Accomplishments...

I have achieved, I have worked hard, and I have earned. Accomplishing things throughout my life feels great, even if it is something small, it leaves a big exciting and happy feeling, that I have completed a task and I feel accomplished. I have accomplished going to school everyday and learning something new, I have accomplished finding my group of friends that I belong with and feel comfortable around, I have accomplished leaving those who bring me down, and staying with those who are supportive and kind. I have accomplished strengthening self control in different situations. I also accomplished going to Israel for a whole month, hiking every single morning, I can say that I have accomplished hiking up Masada Mt. , hiking across the whole country of Israel in just three whole days, and have accomplished learning more about my religion and where my family came from, and who we are. I can say that as a fifteen year old girl, I have accomplished these things, and I feel happy and proud. I have more goals and more accomplishments down the road waiting to be completed, but one step at a time, right?

The Last Lecture

Standing in front of hundreds of students, sharing your journey and your experiences on this planet we call earth. Telling them you only have a few months to live, telling them how you feel. You would think, sadness, fear, anger. But no. You tell them, you feel happy, grateful for the life you have had, and that you feel happy. The students look at you like your crazy. But you tell them that feeling sadness and depression for the months that you have left on this earth is just making the last few months miserable. You want to live life to the fullest, and when the time comes, you may leave this earth but the memories of being happy will stay with you. This man, Randy Pausch, was a bright, strong, and  happy. He died leaving many people to sit and think about their own lives, and their own story. Rest in peace Randy, may we all take your example and be happy no matter the situation life gives us. If I had to give my last lecture I would share my life journey, the amazing experiences I had, and the memories that will stay with me forever. I would focus on the happy things that happened in my life, because thats what I want to focus on...being happy. I would tell the audience what I am telling you right now, that no matter the situation, you can always find optimism even if you don't find it right away, trust me, it's there. I would tell them not to feel bad for me, to stay on the bright side of things and to let those sad, angry, depressed emotions take over. Be happy, and enjoy the moments you have.

Inspiration

In class we have been exposed to a variety of collections of literature, videos and movies, novels, and we have had class discussions, and really went in depth with these pieces. But no matter how many books one has read, or how many movies one has watched, there is always that one that sticks in your mind. The one that you will always remember. For me, the one that stuck out the most was "Emanuels Gift." An inspiring documentary about a boy named Emanuel, he is from Ghana, West Africa and in that area if you are disabled you are most likely disowned, poisoned, or left out to die. But Emanuel had a better idea, and that idea was to change how others thought of the disabled, and to treat them with the same love and care as everyone else. He had a deformed right leg, so he was left with only one good working left leg. He started showing his pride in disabled people by biking  over 600 kilometers. He changed thousands of lives, by showing that disabilities don't make you weaker, they make you stronger. This really inspires me because everyday you and I complain about the little things in our lives about how much homework we have, tests, projects, not getting enough sleep, and the list can go on. But this man with only one leg, rode 600 kilometers (or 372 miles) on bike to stand up to his people and to others who have been mocked, disowned, and treated with disrespect because they have a disability. There are others out there who have bigger things to worry about other than how much homework they have, or that there smart phones are being very smart that day, they have things like not being able to walk, trying to find a home, living and begging on the streets. This movie has taught me to be grateful for all the wonderful things I have been given, and to look up to those that fight for what they want and need in life. And for Emanuel, that was to prove others wrong, and to show that no matter what condition you are in, you can do whatever you want, as long as you strive and work for it. Just think, a poor man in a poor city, with one leg, and he made it to the top. Stop and think before you start complaining again.

The Alchemist

As Santiago makes his journey to find the buried treasure, he experiences life through different eyes, by meeting new people, seeing new places, and being in a different environment. By meeting new people he was taught different ideas, and saw different perspectives on life situations. Outside of his parent's preachings to be a priest, and there small little town, there was more to be seen. Santiago is a shepherd and he chose this job so that he could travel and explore the world. He wanted to see different sites, and different people. He was tired of seeing the same thing every morning he woke up. He wanted something new.   I can connect to Santiago, because adventure is what makes life fun, just sitting in one place is boring and redundant , and personally I can't stand it. Even at school, I try to take gym classes, and dance, to get my body moving, I just honestly can't sit from chair to chair for seven hours, it gets to be too much. At home, I'll go on bike rides, and going around my neighborhood gets to be boring as well, because each circle has the same sites, nothing new. So finding a new path makes the ride more adventurous and amusing. Little things like this make life more fun, and living life to the fullest is something I want to do as much as I can.