Blog entry for Young And Free Alberta Spokester

Making Choices.

A really big thing in my life right now is making choices. There are so many things to think about coming out of high school, and I want to be sure that I am making the right decisions that will bring me to happiness and success. I like to think about life as a giant flowchart. Each choice I make bringing me down a path to yet another choice. They are something that we can not avoid, and will always be there in life to help teach us lessons. In the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, he talks about how he comes to a fork in the road. He stops and observes his options, he could take the road which has clearly been used by a multitude of people for it would be easier. Then he looks at the other, which is grassy and not as worn. He thinks about which path to take, and where they will take him. Frost ends the poem with this, “I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference”. In life it always seems that the path that may be more difficult, is more worth it in the end. The things we really have to strive for in life come with more reward. That is what this poem teaches us. In Alberta, this generation is blessed to have the choices and opportunities that we do. We have the freedom to attend post secondary school! We have the freedom to apply for scholarships and student loans. The freedom to create our own future. Living in such a wealthy province as Alberta, these kind of opportunities are gifts. There are so many resources for the youth of Alberta to access to make the path less travelled a little easier for them. Going off to post secondary school may be frightening because it seems like such a huge change. It is unfamiliar to a lot of us, but if we had someone to educate and make planning for your future easier, then the path less travelled would become the preferred road. So I hope that Alberta's youth can embrace the fact that these choices aren't mean to be burdens on us and create stress, but rather lead us down a path that is destined to give us a great future. This generation has amazing potential to lead and create an Alberta that is full of success and happiness. It all starts with a choice, a choice that will lead you to a path, and a path that will lead you to your future. I encourage all of Alberta's youth to find power in their choices and see them as a wonderful opportunity that you could only find living in a great province such as Alberta.

Loser like me

So, why do people feel the need to try and make me miserable. Its beyond me. Why do they judge, ridicule, hurt and belittle me? Is it because they are so insecure in their own skin that they feel they need to try and prove to themselves that they are better than me? Well whatever their reasoning may be, I will not let it get to me. I know that I have accomplished so much for myself. I know that whatever I do, it's with a goal in mind. I know that I am a good person who will do anything to see a smile on other people's faces, because no one deserves to be sad.
My life has been so busy lately, full of ups and downs that its been hard to keep a smile on my face. But as soon as I find myself feeling sorry for myself I try to keep in mind that everything happens for a reason. Everything that happens to me is going to shape me into a more responsible person. It's these sort of life experiences that can teach me more about human nature, why people act the way they do. And I can learn from them and shape my life around whether or not I want to be that sort of person. With every negative there is bound to be a positive. So whether it's getting treated like a nobody in high school, or fighting with your parents, or losing a family member, they all help shape who you want to be in life. Live and learn. Things happen in life to teach us who we really are. Be grateful for everything, because it happens for a reason.

Up Means Down!

Sometimes when I think about having to grow up I feel like throwing up! It's just a terrifying thought. I'm having so much fun just being a kid. I have such a good life right now I am afraid for things to have to change! I have the most amazing boyfriend ever and I have the greatest best friend and the most supportive and loving family members! Right now the way I see it is everything is so perfect that if it changes...what if I don't like it anymore!! But, I suppose even if I do get older I guess I don't really have to "grow up". I mean I have so much fun with life. I laugh as much as I possibly can, I show as much love as I have inside me and I have fun in any situation that is passed my way. I think life will be just great if I can hold onto these qualities wherever I end up! The only hard part is leaving the people that make me this happy behind =( AAHH! Life sometimes is just tricky. I think I'm just going to leave this topic alone for a little while longer!

Smile and wave..

Life throws so many things in our faces it sometimes feels like you can't even breath! But that's exactly what we need to do. Breath. Deep breaths to take us away from everything that's cluttering our minds.  Breaths to bring us back to what is important. With all the added stress in our every day lives we sometimes lose touch with what is really truly important to us. For myself when I find things becoming too stressful I just lay down, turn on my favorite music and think. Think about what is making me so stressed, so upset, and then think about what makes me happy, the things I love.
I think about how much social class pisses me off and how no matter how much I try I still can't fill out a stupid political fricken spectrum. I think about how I'm going to make my next car or phone payment. How I just have to work and work and rarely get to see my friends. I think about how if my Gramma was still here everyone would just be happy, because she was our anchor and brought everyone together. I think about how in six months I  have to take a complete dive into the unknown and make a life for myself. All these things bring in so much stress I feel like I could just burst into tears, drop out of school and crawl in a hole!
BUT...this will get me no where. And I'm too precious to keep myself away from the world!! So, I think about the things I love. The things that make my life amazing. I think about how I have amazing family members who support me with everything I choose to do and give me their unconditional love when I need it most! I think about all the times we have together just laughing our butts off and making priceless memories doing things that are just ridiculous. I think about how I have the best of friends, friends that are there for me when I'm just bitchy and mean and they don't take it to heart. Friends that also laugh with me when I need it most and share amazing memories. I think about how when I play piano it clears my mind and takes me to a place that no one can take away from me. I think about how my future is going to benefit so many people, and not just myself. I think about even though my Gramma isn't here anymore, how when she was she loved so much. I think about how she will never be completely gone because everyone she loved now has little pieces of her within them and they come out whenever we need them most.

I usually feel a lot better after I do this! There is so much negative out in the world and we let it get to us, but we shouldn't! There is so much to live for and life is short. So when you get overwhelmed with all this negativity, smile and wave. Let it pass by and go on with you happy every day life. No one deserves misery, so smile as much as you can and eventually the world will catch on =)

Heart full of Happy =)

Where to begin!? Today was a very good day. First day back at school, started my LAST semester of high school! English and Social, my only classes! It's so insane to think that this is the last semester of my high school career. After this I am actually done, no more! I hope it all goes smooth! I got my grad dress too! That makes it feel even more real! Life has just been going my way lately, I really love it! I think its from all the positive energy I'm sending out into the world, its finally flowing back towards me! I mean I have not felt this happy in forever. I'm all sunshines and rainbows! I've been spending lots of time with some amazing people and I guess it's just rubbing off on me! Like the other day, I went to the movies with some of my friends and after we went to Wal-Mart and just drove around the parking lot laughing our butts off! Priceless memories! I'm really getting excited for my summer too. There is soo much going on! It starts with my graduation and all the fun stuff that goes along with that, next my family reunion. Those are always a blast! Then it's my 18th birthday and it will be AWESOME. The weekend after that is my cousins bachelorette...ON A PARTY BUS!! Then its her wedding, in which I am the maid of honor. There is just so much going on! In the midst of it all I have to spend as much time possible with my friends because this is going to be my last summer here! That is something that I am started to get really scared of...leaving home. Saying bye to all my friends! But I don't want to think about it, I'm too happy! I am so excited for Valentines day! My dad owns a restaurant so after it closes me and my friends are making heart shaped pizzas! Then we are watching sappy love movies. My mom and I are also making some chocolates to give to people! It's just one of my favorite holidays! I'm a sappy lovey kind of person <3 I feel like I'm kind of just babbling...but maybe that's what people need to read! Things that make me happy, maybe it will make them happy too! I'm just paying it forward! Well, life is good, amazing friends, loving family and a happy heart. Couldn't be better <3 I hope everyone who reads this smiles and passes the happiness on!

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.

Most of my inspiration to write comes from music. When I'm listening to music certain lyrics just stand out to me. Then I start thinking about what they are talking about. Today I picked out "living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see"  It reminds me of something we talked about in English class last year. The saying Ignorance is Bliss. Now if want to understand this saying fully you need to know the meanings of the words. Most people when they hear ignorance they think rude or self centered. But the word ignorant means a lack of knowledge or education. To be ignorant is to be clueless to certain things. The word bliss is an emotion. Happiness, so pretty self explanatory. So when you look at the saying again Ignorance is Bliss, it's basically saying non knowledge is happiness! Now, in many situations this is true! The less you know, the less you worry, therefore the happier you are. It's sad but true. There is so much going on in our world that people choose to just turn their back to. A good example of this is when you see the commercials come on about sponsoring a child. Those commercials make so many people uncomfortable that they have to change the channel. They were a lot happier when they didn't have to look at how terrible those childrens lives are. Another example of this saying is the story The Cave by Plato. It is a very interesting story, I like it a lot! It is written as a dialogue between Socrates as a teacher and a boy name Glaucon. Socrates begins by explaining this group of people and how for their entire lives they have been chained up and stared at the same wall in this cave. Their entire bodies chained there so their gaze falls directly in front of them on this wall. Behind them is a giant fire and between the fire and the prisoners is a walk way which causes shadows to be cast by people from above. Their only glimpse at reality are these shadows. You might feel sorry for this group of people but, to them they don't see this as a bad thing. They have done it their entire lives so they don't know any better. They think that this is what life is supposed to be like. Socrates continues by asking Glaucan what he thinks would happen if a prisoner was unchained and asked to stand up. To be freed and to go see the world for what it really is. Not knowing anything for its true appearance, only the shadows. What if the prisoner was to be drug out of the cave in the sunlight. Don't you think the prisoner would be angry? Taken away from everything its ever known to see that it is all only a sliver of what there really is. Socrates then explains that the prisoner stays up there a while, starts to adjust and learn things. Finally accepts that what he knew was false, and this world is true. Socrates then asks Glaucan what would happen if the prisoner was to return to the cave. His sight wouldn't be as good in the dark and he wouldn't be able to see the shadows for shadows but for what they really are. Would he dare to free the rest of the prisoners for if they had the hand to kill the man who wanted to take them away from the familiar and into the unknown, wouldn't they?  I love this story. It completely fits the idea that ignorance is bliss. Now going back to the lyric! Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.  Wouldn't life be so easy if we just focused on what we knew and ignored everything else unknown? The more we learn the more we need to learn. We should never turn our backs on things that we don't necessarily understand at first. It may not be easy to open up and learn and try new things but that's where amazing things can happen. In my life right now I am preparing myself to move away from home to go to university. I am leaving everything behind that is familiar and comfortable to go to a place that right now seems big and scary. It's going to be an amazing adventure and I am so proud of myself for going for it! It will be hard at first but I just have to open my eyes to the amazing opportunity that has been placed in front of me and embrace it. Take it for everything it has to offer and grow and learn from it. Then, when I'm done sucking up all the knowledge there I am going to come back home and teach everyone else, whether they like it or not! =) So living may be easy with eyes closed, but its so much more beneficial to just suck it up and open your eyes to all the endless possibilities! In life you have to work hard for the things you want, and when you succeed the feeling of pride and accomplishment will replace all the struggles you went through to get there!

Sway to the rythm of love!

Okay, so lately I have been looking at my life like a timeline. So many teenagers think that high school is the best time of their life and that it will never get better than the parties and drama! I beg to differ children! Our high school years are short compared to the rest of our lives! I mean sure, high school is a time for self discovery and stupid mistakes, but life goes on and we grow and flourish into adults, and all this crap you are obsessed with doesn't matter anymore! Maybe you can sense a little bit of bitterness? I would like to just make a quick shout out to the people who cause and love drama. NO ONE CARES!!! So what if so and so kissed so and so. WHO CARES if she said this about her but she told so and so not to tell that guy...Confused? Me too, all the time. Maybe I'm just not small minded enough to understand all this crap. People like this make me not want to go out and just have fun. I'm afraid that if I do just let loose and be myself that I will get ridiculed and then the rumors start! Speaking from experience. It sucks. So seeing how this actually happened to me this weekend (I'm not going to go into details because its stupid and doesn't matter) I want to develop a new philosophy to help me just power through these tough times!! After a long day of being stuck in my head with my thoughts I came up with this! I deserve to be happy, and in order to be happy, I'm going to do what I want! Within reason of course because there is always the consequences. But sometimes the consequences are not within reason so I decided I will be the judge of what I deserve when it comes to consequences. I don't have to let people treat me anyway I don't want to be treated! So I'm going to start focusing on my happiness. Just have fun in my last year of high school. Go out with my friends, kiss boys, dance all night and laugh until it hurts. Just really live life! Who cares what people say about me. Clearly they aren't worth my time if they think little of me. Screw them I think! I want to look back on my life and be like HELL YEAH high school was so much fun! I'm just going to live my life with no regrets. So to everyone who wants to try and wreck this for me, try it, I dare you!