The Performance of The Night

As she sat in the passenger seat of her mom's car, Kate couldn't have been more excited. Her lips continuously curved in an ear-to-ear smile, her legs bounced from foot to foot, and her heart beat as fast as the cars passing by her window. The past month, Kate had practiced her act for the talent show audition and made sure that it was something unique, something never before seen. Kate was going to recreate Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. She was aware that there were a few other Van Gogh lovers in her school trying out for the audition, so she couldn't have been more confident about her performance. Day after day, with unfailing diligence, Kate painted and painted the 'Starry Night' because Kate believes that there is always room for improvement. For three weeks, Kate's recreations were done on white cardboard - but for the last week, Kate convinced her mom to purchase a few professional canvases, so that she would get the feel of it.

Kate rolled down the tinted window, let the breeze blow her fears away, and closed her eyes in complete silence. The vehicle steadied to a stop as Kate's mom approached a parking space and slowly drove in. Kate opened the door, and looked down as to watch her step, and admired the sparkle in the pavement as the streetlight above shown on the area. Adoring the radiant glitter, she imagined the spotlights in the auditorium shining upon her in the same way, making her the center of attention. Reaching out for the door handle to the entrance, Kate spotted the talent show banner across the top of the auditorium doorway and felt another rush of excitement, enthusiasm, and energy flow to her very soul. The organizers who had volunteered to make all the arrangements guided Kate behind the stage, where she spotted all the others, practicing their acts one last time, before the big game. She noticed a student, unaware of who, towards the back of the room. Step by step, as Kate became closer, she noticed a canvas, paint bottles, and a paint brush pallet set. Drawing back from tapping the shoulder of the student, Kate pondered over how she missed one person who was practically performing the same act as hers, but instinctively tapped the shoulder. He turned around, and Kate was shocked at the face in front of her.

The sullen, silent face of Albert greeted her with an unenthusiastic 'Hello'. Albert was the typical, quiet student who never interacted with anyone, except on occasions like group projects. Kate broke the silence, saying, "I had no idea you were trying out, forget painting. You just never seemed the type to paint."Oh," Albert mumbled and looked at Kate's painting supplies every now and then. "It was a last minute decision. Um, it looks like you're painting too. If you don't mind me asking, what are you painting?" Kate wished to remove that look of nausea and nervousness across his face, so in the most polite, friendly, yet normal manner, she replied, "I'm painting Vincent Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. What about you?" Albert slowly raised his head and met eye-to-eye with Kate. His eyes widened. Kate thought it impossible. They now both had the same act. There was only one thing that could have been done, but it was all worth it.

Kate explained her plan to the head organizer, and she nodded her head. Stepping onto the stage, with the spotlights shining on her exactly as she imagined, she introduced herself, and her partner - Albert. "Together, we will be painting 'Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh. I will start off." And with that, Kate began with the delicate swirls of the moon and the sky, handing it over to Albert, who finished off with the city of the night. That night, as Albert and Kate bowed down to the audience of the night, they knew inside of them, that they were...

The Performance of The Night. 

http://johnbriner.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/starry-night.jpg

What Teamwork Really Is

Many a times, we feel as if the only way a task can be completed properly is by doing it ourselves -  sometimes, I feel that way myself! We feel that it needs to be done with full potential - our potential. However, during the past week, Nature has taught me something of which I was either unaware of, or had no idea that it would actually be effective. Sometimes, what we don't realize is that we can achieve much more and reach places beyond our expectations - with an even greater speed...

I sat in the car, on that rainy day, and in silence, I observed the wind as it shook the trees. I heard it whistling, and that's when I noticed the drops of condensation on the windows of the car. The force of the wind and the speed of the car traveling in opposite directions caused the water droplets to join together - and when they did, something remarkable happened. They moved faster. They moved faster than they did when they were by themselves, but when they joined, they took off, going somewhere beyond the vision of the eye.

Here are the characters:

• Wind=Conscious
• Water Droplets=Us

In the same way, the wind is our conscious - sometimes, it's a soft breeze and may not speak up, but other times, it howls and you are compelled to listen to it. We are the water droplets and when we join together, we combine into an even greater force that can take us beyond what we see.

Remember, the sky is NOT the limit.

http://data.whicdn.com/images/3838263/the_sky_is_not_the_limit_by_flabnbone-d2yh7a0_thumb.jpg?1284196826

http://thewaterproject.org/community/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/natural_water_droplet_1600x1200.jpg

Life is Like Photography

Even though we all know the answer to "Why does life bring so many troubles?", we still ask that question. Nobody escapes from life's sorrows - because if one did, they wouldn't even be in this world. Sometimes, we take a few glances at a person, hear a little about them, and think that their life is perfect and their life has no place for hardships - but deep down, they might be suffering a great loss.

As an unknown author stated,

"Life is like photography, you develop from the negatives,"

Now, if there were no negatives, or situations we dislike in our lives, how would be become mentally strong? The reality is that this world is filled with difficulties and we have to be prepared for them. So, to prepare for them, we need to endure hardships, and become capable of handling the tough times.

This is the process:

1. We face interminable hardships and our faith feels broken
2. Finally, the harsh times have ended and happy times seem to germinate once again
3. Our film roll of the harsh times is ready to be developed
4. We make our way to the photo department and develop the negatives
5. The negatives are transformed into a more clear image and we have everlasting memories!

Now, it's up to you whether you will make your way to the photo department and develop those negatives into everlasting positive memories.

Will you?


http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhmg083TGm1qzidboo1_500.jpg

The Game of Life - Play Carefully

Dear Readers, 

It occurred to me that it was a difficulty for a few readers to leave comments due to the fact of needing a specific account. Although, this problem has been resolved! You can now comment using the existing accounts, but also with your name or website URL! For those who are not comfortable leaving their name, there is an 'Anonymous' option as well! 

Now everyone can comment...So,

Comment away!

Sincerely, 

Rishika
________________________________________________________________

The following saying was by Mom. There may be quotes similar to the following, but this is her wording:

"It doesn't matter if you lose a game in life, but it does matter if you lose the game of life."

The moment these words reached my ears, they created harmonious tunes and I knew that this was something that should be known to more. Many people become 'depressed', or are filled with anxiety when they lose something that is of value to them, such as peace of mind. The reason that 'depressed' is put in quotations is because there is no such thing as 'depression'. It is simply a mere word that is in the dictionary - but it is not an actual emotion. You may think it is, but give it a few thoughts - that stressed out feeling is simply the action of negative feelings overcoming you.

In life, there are many mini-games in which we have to face. Sometimes, we win, and sometimes we don't. Although, these games are only preparation for the most imperative game that really matters - Life. These mini-games are present as a beneficial support - so we can learn from our mistakes and later perfect them. If winning wasn't in our destiny, we shouldn't let it cling to our hearts and let it be the cause for losing our peace of mind. There are many other chances, and after all, what matters is to win Life - by conquering your goal.

Show those mini-games how mini they are and overlook whether they defeated you or not - and always remember...

 "It doesn't matter if you lose a game in life, but it does matter if you lose the game of life."

Good Luck!

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSKHkgw2hEKYKv5uOgfr-0OiwwS7BKKyZVycRxzGZsb6taLWKnPg&t=1

The Secret Cameras

Have you noticed that whatever you do has been recorded by secret video cameras implanted by secret agents? Who are these secret agents?

Sun, the determined agent who comes out everyday during daylight, capturing our smiles - only, if we are smiling. Moon, the generous agent who gives a soft-looking glance every night - putting us on the spotlight. Lightning, the all-knowing agent who comes out all of a sudden and takes a picture with lightning fast speed, but finds out everything. These secret agents, as you now know who they are, work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

The reason that they are up-to-date with our progress is to see that we are accepting whatever comes in our lives. To see that we are always smiling makes them happy - but if we are not smiling and are ungrateful for what comes in our lives, you will not look good for the picture, and that will affect you in the long run.

Sun - Sun is the determined agent that, when comes out during daylight, comes to check for your smile. If you are not smiling, he will try to get that positive feeling in you by letting the radiant light fill your soul. At the end of the day, Sun retires for the night shift of Moon.

Moon - Moon, the generous agent who gives a soft-looking glance to end the day and have a restful night. He looks upon you with a loving glance to make sure that you sleep well and chases the nightmares away as not to disturb his precious angel.

Lightning - Lightning is the all-knowing agent whom one can never know when he strikes. No one can escape from the flash of his camera. He knows everything - but it is important that you smile for the picture. The longer you hold your sorrows, the more sad your life ahead will be.

Only you can make their job easier - by gracefully accepting whatever life has to offer with a smile and an attitude of gratitude.

Be prepared, for everyday is picture day...

http://www.purplemoon.com/Stickers/images/sun-moon-cloud2.jpg

Microsoft Word Clip Art 

Dare to be Different

There's a special feeling about being your own person - because it's a special blessing to have the ability to be different from others and not care what they think of you. You are content with who you are, and you do things your way. You don't have to be someone you're not. It takes courage to be your own person, no matter what the world may think. Not having to care about what others think - is truly a blessing.

Along with being your own person, comes your own, uniques ideas that astound those around you. This is because you have your own individual way of thinking, unlike the rest who all think the same, and those thoughts eventually develop into the same actions. That's why, when unique ideas are presented, they attract everyone. These ideas are filled with so much purity that they inspire others, and help others - but they always have a positive impact. As an example, here is the story of a 6th grader who dared to be different:

Jeff was considered the class clown but he was an innovative individual. He had a great mind..but didn't perform so well in school. One day, his class needed to take part in a contest to see who could fly their airplane the farthest. Tom, on the other hand, was one who believed in Jeff's capabilities and chose him as a partner.

Soon enough, the time for the contest had approached and Jeff was still 'thinking' with the unfolded paper hidden behind his back. Tom, being a supportive partner, requested the teacher for his group to fly last. At their turn, the distance of Tom's plane exceeded average - but Jeff's plane soared higher and farther than all the others. Why? Jeff's ability to 'fly' outside of the box and his ability to think simple. He revealed his unfolded paper from behind his back and simply wadded it into a ball.

So, Dare to be Different - you'll be surprised at what you can do.

The World Can Be The Way You Imagine It

         Some people think that you can't change the world - but I think that you can. Never underestimate your capabilities, because you never know what you can do until you try. Think about all the people that did make a difference in society; Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller and Mahatma Gandhi - just to name a few. Martin Luther and Abraham Lincoln were strong pillars of African American rights - King for segregation and Lincoln for slavery. Helen Keller inspired the world to to go ahead with life no matter what may come. Gandhi fought for India's freedom against British rule with nonviolence. In fact, he is who inspired MLK to proceed his act with nonviolence. Think about these people, they are only a few out of the many who did change the world - and you can too.
         When I grow up and succeed in my goal of becoming an author, I'd like to change the world with my writing and help everyone feel content with themselves in this world of anxiety. There are people in this world who are believed to never 'turn around'; but remember, Love has the power to do the greatest things. Here is a story that follows this statement...
         A woman was once lecturing a group of employees from a grocery store about how you should do something so alluring that your customers feel the urge to come back. Her speech had so much meaning to one individual that he took action as soon as he could. Johnny was a grocery bagger at the supermarket and he had Down Syndrome. A week after the woman's speech, he called her to let her know that her words had a positive impact on him and explained to her his idea for making the world around him a place that everyone would like to be in. The woman was touched, and, as you will see, by inspiring one, you touch the heart of many.
         Every day, Johnny would find an inspiring Thought for the Day - and with the help of his father, he printed out copies for the customers. As he bid the customers with a few heart-warming words, he dropped the kind gesture in each bag. The word spread, and soon, not only did the previous customers come back, but even new ones too! Johnny's line soon reached the end of the frozen foods aisle and even thought the manager tried to open new lines for the customers, they refused. This is the power of Love that can create an instilled impression of your kindness in someone else. It's kind of like a fossil, your impression of love stays forever imprinted on their heart.
         This goes to show that by inspiring one, you touch the heart of many, many more. These people helped make the world a better place...

And don't forget that you can too.

    

Courage Doesn't Mean Loud

This quote is a perfect example of 'Courage Doesn't Mean Loud'. This phrase means that to be courageous, you don't have to make it on world news, or be published in the New York Times. Courage simply means to challenge yourself; to go beyond what you normally do and exceed your 'limitations'. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do something the whole world must know. Remember, the smallest things have the biggest impact on our lives.

Courage can also simply be dealing with problems that you may encounter any day. When we feel like giving up, courage is what brings us back. After the heavy snowstorms this year, who gave some of us the nerve to step out of the house and drive? Courage did. When we feel drowsy, who wakes us up each morning to face a new day - a day where you know absolutely anything can happen? Courage Does. Day to day things that may not seem to hold much importance, involve courage. 

Is there a certain goal that you'd like to reach? Do you have the confidence in yourself that you will be able to accomplish it? Most of all, do you have the courage to deny the tempting parking spaces in the way? Only you have the answers to these questions - and you will only seek the answers when you journey to your goal. Challenge yourself, and go beyond your thought - after all, the smallest things have the greatest impact. 

Live your goal.

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