Easta

Easter is a time that can be celebrated by multiple different people in many different ways, but most always include family in some way, and it should. It is a great time to catch up with the loved ones, whom you may not have seen in a long time. You are able to see how their lives have been going and what their plans are for the future. Maybe they can help you with your own decisions that you may have been struggling with.
Seeing the cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all in one day, together can be overwhelming but very exciting at the same time, especially if everyone goes to your house.
Right when the first person comes through the front door, you know that it is starting. Soon the house will be filled with voices, some of which you my not have heard in months, and you will realize that you aren’t alone watching Netflix anymore.
Then the socializing begins, and the family you haven’t seen in the longest time asks you questions surrounding school and other extracurricular activities. You tell the same story about ten times over, but it is alright because not everyone responds to it the same and you get to hear what has been going on in everyone else’s lives too. Since most are in high school, the typical where do you want to go to college and what do you want to be questions are bound to surface. It is funny to see the looks on everyone’s faces when you tell them the colleges and majors you are considering, especially if that college happens to be a big rival of the one they went to. Those rivalries usually cause some debates over which school is better and why, but they are good conversation starters and are able to let everyone participate. It’s good to include all members of the family, so no one feels like they are left out, especially if multiple sides of the family are in the same place and many people aren’t as familiar with each other.
Make sure to make the most of the time spent with the people you rarely see, because even if you don’t particularly enjoy a person they are still family and you need to be a decent person. It is Easter after all. When the last person steps out the door and everything is over, you will start to realize that this only happens a few times a year and it will be kind of sad that you have to wait months before it happens all over again.

Frenemies with Memories

Life Lesson #5
“Once best friends, now strangers with memories.”
Think back to when you made your very first friend, are they still your friend now? The rare and lucky people in the world can answer that question with a definite yes, but for the rest of us the answer is no. Okay, now think of your best friends, it doesn’t matter when you made them just think about them. Are you still friends with them today? It’s okay if you aren’t and it’s okay if you are, but if you aren’t you still have a part of that time in your life with you, and it is called memories.
You could go years spending every waking moment with someone, and the next thing you know you don’t talk as much as you used to and start to distance yourself. There may or may not have been a distinct reason, maybe they just weren’t the person you thought they were and are now realizing that what some people had been saying all along were right. A little tip to remember, if multiple people tell you the same thing about a person, it is usually very true no matter how much you don’t want to believe it. It’s probably going to have to take a huge event for you to start to listen to others, so if you can see what’s right in front of you, you’ll be better off in the long run. Just because the friendship isn’t there or what it used to be, all the good times you had will still be. Those memories that were made won’t be forgotten. You will be able to reflect on the good times that were had and the not so good ones can be a reminder that everything does work out like it is supposed to.
“From this angle, frenemies are problematic. No friendship is perfect, of course. But frenemies are consistently imperfect, scoring low on factors such as reliable alliance and self-validation, for example. And once you develop ambivalent feelings for a person, “future interactions with that person may be judged through that lens,” says psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad of Brigham Young University.”
Sometimes it’s better to just let go of someone if they go out of their way to mess with you and other people and make your life harder than it has to be. You just need to cut those people out of your life and it will be much less stressful and more fulfilling I promise.
You can keep the memories, just not always the friends.

WPA

As you well know we are now into the middle-end of March. That means only two and a half months of school left unless you are a senior, and WPA or Sadie Hawkins or Turnabout, whatever you may call it. For those who don’t know what they is, it is basically a more low-key dance where the girls ask the guys, and kind of way less fun then homecoming or prom, but if you go with a group of your friends, you will most definitely still have a good time.
Asking someone can be very stressful and nerve-racking especially if it is super last minute. Yeah, I definitely would not advise waiting until one or two days before the dance to decide that you are for sure going to go, ask someone, get your dress and shoes, and make all of the plans in a mere couple of days. It doesn’t work out that well and will make a lot of people extremely stressed out, but for those people who do most everything last minute like me, it should not be a complete disaster. Things just will be on a much tighter schedule and some scrambling may occur, actually I take that back it will occur most definitely.
For the girls, getting ready will be an interesting process that includes hair, makeup, and nails all in a very limited amount of time. This is usually the time when the most panicking occurs. I know that for my friends and I we are always late, like when we say we will be there in an hour we actually mean two type of people, and this is a day where being pretty close to exactly on time is about the only option we have. It is most certainly going to be a major struggle for us and I’m not going to lie we are probably going to be a little late. Everything will take much longer than we anticipated, and we always manage to wait until the last minute or “accidentally” take a nap, so I really hoping we can break our extremely bad habits for the night and dig deep to find a way to be on time or maybe if we are lucky a little early. I highly doubt we are going to be early, but a girl can hope right?
Anyways the night should be fun, spending time with friends and making memories. Things won’t go completely according to plan I can guarantee that, but maybe those mishaps will everything worth while and be the best times of the night. Don’t let the things that go wrong ruin the night for you and everyone else, just make the best of the situation you are put in and for one night just go with the flow. It will be a good night.

The Real Truth of our Words

Life Lesson #4
“Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.”
Speaking, it is one of the more constant things in our lives. We have to talk to say hello or goodbye, order food, and to communicate with others using some emotion, so they understand the meaning of our words.
Giving someone a compliment will most likely not be forgotten by that person, because words are a powerful thing that have the ability to have a lasting impact on someone. When you are fighting with another person and some interesting words are exchanged those will also stay with the people they were directed at, because it is when a person is angry the truth will come out so pay attention. Even if you didn’t mean to say all of the things you did, you can’t take them back. They are out in the open and anyone could have heard them.
In a study performed by Jeffrey R. Huntsinger of the Department of Psychology at Loyala University in Chicago, to test if anger makes us more honest with our feelings, he found that, ” that anger resulted in a more authentic explicit manifestation of implicit attitudes than neutral or sad moods. Huntsinger believes anger is like happiness, which causes a similar effect, in that both happiness and anger increase confidence. People who are sure of their emotional states will be more likely to voice their true opinions, their gut feelings, than those who are less sure of themselves. When they doubt their implicit attitudes and are less confident in themselves, as is the case in moments of sadness, people are less likely to exhibit their authentic attitudes in explicit ways.” So if you become extremely angry at someone, hold back from acting on impulse and saying something you didn’t want to, because that’s it. It’s out forever.
You never know how much one little sentence, text, or tweet can hurt a person. The words you say or text can and will stay with people for a long time, they may not act like the words bother them, but some people are better at hiding their feelings than others. So if what you say would hurt yourself if someone said them to you, I would strongly advise you not to say or text them to others. It isn’t worth the consequences it may cause. You never know what a person is going through and you degrading them by saying hurtful things, over the phone or in person it doesn’t matter, they will still get the message and the effects probably won’t be what you thought would happen or intended.
I would just tell everyone to please, please think before you speak or send a text. In the moment it could seem like the only thing to do, or that you want to do, but think about how it would effect you and the potentially disastrous outcomes it could cause. You don’t want to carry the guilt of knowing that you could’ve prevented something by keeping your mouth shut or that a person wouldn’t have to feel that way if you just kept your anger under control and decided to be the better person.
It doesn’t matter if someone else started the fight, be the one to end it by not engaging or taking the high-road out, despite how difficult it may seem at the time. It will pay off in the end when you can say you did everything to be a kind human being.
Those words can only be forgiven, no one will ever forget them.

Spring Break

As of now the majority of people are in the downhill stretch of their remaining few months of school. Spring break is quickly approaching and you and many of your friends may be going somewhere exciting.
Many of the people I know are going somewhere extremely warm and out of the country, which most definitely isn’t fair. At our school a lot of the seniors have a “senior trip” for spring break which is usually to Mexico. This year a bunch of my friends are going together and they get to leave super early, so there is going to be no one in any of my classes. They are going to be all tan when they get and I’m going south to Missouri and then to get see my cousin who just got back from New York, so I will still be extremely pale.
Spring break is the ideal time to relax and rejuvenate and prepare yourself for the last couple of months of school. For seniors that is all they have left, but for the rest of us it will get us to summer where you get another three months before the cycle to start all over again.
According to the website Student City, the top destinations for spring break are: Spring Break Cruise: Inception at Sea, Cancun, Mexico, Nassau, Bahamas, Panama City Beach, Florida, Freeport, Bahamas Party Cruise, South Padre Island, Texas, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Now all of these places are where you can be in the sun all day and have a great time.
I would advise people to do the most they can over the break, because it is the last one you are going to get for a while. I mean there will be days off here and there, but this is the last legit break until the last bell sounds on the last day of school.
It doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but you can surprisingly get a ton of stuff done. If you are going on vacation I would not worry too much about the rest of this, but if you aren’t there are still plenty of things you can do. Shopping is always available as well as hanging out with your friends if they are still in town. You can practice whatever sport you want, weather dependent of course and going on hikes and bike rides is always an option. Start a new book, go to a new place, or meet some new people. They don’t require a bunch of time and can turn out to be pretty exciting and memorable. You never know you could find something that you really love, the only requirement is that you have to try.
Make the most of spring break and have fun wherever you may be. Remember what happens during spring break stays there.

Your Future

Life Lesson #3
“Everything you do now is for your future. Think about that.”
At times your life right now may seem like the end of the world or the best time that has ever happened, because it is all you have ever known. You just have to remember that all the decisions you make now are going towards what is going to happen in your future. So when a difficult choice turns up, think about how each one will impact your life down the road and choose the one that will make your life easier and better in the long run.
Everyone has had to deal with situations in their life where they only think about the short time consequences or rewards. We can get so blinded by everything occurring right in the moment and then based off of the situation we act completely on impulse. Most of the time those choices we make aren’t the ones we intended on doing and are the ones that jump out at us then. There is no thought about what will happen in the future until it is time to confront anything the comes with the decision.
There are moments in your life when you have time to sit down and plan out exactly what choice you want to make. This usually occurs in important decisions like which college to go to, how to get out of a bad situation, and anything that has to do with your friends and family. These choices that you can weigh the pros and cons will most likely turn out the most ideal. But even with careful planning not everything will go completely accordingly, because not every plan is perfect there is always going to be flaws you just may not see them at the time being.
So I’m going to tell you something that I should have listened to when others told me, “what you do now can and will effect your future.” It’s alright to live in the moment sometimes, but don’t get too caught up in it, you may not be able to get out. Your decisions with school matter, even despite what other people may say. It isn’t cool to not do your homework, you are just going to hurt yourself in the end.
I know this is cliche and you hear it all the time from adults, but make good decisions because they will effect your future. The right decision may not always be the one you would like to make.

The Apology You’ll Never Get

Life Lesson #2
“Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never get.”
Without warning someone will do or say something awful to you and not feel the slightest bit of guilt. You may know it is wrong, others may know it is wrong, but if the person who did or said it doesn’t think they are wrong then you are never going to get that apology, even if you deserve it. It’s hard to change a persons mind, actually most of the time you can’t, so learning to accept the fact that you don’t always get what you deserve will make your life so much easier.
There are some cruel people in this world, there always has been and there always will be. People are going to do and say things to you that no one should ever have to experience, but that is all apart of life. It’s going to happen everyone at one point in life, it absolutely sucks, but it’s the plain truth. If they are going to be so terrible to you in the first place, then most likely you aren’t going to get them to say the words you can’t wait to hear, “I’m sorry.” And if you do some how get that certain person to mutter those words, they probably aren’t going to mean it. “I’m sorry” will only make you feel better if the person truly means it, but otherwise they are just empty words that mean nothing and that’s not what you deserve. In the end, it may be better that you never have to hear someone’s meaninglessness behind those words, so that when you hear a genuine apology you’ll know.
So the sooner you can learn to accept that apology that most likely won’t come, the easier your life will be, I can promise you that. You may need it, deserve it more than anything, but that doesn’t mean you are going to get it. That’s alright, if you need to pretend that they said it and move on with your life. It is the best thing you can do for yourself in the long run. You will be a much happier person if you learn to accept what you aren’t going to get.

Life’s a Mirror

Life lesson #1
“Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.”
When looking into a mirror, you see your own reflection staring right back at you. It mimics you, does what you do, says what do. You can’t hide anything from it, just like in life. It’s impossible to hide a thing from yourself, you can choose to ignore it, but that doesn’t change the fact that whatever is bothering you is still there. It won’t go away, not ever. The more you think it’s gone, the more it will appear in every way it can. That I promise you.
When you smile at the world, it will smile back, but take your anger out on it and it will do the same to you. I’ve learned from experience that it is better to have a more positive outlook on life, it will be more rewarding in the end. Thinking about everything that could go wrong isn’t going to help it go right, you have to do that one your own, because no one else is going to be there to do it for you. The life you were given is yours and only yours, don’t let anyone or anything take that away from you.
In an article in the Chicago Tribune states, “Thousand of articles in virtually all popular, medical, health and news journals tout the benefits of PMA on longevity and many other positive aspects of aging,” says Dr. Peter Norvid, a geriatric specialist treating patients at Adventist Hinsdale and La Grange Memorial hospitals and medical director for Heartland Hospice. “Optimistic people live longer, have closer personal relationships and are able to deal with the negative things that happen to them in a way that allows them to continue to be able to be there for others so that others can help them.” The affects of having a positive outlook on life will definitely be worth it.
Sometimes it may seem like when you get your hopes up, you’ll always be disappointed, but that’s not necessarily the case. Those mishaps make you stronger. It may not seem like it at the moment, but just try your best.
Take a couple minutes out of your day think about all of the positive things that have happened in your life and smile and be thankful for them. Once you have that outlook on life, you will start to realize that life will be positive toward you too.
It’s either the glass half-empty or the glass half-full, the choice is ultimately up to you.

We Grow Up and Apart

Throughout your life you will realize that nothing will stay the same forever no matter how much you wanted it too or thought it was going too. It’s a fact of life that things will change.
During your many years of school you will find friends who you think are going to be apart of your life for a long time. They will be the ones you can tell every secret too and not have to worry about them judging you, because they will sit and listen to every single detail that comes out of your mouth. Most likely they experienced the same situation. And when you get done telling the story or ranting for a good half an hour, they will proceed to give you the best advice they know, because they are supposed to be your best friend and that’s what best friends do for each other even if they don’t want to deal with other people’s problems at the time. They should suck it up, because that’s what you’d do for them without hesitation.
Soon you will spend most days hanging out with them and weekends become a routine of trying to find the perfect thing to do. Some days aren’t going to be as fun as others, but because you guys got along so well, you’ll find something entertaining. But spending so much time with certain people can get to be a lot at times. It shouldn’t, but sometimes every friendship doesn’t survive even the perfect ones who could supposedly get through anything. One thing I’m going to make extremely clear right now is that nothing in this world is perfect, so if you find yourself one-hundred percent content with life cherish that moment(s) because I can promise you that it won’t last forever. It sucks, but it’s part of life.
So if you find yourself in the midst of the one thing you never thought would happen, remember that everyone goes through the loss of a best friend at some point in their life. It could be for a variety of reasons, but one of them that hurts the most is when it happens suddenly and you don’t really know why.
One day you guys could be blasting music while racing down the streets, having the time of your lives, and the next you guys will walk by each other in the halls without uttering a single word. In that short amount of time, a blowout could’ve occurred, words were exchanged that can never be taken back. Stuff you never knew the other person felt and wished you knew earlier. At the time it may have seemed like the best idea to get everything off your chest, but it just adds fuel to the fire. It makes it harder on the recovery process, because words can never be unsaid.
A few days will pass and tears will be shed. It’s going to suck walking by them everyday going from class to class, sharing the same friends, because everyone will know what had happened and you could probably cut the tension with an extremely dull knife, but you learn to keep going. Then a couple weeks will have gone by and it still hurts to see them everyday and know it probably won’t get better, but it doesn’t hurt as bad. Then weeks turn into months and then years. Over that time, coping will get easier, because that sadness will turn into acceptance. Both of you guys will move on with your lives, just without each other.
Some friendships are meant to last and make it through the toughest times in life. Those are the ones you know to hold on to tight, but for the ones that don’t it’s alright, not all of them do even if you thought they would. Put them behind you, but don’t forget what they taught you. Those lessons will make you a better person in the end.
Remember after high school you get a chance to start all over. Trust me, I know what it’s like to have things drastically change on you, but it’s all apart of growing up, so when you have a clean slate, take it and make the most of it. Don’t get too caught up in the past, because life’s all about growing up.