host shows you what’s behind door 3, which you DIDN’T pick to show you what you didn’t win, which you find out is a goat. Now there is door number 1 and door number 2 left, the host asks “Would you like to change doors, or stay with your first choice?” Now most people at this point would say, of course stay with #1 because it was my original thought, and I have a “gut feeling”. But in the movie Ben says he would change his choice, but why? Logically the contestant was given 3 choices to choose from, but now they have 2. So if you would have stayed with door number 1 it is saying that your chances are still 33%. But if you change doors than you are therefore upping your chances because now you would have a 50% chance. If you stayed awake while I was explaining this example you would know that I believe I am most thankful for my ability to make choices that most people seem to have trouble with dealing with, such as making themselves change doors when their gut is screaming to not change. I believe probability runs much of my choices, chance and availability I seem to rest many of my choices upon. I am therefore thankful that I myself (though some consider cynical) can look at situations with a wider view than just what is right. I plan ahead, make strategic contemplations, and look for the gain in many situations. Sorry that some may say that is selfish, but I call it reality, and I am thankful for my ability to wade through all the bull crap people base their reasoning on.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteUsually I would’ve started out with ‘I’m thankful for my family…’ listing everything I have in my life because I‘m a loser who finds it hard to find deeper meaning in life (which I never really knew there could be so much till this point) . And to point it out I truly am thankful for everything and always will be.
ReplyDeleteNow to the deeper meaning part! I would say I’m thankful for my ability to distinguish between right and the wrong, which can only be seen through people’s reactions towards my actions. An example would be my parents. I’m pretty bratty but I keep my respect. I do what they expect me to do. Going to school, showing them descent grades, help my mom with the chores, help my dad by checking his grammar when he’s about to print out something for his store, going to the temple, believing in my religion… basically keeping a pure innocent reputation. I’m a typical Indian goody- goody. They want that and I show them that. I can rebel and go against their rules if I wanted to. But I don’t. I haven’t ever. They never told me any rules but I know what it is. It is doing what is right. As long as I do the things they want me to, they trust me; they’re off my back… well that’s what I’ve noticed. However I don’t do this for my own selfish gain (maybe sometimes I do), I am more concerned with disappointing them than keeping up my image. The thought of me breaking their hearts would be hard to bear. Because of this, I’m cautious and reserve myself from doing anything stupid… for them. We all benefit actually!
I’m thankful that I reach for good intentions. I put in my best not to hurt others, especially those I care about. We’re humans and we interact with each other that creates some sort of a bond, whether it is strong, or loose. Without others in my life happiness would not exist and I didn’t have to do the Christopher McCandles move to realize this. That’s why I want to be a doctor! I want to make some sort of difference in this world, no matter how small it is and one way to start is to make a person‘s day. I appreciate seeing things sunnier and rather than dark. I’ve must’ve stated my optimism a billions time throughout my past blogs but really I don’t know what else to value in me, I truly do appreciate it. And I know the things I do is the ‘right’ for me.
(sorry if my blog doesn’t make sense)
I am thankful for my self-control, because if I didn't have as much...life would cease to exist for me. I can shut my mouth when I'm yelled at. I can think about choices before I make them. I can react to people and situations in any way I want. It all just depends on how much I really want to contain myself.
ReplyDeleteThis trait, or whatever we're calling it, saves my ass on a day to day basis. My parents have this issue where they can't communicate unless they're screaming, typically about really really dumb shit. It makes me incredibly angry sometimes, but I have the capability to shut up or walk away. Some people like to fight back (tried that; doesn't work), but I can fight that fighting urge. I can keep my composure in tough situations and choose how to react to stupid people's drama, which also saves my ass quite frequently. People can talk all their shit "behind my back" (but loud enough for everyone to hear) and I am very capable of shrugging it off. It may bother me deep down or their ignorance will aggravate me, but my self-control keeps me from saying/doing something I would soon regret.
My emotional composure is useful because I like to be the person my friends lean on, not the other way around. In scary or uncertain scenarios I feel like it is my job to help out my pals, so I can swallow my fear, uncertainty, and worries. I guess self-control is a pretty good quality/trait thing to have.
Poooooooooja-- I'm not an INDIAN goody-goody, but I deffinately cover the goody goody part. I'm really glad you consider you're morals something to be thankful for. I feel like too often people shrug off that voice that screams STOP DON'T DO THAT YOU IDIOT!!! I try to listen to it. =] It IS a very useful trait to have and everyone does get along better when the intentions are good. Its really cool that you care so much about being a good person.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED LOVED LOVED your blog. I can't even fathom my life differently than it is right now, and like you, I am sooo happy that it has turned out exactly as it has. Even the bad, because without it I might not have the amazing things that I have in my life.
ReplyDeleteSimon: “Today, however, I get no spankings. My parents no longer monitor my school work, go to back to school night, or ask me questions about college because they know that they don’t have to. They know that I have everything under control.” I really thought about the last line, about having everything under control. I agree that my parents don’t really ridicule me on anything anymore, it is either because they can’t tell me one class I am in, or they don’t need to monitor my every move anymore. This brings up a good point for us AP kids, parents have given us the steering wheel finally, and they know that we will beat ourselves up for a D on a test more then they possibly could have ever.
ReplyDeleteSarah C: “I am thankful for my ability to question.” I believe the ability to question is the most important thing in life, there could be no facts without the “whys” attached to them. For some reason I looked past the idea that questions are how answers are made, and without being able to question it would kill me in every aspect. You most likely feel the same way, which questions are the road to every answer we have stumbled upon.
Stephen W: "Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it." I agree with you, and this quote whole heartedly, that people honor the little things their knowledge deceives them to be a “vast amount”. This leads to the point that a truly wise person knows how unwise they actually are, the amount of knowledge we have not yet harvested is beyond our simple human minds to comprehend.
DYLAN:
ReplyDelete"Sorry that some may say that is selfish, but I call it reality, and I am thankful for my ability to wade through all the bull crap people base their reasoning on."
That's not selfishness, that's survival. I wish I could 'wade through the bull crap' as well as you seem to. Because God knows there is a lot of it these days.
Gwen:
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blogs, I can always hear your voice and because there is always something in there that makes me laugh :]. I pretty much am the same way, I admire this because I hate it when people are so pessimistic especially going through what you went through. It makes life easier, well that’s how I see it.
Lauren D:
That’s really nice that you have a mom as your best friend. We’re different… I keep a lot away from my parents especially my mom. There are things she doesn’t need to know, not that any of it is bad or anything I just see my mom as only a mother who provides me with love and food (Ha Ha). I just wanted to comment on that mother part, otherwise I enjoyed reading your blog. It also got me thinking if I react the way you do when it comes to trusting people…
Justin:
I’ve noticed you sound so much different when you write than when you speak in front of people. This explains why you are so quiet… not that you are any more quiet than me even though sometimes I kind of feel you are but the point is that it’s good to interpret things when it comes to balancing the good and the bad. I too live believe that I live a life with good intentions so I believe you should value your goodness, not the ability to interpret things because if you are truly moving towards something good then you can call yourself good-hearted person. Well I’ll be sure to call you that :]
You have a million dollars clean. What are you going to buy? Think really hard. What do you want? Now that you’ve imagined and planned out exactly where to buy it in your head, go get it!
ReplyDeleteBut wait! Before you shell out the big bucks, ask yourself these questions: Is this item actually necessary? No, really? Will I still like it in a few months? Could I find it cheaper? Is it of the best quality? And most importantly, Will I regret not buying it? These questions aren’t new as I wait in long lines with my purchases. Today, a most common trait is impulsiveness. People, use passion as a catalyst for choices when it should be used as the power behind their choices. People also buy things impulsively. Meaning, they don’t ask themselves all the ridiculous necessity questions, and Black Friday will be a proven test to this. However, nor today or tomorrow is Black Friday. Today is Thanksgiving Eve, so giving thanks is more than appropriate. I give thanks for my mother, my father, my sister, my family. However, I am thankful for, my foresight. Thoughts before actions, lead to successful choices. Not only does that phrase sum up my motto but my prudence. Before I act, tremendous amount of thought is put in, I think of every single consequence and benefit. Before I speak, I have chosen who it was meant to affect, and in what way. Before I give advice, I imagine their pain and put myself in their shoes. Empathy allows for my foresight, in that I push my imagination and myself to paint a picture of different future realities. With my foresight, I have the ability to think ahead; always ahead of the game. With my foresight, I am able to avoid obstacles and dramatic fighting. While, my foresight provokes prudence, I do not censor myself, for honesty adds to the aspect of foresight. I need to be honest with myself in order to see every situation clearly. I am thankful for this this trait, because without it I would be a completely different person. I would probably be mean, and ignorant to others feelings. While, sometimes I am mean through my honesty, don’t assume that I didn’t know how that person would react. I give thanks for my family, because without them I’d be out and about, a hot mess. However, I am thankful for my foresight..
If I had a million dollars, clean… I have no clue what I’d buy. And, because of my loss of ideas, I would probably end up investing every dollar of dough. But, by saving it, I have saved myself from a wizened, dry bank account. Thanks to my foresight.
Pooja- Both your morals and your goodness are completely perfect to be thankful for. I love how you manifested yourself in your writing.
ReplyDeletep.s you've got rhythm ;)
Deanna- I love how you explored the way being different would have changed you, i guess you have foresight too! :) You write so strongly, it brings about your confidence.
Kristen: Optimism allows you to be insightful in your advice. I hope you understand how your not only insightful bur really honest, which is why you have my trust.
Alex V:
ReplyDeleteI read your comment and then it got me thinking if I really CARED about being good. That’s sounds a bit odd for me. Like it sounds like I’m struggling to stay good or really want people to think I’m good. Honestly describing myself is up to others to judge. What if somebody else out there doesn’t believe I’m good in their definition? Anyways I believe I care more for others than actually caring about being good… if you get what I’m saying.. If not no worries.
Maryam R:
Ah, I forgot about our very existence, that at the end of the day we survived that day; we lived that day. When I go to sleep while I look out my dark window and sometimes think wow I made it through the day, because .. You know things happen… Anyways I love love love love love your blog!
Chrissy -
ReplyDeleteHaha thank you. :) and oh wow! I remember Ms. Ozersky and Mrs. Hudson! But that's exactly the thing. Everyone always says that high school sucks and they're so ready to get out of here, but there has to be something that they'll miss. Oakcrest is ultimately home, for everyone. Mullica, Davies, whatever. These people, this place. I love being connected to everyone!
Sarah C - Thanks girl! I so envy your people skills, I have yet to develop any!
Bella Boo - Thank you so much Bella, that means a lot!
Hah it seems everyone was thinking along the lines as me for their blog post!
Kyle S. - Everyone connects to others in different ways, I think maybe you just haven't found it yet, either that or maybe this is it, this is how you do it, by not connecting. I have yet to perfect my connecting skills, and I can't fully connect with everyone, which is why I'm thankful for the ones I have. And it's not even people, maybe you connect to other things better than other people do.
Deanna - Ironically... :3
Paola:
ReplyDeleteHa Ha thanks for the rhythm comment. You do too! And I like your blog, you write so well!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
ReplyDeleteThis is probably too late (I had to go to my cousin’s house and their internet was down, I just got in at midnight) and won’t count but I had to do it
ReplyDeleteToday in Cervi’s class, we watched a very dull movie about health care (I think that’s what it was about. I was too busy studying for Bunge’s vocabilious test). The movie was annoyingly dry except for a few heart-wrenching moments that revolved around this old man. The majority of this old man’s essential organs were non-functioning. He was denied a transplant because of his age and “inconstant state”. He was terminal. For him, death was a matter of time. Yet when the doctor asked him, after an awkward discussion, whether the hospital should resuscitate, this old man looked, without hesitation, and said “Yes”. There was no look of resignation, which one would expect to find in a terminal patient. There was, however, a look of determination. A look that said a thousand words, but specific to this topic it said “Throw your best at me.”
As Brynne, Tyler, and I walked to our next classes, after witnessing this movie, we briefly talked about this brave old man. Brynne and Tyler did not see the sense in prolonging the suffering and believed that he had not come to terms with his inevitably death. I, on the other hand, did not think that was the reasoning behind his choice. I agree with them that living in those circumstances would be a great amount of pain, yet its still life. I discovered something about myself. I automatically knew I would fight to live until the last second, if given the choice. I realized that I would be that old bat who would say, “HELL YES, you better resuscitate and do anything you can. I want to watch that movie that’s coming to tomorrow”. If they didn’t, well, they better be accustomed to a ghost permanently establishing herself in the hospital. I, unfortunately, can hold a LONG grudge.
Through this long and boring story, I found something to be gratefully for. I live life the way it was meant to live. I love every moment, looking forward to the next moment. I WANT to live. I WANT to see that new movie that everyone is talking about. Or the new species of frogs. I WANT to see the world for what it truly is.
Life sucks. People suck. Yet, I find the drive to go through each day, and realize that I am thankful that I woke up that morning. There are many people in my family, who have just given up on life. They stay in bed all day and talk about how nothing goes there way. I will NEVER be like them. I will get up everyday. I will watch yet another episode of Save by the Bell, and laugh at the same jokes I laughed at last week. I will happyfully walk to school when, yet again, I miss the bus. I will try my best in all my classes, even when I get a 40 on a not-so-vocabilious quiz. I will find ever sunset, ever new moon, and everything in between, beautiful. Why? Because I live life with passion. Nay, I live life FOR passion. That’s my drive, my inspiration, my reason for waking up. I live for the happiness that tomorrow may bring.
Happy Thankgiving, and Eid !!!!!!!
Comments:
ReplyDeleteTo Paola: Foresight is a gift. It is a gift that must be acknowledged and used. (Use it or lose it.) For you to have this gift, Paola, I know that you had to have much practice at harnessing it. That shows a lot about your personality. Your gift shows the world that you care. You care enough to view something from another’s perspective, even when it much easier to be close-minded and care about yourself. It shows that you are a good human being, Paola
To Pooja: I do the same thing with my parents!! (Pakis and Indians children UNITE !!!!!!) I hate even the thought of disappointing them. I would do anything, just so at the end of my life I could hear that I made them happy. They do so much for me; I figure I owe them my life. That’s just what I’ll do: Give them my life if that means that will make them proud.
To (another P, drumrollllll, crap there aren’t anymore)
To Taylor: There are always those people that make life worth living. My sister, Brynne, Sarah, and Mare do just that for me. Brynne listens to my stupid stories about Chemistry. Sarah talks to me, past her bedtime, to convince me to think twice about stupid decisions and gives me brilliant “Sarah”. Maryam is always there and never ask for anything in return. Whether it may be Chemistry help or someone’s shoulder to cry on. We are so lucky to have people like that in our lives. Yet another thing to give thanks for.
Lucas: It isn't exactly what I consider fun, because I'm used to it. I mean don't get me wrong, I do love always being happy, but I think everyone can get that same happiness if they just look at the positive aspects of life.
ReplyDeletePaola: Thank you girl! I try my best to be honest in the least hurtful way possible, while still remaining positive. It's good to hear that I've got your trust because I've got your back. And you have mine as well! :)
Simon- Having self-motivation and confidence are two amazing things to have. Honestly you are one of the few people that have that. You were right in saying that most people would not do research in a math problem they don’t understand or a chapter that they read. The fact that you ask a million questions in class when you do not understand something is very insightful. I never ask questions but I wish I did because I see that they really do help. I am sure some teachers get annoyed but it actually helps the rest of the class understand.
ReplyDeleteGwen- Well for being the person who is always in the hospital I give you a lot of credit. Somehow you always have a smile on your face. Your optimism does show through everyday. I have never seen you down or angry, besides in a playful way. It is great that you believe in giving everyone a chance. Whether they believe it or not most people judge and never truly give someone a chance. If we were all a bit happier like you, life would be a lot easier!
Justin H- I was inspired by your blog. The ideas of people being persuaded and not realize what is out there is such a true statement. I have always thought that people never really get to form their own opinions. Some people have grown to do so, but you are right most have not. You are truly one of a few who has. I never like to admit it, but I am persuaded. Your last line was beautifully written. That is something to really be thankful for.
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ReplyDeleteI am thankful that I am athletic, because through athletics I have learned a lot about myself and others. I am thankful for my memory, because most of the time I can remember pretty much anything. I am thankful for being alive, because I have met some pretty amazing and unforgettable people who have changed my life forever. I truly am thankful for these things but that is not all.
ReplyDeleteI have come to learn that the real world is much different than the world inside of Oakcrest High School. Oakcrest is a place that most kids dread coming, while others secretly enjoy it but have problems admitting it. While in the real world there is pain, growth and much more. In school, I come off as this outgoing flawless class president. In the real world I sit quietly trying to learn something. There is an abundance of ideas and truths waiting to be sought after. Recently, I have been trying to uncover myself and the world around me.
Most of the time, I try to better myself. When I finish something, or figure something out, I want more. I am never satisfied once I have learned something. During a sport, I have to keep pushing myself. If I do not learn something I failed at practice. This concept came from gymnastics. Everyday I would walk into the gym wanting to try something new. If I was successful I knew that I would be above my competition. Competition also sparks my drive. I want that feeling of success. When someone tells me they are proud of me, or I accomplish a huge task, I am on a new high.
Setting high standards for myself, often results in failure. I expect a lot from myself but do not always obtain them. In my opinion, if I did not receive that A, or that first place I have failed. If that one pass was off or my stops were bad on a field hockey corner I have failed my team. They often do not remember the little things, but I do. When I miss a field hockey corner shot, I practice those stops and shots numerous times when I get home. That is my passion for the things that matter to me.
Most importantly, I am thankful for my passion. Whether I am passionate for field hockey, school or friends I will give everything one hundred percent. This passion gives me the drive to wonder what else is out there in the world. It allows me to sit back and watch things unfold, or grow around me. I have finally figured out that there is so much to learn. As I begin to sit back and listen, everything begins to make sense and I am beginning to ultimately succeed.