“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

So many of us come up with excuses as to why we can’t do something. Truth of the matter is, most of us could do something about it, but we choose not to. If you really want something in life, then what are you waiting for? If it’s something that you really want, then you will do something about it. If you don’t, then you must not really want it that bad.

“Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.”

We may not know it now, but every moment in our lives, good or bad, big or small, is leading us to a moment that we’ve been waiting for. We all become frustrated with things, I know that I do. When I’m in school, I just keep thinking to myself “why do I study when it gets me nowhere” or “why do I even try”. The only thing that keeps me going is to know that one day it will all pay off. I’ve made it this far, I can’t give up now.

“There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go.”

Although we don’t want certain things to happen in life, they still do. We don’t have any control, but we do have control over how we handle these situations. Everyone eventually loses someone or something that they never intended to lose. It doesn’t make it fair and it doesn’t make it okay, but its life. Life is a funny thing, isn’t it? At times, it can be the greatest thing and at other times… not so much. Sometimes it brings you up just to knock you down, but its like Dory from Finding Nemo says, “You know what you gotta do when life gets you down? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”

My quotes

“Don’t become so caught up in life itself that you lose yourself.”

Sadly, our world is not all that great.  I don’t even know how to begin to explain our generation. The only thing I have to say to our generation is that you can’t expect others to respect you if you can’t respect yourself. Don’t change yourself just to “fit in” to society because you do not want to be like today’s society- sorry not sorry. A lot of people don’t even notice it, but they begin to lose themselves; don’t be one of them.

“Always fight for what you believe in, even if you’re the only one fighting.”

If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, then you’ll never get anywhere in life. At some point you have to make a stand. You can’t just sit back and expect everything to work out perfectly. If you want to make a change, then go out there and do it; be the change. Even if you’re the only one fighting, at least you fought for what you believed in and you stood your ground. It's like my Granddaddy always told me, "winners never quit and quitters never win."

7 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was 15

1.       Don’t ever give up on your faith no matter how hard life gets. – Every single day there are going to be people that let you down, but God will never be one of them. All of my life, I have always tried to keep a strong faith. Now, I truly know that faith is what keeps me going and faith is what saved me. I would be nowhere in life without it.

2.       Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones and never take time with them for granted. – Recently, I have lost two very important people in my life that I never dreamed of losing. It made me realize that I have wasted so much time doing other useless things when I could have spent that time with them. When you lose someone, it makes you realize that your loved ones truly are something to appreciate and you should never take the time with them for granted. I would give anything to talk with my Granddaddy or Aunt Debbie again.

3.       Growing up seems fun, until you actually grow up. – When I was little, I could not wait to grow up. I was so ready to be in high school, get my own car, and have my own house. To be honest, all I want now is for everything to slow down. In two years, I will be out of high school and then I will be out in the real world where so much is expected of me. Nowadays I just wish that I was little again.

4.       Just because you were friends, doesn’t mean that you always will be. – I really wish that someone had told me this advice earlier. As I have grown up, I have learned who is really there for me and who never really was.  It’s weird. When you’re younger you think that you and one person will be best friends forever, and for some people that may be the case. All in all, I ended up with some great friends and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

5.       Don’t ever change yourself to be “accepted into society.” – Someone, somewhere is never going to accept you. You could be the nicest person in the world and someone is still going to find something wrong with you. The person you are is the person you are meant to be. God made you the way you are for a reason and if other people don’t like that then too bad.

6.       If you have family, then you have everything and more. – My family has been through heck and back this year. Things happened this year that I would have never dreamed in my worst nightmares. One good thing came out of all of this though… it made my family stronger. My whole family is already close-knit, but we really became close this year. When everyone else walks out, family doesn't. They are always there for you. 

7.       Always believe in yourself no matter what the circumstances are. –In life, there are always going to be people that want you to have low self-esteem about yourself and people who don’t want to see you succeed. The best way to get back at those people is to prove them wrong. Become successful and work hard, because it will take you far and it does pay off in the end.  

The Unexpected

I knew that I should've done something, anything, but I couldn’t move. It was like I was on a roller coaster ride that couldn’t stop. Everything around me was spinning and all I heard was screaming. I heard my name being called over and over, but my feet wouldn’t react. I tried to yell for help, but no words were coming out. All I could see was my best friend trapped inside the house of flames and a bright light that kept getting brighter and brighter. Next thing I knew, it went completely black.

Astounded, my eyes flew open. “Oh, thank goodness,” I thought, “it was all just a dream.” I woke up to get ready for another long day of work at the hospital, trying to shake the nerves of the dream off.  Once I got to work I tried to call Jake to wish him a happy birthday, but he wasn’t picking up. “Hm,” I thought, “maybe he’s still sleeping.” I went about the rest of my day waiting for Jake to call back, but he never did. When lunch time came, I decided to go see him since he wasn’t returning my calls. When I got inside, all of the lights were out and there wasn’t a person in sight.

As I drove back to work, I tried not to worry. “He’s probably just out with some friends or something,” I thought. When I got back to the hospital, I looked over the list of patients. I was reading through the list when all of a sudden I dropped the clipboard and fell to my knees.  There on the paper in black print said “Jacob D. Crews.” Suddenly, I realized the dream wasn’t a dream. It was all true.  

Granddaddy's Girl

Ever since I can remember, I have always been a Granddaddy's girl. When I was little, I would spend all day at my grandparent's house while my parents were both working. There wasn't a time that I wasn't over there; it was literally like my second home. There are so many memories that I have with my Granddaddy. I would help him build things, go to Bojangles or Timberland with him every morning, and take rides with him in his big truck. Those are only a couple of the million things that we used to do together. Of course I would spend a lot of time with my Grandma, helping her cook, clean, do crossword puzzles, sew, etc., but most of the time I would be with my Granddaddy. I remember when he would come to my house, pick me up by my feet and swing me around and around. It feels like that was just yesterday.

Every day after school, I would go straight to my grandparent's house and get my Grandma to fix me some pancakes and bacon. As soon as I got done, I would go crawl up in my Granddaddy's lap and watch Judge Joe Brown with him. He was a truck driver, so sometimes he would be out on his trips but as soon as he was home, I would run straight up to his truck and give him a huge hug. I cherish the little moments like this that I used to have with him. As I got older, I still tried to visit my grandparent’s every day. You see, they live right up the hill from me. All of my family lives around my grandparents and my Granddaddy even put up a sign that says, “Dillonsville.” I honestly wouldn't have wanted to grow up any other way.

Sadly, about two months ago, cancer took my Granddaddy away from me. I have had a really hard time dealing with this. He was my best friend, my hero, and the person that taught me everything I know. When he left me, I honestly felt like a part of me left with him. It’s still really hard to think that I can’t walk up to the porch and talk with my Granddaddy anymore or walk down to the pond and go fishing with him. I miss him every second of every day, but I have faith that God will get me and the rest of my family through this. After all, faith is the only thing that I’m holding on to right now. 

Live each moment like it's your last, because it just might be.

At some point in life, everyone loses someone that they love. It doesn't mean that you have to be okay with the situation or that you have to like it, but you can't do anything about it. Death can be expected or unexpected, but either way it doesn't make it any easier. To be honest, you can't really become immune to death. It's like a baby when they are first born, they become sick so easily because they aren't immune to anything. When someone important passes away in your life it's feels like someone punches you right in the gut every time, or at least that's how I feel. No amount of time is ever going to make it okay. Time may make it easier, but it will never fully take away the pain. Most people don't understand the pain that someone is going through until it happens to them. I know I didn't.

When someone close to you passes away, it changes your perspective on life a lot. You realize that you shouldn't waste your time on things that don't matter. There is no need to care about certain things or people that could care less about you. The only people you need in your life are the people that need you in their's. It also makes you realize that you need to not dwell in the past, but live in the present and create a better future for yourself. You are here and you are healthy. There are people everyday that are struggling to survive and then there are others of us complaining over pointless things. Sometimes, we all forget how truly blessed we are.

Death is a huge part of life whether we want it to be or not. Life is a funny thing. It's almost like there's a "catch" to it. You get to have a life, but you and the people you love will eventually have to leave. The one thing that keeps me going is to know that I will eventually see all of my loved ones again someday. I don't know everyone else's perspective on religion, but I do know mine. I know that God is going to be there for me through everything. I know that no matter where life takes me, I will always be able to depend on Him. When I feel as if I can't go on anymore, He is there to pick me up. That's what keeps me going through life, knowing that I will one day be able to see my loved ones again and knowing that God is going to be there with me through it all. He is my refuge and my rock to lean on when it all just becomes too much. It's like my Aunt Debbie and my Granddaddy always told me, "God has a plan and if you trust in Him, everything will be just fine." I remind myself of that everyday. We all have to go out and enjoy life every single day and live like there's no tomorrow, because you never know if there will be.

"I Cry" by Tupac Shakur

My response to this poem "I Cry" by Tupac Shakur is just... wow. The emotion that I felt while reading this was overwhelming. Tupac talks about how hurt he feels and how lonely he is, but the world doesn't even seem to care. In the movie A Cinderella Story there is a quote that says, "I can be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel all alone." This quote explains this poem perfectly. Everyday, we are all surrounded by people, but some of us feel all alone and like no one cares at all.

People have become too caught up in the world itself that they don't even notice, or care to notice, that someone is hurting. Sometimes people don't even know that their loved ones are hurting until it slaps them right in the face. People have become so cruel. When someone you know has a loved one pass away, you don't even bother to talk to them until you hear about the bad news. How do you know that they weren't feeling sad or lonely before that? You would've known, but you didn't care. Sometimes people don't care until it's too late. Look at all of the people who have committed suicide. Maybe if one person had just stepped up and told someone, "hey, stop picking on that kid" or "if you ever need someone to talk to, i'm here." Sometimes that's all it takes, but most of the world has just stopped caring. When something happens to you, you feel the pain and the hurt inside. But what about when it happens to someone else? Do you really care? Tupac says, "I would cry among my treasured friend, but who do you know that stops that long, to help another carry on." I think that what he is saying here is that it feels like his life has stopped, but others are still going on. No one cares to help him through this. They don't care what he feels like, because it's not them that it's happening to.

The point that Tupac is trying to make is that the world has become so caught up in the world itself that no one even seems to care anymore. So next time you see someone upset or hurting, talk to them and let them know that you are there for them, even if you don't know them. Sometimes it's good just to have that reassurance that you'll have someone to talk to. 

I think that the poet does succeed. Tupac gave me a different view on things. Just because everything is going good in your life doesn't mean it is in someone else's. People in the world just don't seem to care anymore. I too am guilty of this. Everyone has seen someone upset or hurt, but not everyone always says something to them. There is not a person in this world who has never felt hurt, sad, or lonely. 

Tupac uses the literary device imagery in this poem. All through the poem, I had a picture in my head of a lonely person crying by his/her self. Tupac also uses personification. He says, "the world moves fast and it would rather pass by then to stop and see what makes one cry." It's almost like he's comparing the world to a car ride. He's saying that the world is moving so fast that it doesn't even care to stop and see what's wrong. He might use these devices to try and make a better connection with the reader. 

I Don't Want to Grow Up

Do you ever wish that life sometimes had a stop, rewind, or fast-forward button? Well I do, all the time. When I was little, I couldn't wait to grow up, but now that I'm older, I just wish that I could go back to being little again. I miss having that feeling that everything is going to be okay no matter what. I would give anything just to go back to my childhood, if even just for a day, but this is life and we always want what we can't have.

I don't know why, but when I was little, the world just seemed like such a better place. I didn't have to worry about people judging me or any drama. My only worry in the world was whether or not I wanted chocolate ice-cream or vanilla ice-cream. My cousin and I were outside together every single day from sun up to sun down. We would spend all day at my grandparent's house and then cry when we would have to come home. Today, we have all of this technology and kids hardly ever go outside to play. I can't say anything though or I would be a hypocrite because sadly, I've given into technology as well. Another thing that I miss from being little is the television shows and music. I mean come on, what in the world are they playing on the T.V. now and the music.. oh my word. What happened to movies like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin or music like Backstreet Boys and N Sync? That is what I would consider good. I honestly feel bad for the younger kids today who have to grow up watching and listening to today's T.V. shows and music.

The thing I miss most is my childhood memories. I cherish them every single day. Recently, two very special people in my life have passed away. I wish I could just go back in time and relive all of the memories that I had with them. I miss them so much everyday and I just wish that I could see them again. If I could go back, I would tell them how much I miss them everyday and how much I love them. You should cherish every moment that you have with your loved ones because there is no promise of tomorrow and that's a fact.

Truth be told, I'm scared to grow up. I'm scared of the thought of losing my parents or my sister, moving out, and being on my own. Right now, I have it really easy. I'm with my parents, I don't have to worry about house or car payments, and I don't have to worry about a job. I'm not saying that being a teenager isn't hard, because it is, but when you think about getting out into the real world when you're older, it gives you a lot to think about. We just have it so easy and so many people don't notice that until they get older. A lot of times, it doesn't hit that person until right then and then it slaps them right in the face. I know that I have it really easy right now, but it's not going to last forever, so I think I'll enjoy being a kid for as long as I can.