This is a true story.
One day, Mrs. Jacobs was driving home after grocery shopping. She passed a lemonade stand run by a bunch of kids, waving signs with '25 cent lemonade' written on them. She decided to buy one, only didn't pay 25 cents or even $1. She gave the kids $20 for one cup of lemonade, got back in the car and drove home.
The moral of this story isn't to buy lemonade from kids, but rather to be generous and kind.
The challenge of this story is that one day, when you have kids, give a random group of kids **$20** for a cup of lemonade. Pass the story on and give others the challenge.
**It doesn't have to be $20. Just whatever you can afford and still be generous.*
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
10 Reasons Why I Can't Sleep
1. I'm bored.
2. Not tired enought.
3. Had a nap a few hours ago.
4. Having an insomnia attack.
5. Distracted on my computer.
6. Homework.
7. Texting..... sometimes.
8. Stressed.
9. Don't feel like it.
10. Angry/annoyed.
2. Not tired enought.
3. Had a nap a few hours ago.
4. Having an insomnia attack.
5. Distracted on my computer.
6. Homework.
7. Texting..... sometimes.
8. Stressed.
9. Don't feel like it.
10. Angry/annoyed.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Dreams
Many disagree with me, but I believe that we all need a rediculous dream that could become possible. We need that for the hope it gives us and for the little bit of insanity that's good for us. Being too realistic takes the joy out of life. A dream is there to give us a sense of unrealism. What good is it not to sometimes act like a kid again and pretend that you are a fairy or you are a princes locked up in a tower and imprisoned by a dragon. Being too realistic takes the joy out of life. To put it simply, relism is impossible and being to realistic is overall depressing. YOU CAN'T BE A REALIST! To even attempt to do anything in life shows that somewhere, subconsciously or otherwise, that you have a dream and you are trying to achieve it, realistic or not. How many people become president? 1 every 4 years. How many people try anyway? How many people will win first place at FNL Nationals (Debate)? 1 person/team in each event out of a total of 2,500 kids. How many people will win the Nobel Peace Prize? 1 in a million. So what? You can still try! It doesn't matter how impossible it might seem. It doesn't matter how many people or statistics are against you! The average homeless person off the street can get a place to live if they just work towards it. I don't care how hard it is. I'm not talking about the realistic side of it. The fact is... it's possible. That's all that is needed for most people to get their butts off the ground and TRY! There are no true realists in the world today because anyone who gets up and does something is a dreamer, no matter how big or small, important or insignificant, the dream might be. The fact is, IT EXISTS! Don't you ever try to tell me otherwise!!!
Something new...
Love. That’s a normal 13 year old’s first thought when she sees someone gorgeous. Especially when it’s Eddie Backer. His soft, shiny hair, twinkling blue eyes, dazzlingly white smile. He had any girl he could ever want wrapped around his finger. Except me. I couldn’t stand the sight of him. None of my friends understood why, but none of he could see what I saw: the truth.
I’m Elsie Bradburry. I’m not the normal teen. I’m not even human. I’m not sure what I am, but I’m not as normal as everyone thinks. I look normal, but magic can easily hide the differences between my body and the average teen’s.
Pointed ears, slated eyes, extra-long eyelashes, longer canine teeth, extra long hair, blood-red pupils. At first I thought I was an elf, then a vampire. I’m neither of those. I don’t have extra awesome reflexes or long life. I’m not invincible and don’t thirst for blood. I actually abhor the thought of eating any meet no matter the species. I’m the absolute opposite of a vampire.
The reason I destest Eddie Backer is not because he is a blood-sucking feind. Rather because of the way he treats my kind: magic kind. He is just a regular human with the knowledge of the magic world. To an extent. He doesn’t know what I actually am but he knows of other people who are like me: different; not entirely human. Hidden amongst the hustle and bustle, the rushing to and fro, the business of life. Some hide behind full body masks, creating an illusion of normalcy just like me. Some look perfectly normal, just have to keep their attitudes in check. But most choose to separate themselves from the world. The majority are different but choose to hide.
The few humans who know of our world choose to ignore the truth. Few of them act upon the knowledge and fewer of those act kindly. Eddie is one of those few who choose the easier action: to act unkindly in defense against something that’s different. He chose hatred, racism and violence, and as someone who has always excepted people as they are, even the vampires, I could not understand his feelings towards those in possession of magic. Towards my people. As much as I loath and despise some of them, they are still my people.
My friends could never understand. They always said “What’s wrong with you? He’s a perfectly nice person. Plus he’s so cute!” but they didn’t know my big secret. I could never tell them, as much as I wanted to. They would react out of horror and fear instead of wonderment, sympathy and support.
I didn’t have a single person in the world who knew my secret. Not even my parents. I didn’t even know who they were. They didn’t exist in my memory. And if they are alive today, they are nowhere near here. But sometimes I feel as though someone is watching me…
I was startled out of my revere as MaKayla shook me, yelling in my face.
“Hey! Are you listening to anything I’m saying? I’m trying to explain why Eddie is such a great guy! Oh forget it! You don’t normally listen anyways!”
Monday, May 30, 2011
Love
Yes, a cheesie topic, but it's worth so much more then money. It's something everyone in the world has to learn. Perhaps, if we all shared a little bit more love, the world would be that much better. Show love by small acts of kindness, a smile to anyone and everyone, a hug where it's unexpected, and a kind word where it's needed. Everyday should be called "Show a little more kindness then yesterday" day.
Think about it.
How much kinder would we be to those around us if we made the decision to be that much kinder to everyone we met? How much better of a day would we have then the last every day if others treated you better then they did the day before? How many more friends and allies would we have if we decided to simply be nice to one another? How often would wars not happen? How much easier would it be to get along with your enemies if you were nice? Would enemies even exist at all?
We should ask ourselves these questions of just about anything in life. Just one question at a time, and something that seemed like such a good idea suddenly becomes dumb. And something that may have seemed uncool before may become the coolest thing to do. The quality of life would change for everyone, even those less fortunate then the majority of us: those without any feeling of hope, love, exceptence or worth.
If we just reached a hand out to those in need, smiled at everyone, said 'Hi' to those we passed on the street, and acted out of kindness every day, everyone would be happier. It's the principle of the 'Feel good, Do good' phenomenon in reverse. 'Do good, Feel good.' And in doing so, we apply both principles to our lives and are ever feeling better and better, doing more and more good, and make the world a more livable place because the smallest word of kindness in just the right place can make the difference in one person's life, having a ripple effect on them and spreading to those closest to that person. When you effect one person, you NEVER effect just one life. You effect more people then you could create a formula for.
Never leave anything the same as when you left it, or so the quote says. That should be changed to ALWAYS leave things better then when they come to you.
Your decisions effect people in ways you wouldn't even begin to believe possible. THINK before you act and SMILE before you talk. DECIDE to be happier and nice and the world WILL be a better place.
You mean almost nothing to the world, but you mean the WORLD to someone. Especially when you don't know who that person is, but you acted in kindness anyway. Let your heart and conscience guide you and I promise, as long as you act in kindness, you won't go wrong.
Think about it.
How much kinder would we be to those around us if we made the decision to be that much kinder to everyone we met? How much better of a day would we have then the last every day if others treated you better then they did the day before? How many more friends and allies would we have if we decided to simply be nice to one another? How often would wars not happen? How much easier would it be to get along with your enemies if you were nice? Would enemies even exist at all?
We should ask ourselves these questions of just about anything in life. Just one question at a time, and something that seemed like such a good idea suddenly becomes dumb. And something that may have seemed uncool before may become the coolest thing to do. The quality of life would change for everyone, even those less fortunate then the majority of us: those without any feeling of hope, love, exceptence or worth.
If we just reached a hand out to those in need, smiled at everyone, said 'Hi' to those we passed on the street, and acted out of kindness every day, everyone would be happier. It's the principle of the 'Feel good, Do good' phenomenon in reverse. 'Do good, Feel good.' And in doing so, we apply both principles to our lives and are ever feeling better and better, doing more and more good, and make the world a more livable place because the smallest word of kindness in just the right place can make the difference in one person's life, having a ripple effect on them and spreading to those closest to that person. When you effect one person, you NEVER effect just one life. You effect more people then you could create a formula for.
Never leave anything the same as when you left it, or so the quote says. That should be changed to ALWAYS leave things better then when they come to you.
Your decisions effect people in ways you wouldn't even begin to believe possible. THINK before you act and SMILE before you talk. DECIDE to be happier and nice and the world WILL be a better place.
You mean almost nothing to the world, but you mean the WORLD to someone. Especially when you don't know who that person is, but you acted in kindness anyway. Let your heart and conscience guide you and I promise, as long as you act in kindness, you won't go wrong.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Strangers
People you meet that you don't know. Previously unseen faces, unknown attitudes, undiscovered personalities. Unsure of ourselves and others, we choose to guard our secrets and act differently then we normally would. And yet, there are always those people who make us open up without a second thought. Always those who make us want to be ourselves. Why someone we just met can have such an effect on us is a mystery and perhaps it always will be. And yet there is always that warning voice in the back of our heads telling us to be careful and not to make yourself vulnerable to someone you don't know. Slowly, as we get to know the person better, that voice retreats and becomes silent almost all the time. It's always there, but it normally knows when to pop out. It's what we call our instinct. Most of us could probably stand to listen to it more often then not. The things we tell them are strange and varying but nevertheless revealing about ourselves. People will say just about anything to just about anyone. Only rarely to we utterly avoid people we see because our instinct tells us to. We avoid others becausee it's normal and we would be considered strange if we didn't. Some we don't necessarily feel open to just because and some we will tell and give answers to just about anything that they ask.
And still, we push ourselves past our boundaries to gain new friends and new insights into the world. A connection we previously didn't have. Something new we didn't have moments ago. As humans we are incredibly curious. You know what they say, "Curiosity killed the cat," only problem is that the cat has nine lives whereas humans only have one. Or so the legend goes. Or story. Or call it what you will. But regardless of the name, it still exists. Back to curiosity.... why are humans so curious with only one life given to live? Why are we so incredibly willing to be so different and yet so much the same as the crowd? Again, conformity to complete strangers is yet another unsolved mystery of the universe. Perhaps all those mysteries lead up and answer the biggest mystery of them all............... Who are we? Not in general to the universe or the human race or anything of that sort, but rather to ourselves. Perhaps that's why we are so infallibly curious. Perhaps that is the reason certain strangers can make us tell them just about anything. And yet again, maybe the answers to those questions aren't anywhere near to the answers to that crucial question. Maybe they don't even lead anywhere near the answer. And yet, I believe that the answers to those questions can give us more then we give them credit and tell us more about ourselves then any fortuneteller could.
And still, we push ourselves past our boundaries to gain new friends and new insights into the world. A connection we previously didn't have. Something new we didn't have moments ago. As humans we are incredibly curious. You know what they say, "Curiosity killed the cat," only problem is that the cat has nine lives whereas humans only have one. Or so the legend goes. Or story. Or call it what you will. But regardless of the name, it still exists. Back to curiosity.... why are humans so curious with only one life given to live? Why are we so incredibly willing to be so different and yet so much the same as the crowd? Again, conformity to complete strangers is yet another unsolved mystery of the universe. Perhaps all those mysteries lead up and answer the biggest mystery of them all............... Who are we? Not in general to the universe or the human race or anything of that sort, but rather to ourselves. Perhaps that's why we are so infallibly curious. Perhaps that is the reason certain strangers can make us tell them just about anything. And yet again, maybe the answers to those questions aren't anywhere near to the answers to that crucial question. Maybe they don't even lead anywhere near the answer. And yet, I believe that the answers to those questions can give us more then we give them credit and tell us more about ourselves then any fortuneteller could.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thoughts
Thoughts. All you need is a thought and boom..... something completely new has been started: and idea, an invention, a story. Your body holds your thoughts and puts the most powerful ones into actions. One idea to start it all. Everything in history was started because of one small thing in someone's mind. You can't find anything from the beginning of time that wasn't started because of an idea.
Anything, including the war. I was there. I saw it and witnessed it's destruction. I felt the devistation of thousands of lives and the ruin of countless cities. I know the sorrow and the anger that was bred because of it all.
Empires were destroyed, species wiped out, civilizations erased from the map. Things changed, and few live to remember how it was and most choose to shove those memories into the backs of their minds, the dustiest corners so they will never be seen agian. No record exists for writing it would be too painful a memory and too great a task to ask of anyone. Except her.
She was there before the war and she still remains. No one knows how old she truly is. Perhaps even she has forgotten. But a war such as that can never be forgotten by those that live to remember it.
Anything, including the war. I was there. I saw it and witnessed it's destruction. I felt the devistation of thousands of lives and the ruin of countless cities. I know the sorrow and the anger that was bred because of it all.
Empires were destroyed, species wiped out, civilizations erased from the map. Things changed, and few live to remember how it was and most choose to shove those memories into the backs of their minds, the dustiest corners so they will never be seen agian. No record exists for writing it would be too painful a memory and too great a task to ask of anyone. Except her.
She was there before the war and she still remains. No one knows how old she truly is. Perhaps even she has forgotten. But a war such as that can never be forgotten by those that live to remember it.
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