One Kind Word...

This is entirely true! Someone I met at camp stopped me before I checked out on the last day and told me how I am such a sweet, kind, unique person, and that they enjoyed being able to spend a week getting to know me. Those few simple words made me smile for the rest of the day because they made me feel great about myself. Even now it makes me smile! This just proves how saying something, even just one kind word, can make someone happy. And who doesn't love to smile and be happy? :) 

Quotes and Inspirational Things

I must admit...I spend quite a bit of time on Pinterest. I mainly pin quotes that really stand out to me. There's just something about certain quotes that make me think about them and reflect back on my own life. That's why I wanted to add in a "Quote" section on my blog because sometimes it's all you need to make you feel better about yourself or to give you something to smile about. I know that for me personally I always feel great when I come across a positive quote so that's something I'd like to share with others too. :)

Struggle

Poverty walks the streets,
sullen and alone,
looks for any morsel of food.

No job,
no house,
no clothes except for the rags on his back.

Poverty gazes across town
at the bright lights,
the mansions Wealth possesses.

Owner of a big business,
three-story house,
expensive designer clothes draped over his shoulders.

Wealth passes Poverty on the streets,
walks faster to avoid being seen
next to such a disgrace.

Poverty has goals of his own,
dreams to do great things in life,
to be successful.

While Poverty struggles everyday
to take a step closer to his dreams,
Wealth simply enjoys all he has without effort.

Vermont Summer Academy

I'm back home after spending one of the best weeks of my life in Vermont. I went to a summer camp at Green Mountain College and all I can say is that words can't ever sufficiently describe how amazing it truly was. It was a relaxing week where I could get away from stress and have some fun. I made a ton of new friends who I miss already and it's only been one day away from them all! Every day I had a group of people to talk to about anything whenever I wanted to. It was comforting to have such kind people around me. I loved how nobody formed separate cliques. The whole camp came together as one so nobody was ever left out or lonely. The environment was an accepting one so everyone felt like they belonged there. 

Green Mountain College 

Class was for six hours a day with lunch in between. There were only three students in my Creative Writing class which I actually preferred because it made it more personal to get to know everyone individually as a writer, and it was more comfortable to share work with the group. I was so used to having different rules and restrictions for writing that I felt free when the teacher basically said that anything we wrote was acceptable and there weren't any restrictions on creativity in the class. I thought he was a wonderful writing teacher for that. Creativity just happens when I write and having restrictions interrupts it. Another big thing he emphasized was that the best thing a writer can do is to get out and observe everything around them. It makes a stronger writer when they are able to write about what they know and observe. I completely 100% agree with that. 

I got to get a feel for college and dorm life that week. Specifically life at Green Mountain College. I was already planning on applying there before but after this experience I am definitely sure about it. This is my top choice for college right now. It's perfect for me because the campus and class sizes are small and the teachers actually care about your education rather than at a giant university where I would just be another face in the crowd. I love their mission to be environmentally friendly on campus. The organic farm where nothing is grown with pesticides is right up my alley too. 

Each day was absolutely amazing. I'm glad I went against all my fears about trying something new. I walked into camp feeling nervous and doubtful. I walked out with more confidence and a ton of new friends. :)  

Forces of Karma

Every action has a consequence
whether it be of equal harm
or worse in a justifiable circumstance.
Karma determines such outcomes.
That is its nature.
Quite miraculously one harsh word
has the ability to result in a rash.
One lie spoken in impulse
pivots around to bite.
A cruel, sick joke
played on an unsuspecting victim
returns to be played once more.
A broken heart of the innocent
offers a bitter kiss that stings.
Fabulous forces stop the cycle,
of a terrible action on repeat.

The Kissing Booth

I just read this book in two days because it was just that good I couldn't put it down! The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles is amazing. Basically its about how Rochelle develops major feelings for her best friend's brother, Noah, after they kiss at a kissing booth for their school carnival. I could say way more but I don't want to give away any spoilers. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it and read it. 

I was reading through the part in the beginning about the author and it says that she was seventeen when this book was published. That is so incredibly awesome! That's proof right there that it's possible to get my writing published as a teenager too. 

Feelings after Figment

I usually enjoy going on figment to read stories written by other writers and then critiquing them and giving feedback, but today I kind of started to feel self conscious about my writing. All of the stories I read through today were amazing. They were descriptive,imaginative, made me want to keep reading, and were apparently very popular based on the amount of hearts (basically likes) and comments on them. Then I return to my page of writing and it all seems so...bleh. I started to second guess all of it. Mine doesn't seem nearly as awesome as all the others I read. Mine seems so mediocre compared to everyone else.  

But you know what? After taking the time to think about it more I realized that I only thought my writing was bad because I was comparing it to everyone else. That's when most people start to feel bad about themselves and think that whatever they do is bad. When you go to the library and look through the books in the young adult section they're all different. There are different styles of writing because every author is different. It's unique and creates variety. 

My new view on my writing is that it's unique and awesome in its own way. Just because it doesn't look just like all the other writers' work doesn't mean it completely sucks. I still have room for improvement, but I'm not going to give up and hate my writing because of that. 

Whether it's writing, or clothing, or interests, just because it isn't like everyone else doesn't mean it's bad. It's just what makes people unique and that is a great thing.