The Best Advice

As I expected, my activities are taking over my life. I am very stressed. At cross country the other day I was so tense/stresses that my shoulders wouldn't move, so my legs were basically disabled for the day. Anyways, my coach noticed and asked what was wrong. I told him I was stressed, pressured to be good at everything, and overall not good. He gave me some great advice:

When you are in the worst mood, try to be happy, just fake it. Fake it until you make it. No one will know, and you will have a much better time handling issues. Try your best. You don't have to be good at everything, just try. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. Wait until you are in a routine and things settle down a bit. Everything gets better with time. When you work out a routine, everything will be so much easier. 

He is a pretty smart man.

Learning to Fly, but I Ain't Got Wings

Lately, I've been saying a lot of goodbyes. Goodbye, summer. Goodbye, ex. Goodbye friends. Goodbye, freshman year. Goodbye, Grandma.

This fall I am doing cross country, soccer, and band. I skipped a week of preseason of soccer for cross country camp. This week I went back to soccer camp. Yes, it was awkward. But you know what? I am there to play my game. I don't have to be best friends with all of them. I just have to do what I do, and then leave. As cold hearted as that sounds, it is completely true. What makes everything so awkward is that my 'ex bestfriend' is on the team and randomly stops talking to me. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if she actually told me why, but I guess that would be asking too much.

As we get older, things change, people change. One number that has gotten smaller and smaller over the years is the people whom I trust. I am actually okay with that because it means that I am getting smarter with my decisions on how to determine who is important and who isn't.

Another thing that I think I am getting accustomed to is letting people go. I've been hurt a lot. The best thing I did to get rid of the pain was to learn to let go. Just walk away knowing that you are a better person and keep your head high. I only have two more years of high school left, and chances are that I won't see these people ever again. 

We meet a lot of people in our lifetime. The are two types of people in our lives: those who change us, and those who don't. The ones who change us are the most important. You may not know the change at first, but as time progresses, you will realize what that person meant to you. The ones who hurt you and let you down will probably mean the most to you because you will learn the most from them. You know your 'bff&e&e's' who gossip at lunch? Yeah, them. Chances are they talk about you, too. Don't worry, they don't mean anything to you. They aren't your real friends. 

The hardest thing to do in life is find what you need. (Of course, everyone has different needs so don't try copying off of your neighbor for this one.) Nevertheless, we all decide what we want in our lives by choosing. All of our choices describe who we are, what we value, and most importantly our future. Unfortunately, all of our choices have an effect and we can't go back and erase them or do them over again.

Life isn't really about finding yourself, it's about finding what you, personally, need in order to be happy. 

What everyone needs:

1. Friends who need them
2. Learn how to let go.
3. Know how to judge character.
4. To accept yourself for who you really are.

What Matters the Most

Warning: I am going to be really cliche and sappy in the following post.

Yeah, you can 'rebel' against your parents and say that you 'hate' your family. You can talk back to them and treat them terribly. You can ignore them, tell them to drop you off a block away so your 'friends' don't see you with them, pretend to be embarrassed by them so your 'friends' don't make fun of you, and not take their advice and make bad decisions. If you want to do that, be my guest. But before you do, just remember who puts a roof over your head, and who works for the money for the food to keep you not hungry. Just think of how hard they try to teach you how to be independent and successful. That is all they really want, the least you could do is help out for a bit. Sorry if that came off a bit harsh, but it is true.

The most important people in your life is your family, and I am willing to argue with anyone who says different. Friends will come and go, but your family will always be there. They are your foundation, and they define who you are and where you came from. Just like a country has a history, you also have a history. And your family is that history. 

A really interesting thing to me is finding out where my family came from. Just listening to my great uncle talk about his life was absolutely amazing. The world was a totally different place than it is now, and it is really hard to fathom unless you have someone from that generation talk to you personally about their experiences. Another personal favorite of mine is old photographs. They tell so many stories that humans can't. They tell memories that people who passed away can no longer share.

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. You are stuck with them. Your family will always be there no matter what. They are who you are. 

Today was a wonderful day!  I went to Cost Cutters to get my hair trimmed, and the lady who cut my hair was obnoxious and wasn't very gentle. I was a bit disappointed. Then I went shopping with my mom and brother and got some good deals (listed in the post below). Here are some pictures of a sunflower that I took.