Nothing Lasts Forever

Here's something that's been on my mind recently. Nothing lasts forever. What does that really mean? Does it really mean nothing? Well, I suppose that's true. Because our lives don't last forever, and neither do material objects. And, yes, that may mean that they fall apart or break, or get lost. However, that also means that they lose their value in life.

Such as times when you lose something that you may have just got, and you feel it is very important to you. At first, it's easy to become sad, because you know hiw important it was to you when you lost it. However, after a while that sadness goes away. Why? Another thing that falls under the category of "Nothing lasts forever" is that everything loses it's value sooner or later. Like, the lost object loses it's value, because, even if that object were never lost, it would end up becoming less and less important anyway. Until it finally just sits somewhere, and is barely looked at again.

I know that sounds a bit drastic, and it's not true for any and everything. And, it might not even be true for everyone reading this post. But, it definitely happens to me a lot. And, if this happens to you, and you just so happen to lose something that you really liked at the time don't feel so bad about it. Because there would be a time where it wouldn't be that important to you anyway, and you'll eventually get over it.

So, have you ever lost something that you missed, but then got over? Post a comment with the story below. Also, since this is October, I hope to have so fun and cool Halloween posts coming up, so stay tuned for that. And if you have any Halloween post suggestions, also post them in the comments section below.

Seeing a Friend

You amy or may not remember me making a post about a friend of mine who moved away and I was worried about what it would do to our friendship, and my entire group of friends, because she was such a good friend to us. Well, she came back and visited this weekend, and I spent some time with her yesterday.

It was nice for one of my friends and I to catch up with her and tell her about school here, and also hear about how school is over there. We told her about things that were puzzling her, but also about difficulties we were having and she did the same. Sometimes, I felt like she had never left, and that she was only absent from a school for a few days, but, a lot of the time I miss her and how much of a good friend she was to all of us, and how we will always miss her.

So, what about you. Have you reconnected with friends who moved away? If so, share your experiences in the comments section.

Website Review: Bearville Craftshop

So, this isn't a website of it's own, however, Build A Bearville has so many different components to it, that I decided I would just focus on one in particalar. Which is Craftshop.

http://www.bearville.com/Home/Videos

At that link you can see all of the videos posted on Bearville. There's BE News, Bearville Live and last, but not least, Craftshop. Craftshop is an informational video series which focuses on a particular craft each week, and teaches members of the site how to make them. These How-to's can range from tissue paper flowers to pillows, belts and even fun snack ideas. A lot of the crafts involve using old household items that kids don't use anymore to make a fun new craft that they will use, or update to the item. Also, the crafts can be very useful, like a tote bag for school or something similar to that. They're all very fun crafts to make, and it's always nice to know that I made it.

Family Values and Connections

Today, I realized a lot about the importance of family, and how their absence can affect us in many ways.

My family is from a part of Inida called Kerala. It is on the western tip of India, and is a very small state. Not many people outside of India have heard about it, but it's truly an amazing place. The good thing about Kerala is that everyone is connected. It has a very important sense of community and family, and you learn good family values. Though I did not grow up there, I learned from my parents and hope to pass these values along to my children.

But, today, I went to visit my grandpa's grave, and I saw that by my grandpa's grave, there were three other gravesites for people from Kerala that are very close to my grandpa's. Though I still cry sometimes when I think about it, though it's been eight years, it comforts me to know that there are people who are so close to him with their graves by him.

The point of this is to discuss just how important and valuable family is to the people where I'm from. So, in your family, what is something that connects you? What values keep you together?

Decisions

So, today, a teacher at my school told us a tragic story about something that to dear friend of hers, and I won't go into the story, however, I will go into what it taught me.

I realized that every decision I make, no matter how big or small it is, can have a very impact on something, and I won't know exactly what will happen until I have made the decision, however, when I do make that decision, I should be held accountable for it, no matter how everything turns out.

Responsibility can have many meanings and contexts. So, when I use it now, it's important to know exactly how I wish for it to be used. Right now, I am using responsibility as responsibility for one's actions. It's impossible not to make decisions, and turn those decisions into actions. We all have responsiblity for our actions. Because the actions we make are very important and they can impact any and everything in ways that are unchangeable. And, when you do something, you can't go back and undo it, and you can't change it. What's done is done, and wer're responsible for everything.

So, if we are held responsible for our actions, we should take great care in those actions, and decisions made for those actions. So, now, whatever I decide to do, I will think about it carefully, and think about all the consequences, and then determine whether I want to make that decision.

Tolerance...Another Guest Speaker

So, today we had another guest speaker at our school, and he was very helpful in teaching us about tolerance. He gave us examples about how intolerance could make people feel, about about why we should be more tolerant.

First off, he said that tolerance is the bare minimum, and acceptance is really what we should be striving towards. Yet, there are so many people that need to learn how to be more tolerant.  So, that is the best place to start.

Secondly, a good example of why people should be more tolerant is the phrase he used. "Live and let live." This phrase is very important in dealing with tolerance because it talks about just what we should do. Live our lives and let people live theirs. Also, you don't know about the situation of another person, unless they tell you about it. You don't know about all the hardships in their life, or what they are going through. You really don't know that much about a person, even if you think you know them very well, there are still things that you don't know about them. But, the thing is, it's not about being tolerant to friends. It's about being tolerant to total strangers.

And, I must say that I agree with him. As a world, we need to be more accepting of diversity. We need to understand that everyone around us is different, but it's those differences that make them who they are, and it's what makes us who we are. They're important, and no matter what, we should accept them.

So, do you have any stories about tolerance or intolerance that you'd like to share? Or maybe just your views on the subject.

Peer Pressure

This is a very interesting topic for me, because there is someone I know that struggles very much with this, even though I'm not even sure if he knows it.

So, this is basically it, being pressured to do things by your friends or other people that you might be trying to impress because they'll have some sort of respect for you if you do it. That's the first thing that many people think of when they think of peer pressure. But, there's also the smaller things. Like, when you are with your friends and they want to work out, but you have a mountain of homework to do and you need to get started on some of it. You were planning to do that, but, now that your friends are gong to go work out, you think you'll just follow them.

For all the talks and lectures I've been given about peer pressure, this example has not been given a lot. But, I believe that it needs to be given a lot more. Usually, when I've heard about peer pressure, I've heard about doing drugs, smoking, drinking and things in that genre, but never about the example that I've stated above. That example is important because it tends to happen earlier than when people get pressured with drinking or smoking. If you gain the confidence to do what you want to do, or what you think you need to do early on, before drugs, smoking and drinking come into play, than you will have a much easier time saying no later on.

This happened to me today, and I am sad to say that I didn't say no, even though I was contemplating it multiple times. I had to stay after school because my dad couldn't pick me up, and my friends wanted to go to the gym, however, I had a lot of homework that I needed to complete. I wanted to leave, and do my homework, however, I felt like I wasn't going to have any fun if I did so. So, I stayed, and now, I have a lot of homework to complete before I can sleep.

So, have you ever had to deal with peer pressure? How so? And what do you believe is the point where you being influenced by your friends is going too far?

Symbols for You

So, yesterday, I had to write for my English blog. The title was "Symbolism" because we were discussing it in class. The assignment was to write about a symbol that represented us.

I chose a dove, because I couldn't think of what to write, so I decided to take a quiz online. I chose a dove because it symbolizes peace in a way. I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to stir up drama, or be involved in it. Which is why I started this blog. So I could let people know about my feelings without hurting people, or upsetting people. Also, I'm the kind of person that just flies away when I don't like where I am. And, if I'm stuck, I'm always trying to get...unstuck, I suppose, and fly away from trouble as fasr as I can. Whenever people are having a conversation that I don't want to be a part of, I just leave and try not to make it too obvious, and neither does a dove. I suppose I just thought that peace and flight were parts of me, and a dove symbolizes both of those things.

So, in your comments, tell me what symbolizes you. and why. I'm really curious to hear what you have to say.