"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things"- the Sound of Music
Little posts on reasons to be happy and what makes me happy
November 12, 2013
Joy
Last Sunday was my marching Band
Championships. Our show this year was joy, despite the evidence to the
contrary. The color guard uniforms were brown and lacey one-pieces, which no
one (except maybe our band director) found to be joyful. However, as the color
guard, we were supposed to be joyful (and there were many parts of the show in which a spectator could see joy).
Before we go on for a show, my color
guard huddles around in a circle and has a short, inspirational speech from the
instructor and captain. This Sunday our captain had us go around and say what
makes us joyful or thankful for inspiration.
When it came to me, I didn't have any idea what to say.
So to answer that now, I am very
thankful for Marching Band. Not specifically because of what Marching Band is,
not necessarily for the chance to perform a show at football games and compete
every Saturday, but rather because through Marching Band I found my corner of
the world. I was given a chance to get involved in something, make friends, and
become skilled in something. If I am a failure at everything else in life, at
least now I know that I am not a failure at one thing. I have accomplished at
least one thing in my life; that makes me joyful.
My band is a little crazy, a bit
cliquish, overly dramatic, and way too closely connected, but I think that can
be said for all of humanity. I’m just glad to be a part of it now.
November 6, 2012
The Internet
Filled to the brim with music of all
genres, news of far away places, stories to read (actual books, fanfiction,
magazines, newspapers, and blogs) and things to learn (both useful and
considerably unhelpful) the Internet is one of the greatest compilations of
information and places for conversation and expression. I consider myself an
introvert and don't particularly enjoy constant human interaction,
but I can (and have) spend many hours a day on the internet interacting with
other humans in various ways.
Which leads me to my next point:
information. The amount of information on the internet is beyond belief. I
visit only a very very small section of the internet. It's like that iceberg
the Titanic hit. You only hit the tip of the internet and you can still be
overloaded with information. For example, the way I see what movies are out and
will be out is through the internet. Books and plays as well. If I'm in the
mood to go cycling, I would check some atlas-like site (Google Maps) to make sure
I know where I'm going.
Academics are also on the
internet there to save the lives of many a student. Sparknotes saves lives. I
love to read, but really, even I can't keep up all the time with all the heaps
of homework we get. I have read nearly every book we had to read in high
school. I read Frankenstein, Ordinary People, Great Expectations, Oedipus Rex, and Night, all of which were painful to read
in one way. (I am glad I read Frankenstein because I feel as though it's one
of the books you just should read. Ordinary
People was actually pretty
easy to read but so depressing. I'm glad I read it though because I was, at
least, pretty oblivious of real teenage life. I hate Dickens, but I read it
all. I will never read another Dickens book though, not if I can help it. Oedipus Rex was weird but I am also glad I
read it. Night gave me more of an understanding
of what the Holocaust was like, which I really appreciate; however, I would not
have chosen to read it myself. All of these books were painful to read at the
time though. I don't read books to be depressed or scared.) Beyond Sparknotes
though, there are dictionaries of all languages on the internet as well as
websites to help with math, such as Mathway.com, and science, such as NASA.com.
When homework is assigned that there is no hope in figuring out the answers,
many students check the internet for the answers, and, surprisingly, find it.
The
internet, along with everything else it is, is a market of everything you could
possibly hope for. I received a $100 gift card for Amazon.com for last
Christmas and it was lovely. I downloaded so much music and bought many books. But
music doesn’t have to be bought. Music reaches people on another level, a level
many teenagers prefer to live in, which is why Pandora and YouTube are some of
my favorite websites.
YouTube has
other things besides music though. Movies can be watched on YouTube and TV
shows as well. Though I have never had the experience myself, apparently there
is also fanfiction on YouTube and of YouTubers. Fanfiction is a great invention
but is also prone to abuse. Fans (aka anyone) can write their own stories about
the objects of their fandom. Some can be very entertaining and provide the
writers with some writing experience (and maybe experience using grammar?).
The thing
is, the internet is a wonderful place to be you. And while it may be dangerous,
it also is a beautiful thing. A scared little child can (with caution) explore
the internet and learn a lot through it, grow up, make friends, and become a
confident young human. Through the internet, I found a love of European
history, an understanding of how to handle emotions, explanations of
embarrassing things, hope for my future, help with the struggles I face in
life, and advice with how to improve myself. All without the need to place
myself in the vulnerable position of asking for those things. In life, you need
to learn to accept the risk of asking questions but I was a shy little kid,
who, without the internet, may never have asked or learned those things and
many other things.
Many things
contributed to my blossoming as a person (by which I mean growing up, losing my
fears, caring and learning more about the world around me) but one main
influence was definitely the internet.
I suppose
that I mean “Thank you World Wide Web,” and not the internet, so thank you very
much.
October 30, 2013
Art Class
One of my favorite things is art class. I don't plan on becoming an art major or anything, so I just take
But art class stands out in my day of gloom and hard work as comfortable, understanding, and enjoyable. School in general should be like that. I remember in elementary school enjoying learning. Everything was new and exciting. Now I cringe at new ideas and projects, knowing only hard work and stress will come of it. But school is getting better, and so is life. Art class has been there for me through tough times of stress and overwork in high school.
It inspires creativity and innovation. Teaches perfectionism, but
If light is all around us, then so must joy and truth. Maybe the world is more than eight hours of school and five hours of homework.
Art is a chance to connect to the joy and happiness of the world. It's an escape from the school's oppressive pressure of work, and through art class I feel more confident about myself. I may not be able to do anything else in my life but at least I can make a pretty good pastel drawing of a dolphin.
Art class is what makes me enthusiastic about life, but many people out there in the world have other things that bring joy back into life. What is it for you?
(You can really see how art class improved my drawing/painting skill.)
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