At Taylor University where I attend college, we have this giant lip sync competition every year called Airband. It's pretty epic. You have to try out to be in it. Different dorms and floors and wings get together and compete in the lip syncing and dancing and people from all around come to watch the two shows we put on.
This year, my dorm is practicing and in the middle of the song (I won't say in case someone from Taylor sees this. We want this to be a surprise until tryouts on Tuesday), we create a human ladder where I then climb over everyone and fall into the arms of a waiting few. Along the way, I have two others holding my hands to help me.
I was thinking about this and how this is very much like life. Sometimes, you need friends to help you get to the top, holding you hand or being the stair that boosts you to the next level. And, of course, you need friends to catch you when you fall so that you can try again.
Friendship is so very important to me. I know I'm not a perfect friend or anything, but I try. I keep the secrets of friends, I go out and by a pregnancy test for a friend, I try and be there when others need me, though sometimes I feel bad when I have to write a paper or something. If I know I'm busy I always try and schedule an hour break or so so that people can come to me when they need to.
Unfortunately, I'll fail. But just like the human ladder, I know I have friends to catch me. And if I was in the opposite situation, I hope I'd be strong enough to catch them too.
Even if they are a little bit taller than me.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Hate What You Love
Sometimes I really, really hate writing.
Which is bad since I plan to be in the writing industry for the rest of my life.
But sometimes I just really hate it. Because it's so difficult! I mean, granted, you basically sit down and bleed onto a page, but still, bleeding is a very painful and tiring process. Think about it, have you ever bled a lot? In real life? The more blood you bleed the less energetic you are and eventually you become so tired you go to sleep for all eternity. Also, the reason why you're bleeding to death is probably because you were incredibly stupid and ran with scissors or a knife or any other sharp object, or you were stupid enough to piss off someone so badly they ran after you with scissors or a knife or any other sharp object.
So writing can sometimes be like bleeding, but I'll try to keep the gore out of my blog.
But loosing your writing to evil computers is like loosing blood and then not getting a transfusion back. It's horrible. Absolutely, positively horrible. Thankfully Taylor Swift and Celtic Thunder are on the playlist I'm listening to and they sort of make everything all better. Celtic Thunder more so than Taylor Swift (though some of her songs have inspired certain scenes in my books--all pure fantasy stories and not the weird southern/Midwestern romance type thing).
Oh, and Rascal Flatts.
Either way, writing is difficult. You have to sit down and work at typing away (or sometimes writing by hand as I am strangely prone to do for two hundred pages or so). You have to make time to sit down and type or handwrite. Sometimes it's funny listening to people who are like "I'm going to write a book someday."
I laugh.
And in my head think, Yeah, I'm writing a book right now. In fact, I'm technically writing three books because the agent at the writing conference I went to this past summer told me that my two book idea would be much better as a trilogy so while the second book is done and needs a few more people to edit it, I must begin the first book, and oh the third book is half-way done because I had begun to work on it before the writing conference.
And you think it's tiring being inside your own head.
Some people are good at writing and do it for the money's sake. You can make a lot of money freelancing, if you know the right tricks. Or if you're suddenly a best-seller overnight.
But some of us write because we love to. Because when we're not writing and just sitting doing nothing, we feel like our heads and hearts will explode. Because we all have untold stories to tell, and our greatest fear is that we won't be able to tell THAT story.
Sometime we writers get caught up in outside distractions. Like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, or debating whether or not it's a good idea for Peter Jackson to make The Hobbit into three parts. And it's hard to find time to write or we don't want to write.
But we do it because we love to, because we need to.
And we'll go through phases where we hate writing (like when computers eat the writing and won't vomit it back up), or when the transitions between scenes or major plot points get up and runaway and won't come back. But then again, we all go through those period where we hate what we love.
And that's a part of life.
That's a part of being human.
Which is bad since I plan to be in the writing industry for the rest of my life.
But sometimes I just really hate it. Because it's so difficult! I mean, granted, you basically sit down and bleed onto a page, but still, bleeding is a very painful and tiring process. Think about it, have you ever bled a lot? In real life? The more blood you bleed the less energetic you are and eventually you become so tired you go to sleep for all eternity. Also, the reason why you're bleeding to death is probably because you were incredibly stupid and ran with scissors or a knife or any other sharp object, or you were stupid enough to piss off someone so badly they ran after you with scissors or a knife or any other sharp object.
So writing can sometimes be like bleeding, but I'll try to keep the gore out of my blog.
But loosing your writing to evil computers is like loosing blood and then not getting a transfusion back. It's horrible. Absolutely, positively horrible. Thankfully Taylor Swift and Celtic Thunder are on the playlist I'm listening to and they sort of make everything all better. Celtic Thunder more so than Taylor Swift (though some of her songs have inspired certain scenes in my books--all pure fantasy stories and not the weird southern/Midwestern romance type thing).
Oh, and Rascal Flatts.
Either way, writing is difficult. You have to sit down and work at typing away (or sometimes writing by hand as I am strangely prone to do for two hundred pages or so). You have to make time to sit down and type or handwrite. Sometimes it's funny listening to people who are like "I'm going to write a book someday."
I laugh.
And in my head think, Yeah, I'm writing a book right now. In fact, I'm technically writing three books because the agent at the writing conference I went to this past summer told me that my two book idea would be much better as a trilogy so while the second book is done and needs a few more people to edit it, I must begin the first book, and oh the third book is half-way done because I had begun to work on it before the writing conference.
And you think it's tiring being inside your own head.
Some people are good at writing and do it for the money's sake. You can make a lot of money freelancing, if you know the right tricks. Or if you're suddenly a best-seller overnight.
But some of us write because we love to. Because when we're not writing and just sitting doing nothing, we feel like our heads and hearts will explode. Because we all have untold stories to tell, and our greatest fear is that we won't be able to tell THAT story.
Sometime we writers get caught up in outside distractions. Like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, or debating whether or not it's a good idea for Peter Jackson to make The Hobbit into three parts. And it's hard to find time to write or we don't want to write.
But we do it because we love to, because we need to.
And we'll go through phases where we hate writing (like when computers eat the writing and won't vomit it back up), or when the transitions between scenes or major plot points get up and runaway and won't come back. But then again, we all go through those period where we hate what we love.
And that's a part of life.
That's a part of being human.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Dorm Stereotypes
So today I found out that a sophomore guy from one of the all-guys dorms was teasing one of the freshmen girls in my co-ed dorm about being in our dorm. And it wasn't friendly teasing. It was the out of control kind.
See, each dorm seems to have it's stereotypes. The jocks, geeks (my dorm), boy scared, boy crazy, preppy boys, and child boys. And sometimes it's really fun to play up on stereotypes with friends. As long as EVERYONE is having fun.
Now I can understand a freshmen boy taking the teasing too far. They've only been at Taylor for a week. But no. This was a sophomore, someone who should clearly have known that stereotypes aren't everything, and should be old enough to know when teasing has gone too far. But apparently not everyone grows up as fast as others.
I think what bothers me the most is the fact that he told her to stop hanging out with the group they were with and go back to her dorm. That bugs me. It's like, he doesn't think highly enough of her to hang out with her . . . because of what dorm she was put into. That's just low.
So let's get a few things straight.
1. Stereotypes can be fun . . . but only with close friends. If not with close friends . . . stay clear of them.
2. If you're a college student, you should know by now what's "friendly" teasing and what's "mean/rude" teasing.
3. If you don't know the differences mentioned in number two, perhaps you should go back to your local elementary and middle schools where lots of anti-bullying campaigns have begun and find out.
It doesn't matter what dorm you live in. We're all people. We're all unique and gifted in different ways. You shouldn't stop associating with someone just because you've been told they live in the "geek/weird" dorm. They might not be geeky at all! And, all in all, the Golden Rule is pretty much standard around the world.
See, each dorm seems to have it's stereotypes. The jocks, geeks (my dorm), boy scared, boy crazy, preppy boys, and child boys. And sometimes it's really fun to play up on stereotypes with friends. As long as EVERYONE is having fun.
Now I can understand a freshmen boy taking the teasing too far. They've only been at Taylor for a week. But no. This was a sophomore, someone who should clearly have known that stereotypes aren't everything, and should be old enough to know when teasing has gone too far. But apparently not everyone grows up as fast as others.
I think what bothers me the most is the fact that he told her to stop hanging out with the group they were with and go back to her dorm. That bugs me. It's like, he doesn't think highly enough of her to hang out with her . . . because of what dorm she was put into. That's just low.
So let's get a few things straight.
1. Stereotypes can be fun . . . but only with close friends. If not with close friends . . . stay clear of them.
2. If you're a college student, you should know by now what's "friendly" teasing and what's "mean/rude" teasing.
3. If you don't know the differences mentioned in number two, perhaps you should go back to your local elementary and middle schools where lots of anti-bullying campaigns have begun and find out.
It doesn't matter what dorm you live in. We're all people. We're all unique and gifted in different ways. You shouldn't stop associating with someone just because you've been told they live in the "geek/weird" dorm. They might not be geeky at all! And, all in all, the Golden Rule is pretty much standard around the world.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Initiantion
So last night we initiated the freshmen and transfer students who were fortunate enough to land on our floor in our dorm. What we girls do is wrap scarves around the freshmen's eyes and then lead them across campus and make them do all sorts of crazy things like running around in circles, hugging trees or passing boys, or jumping up and down in the middle of a flower patch.
But then, while they're still blindfolded, we lead them to the memorial prayer chapel and take them into one of the large gathering rooms, and remove their blindfold. Our floor's chaplain, lovingly known as DA, does a small devotional and explains why there are bowls of water and towels on the floor and why the upperclassmen are kneeling in front of each new girl.
"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew his house had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were int he world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but my hands and my head!"
--John 13:1-9
Servant leadership. That's one of the big buzz words going around Taylor's campus. Along with intentional community. In this way, we are showing the freshmen and new students that we accept them, and that as upperclassmen, we are here to serve their needs. To lend a shoulder to cry on if they get homesick or stressed. To listen to their worries, answer their questions, and advice their troubles. This is more than just saying "You've been initiated!" This is saying that we've accepted them and the responsibility of being good sisters in Christ to them and to each other.
But if Christ did it, why shouldn't we?
But then, while they're still blindfolded, we lead them to the memorial prayer chapel and take them into one of the large gathering rooms, and remove their blindfold. Our floor's chaplain, lovingly known as DA, does a small devotional and explains why there are bowls of water and towels on the floor and why the upperclassmen are kneeling in front of each new girl.
"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew his house had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were int he world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but my hands and my head!"
--John 13:1-9
Servant leadership. That's one of the big buzz words going around Taylor's campus. Along with intentional community. In this way, we are showing the freshmen and new students that we accept them, and that as upperclassmen, we are here to serve their needs. To lend a shoulder to cry on if they get homesick or stressed. To listen to their worries, answer their questions, and advice their troubles. This is more than just saying "You've been initiated!" This is saying that we've accepted them and the responsibility of being good sisters in Christ to them and to each other.
But if Christ did it, why shouldn't we?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Guys, Girls, Dating?
"Well, it's seems to me that the best relationships--the ones that last--are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch had been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is . . . suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with." --Gillian Anderson
Coming from a Christian background, there's sometimes a lot of emphasis on getting married and having children. Of course, this happens in the secular non-Christian world too. You know, you see that older woman, mid-thirties or older, and she's still single and people shake their heads and whisper to each other about that "poor girl." Of course, when a man is that age and older and isn't married others seem to just say "he's a bachelor" with no sorrow or scorn. Just fact.
Also, since I go to a Christian college, we have this little saying that goes "Ring by Spring!" because senior year, most girls seem to be getting engaged either over the summer, fall, or early spring. Now, I'm one of those strange girls who go about without a boyfriend. Yep, that's right. No boyfriend! I've never had one.
Now before you accuse me of being a lesbian, let's get a few things straight.
1. I like boys. I've had many a crush on a guy.
2. I want to get married, have kids, and spend the rest of my life with a lovely man who will protect me from evil wizards and brandish swords against Sauron and orcs . . . .
3. I'm okay waiting for the right guy.
4. If I date and it doesn't work out, okay. Move on and go forward.
5. It's cheaper being single. If I wanted to go traveling the world, I don't have to help pay for two people.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be loved. There's nothing wrong with wanting a girlfriend or boyfriend. But there is something wrong when that's all you can think about, and you can't seem to live a full life without a significant other. If you can't handle life on your own, what makes you think you can handle taking care of another person?
Someday, I will meet my future husband. But for right now, I'm all right with God saying "Wait." It means I can enjoy hanging out with my friends, traveling the world, and discovering who I am.
And that's okay. Just as long as I do have friends to fall back on.
Coming from a Christian background, there's sometimes a lot of emphasis on getting married and having children. Of course, this happens in the secular non-Christian world too. You know, you see that older woman, mid-thirties or older, and she's still single and people shake their heads and whisper to each other about that "poor girl." Of course, when a man is that age and older and isn't married others seem to just say "he's a bachelor" with no sorrow or scorn. Just fact.
Also, since I go to a Christian college, we have this little saying that goes "Ring by Spring!" because senior year, most girls seem to be getting engaged either over the summer, fall, or early spring. Now, I'm one of those strange girls who go about without a boyfriend. Yep, that's right. No boyfriend! I've never had one.
Now before you accuse me of being a lesbian, let's get a few things straight.
1. I like boys. I've had many a crush on a guy.
2. I want to get married, have kids, and spend the rest of my life with a lovely man who will protect me from evil wizards and brandish swords against Sauron and orcs . . . .
3. I'm okay waiting for the right guy.
4. If I date and it doesn't work out, okay. Move on and go forward.
5. It's cheaper being single. If I wanted to go traveling the world, I don't have to help pay for two people.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be loved. There's nothing wrong with wanting a girlfriend or boyfriend. But there is something wrong when that's all you can think about, and you can't seem to live a full life without a significant other. If you can't handle life on your own, what makes you think you can handle taking care of another person?
Someday, I will meet my future husband. But for right now, I'm all right with God saying "Wait." It means I can enjoy hanging out with my friends, traveling the world, and discovering who I am.
And that's okay. Just as long as I do have friends to fall back on.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Seasonal Change
It's time for school!
Whether you're in high school, college, or already out of school, it's time to go back to school. Or, at least everywhere you turn it looks like it's time to go back to school. Stores have Back to School Sales and those who don't go to school anymore take advantage of the cheap office supplies and stock up for the winter.
Much like that, we know it's time for school to start because the season begins to change. From the hot days of summer comes the cooler days of autumn. Or fall--appropriately named since temperatures begin to fall, creating lovely silver mists over the ground in the early morning. This is known as Mist or Fog. Smog to you poor souls who live in the cities.
Being from Maine, and going to Indiana for college, autumn gets put on hold. As I left Maine yesterday, trees were already starting to turn red and orange, while I can assume that (like last year) Indiana will be as green as ever. And yet, while leaving Maine and going someplace else delays my experience of autumn, I don't escape the changing of the seasons. And as I think about that, I'm reminded of life.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
--Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV
Everything must come, and everything must go. This is the way things must be. Sometimes, I really dislike this passage. Because it tells me that one can't have a perfect life. That in order to experience real laughter, one must truly weep. That in order to truly rejoice and dance, one must truly mourn.
This past spring, two young men I knew passed away. One, Josh Larkin, was a year older than me and passed away in his dorm room on my college's campus. He'd be a senior in college this year. The other, Clark Noonan, passed away in a car accident ten days after Josh. Clark would be a junior in college, and was born on the same day, month, and year as me. This I would say, was a sorrowful season. And sometimes, I still get very sad. I'll hear a song and start tearing up. But I know that the only way I can ever truly appreciate life, is to mourn the last of others. I wish we never had to die. I wish we could live on forever.
But at the same time, without the passing of seasons, the world could never change for the better. Without changing seasons in our lives, we can never get stronger. Even when the path is unclear, there must be a better ending, because snow melts to spring.
Hatori: What does snow become when it melts?
Tohru: Um . . . let me think. I know, it becomes spring!
--Fruits Basket
The ice will surely melt, and spring will come. And even if another ice season comes, that too shall melt.
Whether you're in high school, college, or already out of school, it's time to go back to school. Or, at least everywhere you turn it looks like it's time to go back to school. Stores have Back to School Sales and those who don't go to school anymore take advantage of the cheap office supplies and stock up for the winter.
Much like that, we know it's time for school to start because the season begins to change. From the hot days of summer comes the cooler days of autumn. Or fall--appropriately named since temperatures begin to fall, creating lovely silver mists over the ground in the early morning. This is known as Mist or Fog. Smog to you poor souls who live in the cities.
Being from Maine, and going to Indiana for college, autumn gets put on hold. As I left Maine yesterday, trees were already starting to turn red and orange, while I can assume that (like last year) Indiana will be as green as ever. And yet, while leaving Maine and going someplace else delays my experience of autumn, I don't escape the changing of the seasons. And as I think about that, I'm reminded of life.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
--Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV
Everything must come, and everything must go. This is the way things must be. Sometimes, I really dislike this passage. Because it tells me that one can't have a perfect life. That in order to experience real laughter, one must truly weep. That in order to truly rejoice and dance, one must truly mourn.
This past spring, two young men I knew passed away. One, Josh Larkin, was a year older than me and passed away in his dorm room on my college's campus. He'd be a senior in college this year. The other, Clark Noonan, passed away in a car accident ten days after Josh. Clark would be a junior in college, and was born on the same day, month, and year as me. This I would say, was a sorrowful season. And sometimes, I still get very sad. I'll hear a song and start tearing up. But I know that the only way I can ever truly appreciate life, is to mourn the last of others. I wish we never had to die. I wish we could live on forever.
But at the same time, without the passing of seasons, the world could never change for the better. Without changing seasons in our lives, we can never get stronger. Even when the path is unclear, there must be a better ending, because snow melts to spring.
Hatori: What does snow become when it melts?
Tohru: Um . . . let me think. I know, it becomes spring!
--Fruits Basket
The ice will surely melt, and spring will come. And even if another ice season comes, that too shall melt.
Treasure in Dust
Have you ever found an old traveling trunk? The kind that
looks like it belongs at Hogwarts, but really probably belonged to someone two
or three generations ago, maybe in your own family? To me those trunks held mysterious, long-forgotten treasure, just waiting to be rediscovered by the world or--more specifically--me.
Or maybe you found forgotten treasure in the dusty stacks of an old bookshop.
It doesn't really matter where you found the treasure. What matters is you found it, you grabbed it, and you've held onto it.
For me writing has always been a way for me to share the treasures I have discovered over the years with others. Even if that treasure is just an idea, I can put it into words or a story, and share it with a vast audience. That is a wondrous thing, sharing among the nations of the world, reaching others that you may never meet.
But still, the greatest treasures come, sometimes, from the past. From those who have come before us. Like letters from daughter to mother where you find out that said daughter read The Communist Manifesto only because it was the only book she could find in English while teaching ESL in Japan in the 80's. Then finding out Karl Marx was a Jew. All from old letters found in the back of an old room in your grandmother's house.
And this is what I hope for this blog. That you will stumble upon this place, purely by accident, or led here by a friend; and you will find treasure to take with you and share. Because besides finding the treasure, the greatest joy is sharing it.
For me writing has always been a way for me to share the treasures I have discovered over the years with others. Even if that treasure is just an idea, I can put it into words or a story, and share it with a vast audience. That is a wondrous thing, sharing among the nations of the world, reaching others that you may never meet.
But still, the greatest treasures come, sometimes, from the past. From those who have come before us. Like letters from daughter to mother where you find out that said daughter read The Communist Manifesto only because it was the only book she could find in English while teaching ESL in Japan in the 80's. Then finding out Karl Marx was a Jew. All from old letters found in the back of an old room in your grandmother's house.
And this is what I hope for this blog. That you will stumble upon this place, purely by accident, or led here by a friend; and you will find treasure to take with you and share. Because besides finding the treasure, the greatest joy is sharing it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)