Just Have Hope

The First Day of School. There are only a few of those that I will have in my lifetime. This year I find myself torn between excited and not excited. Half of me is excited for a new start, a schedule, and working hard. The other half longs for more free time and wishes to have the Summer back. I'm afraid the latter part is winning.  The last time I went to school was not last school year. In fact, I really didn't go to school last year. I was virtual the entire year. And... I loved it. More free time, self-paced, easier than in-person school. It was nice, except for the non-social part but that's a story for another time. Anyway, the last time I actually went to school for a normal day was March 13th, 2020.  (I talk about this day more in-depth in this blog post if you are interested.) This year I'm considering myself a Freshman in my Sophomore year because I haven't really experienced high school yet.  So... here is my first quote for the new school year: "Th...

 “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” ~Michael Jordan. There is a particular hill in my neighborhood that is a pain to climb, especially with a backpack. However, I have come to love this hill because of what it represents to me.  Life is a journey, a path we must follow. Our path will not be straight and flat but will have hills and valleys.  ~This path can be found in Clayton, North Carolina. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have always thought of trials as a hill or a mountain. Hills can seem daunting at first, even impossible, just like our trials, however, in order for us to ever conquer them we must take our first step.  ~This hill is very steep. It might be hard to see in my pictures but in real life, this hill is a real killer to climb. ----...

 "I wish I hadn't learned to play the piano. Said no one. Ever." ~Unknown I don't think there is anyone who has said that they regretted learning to play the piano. I have met many people who regret not continuing piano lessons but do not actually regret the fact they learned to play it.  I have played the piano for many years since I was little, probably seven or eight years. It takes a lot of practice and dedication to learn an instrument. I haven't always been the best at practicing but I have enjoyed where it has taken me.  The piano is the biggest instrument someone can play (with the exception of a pipe organ). The piano to me has always been somewhere I can find myself or maybe discover something new. My greatest love for the piano is being able to make up my own songs. That has been very fun to do and the possibilities are limitless. The piano is a beautiful instrument. If you ever consider learning something new, try the piano.  If you are learning to pla...

 "All things are difficult before they are easy." ~Thomas Fuller This quote has been true in my life many times, especially when I am learning something new. I have just started driving and I will be receiving my permit in the next few weeks. Driving has turned out to not be as easy for me as I thought.  At first, it can be really hard to steer the car, check your cameras, pay attention to signs, and watch your speed all at the same time. But as with anything, practice makes progress. So I know I am bound to get better as long as I keep practicing. We will have multiple opportunities in our lives to try something new and most of the time it won't be easy right away but with practice, a little patience, and faith the task will get easier.  Our brains understand the concept of repetition. Just like you have the same schedule each day (more or less) the more you repeat the process the more likely you are to remember it. It's the same thing with other things. The more you...

 "Life is like steak. You can't eat all of it in one bite. Just take one small bite at a time." ~Sarah McLamb Okay, first off, I don't eat steak. In fact, I can't even think of a time when I have. Our family commonly eats more chicken than beef. LOL.  Anyway, the point is, you can't eat steak in one bite. It's not possible. Life is the same way. We can't live all of it in one moment. That's the beauty of it. Life is meant to be lived one moment at a time, not all at once. Let's say you get sick. I know, very unfortunate, but it happens. You are out of school, work, etc. for a week. You come back and bam! You feel miles and miles behind. The worst part: you have to make up for all the work you missed and on top of that you have to keep up with the work currently going on.  I find it very hard to believe that someone could make up a week's worth of work in one day. In fact, that would be pretty much impossible, unless perhaps you don't wa...

This quote hung in my 8th-grade Science teacher's classroom. I have always loved it.  "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars." ~Les Brown I think there are many ways to interpret this quote. I think this quote teaches us that even if we don't get our biggest dream we will still be viewed as someone who accomplished something great or who had a goal completed. I think this quote also teaches us that even if we didn't get as big of an outcome as we thought we still succeeded in our own way.  I have had an experience with this with one of my writing websites. I finished writing my first book after being on a writing website for a while. I really wanted to get a good number of followers. (Fifty or one hundred would have felt like a huge accomplishment to me.) However, I only had thirteen followers in the end. I was slightly disappointed but I have now realized my star or big accomplishment was me completing my first book not the number o...

We all know that popular saying when you are learning a sport or learning to play an instrument. "Practice makes Perfect."   Except I can't help but disagree.  Humans are not perfect. It's true. We all have faults and each of us will make mistakes. So, as my family now says:  "Practice makes Progress." ~Leighanna Lindsay And it's true practice will make progress. Even people who are professionals at a certain sport or talent can't do what they do perfectly. They mess up just like we do, even during a performance. In fact, they are still improving to become better with their talents and abilities every day believe it or not. So, if you make a mistake at something you are learning, remember that you are not perfect and that you can always improve.  What are you trying to practice or improve right now? How is this helping with your progress?