It's Christmas Eve 2008 (and A.M.'s first X-mas Eve), and all of the A.M.s wish you a Merry Christmas! Spend it nicely with your close loved ones--it's the one time of the year where everyone can forget about everything else and be happy with what you have and for what's to come. 2009 isn't too far off the corner ;).Are you tired of trying to impress everybody? I know how that feels...You try so hard to get certain people's attention; you just want to be noticed for once. But all your hard work and effort doesn't get you anywhere. It seems to not be making any difference.
So you change your clothes, your hair, your style, and your personality. It's not worth it, at all. Maybe impressing someone means you be yourself? It really is. It just takes others more than enough time to realize it, and notice you for you.
You can possibly be the type of person who takes time to "connect" to a new environment, such as high school. It might take you a while to get comfortable, a while to start talking, a long time to actually make a new friend. It could be hard, not being used to getting to know someone. Come out of your shell, and introduce yourself. Make a good first impression.
Or, you can possibly be the friendly, cheerful, talkative one. Greeting and meeting new people everywhere you go- on a bus, in a school- clicking and becoming instant friends with anyone. (Oh, how I wish I could have that ability.) That's good. Hooray for you!
Whichever type of person you are, not only does the first impression matter, but each and every one after that does, too. Making a good impression every single time leads to a great friendship and high praise. Have your words stuck in their heads all day (in a good way, of course). Have that crush falling head over heels for you ;)
Make someone laugh/smile , you'll be left with a tingling feeling inside, and you'll definately feel like wanting to celebrate.
-my.great.ESCAPE.
Okay, guys. Let's take a quiz. I'm going to ask you a question and you'll answer it.
Number one. My parents are. . . . .
a) strict and too overprotective
b) fun and supportive
c) nonexist or never around
Okay, pencil's down.
It was a trick question...There is no "correct" answer, is there?
Honestly, I answered 'a'. If you did also, then you probably have the type of parents that expect too much from you. Is it overwhelming? Yes, I bet it can be. The overprotective-ness really gets in the way, doesn't it? You might be irritated or angry at the things that they won't allow you to do or have (like go to a sleepover or a concert or something). There's always excuses. I, usually, find it really unfair. But then there's this excuse, I'm sure you all have heard: life IS unfair.
You may look out the window and see other kids with their friends roaming around freely in the world without a care, while you're stuck home doing chores and such. You may even get jealous at that...But your parents are probably doing this for a reason. They're possibly protecting you? Preventing you from getting kidnapped or hurt...I mean, the other kids probably have parents that don't even care, that are never around, that are absorbed in their work (or something else), that are never there....You'd think you're lucky with your strict parents...
But that's not what I get jealous of. Not those kids, no. I've seen others, with parents who are fun and nice. The supportive parents. I've seen kids who tell their parents practically everything. For gawdssake, the parents probably know all the school's gossip! The parents that say, "Hey look, there's that boy you like...Why don't you go talk to him?" Haha, that seems so unreal, because I just can't imagine doing that with my parents...
For kids, the question isn't "What kind of parents would you want to have?", but "What kind of parents do I have?"
And for parents, it's not "What type of parent do I want to be?", but "What type of parent should I be?"
There's always an upside in any of the answers you chose. The thing is, whether you "like" or your parents or not, you still love them...No matter what (Even when they seem to be the most unreasonable of all). And do you know why? It's because they're the probably the only people in the world who won't stop loving you. And that's what's most important of all.
I don't know whether or not this came from the heart,
but whatever.
-my.great.ESCAPE.
After all the I miss you!'s and the Wow, you've changed!'s, after the awkward silence and hugs, things weren't so "different" anymore. Being less and less awkward, I actually felt like I fit in, like I never really left.
I caught up, for the most part, and some of the old gang got together to hang out...I was happy: it felt a lot like old times. The memories we shared, the things we did, the people I missed...they came back to me all over again.
During my absence, our time apart, I had expected the worst: being forgotten, having my friends let go and move on...But even so, I kept in touch, hoping a piece of each of them would stay with me. I was glad we picked up right where I left off, talking about the past and all that. We spent a while remember things, from way back in third grade, sixth grade...Smiling at good times.
Not only that, but we dove into the future. Making plans for a road trip when we turn 18, having fun in Europe at 21...Even as far as to fantasize our adulthood, all of us being neighbors living in big houses somewhere beautiful, working hard and making money, watching eachother's kid(s) grow up to become the best of friends (like we once were, still are, will always be...)! And all other things to do before we die.
In a way, me being apart has somewhat given our friendships stronger bonds...I mean, we're even talking about spending forever together!
Sometimes, it's just better to hold on (I'm totally contradicting my last article, right?). Especially if it's worth it. And for great friends, it always is.
From the Past,
From the Future,
From Forever,
-my.great.ESCAPE
Letting go of something could be pretty hard. We're talking: letting go of memories, letting go of dreams, letting go of love...It is natural in life to just let go.There are those times in your life when you just have to accept what is going on and move on. Watch the baby grow up to be a child, learning to live without that blankie...and the proud parents watching their Little One grow up to be an adult like theirselves...
For some people, it takes longer to recover from a relationship than others. Letting go of love can be pretty hard! I mean, you've been spending "forever" with this person, and all of a sudden, you're just not? One day, you'll wake up, and realize that you have to start over. Begin a whole new chapter in your life; let the old one collect dust. It has had its time and fame, and now, you can move on. You can let go of the past.
That's right. The PAST is the key to this subject. How many times have you done something in your life that you ended up regretting? How many of you live your life without regrets?? When something happens, should you forgive or forget? Forgive and forget? I don't know about you, but when it can be hard for me to admit I am wrong. I just can't accept it. But of course, sooner or later, I would eventually have to accept it, move along, and forget about it. If it was an honest mistake? Forgive that friend, let go of the situation, move on. Everybody makes mistakes, and half those people deserve a second chance. For some, a second chance is all they need...
And if you refuse to let go? How much longer can you keep holding on?
It does not have to be the end,
-my.great.ESCAPE.
It's probably the first word a baby learns.
The first word you say when you greet someone.
The first word you say when you pick up the phone.
The word that you say when you're frustrated by your stupidity ("HELLO?! What was I even THINKING?")
It's such a universal word. You can go to another part of the world, and say "Hello", and they will understand. (So, technically, you know at least one word in every language). The very word itself brings a sense of hospitality when you greet someone. What a simple, yet, sophisticated word it is.
Of course, "Hello" may not always be so kind. It all depends on the tone in which you say the word. Are you greeting a houseguest? Are you greeting an enemy? Are you reluctantly greeting someone that you didn't want to meet? They all belong in a different tone of voice.
As you already know (and I assume that you do...if you're capable of reading this article, then you're old enough), "Hello" has many uses. That is why you can see the word being used in every aspect of life. Maybe it's that Target commercial..."You say goodbuy [they changed it to goodbuy for the commercial version], I say hello, I say hello." Or maybe it's Lionel Richie's infamous Hello song? Oh, and how about that little voice that suddenly pops out of your Motorola phone when you turn it on?..."Hello, Moto."
You yell "Hello?" in a store to see if anybody is there. You ask "Hello?" to see if someone has occupied a fitting room. You say "Hello?" while poking an animal to see if it's dead. You say "Hello" to someone because...well, you have nothing else to say to them.
But as always, "Hello" will always become the start of something new. Try saying "Hello" to new dreams, and greet the future. Don't mind saying "Hello" to a new student in your class. Who knows? They might become a life-long pal.
-the clam.
P.S. I just noticed--this is our 50th article on the blog! -throws confetti- Here's to another 50...or 100...or 1000...or 10000000000000 more!
