Music has a very large impact in my life, just as it did for Kino. I have songs of childhood, happiness, summertime, sadness, and even hilarity! Anytime a song comes on the radio that I am familiar with, I will belt out the words and do my own little dance. (Much to the amusement and occasional dismay of the people around me!) Apparently, (I didn’t realize it!) I even started singing and dancing in my seat during a math test last year! Music is always in my head, whether consciously or not. Songs bring back more memories than anything else. Anytime an old song comes on the radio, I can remember whom I was with and where I was when I listened to that song. Music makes me laugh, it makes me cry, and I love it with all of my heart!
For my Song of Childhood, I remember driving in the car with my dad and two sisters, listening to the Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again. There is a big space of emptiness, followed by a really loud (and amazing) drum solo. We would always get our drumsticks up, and wait for the solo. A lot of times we would be impatient, and come to early, or we would loose interest and come too late. Either way, as soon as those drums came back on, we would slam on those air drums like nobody’s business. You should have seen us! Arms pounding, hair flying, screaming at the top of our lungs,
“I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution. Smile and grin at the change all around me. Pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday. Then I’ll get on my knees and pray…We don’t get fooled again! Don’t get fooled again! No, no!”
Even today if we are all in the same car, we have the same competition, and I always win!
This summer, I was driving down to Vienna, GA with Isabelle for the weekend. School had just gotten out, I had just hugged everyone goodbye, and talked with both of my sisters in one day (a rare event!). We had been driving for hours, and once we reached the dirt road signifying the last stretch, she, her sister, and I, climbed into the bed of her dad’s truck and belted out All I Want To Do, by Sugarland.
“I don’t want to get up baby, let’s turn off the phone. I don’t want to go to work today, or even put my makeup on. I’ve got better things to do than my to-do list anyway! Hide under the covers and waste away the day, let’s just lay here and be lazy, baby, drive me crazy!”
All I remember is the wind in our hair, the sound of our voices blending into each other’s, and our giggles and squeals as we jerked over the bumps in the road. We were just so happy. We didn’t have a single care in the world. Every time I hear that song I think back to that day, the last time I can remember where I didn’t have to worry about anything. Everything was taken care of for me, and all I had to do was have fun. I felt safe, protected, content, and loved. It was the best weekend of my life. It is truly my Song of Happiness.
I also have a Song of Summer. Coincidentally, it is called Summertime by Kenny Chesney. My step-mom (Laurie), dad, step-brother (Drew), step-sister (Caroline), and I were driving down to the beach. It was just Drew and I in the car, and this song was on. He had is Oakley’s around his neck, the windows rolled down, and the smell of salt water enveloped us. We were singing this song, driving at 80 mph down the highway, and we would be gone for a whole week. There is one part of the song where Kenny Chesney says summer is,“Cheep shades, a tattoo, and a ‘yoo hoo!’” and I remember Drew always did this head motion at the ‘you hoo’ and it made me laugh, every single time. Whether it was actually funny, or I was just slaphappy from the nine-hour drive and lack of sleep, I don’t think I will ever know!
Video has two minor cuss words-so don’t watch if you object!
Recently my Song of Sadness, She Wouldn’t Be Gone, by Blake Shelton, has really affected me. My itunes account reports that I have listened to it 35 times in the past week alone. It tells the story of Shelton, whose daughter has run away. He says,
“Now, I’m cursing like a fool, praying it ain’t too late. All I wanna do is fix my mistakes. Find her; beg her for one more try. Until then da** it I’ll… be driving like he**, flying like crazy down the highway; calling everyone we know. Stopping any place she might be, going any place she might go. Beating on the dash, screaming out her name at the windshield, tears soaking up my face. If I had loved her this much all along, maybe, maybe, she wouldn’t be gone.”
My dad and I don’t have a good relationship. All I ever asked for, he has taken away. I feel so betrayed, and I know that our relationship is broken beyond repair. What this song illustrates is exactly what I want. All I want is for my dad to feel guilty and to realize how pathetic it is that he missed out on all three of his amazing daughters.I want him to realize that it is too late, and there is nothing he can do about it anymore.He had his chance, and he missed it. He will never have a chance with me again, he has no one to blame but himself. I want him to know what it feels like to be rejected and abandoned, by your own family, and his own daughter. I want to ensure he will never, ever forget, how badly he has messed up. This song gives me hope that my dad will realize how big of a mistake he has made, and maybe, for once, he will do what is best for me.
I think my favorite has to be my Song of Hilarity. This song is truly the most random collection of words and phrases I have ever heard in my entire life! Every time I am feeling stressed, I click on the Bulbous Bouffant tab on my computer, and sing away my stress. The little animated people talk in such strange voices, and I can only dream of how I would react to this man at the bus stop. The little people, the tune, everything about this song is just so random and awesome in its own right. My sister, Sarah, told me about this song, and I just remember thinking she was crazy when she told me some of the lyrics, but it really does exist! Bulbous Bouffant is the best song I have ever heard, ever. (If you can even call it a song! I think it deserves its own category!)
As you can see, songs have a huge impact on my life, whether they have happy or sad associations. I can remember the songs I sang as a child, and the songs my friends and I have belted out over the years. I know the songs my sisters sang to me, and the ones we sang in the car on the way to school. I can remember the music my mom listened to when she was getting divorced, what songs are on the CD my sister’s boyfriend made for her. I think of my life in music terms. Every event, every feeling has a playlist, both on my itunes, and in my head. I am sorry I could only pick a few for you today, but I hope you can see what all of these songs mean to me.
“What makes a hero? Is it being brave, or acting while being greatly afraid?” (29) Senorita Maladona (from The Girl and the Puma) and Vasili (from Language of the Birds) show different aspects of heroism in their lives, and both display them in very different ways. But before I tell you more, you must have some background information on these stories. The Girl and the Puma is a story from Argentina, and tells the tale of a courageous woman who stood up for her people, and for her friends. They named the city Maldonado after her for her loyalty. The Language of the Birds is about a boy from Russia who understands birds, and tries to use this information for to help other people who would benefit from the knowledge of the wise birds. Senorita Maladona and Vasili exhibit the idea that anyone can be a hero, no matter the age, size, background, or anything else. Anyone can be a hero if they choose.
Senorita Maladona and Vasili are both are strong people who do not shy away from risks, and will stand up for and help the people they feel need it, no matter who is opposing them. They are also very loving and forgiving people, giving people that have wronged them a chance to fix their mistakes, and avoid further problems. Vasili forgives the parents that betrayed him, and Sinorita Maladona forgives the general that forbids her to get food. It is difficult to grant forgiveness, and Vasili and Senorita are both very wise to do so, because it will save them from pain and suffering of old wounds in the future. When Vasili is abandoned, he shows how brave h, and decides not to let the betrayal of his parents defeat him. “Immediately he got up and offered to help aboard the ship. Not once did he let a sad or mournful word drop from his
lips.” (42) Senorita is also very brave when she decides to leave her camp, defying direct orders from their country’s general. They both do what they think is right, and show kindness to others by forgiveness, compassion, and the giving nature they both possess. Vasili and Senorita both prove to be heroes many times over.
Senorita Maladona and Vasili are different people, so they have different problems and challenges that they face. Senorita doubts herself, and wonders if she is truly a hero. She worries, but thinks of the other people in need of food, and is determined to push though. “As night came on, she began to cry. But then she pulled herself upright. ‘Crying will not feed any bellies.’ She said, determined to be brave.” (28) On the other hand, Vasili never doubts his power and ability to help. He even says to the King, “ I can help you Your Majesty, because I understand the language of the birds. Now you must open the windows.” (43) Vasili without worrying about disrespecting his Majesty, because his confidence comes from being six-years-old, being ignorant and naive to the evils and consequences of taking risks in reality.Senorita, being older, also has more of an ability to think for herself and state her own opinions. She is willing to stand up to someone more powerful than her to defend her people, which Vasili could not affectively do because of his age, and probable lack of tact.She demonstrates this when she says, “I would rather hang with a full belly than die hungry.” (28) In response to an order from her country’s general to stop hunting and looking for food. Also, when she returns from her search for food, she confronts the general. “You are crueler than the puma, crueler than los indios. We take from them and kill them without thinking, yet they took me in and made me their own.” (31)
Vasili and Senorita are similar in the aspects that they are helpful, brave, and kind. But they also differ greatly in other ways. Vasili is six, and Sinorita is a young woman, so she ahs knowledge that Vasili could not possibly have acquired. Because of his age, Vasili doesn’t doubt himself as much as Senorita, and because of her age, she has more eloquence and more life experience. They both are extraordinary heroes, and show that anyone, young, old, rich, or poor can be a hero. Anyone, even you, can accomplish as much, or even more, than them.
Our lives are so hectic. Between juggling school, tennis matches, lacrosse games, cello lessons, dress rehearsals, and everything else we must fit into our day, we rarely find time to breathe, listen to ourselves, and hear what we need. Everyday we find time to listen to our friends, our teachers, our family, but do we ever listen to ourselves? We will be so busy “going” and “doing” that we forget what we are doing, and where we are supposed to be going. We will become lost, and begin to live in the past, thinking that we already missed out on the best of life, when really, it’s still to come! One easy way to get rid of this problem once and for all, and become in sync with ourselves again, is to take just 5 or 10 minutes every day to breathe. To try and clear our head, and focus on our breath. I usually do this in the mornings, or at night before I go to bed. I also do it when I get really stressed. It is a fabulous way to clear your head, and calm down. So, Challenge: Find time to breathe
Who are we, really? I don’t know the answers to these questions, and I don’t think you do either. Neither does Anne Frank. In her diary, she writes about there being two sides of Anne. The good side, the side she wants to be, and the side she is around other people. Recently my mom asked me the same question. She said, “Is the person you are around other people the same person you are with me, or is it just how you act in order to protect yourself, or in order to be accepted? I could not answer this question. I don’t know who I really am. I know I am a strong person, and have very strong opinions about certain things. I hope that the person I am around other people is the same as I am by myself, but I just don’t know. It certaintly isn’t always the person I want to be. The person I am around other people is the one I am so used to being, the one I have always been. I can’t decipher if this is the person I was put here to be: the person I really am, or just the person of habit. I know some reasons we may hide our true selves is the fear of not being accepted, or that the real person is vulnerable, and would be hurt if exposed. Do you think the person you are around other people is your true self? Why would you hide your true self? Why are we afraid?
My family, many of our neighbors, and the city of Atlanta participated in this world wide event. Did you? Earth Hour is on March 29 from 8-9 p.m. where people and businesses all over the world turn the lights out, creating a world wide blackout. This was first done in Sydney, Australia last year, and the event has spread all over the world. Research has shown that if Earth Hour was sustained for an entire year (one hour per day) it would be the same as taking 48,616 cars off of the road, and that’s just when Sydney was participating. Did you miss Earth Hour? If so, there are things you can do daily to do your part. The best thing to do, is to turn out the lights when you leave a room. Another thing that is proven to use a lot of power is phone chargers. So, once your phone is finished charging, unplug your charger from the wall. Your laptop or family computer? Unplug it from the wall or turn it off during the day. So join me in giving back to the earth, because if we don’t, soon there won’t be anything left!
Today my friend and I were reading a book in the library, to try and kill time until we had to leave. This book “has one beginning, and one-hundred and fifty different endings”. The first chapter tells you where the main character (you) is. You have just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide whether to go to college, or travel the world. At the end of each chapter, there is a choice. It says something like, “If you decide to go to college, turn to page 10. If you decide to travel the world, turn to page 13.” Then the next chapter tells you the result of your decisions, and you must make another, and another, until your “story” ends. My friend and I have already told the story three different times, and haven’t even read half of the book yet. Each decision ends differently, and each story has a very different outcome. In one story, we lived to be one-hundred and two. In the next, we died of an allergic reaction to shrimp while dining in the Caribbean with our husband.
I know the decisions of our lives aren’t made that quickly, and most decisions can be changed, but almost never without consequence. I wonder if everything we are doing right now, from writing this blog post, to deciding to watch American Idol instead of studying for our geography quiz on Thursday, have an affect on what will happen later in our lives. I wonder if people in the world actually stopped to think about the results their actions could have on them, the people around them, and possibly the world, if we would still have so many stupid things in the world. Many things happen because people think that there is no other way out, no other solution. If they ever stopped to think about the consequences, they would know that whatever harmful thing they are planning is NEVER the answer. It may be an answer short term, but one small action can greatly impact the people around you, especially the ones that really care about you. If you keep pushing them away, by big things like eating disorders, or just by little things like talking about them behind their backs, then eventually they won’t come back, and you will be alone.People need to learn to think about what they are going to do before it happens, because every decision affects someone, in a big way or small way, wether it is you, or someone else. If we just stopped to think, who knows what could happen?
Smile: a way to brighten a persons day and fill it with joy and love. It is a attribute that a person always carries with them as a secret weapon so that they can express themselves.It is a loving gesture that is true and full of warmth and heart! That is a smile.
2. For most Scientifically Accurate: Jennifer L.
Smile( verb/noun)(:]) – a SMILE(verb) means to curve the two ends of your mouth upward, so your mouth will look like a sideways moon. usually leads to laughter or the person is just happy.OR SMILE(noun)(:]) means A curve of the two ends of your mouth that looks like a sideways moon.anyway its going to be a sideways moon that’s happy :]
3. For Funniest: a two way tie between Maggie S. and Laura W.
Maggie: In a verb form it means to look or regard with amusement or ridicule. Boring, the noun is a itty bit better it’s a facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward and which expresses especially amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn. Here are the synonyms:laugh, simper; smirk, sneer and smiling has the synonyms of beaming, grinning, and Elizabeth.
In other words it is what Elizabeth does 24:7 expesially at discussion time in English with cookie dough. A smile is normally followed by a fit of laughter and…well, we all know who does that best…
Laura: A smile is what Elizabeth starts to do when I get insane hiccups during a math quiz. Eventually it turns into hysterical laughter, resulting in me leaving the room to go get rid of them. yes, i am trying to get funniest comment
A smile is something no one can live without.
For all the winners: expect M&M’s from me on Monday or Tuesday. Thank you to everyone who entered, and just so you know, I got my mom and sisters to help me decide because I am a little bit biased.
In my last post, I talked about the smile as an encouragement. As a follow-up post, I thought I would post the Wikipedia definition of smile:
In physiology, a smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. The smile can be also around the eyes. Among humans, it is customarily an expression of pleasure, happiness, or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety, in which case it can be known as a grimace. There is much evidence that smiling is a normal reaction to certain stimuli and occurs regardless of culture.
Wow. Let’s have a contest about the definitions of smile. I will give this contest one week, and post on my blog the results. Come up with a definition for smile, and put it in a comment on this post. There will be three categories:
The most scientifically accurate. (Movements of muscles, etc.)
Funniest
The most accurate. (A pick-me-up)
Try not to make it sound too much like the wikipedia definition! Have fun!!
And, as Michael requested, the winners will receive M&M’s!!
Be sure to finish and get your posts in! The contest ends friday, and I will announce the winners on my blog over the weekend. (Winners- I will have M&M’s for you on Monday or Tuesday!)
This morning I looked on my blog, and I got a comment from Stacey saying, “Elizabeth, you are a strong girl who has been through a lot! You’re an inspiration to all! : ) Hang in there! (I know you will).” That was the sweetest thing, and exactly what I needed. You never know when someone you know is going through a hard time and needs someone there for them, like I did this morning, and like we all need daily. We all need to be told how great we are on a daily basis, so be one of those great, everyone loves them, absolutely sweet people! Today my challenge is, (I know this sounds a little cheesy) to go, and do something nice for someone today, and everyday this week. You never know what that can do for someone, even something as small as a smile can pull someone out of what may seem to them like an endless pit of despair. Just know that all of your problems are fixable, even when they seem like they are endless and have no solution. Just try to keep a perspective. Where ever you are, you have something to be grateful for. Whether it is your family, your friends, the fact that you have food on your table, or the small, shy smile someone gave you this morning, you have something to be grateful for. This isn’t easy. If you read my XOXO, Me! post, you know that this must have been difficult for a great part of my life, but hey, I’m writing this blog post and telling you what a HUGE affect those comments and little smiles had on my life. My friends, family, and those small smiles, and encouragements from my friends kept me going. So my challenge to you, is to be that smile, give that encouragement, and remember the times that you needed someone to tell you that they loved you, and were glad that they knew you. Give that to them, because tomorrow you will be that person who needs help. No one is on top of the world all the time, so if you are, remember and help the people that aren’t, and I guarantee that they will be one of the first people to help you when you need it yourself.
Watch this video, and by watch, I mean listen to. The picture doesn’t change. You know what? To save you time, I will put the lyrics here for you. (But I would really rather have you listen to the video.) After you listen to it, or read the lyrics I have a question for you, and I hope you think about this a minuite. This isn’t a question you should be able to answer right off the bat. What is your place in this world? You were put on this world to do something, be someone. Who are you, and what are you doing to leave your mark on this world?
I don’t know what I want, so don’t ask me, cause I’m still trying to figure it out,don’t know what’s down this road, I’m just walking,trying to see through the rain coming down. Even though I’m not the only one who feels the way I do!
CHORUS: I’m alone, On my own, and that’s all I know. I’ll be strong, I’ll be wrong, oh but life goes on. Oh I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.
Got the radio on, my old blue jeans, and I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve,feeling lucky today, got the sunshine. Could you tell me what more do I need,and tomorrow’s just a mystery, oh yeah, but that’s ok!
CHORUS: I’m alone, On my own, and that’s all I know. I’ll be strong, I’ll be wrong, oh, but life goes on,Oh I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world. Maybe I’m just a girl on a mission, but I’m ready to fly..I’m alone,
On my own, and that’s all I know. Oh I’ll be strong, I’ll be wrong, oh but life goes on. Oh I’m alone, On my own, and that’s all I know, Oh I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world. Oh I’m just a girl,Oh I’m just a girl, Oh I’m just a girl.
If you liked this song, or just want to learn more about Taylor Swift, just click here.
Our lives are so hectic. Between juggling school, tennis matches, lacrosse games, cello lessons, dress rehearsals, and everything else we must fit into our day, we rarely find time to breathe, listen to ourselves, and hear what we need. Everyday we find time to listen to our friends, our teachers, our family, but do we ever listen to ourselves? We will be so busy “going” and “doing” that we forget what we are doing, and where we are supposed to be going. We will become lost, and begin to live in the past, thinking that we already missed out on the best of life, when really, it’s still to come! One easy way to get rid of this problem once and for all, and become in sync with ourselves again, is to take just 5 or 10 minutes every day to breathe. To try and clear our head, and focus on our breath. I usually do this in the mornings, or at night before I go to bed. I also do it when I get really stressed. It is a fabulous way to clear your head, and calm down. So, Challenge: Find time to breathe
