Memories

     I love memories- especially the ones you didn't plan. I love those "spur of the moment" ideas that you end up remembering for the rest of your life. Since I've been feeling nostalgic these past few days, I would like to share some of my fondest memories with you.
     April of my eighth grade year, my best friends and I went on an adventure. We've done some crazy stuff these past few years, but this day never ceases to still bring a smile to my face. That day, my friends and I walked around aimlessly, found cool graffiti walls, swam in a river, and climbed giant hills and rocks. Honestly, I remember that day like it was yesterday. We ended our day by a bonfire, making s'moores, and sleeping in a tent full of blankets, where we woke up the next day in the sun to pancakes. There were five of us, so that night was the first time we ever had a sleepover with all of us together, and to this day, that was one of the best nights of my life. The idea of being with people you love and just doing whatever you wanted to at the time is a feeling I'll never forget.
     Another memory that I think of often happened this past July in the Caribbean. I was with my family in the Cayman Islands, and me being me, I wanted to go on an adventure. Finding new places by myself is something I've always done to clear my head and have some time to myself, so I thought what better time to have some fun then in another country? So, when we had some down time, I left the room my sister and I were staying in and just decided to find someplace to explore. I went to a woody area across the street from our hotel, and I was pulling out my camera to capture the moment when I noticed a lizard out of the corner of my eye. This was no ordinary lizard- you see, the Cayman Islands are known for their blue iguanas, which are literally like 4 feet long. This lizard was MASSIVE, and when I realized that my heart stopped. I tried to walk away slowly when I heard the leaves rustle behind me and I kid you not, at least five more four foot lizards came out of nowhere and surrounded me. Being alone, I thought I was going to be eaten alive, so I tried my best to slowly leave the area and once I saw the street I booked it. That was probably not only the stupidest and scariest thing I've ever done, but one of the funniest ones to look back on.
     One final memory I want to share happened this past January. When we had all those snowdays, one of my favorite singing groups,  Fifth Harmony, announced that they were doing a signing on the other side of Boston on a day we had off, and my friends and I HAD to go. We didn't even have rides or a days notice, but we woke up, got ready, and managed to get there with no exact plan. We just knew that it would be worth it in the end, even if we were stranded across Massachusetts. We went to the place where it was at 11, and spent six hours at this mall we've never even heard of, to meet 5H not once, not twice, but three consecutive times. While we were there, we planned out our rides home and everything, so we were no longer worried, but going all the way to Hanover with no real plan eight hours after you made plans was one of the most courageous and rebellious things I'll probably ever do. It was worth it though, because I had an amazing day with my friends full of laughs and exciting memories.
     So yeah, I've done some risky and not-so-smart things in my short lifetime so far, but those are the memories I will remember forever. There's a quote that goes "Life happens when you're busy making other plans," and I feel like this resonates with me a lot because the best memories I've made were ones I never intended on making. So go and do something risky, I promise you it'll be 100% worth your while.
    

Routines

     So for the past six weeks, I've been in the off-season in between indoor and outdoor track. To be honest, I'm really enjoying my free time, and being able to run on my own, at my own pace. But, even though I've stayed conditioned in this time, I know that getting back into the routine in general will be super difficult. I'm not good with routines- I'm always trying to break out of my comfort zone and just enjoy what I want to in the moment. So, even though I love to run and am looking forward to track more than anything, I'm not looking forward to the drag of getting home at 5 every day.
     This seems so negative, but bare with me. Although I hate routines, and the idea of being comfortable in general- I love what comes out of them. Without having a routine in the morning, I'd never be able to get ready. If I didn't get ready, I wouldn't have a lunch for school or a bag packed. Without having an after school routine, I'd never eat a snack or do my homework and get my run in. It is this very idea that reminds me that although routines are against everything I believe in, sometimes sticking it out in something you don't like can be worth it.
     Imagine life without routines: you wouldn't feel happy with your appearance in the morning, and your confidence could be down the drain that day. You wouldn't fuel your body properly, and grow and have your health. You wouldn't have good marks in school, or even get to school on time. So yeah, sometimes routines get boring and repetitive, but it is because of these boring little rituals that we are given the opportunity to experience our lives without worry.

What its Like to be an Artist

The number of blank notebooks and canvases
I've bought to make art on never does
The irony of the matter any justice,
Because trying to put the mixing bowl of
Thoughts and ideas onto an 8 by 11
Piece of paper never gets easier.

Imagine being alone in the middle
Of the arid lands of Africa with a
Stampede of wildlife coming right at you,
And you had to spot the zebra in the middle
In time for you not to get trampled.
Now, imagine not being given a telescope
But having to identify Mars in the entire
Sea of stars in the night sky.
Everyday I do this.
Everyday I sift through the thoughts
I have been presented with for the day
And I pick the one I can work with.

There's this itch you get under your
Fingertips when you're an artist-
It's never gone away for me, and there's
Good and bad to that,
Because having this need to put something
On paper gets overwhelming when you
Have no ideas, or too many-
Sometimes you have a feeling that
Deserves to be recognized but there is no
Way on earth you can do it justice.

So, yes, being an artist is something
I never would have chosen, but its
Something that has slowly woven itself
Into my DNA, and I might as well
Stick it out for a while, I mean who knows,
Maybe something incredible will come out of this.