In my wonderful English class (wonderful and English class are words I never thought I would use together, but I'm a-changing from my old self), Books We Read Too Early, we are reading my favorite book of all time, Harry Potter! I had to write a little response towards the book, and I had so much fun with it I decided to share it with all of you. Enjoy!
There are not many places you can go in the world where the name Harry Potter is not recognized. The boy wizard has literally captivated the entire world with his epic life and magical world that he calls home. But why? What makes Harry so different than Alice? Than Tom Sawyer? Than even Frodo? While some may say it was sheer luck, I think it was a combination of masterful writing, the foundation of old classics, and a mass media age, that allowed Harry Potter to become the most successful book series of all time.
As a HUGE Harry Potter fan, I have always been a diehard supporter of J.K. Rowling and think she is one wise lady. To come up with a world as elaborate and wonderfully cohesive as she did, you must be intelligent, borderline genius, and possibly a little crazy. What separates J.K. (I use her first name because Rowling is much too serious for a person I grew up with) from other creative geniuses though is that the woman can write. She was seamlessly able to write to an audience that contains elementary-aged schoolchildren, college students, and retired grandmothers, while captivating the imaginations of them all. She completely takes away the hindrance of written words and allows readers to step into a story that is so unrealistically real. And while trying to keep up with a plotline that involves horcruxes, hippogriffs, and Puking Pastilles, J.K. seamlessly intertwines it all together with few, if any, loopholes and nuances that the most esteemed readers applaud. J.K. may be a critically acclaimed children’s author, but her writing is no child’s play.
While she is surely a literary genius, J.K. did get some help from earlier writers. Perhaps the most closely related story and series is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which preceded Potter by 4o years. Like the vast world of Middle Earth, the magical world of Harry Potter is indeed apart from reality (although I still secretly like to think that I am just a poor Muggle blinded to the very real wizarding world), but vast enough for it to seem real. The magical world Harry lives in involves humans that have the same bodily needs and frailties that we do, characters that feel the same emotions and deal with the same problems, and even the same broader issues of racism, bureaucracy, and corruption. Although J.K. adds wonderful creatures and enhanced abilities to the characters, readers can very much relate to the characters in the novel and buy into this fictional world. By creating a world that is more exciting and colorful than reality but still rooted in fundamental reality like Tolkien did, J.K. captured readers’ attentions and paved the way to success.
What J.K. has that Tolkien did not however, is the vast, mind blazingly fast, and global tool of the Internet. This is what separated J.K.’s series from the other amazing books that came before. While the others had excellent writing and wonderful fictional worlds, they did not have the ability to reach across the globe almost instantly with translated copies of their book for anyone who wanted to read. Not only that, they did not have the social networking available through the Internet. In the 1950s, Lord of the Ring junkies would have to call each other up to sit down and discuss the book. In today’s world, a fan can connect online instantly with fans from all over the world to discuss hidden meanings, learn new information, and share their passion for the story. There are entire fan sites, Facebook groups, blogs, and chat rooms dedicated exclusively to Harry Potter. Just now I even found a Harry Potter Wiki that helped me spell ‘puking pastille’ and contained everything you would ever want to know about the Harry Potter world.
By connecting readers and helping them to truly immerse themselves entirely in a wonderful written story, J.K. was able to find greater success than ever before seen. With the multibillion dollar movies, recent opening of a theme park, and a generation of Potter-maniacs that will surely read the series to their children, it does not look like Harry Potter is going away any time soon. The world really is bewitched by the wonderful world of Harry Potter.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
No regrets, just love
I think when your body is overwhelmed with too many emotions all at once, they start to void each other; they cancel themselves out. Then you get to a place where you just don't know what to think or how to describe this emotion, because you kind of feel nothing. That's where I am right now. I still haven't come to accept that what just happened actually just happened, and this might be my main problem, but it just doesn't feel, REAL. I just went on the rockiest roller coaster of my life that involved nerves, excitement, anticipation, joy, panic, anxiety, disbelief, and then, just to end with a bang, a sucker punch of sadness. With all these feelings in my heart, my mind just couldn't take them all in, so right now I kind of just am.
One thing you can feel in a time like this though is love. That's one feeling that can trump the rest and squeeze through when you need it most. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. It wasn't supposed to end this way. We weren't supposed to face this surprise ending. But it did and we are. And you know what, as much as it may hurt/sting/disgust/torment, I'm happy I did it. I love my life and these girls I get to share it with. No matter what the outcome of this game or season, this group of girls was special and I consider this year a HUGE success. Why? Because I came to love 15 other girls more than I ever imagined and had the best year of my life. This was a special group that knew how to have an amazing time and they will always have a special place in my heart.
So maybe it didn't end the way we planned, but it may have brought us even closer together; crying, hugging, and loving have a way of doing that. This was a special year, and one that I will never forget.
Take me to that old familiar place
Take me to memories we won’t erase
Take me to all that we had
Good and the bad
I’ll never forget you
I’ll never let you go
I’ll never forget you
I’ll always remember, I hope you know
One thing you can feel in a time like this though is love. That's one feeling that can trump the rest and squeeze through when you need it most. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. It wasn't supposed to end this way. We weren't supposed to face this surprise ending. But it did and we are. And you know what, as much as it may hurt/sting/disgust/torment, I'm happy I did it. I love my life and these girls I get to share it with. No matter what the outcome of this game or season, this group of girls was special and I consider this year a HUGE success. Why? Because I came to love 15 other girls more than I ever imagined and had the best year of my life. This was a special group that knew how to have an amazing time and they will always have a special place in my heart.
So maybe it didn't end the way we planned, but it may have brought us even closer together; crying, hugging, and loving have a way of doing that. This was a special year, and one that I will never forget.
Take me to that old familiar place
Take me to memories we won’t erase
Take me to all that we had
Good and the bad
I’ll never forget you
I’ll never let you go
I’ll never forget you
I’ll always remember, I hope you know
Thursday, February 24, 2011
rambling in the good times
”Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.”
If you follow one rule in life, it should be to seek after goodness. Whatever shape or form it takes on, grab on to it and do your best to hold on to it. It is not naive or foolish to try and fill your mind with clean thoughts and your heart with pure feelings. By doing so you are not denying the fact that evil exists or being ignorant to it, you are simply choosing to avoid it and not let it into your body where it can spread and grow. We should daily strive to make the world a better place by spreading goodness. Spread whatever happiness or hope you have to others and try to brighten their day. You'd be surprised what a smile can do or a simple "How are you?" can do.
There is no truth in the expression "too good to be true." It is just an excuse for people to settle for something less than the best. Why, if there is something better out there, would you want to accept something bad on the sole premise that that other thing is just too good? Doesn't make much sense does it? Yet we all fall into that trap throughout our lives, and it is important we recognize it and always seek after the best. Seek after the things that uplift, the things that bring hope, the things that bring happiness, and the things that are good. Don't let things that degrade you or others enter in because you just don't deserve it! You and everyone else on this earth is meant for greatness and deserves nothing less.
If you follow one rule in life, it should be to seek after goodness. Whatever shape or form it takes on, grab on to it and do your best to hold on to it. It is not naive or foolish to try and fill your mind with clean thoughts and your heart with pure feelings. By doing so you are not denying the fact that evil exists or being ignorant to it, you are simply choosing to avoid it and not let it into your body where it can spread and grow. We should daily strive to make the world a better place by spreading goodness. Spread whatever happiness or hope you have to others and try to brighten their day. You'd be surprised what a smile can do or a simple "How are you?" can do.
There is no truth in the expression "too good to be true." It is just an excuse for people to settle for something less than the best. Why, if there is something better out there, would you want to accept something bad on the sole premise that that other thing is just too good? Doesn't make much sense does it? Yet we all fall into that trap throughout our lives, and it is important we recognize it and always seek after the best. Seek after the things that uplift, the things that bring hope, the things that bring happiness, and the things that are good. Don't let things that degrade you or others enter in because you just don't deserve it! You and everyone else on this earth is meant for greatness and deserves nothing less.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Why I Believe
I've wanted to do this post for a long time because my faith and church are so close to me, and a blog about me just wouldn't be complete unless I talked about them. There are a lot of people who aren't familiar with my church or want to know why the heck I would choose to follow such a path, so hopefully this will clear some things up about the church as well as why I am a believer. Here we go.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka the Mormons. If you have continued to read after that statement and not turned away grumbling about those crazy people from Utah, I thank you for your open-mindedness and willingness to give me a shot. Whenever the topic of religion comes up a lot of people feel uncomfortable and shy away from the conversation, which I can totally understand. BUT the beauty of a blog is you can read this in the privacy of your own brain and ponder what I have to say in peace.
So what exactly do we believe? We believe in God, our Heavenly Father, and in His son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. We believe that they are three distinct individuals that make up the godhead and that God and Jesus Christ have bodies just like we do! They are not just spirits.
We believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know each of us - our talents, our hopes, our fears, our shortcomings, our hardships, our great worth - and loves us more than we can imagine. They want what is best for us and for us all to return to them in the next life. We can do this by living as they would want us to and doing our best to follow their teachings each and every day.
As humans, God knew we could not be perfect and would make mistakes and go against His will at times. That is why He sent Christ to the earth 2,000 years ago to live a perfect life, take upon Himself and experience all of our sins and hardships, die for us, and then be resurrected. Through this Atonement and Resurrection, we are all given a life after our time here on earth, something I am so grateful for.
We believe that after Christ and his twelve apostles (chief witnesses) died, their Priesthood authority (power and authority given from God to act in His name) died with them. As a result, although people created many churches of their own accord, the true church of Christ left the earth for many years.
We believe that in 1820, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to a boy named Joseph Smith in response to his heart-felt and sincere prayer asking to know which church he should join. God and Jesus Christ told Joseph he should join none of the churches because they were "incomplete" and made according to man's wishes and not God's. Then, through Joseph Smith, God and Jesus Christ restored the full Gospel that was established during Christ's time. That true gospel is our church today.
We believe after His resurrection and death, Christ appeared to the people in the Americas, and their histories and witnesses of Christ are contained in the Book of Mormon. We believe in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, both acting as testimonies of Jesus Christ and his divine mission on the earth.
For some reason, a lot of people hold misconceptions about the church, and it is usually those who don't know any Mormons or are afraid to ask questions. I used to be one of those people. I joined the church just six months ago after about two years of studying and investigating, and I tried my hardest to not believe. But once I started asking questions to legitimately learn and actually started to read the Book of Mormon, everything didn't seem so strange and I started to see why members of the church are so dedicated.
Since I've become a member of the church it's like I'm looking at life through a windowpane of positivity. What used to be a setback or hardship, is now just a trial of my faith that will refine me a little bit and leave me better than I started. What used to be unanswered questions of where I came from, why I'm here, and where I'm going, are now answered in the most beautiful ways. What used to be passiveness is now faith!
I love being a member of the church! I love knowing that Someone is always there watching over me (no matter where I am or what I am doing) and that I can reach Him anytime through prayer. I love having a living prophet (an inspired man just like Moses, Noah, Peter, or Paul, who is the mouthpiece for God on the earth) who leads the church and helps guide us through life. I love knowing of my great worth as a daughter of God and strive everyday to live up to that title and have respect for my body. And most importantly I love being happy because I know these things are true!
Just because I am a member of the church does not mean I think I am any different or better than you. I am by no means perfect and don't think I am even close! I am still a normal person who goes through good and bad times and makes countless mistakes. Thankfully though, my church gives me hope, faith, and comfort in life, and helps me find peace and happiness where I couldn't on my own. That is why I believe.
If you have made it this far, thank you! I love sharing about my church and hope this cleared up any major questions that you had and got rid of some false rumors you may have picked up. I'd love to answer any questions or talk about the church at any time, and the church also has an awesome website (which you can access here) that will explain everything in better detail. Hopefully you enjoyed this post and, at the very least, learned what Mormons like me believe.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Kid, you'll move mountains
Have you ever had that moment where something just seems so perfect and so right that you wonder why you weren't so certain about this before? Well, I had that moment a few days ago and it was amazing! I am constantly thinking about what I want to do with my life and what I need to do to get there (when I say constantly I'm not using the word just for the sake of the word, but literally mean ALL THE TIME at an unhealthy level), and have gone from being a doctor, to going into the business school to study finance, realized I hated finance, went into marketing, realized I'm not really a marketing person, thought about becoming a doctor again, realized I don't like labs and diseases and such, then just counted my loses and stayed in the business because that is the most rational thing to do and heaven forbid I be anything but rational.
Then I decided to do the most rational thing I could do: put aside what everyone else is telling me to do; not think about money, titles, or prestige; and just look inside myself and pray. For some reason I always forget to do these most important of things even though they never fail. I got down to pray and ask that I just might have some direction in my life and know what would make me the happiest and what that great Being who created me wanted for me because who better to ask? During this time I thought I would be directed towards being a doctor or some sort of business person like I always thought, but I couldn't stop thinking about TEACHING. Random right? Granted I did daydream a bit about being a teacher and possibly a basketball coach and living the good life, but that was shot down by the snooty thoughts in my head as well as my mother. But man this time the thought took me over! I couldn't sleep that night thinking about teaching my own class, surrounding myself in an academic setting that I have always loved, and having a direct impact on my students and molding young minds (even if only one student per class is actually paying attention/awake). And of course who can forget the frequent breaks and getting off work around 3 pm! Sounds pretty good to me.
Ever since that night, the idea of being a teacher has really stuck with me and just seems so right. Sort of like that "Aha!" moment when you just wonder how you didn't think of it before because of course you want to be a teacher! (or whatever yours happens to be) What works out wonderfully for me is that Lehigh has a very cool 5 year education program where you graduate with a bachelor's degree in whatever subject you choose, AND a master's degree in education AND a teaching credential. So, I can continue my education in the business school and graduate with a business degree that will greatly help me get a job if needed (for money reasons or whatever comes up), while also setting me up perfectly to be a teacher! Pretty good deal huh?
So for now, that is what I am pursuing in my life. Keep in mind my mind changes just about every day, but this idea just feels a little different. Plus it has stuck for a few days which can only mean good things. I love that we learn through this crazy refining process (no matter how agonizing it can be) because each new idea we strike down or new direction we head in, we learn something new about ourselves and what we are supposed to do in life. As long as we keep an open mind and an open heart, we will find where we are supposed to be. I'd like to end with a little verse from Dr. Seuss which is so fitting for this stage of my life and when thinking about the future. Children's books sometimes have the most insightful messages...
"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go....
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
Then I decided to do the most rational thing I could do: put aside what everyone else is telling me to do; not think about money, titles, or prestige; and just look inside myself and pray. For some reason I always forget to do these most important of things even though they never fail. I got down to pray and ask that I just might have some direction in my life and know what would make me the happiest and what that great Being who created me wanted for me because who better to ask? During this time I thought I would be directed towards being a doctor or some sort of business person like I always thought, but I couldn't stop thinking about TEACHING. Random right? Granted I did daydream a bit about being a teacher and possibly a basketball coach and living the good life, but that was shot down by the snooty thoughts in my head as well as my mother. But man this time the thought took me over! I couldn't sleep that night thinking about teaching my own class, surrounding myself in an academic setting that I have always loved, and having a direct impact on my students and molding young minds (even if only one student per class is actually paying attention/awake). And of course who can forget the frequent breaks and getting off work around 3 pm! Sounds pretty good to me.
Ever since that night, the idea of being a teacher has really stuck with me and just seems so right. Sort of like that "Aha!" moment when you just wonder how you didn't think of it before because of course you want to be a teacher! (or whatever yours happens to be) What works out wonderfully for me is that Lehigh has a very cool 5 year education program where you graduate with a bachelor's degree in whatever subject you choose, AND a master's degree in education AND a teaching credential. So, I can continue my education in the business school and graduate with a business degree that will greatly help me get a job if needed (for money reasons or whatever comes up), while also setting me up perfectly to be a teacher! Pretty good deal huh?
So for now, that is what I am pursuing in my life. Keep in mind my mind changes just about every day, but this idea just feels a little different. Plus it has stuck for a few days which can only mean good things. I love that we learn through this crazy refining process (no matter how agonizing it can be) because each new idea we strike down or new direction we head in, we learn something new about ourselves and what we are supposed to do in life. As long as we keep an open mind and an open heart, we will find where we are supposed to be. I'd like to end with a little verse from Dr. Seuss which is so fitting for this stage of my life and when thinking about the future. Children's books sometimes have the most insightful messages...
"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go....
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
timing is everything
I wish I could write on this thing more often, but it always takes me so long and I try to make it too perfect (my version of "perfect" at least). So, if you see the grammar/English of my next few blog posts suffer, my apologies but this must be sacrificed for the sake new material. I also sometimes have trouble finding something to write about; topics will pop up in my brain all the time, but I often don't think I can elaborate on them or wonder if anyone would even care to read about that. Then I remember that the readers of this blog are made up of my mom, my best friend, a couple teammates, and the occasional friend who happens to stumble upon it. And most of the people in this small group don't even read it regularly. So after trimming down my pride a bit, I decided that this blog is for me! My thoughts, my opinions, my conversation topics, and my grammar rules.
This is meant as no disrespect towards my few faithful followers (I love you Mom, Kaley, Diz), and nothing will honestly change because I've been writing whatever I wanted to anyways, just a formal declaration of what I would like for this blog. It started one year ago as an assignment for my second semester English class where we were looking at how things are "mapped." For our final assignment the professor asked us to do an independent project that looked at how people map themselves. What better way to do this than start a blog? My thoughts exactly. Through this blog I am literally "mapping" my life on the invisible realm of the internet. I'm leaving a trail behind that helps show my journey through life with each post. I'm helping myself remember what I was thinking at a particular moment in time, what events were going on in my life, who I was with, how I felt, etc. I of course will remember most of these things in my memory (which is such a cool little device we all come with if you think about it-it's like a permanent video recorder in your head!), but I can never remember word for word or as well as I do in this moment here and now, and that's what this blog is for! To chart my course and help others see what direction I'm going in as well.
I suppose I could just talk with people close to me and tell them these things, and for some readers I probably will, but it's kind of funny how it is easier to write things than say things a lot of the time; forcing people to read what you have to say instead of you just telling them. After all, isn't it the same message in the end? I've always preferred writing: you are given more time to think through how you really feel and pose your message in the way you'd like so the reader will understand what you want to get across. I sometimes forget though that a reader cannot hear the inflection in your voice, see the expression on your face, or feel the intention of your heart (the smiley and winkey faces of texting would indeed come in handy here, maybe I'll start a new trend), and this is the only drawback I find to writing. Writing also takes a lot more time than talking, and since lack of time was what began this post, I will stop here because I love when things come full circle.
This is meant as no disrespect towards my few faithful followers (I love you Mom, Kaley, Diz), and nothing will honestly change because I've been writing whatever I wanted to anyways, just a formal declaration of what I would like for this blog. It started one year ago as an assignment for my second semester English class where we were looking at how things are "mapped." For our final assignment the professor asked us to do an independent project that looked at how people map themselves. What better way to do this than start a blog? My thoughts exactly. Through this blog I am literally "mapping" my life on the invisible realm of the internet. I'm leaving a trail behind that helps show my journey through life with each post. I'm helping myself remember what I was thinking at a particular moment in time, what events were going on in my life, who I was with, how I felt, etc. I of course will remember most of these things in my memory (which is such a cool little device we all come with if you think about it-it's like a permanent video recorder in your head!), but I can never remember word for word or as well as I do in this moment here and now, and that's what this blog is for! To chart my course and help others see what direction I'm going in as well.
I suppose I could just talk with people close to me and tell them these things, and for some readers I probably will, but it's kind of funny how it is easier to write things than say things a lot of the time; forcing people to read what you have to say instead of you just telling them. After all, isn't it the same message in the end? I've always preferred writing: you are given more time to think through how you really feel and pose your message in the way you'd like so the reader will understand what you want to get across. I sometimes forget though that a reader cannot hear the inflection in your voice, see the expression on your face, or feel the intention of your heart (the smiley and winkey faces of texting would indeed come in handy here, maybe I'll start a new trend), and this is the only drawback I find to writing. Writing also takes a lot more time than talking, and since lack of time was what began this post, I will stop here because I love when things come full circle.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Growing out of my comfort zone
"If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone"
-John Maxwell
Because it is the start of a new year and everyone is talking about resolutions and what to expect out of 2011, I decided to add my two cents and reflect upon the year of 2010. And what a year it was! I mean, man. First of all, it was hands down the fastest year of my life which completely amazes me because so much happened and I came out of it a completely different person. You think this would take a series of years or even decades, but it all happened in this one small year. The best way to describe 2010 is a year of growth. There is no better way to put it. Although my freshman year of college began during the end of 2009 and not 2010, it was from January on that most of the change occurred (everything before that was just ignorant bliss: the calm before the storm if you will). As I have written about before, my freshman year of college was a true roller-coaster ride; one that seemed to prefer corkscrews, loops, and severe drops rather than the peaceful highs with the nice views. Yes, one year ago today I was in a funk. One that would last until about mid October of 2010 when the the growth that was spreading and taking root beneath the surface all year finally blossomed above ground for all to see, including myself. My attitude started to change in an instant and I felt as if I was a completely different person from the one I had known for 18 years. But looking back now, I realize that it did not happen in an instant, as most true change cannot happen in such a quick and miraculous way. Change takes time. It needs to explore the territory a bit and roam around before it will settle in. This is just what happened to me.
2010 was my first full year of "adulthood" (if that is what you can even call college; maybe, "pseudo adulthood" is a better term). A year that I was completely free from high school, permanent residence in my hometown, and the constant watch of my parents. A year where I was forced to figure out life and my current situation on my own. Although last year I would have croaked over dead before you heard me say college basketball BENEFITED me, it without a doubt helped magnify the terrifying/depressing/questioning/horrific experience of freshmen year of college, which eventually led to magnified rewards. I suppose that is what being stripped of your confidence, happiness, naivety, swagger, etc. will do to you. Because in this state, it is just you. You in your most basic form. A form that lets you connect with the One who created you and discover what makes you tick and who you really are. It allows you to discover what you like, what your talents are, what makes you laugh, what makes you smile, who truly matters in your life, how you feel about things, what you believe in, and what you don't; most importantly it allows you to have confidence in your self because you built it. Or rather, you discovered it. This is the you you want to be and who you truly are. Sure I have only scratched the surface of discovering all there is to know about me (a lifetime project a don't doubt), but laying this foundation has been a wonderful wonderful experience for me. An experience shared with the amazing people I have met and developed lasting relationships with, those who have been around since the beginning and have stuck by my side through "the dark ages," and also the places, words, ideas, and beliefs that have added a lovely backdrop for it all. Without this collective group, I could not have possibly learned so much about myself; after all, what better way to learn and grow than tapping into the shared knowledge contained in the invisible web that connects us all??
So all in all 2010, cheers to you! Thank you for helping me laugh harder, smile a million times more than I ever have, find greater joy in life, draw closer to God in every way, develop friendships with the most amazing people in the world, find a way to love the people around me even more, foster an attachment to this university I will be spending four years of my life at, rediscover my love for a game I have dedicated my life to, better understand who I am and what I mean to the world, worry less, and just have fun.
So instead of making resolutions for this new year (that I won't follow through on because I never do), I just hope I will continue to enjoy life, be happy, and try and help other people be happy too. Whatever way, shape or form I can do that is fine with me!
-John Maxwell
Because it is the start of a new year and everyone is talking about resolutions and what to expect out of 2011, I decided to add my two cents and reflect upon the year of 2010. And what a year it was! I mean, man. First of all, it was hands down the fastest year of my life which completely amazes me because so much happened and I came out of it a completely different person. You think this would take a series of years or even decades, but it all happened in this one small year. The best way to describe 2010 is a year of growth. There is no better way to put it. Although my freshman year of college began during the end of 2009 and not 2010, it was from January on that most of the change occurred (everything before that was just ignorant bliss: the calm before the storm if you will). As I have written about before, my freshman year of college was a true roller-coaster ride; one that seemed to prefer corkscrews, loops, and severe drops rather than the peaceful highs with the nice views. Yes, one year ago today I was in a funk. One that would last until about mid October of 2010 when the the growth that was spreading and taking root beneath the surface all year finally blossomed above ground for all to see, including myself. My attitude started to change in an instant and I felt as if I was a completely different person from the one I had known for 18 years. But looking back now, I realize that it did not happen in an instant, as most true change cannot happen in such a quick and miraculous way. Change takes time. It needs to explore the territory a bit and roam around before it will settle in. This is just what happened to me.
2010 was my first full year of "adulthood" (if that is what you can even call college; maybe, "pseudo adulthood" is a better term). A year that I was completely free from high school, permanent residence in my hometown, and the constant watch of my parents. A year where I was forced to figure out life and my current situation on my own. Although last year I would have croaked over dead before you heard me say college basketball BENEFITED me, it without a doubt helped magnify the terrifying/depressing/questioning/horrific experience of freshmen year of college, which eventually led to magnified rewards. I suppose that is what being stripped of your confidence, happiness, naivety, swagger, etc. will do to you. Because in this state, it is just you. You in your most basic form. A form that lets you connect with the One who created you and discover what makes you tick and who you really are. It allows you to discover what you like, what your talents are, what makes you laugh, what makes you smile, who truly matters in your life, how you feel about things, what you believe in, and what you don't; most importantly it allows you to have confidence in your self because you built it. Or rather, you discovered it. This is the you you want to be and who you truly are. Sure I have only scratched the surface of discovering all there is to know about me (a lifetime project a don't doubt), but laying this foundation has been a wonderful wonderful experience for me. An experience shared with the amazing people I have met and developed lasting relationships with, those who have been around since the beginning and have stuck by my side through "the dark ages," and also the places, words, ideas, and beliefs that have added a lovely backdrop for it all. Without this collective group, I could not have possibly learned so much about myself; after all, what better way to learn and grow than tapping into the shared knowledge contained in the invisible web that connects us all??
So all in all 2010, cheers to you! Thank you for helping me laugh harder, smile a million times more than I ever have, find greater joy in life, draw closer to God in every way, develop friendships with the most amazing people in the world, find a way to love the people around me even more, foster an attachment to this university I will be spending four years of my life at, rediscover my love for a game I have dedicated my life to, better understand who I am and what I mean to the world, worry less, and just have fun.
So instead of making resolutions for this new year (that I won't follow through on because I never do), I just hope I will continue to enjoy life, be happy, and try and help other people be happy too. Whatever way, shape or form I can do that is fine with me!
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