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| Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of.... wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked... You're not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind... the race is long, and in the end it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you recieve, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.'
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life... the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary... whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can... don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance... even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you'll never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either on might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.
Be careful who's advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more that its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen...
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| Jacob checked himself into a 60 day rehab today.
He didn't say anything to me--literally.
His mom had to be the one to tell me.
He didn't talk to her either-just wrote her a note and left it on the table.
I don't get it. | | |
| i used to be one of those kids who always tried in school, and was happy to be there and for the most part got good grades and crap.
That went down the drain this year. I don't even know why, maybe I'm just sick of school after 12 years of it. Everything from the florescent lights to the way my math teachers hair moves drives me crazy. I have almost no ambition to even try any more. That should scare me, but it doesn't. | | |
| Its been awhile since I've done this last. so here it goes.
Since the last time i updated this:
I no longer live with my family. I suppose I really dont have much of a family anymore. i'd love to say its for the best, but I'm still not entirely sure of that.
Homecoming went great. uh Schools going.....uhm well its going. hehe. church stuff is ....well its normal I guess.
not sure what else to update on.
So my English teacher started talking today about the Salem witch trials and we started discussing whats worth living for.So i've spent alot of time thinking about this and began to create lists
What (in my life) is worth living for:
~ seeing if i can actually survive highschool and graduate...doing it all by myself.
~ watch my nephew grow up....actually more than just watch, i want to participate in it. Even when that means getting up at 7 o'clock on a saturday to pass out boyscout food drive bags.
~ Finding out what God really has planned for me.
~ Becoming stronger friends with him and knowing Jacob so much more.
So now heres my question. These are the only things that seem to get me to force myself to wake up in the morning.
I started thinking about it: I can live without the first two, I'd actually be okay knowing I failed to do them. So that leaves the last two.
Finding out what God has planned for me: Part of me says I already know what that is. The bigger part says that i've just found this thing and decided to make it part of my "plan" because i know I could do it. But I think life should be more than that, more than just doing something because i know I could do it. I want something more out of life, something that I need to struggle with, something I need to force myself to do to become smarter, stronger, wiser.
But at the same time I know if i do end up doing that "thing" than im almost 100% sure I'll be happy with life. I know doing that thing would be making God smile and i know i'd be doing his work. And I want that to be enough for me, I want to know that making God smile is the only thing i need to make my life feel successful.
The second thing being: I'm barely 16. I feel like im going through a mid life crisis already!
So than my teacher brought up another good question:
if you have something in your life worth living for than what would you die for?
What would I die for, sir?
good question. Ive got 4 measly things that keep me getting up in the morning (and two of those things really dont even count).
But what would i die for? Theres so much. And he says
"im talking about the real death. not the 'im dying' like we use in everyday language , such as im dying for a snickers. the real dying--the full out, no more breath, no more beating of the heart. the kind of death that involves pain. suffering. hatred. What would you be willing to suffer for? Do you have anything in your life that you could set next to a butcher knife, and you wouldn't even think about it. if it meant choosing the knife to end your own life or between saving this thing, or this person. Would you?"
And Im not sure what made me think so much about this.
Now people today simply say, "i would jump in front of a bullet to save you". Yeah, right. Thats so unrealistic its not funny. In reality, those people that say that wouldn't jump in front of that bullet. They would hear the shot, turn and run. it makes me wonder how many people who have told me that would actually do it.
So things I would die for?, well Mr. Lorfeld. I cant say im entirely sure.
Theres those few people who better know i'd give my life, its just automatic.
The more I think about it, I think I'd give my life for anyone. I dont know if this means i don't value my life, but I guess maybe i dont.....
in reality, I'd trade my life for the man on death row, maybe than he'd be able to make something of his life and better the world, Maybe than he'd find God.
i dont know, none of this makes sense to me anymore. This is Theresa on lack of sleep.
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| So I'm home for the summer...(done working) for the first time in nearly 3 months. Lots of interesting stuff from being accused of selling drugs to needles in my stomach, but I'm alive. Great expierence working at camp, had a blast and learned alot too! Definely want to come back next year... | | |
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