Don't Kill "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Cultures die as new ones are born. Fads ripple across our history in a manner of decades. Moments come with impact and slowly drift out of reality. The only way to touch what it was is if they are preserved somehow.

What would happen if we all focused on this moment, right now? Sometimes we are told to do that. To do the right thing now and not worry about its effects tomorrow. Sometimes that is a good point.

But what would that mean? 

It could and often is dangerous. And has gotten many a people in trouble. 

We live in now. We don’t need to focus on it any more than to know that what we are doing is the right thing. But the past affects our every step- we may consciously think “this has happened before… if I do what I did last time I will end up where I did last time.” Or maybe

we subconsciously take the next step in one direction because some innate sense is telling us the other way has hurt us before. What we do also effects the next moment. The entire reason we take the next step. If the next decision you make doesn’t affect the next moment you live… where are you living? The eighty-second dimension? So in reality, 'livinig in the moment' does not even exist.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” brings us our past. It shows who America is, whether or not we want that past to have affected us. Because the fact is, the past does affect us. Not to mention we live in the ‘modern’ time.  I’m not saying we do not need to know what is going on, but that comes with living here. We know what is going on. I don't personally need a modern book for that. I can just read the news. We don’t live in the 1930s through the depression, we can only read about it.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" we follow one of the most loveable and blunt characters of all time- six to eight year old Scout. To me, at least, she is an example of "becoming as a little child" and trust. Though she is careful with how she takes the world, she trusts those that are deserving of her trust. Like Mr. Dolphus Raymond says about Dill when he comes out of a courthouse crying because of the unfairness, "Things haven't caught up with that one's instinct yet. … Cry about the [crap] white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too." In this book, Harper Lee is able to touch our child side like no other book I have ever read.

 

Another wonderful thing about "To Kill a Mockingbird" is how we are traveling with Scout to make connections and learn things as she would. For example, one of the central themes of the book is 'to walk in another's shoes'. Scout shows us this with both Mayella and Boo Radley.

I can't imagine this not being part of school curriculum. It is a classic that has allowed so many to connect with each other- even to the older folks that also read it in high school.

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Lists, lists. Did you know making lists is one of my favorite things to do? 

Whenever I am excited about something, I make a list pertaining to it in some way. Like trips? Whenever I don't have anything better to do, and I'm really excited for a trip, I make packing lists over and over and then carry them with me just in case I think of something to put on it. 

On Sunday, I always write a list of what I need to do the next week. Or in school, when I get frustrated with something, I write a list of good things. I like lists! 

I have this notebook that is just dedicated to lists and I carry it around most everywhere.

However... oh nevermind. I'm not going to pretend it's not fun to sit here and write lists about myself. Conceded. Maybe. Fine. Half the things I didn't realize before...  But it's nice to even list out to just yourself what YOU think. It's not even like a list to just make sure that everyone knows exactly who you are and how you think. It's just a sort of - heya! This is what I am like! Take it or leave it!

...Or not... uh...

This is not just a list to tell me to remember to find a place for my teddy bear in my backpack before I get in the bus. And now all you can see too! :D


10 Things I know to be true:

1.       People deserve the benefit of the doubt more than you think.

2.       Music touches more than your vocal chords can tell

3.       Dancing is a lot harder than it looks. That’s why it’s dancing. Apparently it’s supposed to look easy. That’s the art of it. I just look like a drowning Hippo.

4.       There are some things that you will never be able to understand… at least in this life. And that's okay.

5.    The Gospel is true. That means Joseph Smith was a true prophet, the Book of Mormon is a true prophet, Christ lives, and we can all have hope.

6.       Do don’t actually float when you jump off of something with an umbrella, but if you have a broomstick and a stick from your backyard, you can escape to Hogwarts. Not to mention that big rock next to your garden? It's a dragon egg.

7.       It is so easy to distract yourself now a days, yet it is so hard to focus.

8.       There are somethings that you think will never be evil, yet somehow someone figures out how to make it so. 

9.       You aren't going to be able to convince everyone you are right.

10.   You are not right as often as you think you are. Hence why people tend to get in fights. 

10 Things I can’t live without

Okay. I know that I could live without these. But you know!

1. My violin/MUSIC
2. My journal
3. Flowers
4. My fingers

Who remembers these books?

5. My water bottle
6. My desk
7. Books
8. Hugs
9. Soft and fluffy things
10. PAPER. I LOVE PAPER. 



10 Things I should have learned by now

1. How to focus.

2. How to keep my stupid room clean.

3. How to wake up in the morning.

4. How to get rid of these stupid headaches! Arg!

5. The song that is Suzuki book ten on the violin! Plus "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" :)

6. How to get a job :)

7. How to dance. 

8. Anything politics.

9. What these random terms are that I don't know that everyone else my age tells me that I don't want to know... (Or is it that they shouldn't know it? :D)

10. How to actually shut up once and a while :)

Quick mini lesson on how to play violin:
1- both of these guys are holding their bows badly. When you hold a bow like this,
it gets the oils from your hands on the bow, and makes it so it can't play. At all.
 I know from experience!
2- see how the devil is holding the violin? BLEH. You can't play like that.
You wouldn't even hold a violin like that when you are in resting position.
What is he doing? Thumping his chest with his violin?
Very manly, devil.

10 of my Greatest Fears (*dramatic music-bum bum buuuummm!!!)

1. Throwing up. Worst. Sensation. EVER.

2. The... being that is hiding in the dark of the basement that I can't see.

3. Running out of pencils and paper in the world.

4. Failing.

5. The death of anyone I know well.

6. Scorpions. Creepiest thing alive! Give me all the spiders you want! 

7. Hurting someone while driving. 

8. Hurting someone PERIOD.

9. Getting lost in Walmart. Do you know what that would say about my sanity?!

10. Loosing my memory. That. Would. Be. HORRIBLE.



10 Things, places, people etc, that make me the most happy

1. That smell that comes in the summer... It's this sweet smell that is only here. It comes around the beginning of the summer. I just have to sit in the evening cool and let it's sweetness cover me.

2. Bryce Canyon

3. The mountains. 'Nuf said.

4. Idaho

5. My family- Especially my immediate family. It's going to be hard to part with my bros, regardless how annoyed I've been with them before. But not just my bros, but my extended family too. I have a cousin that you cannot part me from. Even though she lives in Arizona.

6. My friends- THEY ROCK.

7. Pretzels. Sometimes when they are covered in chocolate. They are the best.

8. Arizona- who cannot love a place they have called home? Regardless what anyone says, Arizona is GORGEOUS. Sometimes really hot. But I love it.

9. My violin. My creation tool! Love it! Well, this plus music in general. I think I'd be one depressed person without music. Nothing to listen to, analyze, or create. Writing almost falls under this category too...

10. Accomplishing what I need too. But also accomplishing what I want to. Which usually falls under need to as well.



10 Places I will visit before I die

1. Grenoble, France. Home isn't home without missing it later.

2. While I'm in France I may as well visit Italy :)


3. The beach

4. The mountains. Over and over and over again!

5. Virginia. But also D.C. 

6. Wherever I'm living in the future I guess... (this is hard! I'm content...)

7. New York

8. Arizona

9. My brothers houses when they are married and have kids so my kids can play with them and us adults can talk about things that the kids think are important, but really we are just laughing at our own dumb jokes.

10. The mailbox.

Moral of the story? Lists can change the world!

Not really!

...Whoo!

How to get Headaches!

For a while (okay, my whole life) headaches have almost been a daily thing. I remember living in 115 degree Fahrenheit weather in Arizona, (still love it there) and walking home from school. My brother would call me tomato because my face was so red. I actually really liked walking home and tasting the honeysuckle on the way home, but I used to think that was why I got headaches every day.  Then I moved here.

"Wha? It's like 2 degrees and I'm still getting headaches?" To be honest, they were less frequent. But they were still annoyingly frequent.

Another problem! Even when it wasn't some extreme temperature, I still got them.

So... what is my problem? I still almost get them daily.

Seeing as I do not have enough experience to teach people how not get headaches, I'll tell you how to get headaches! 

Totally what everyone wants to know right?



1) DON'T DRINK WATER.
What's the big deal about water? I'm not even sure! Apparently it has to do with keeping you hydrated and keeping things going in your body. 60% of your body is water, and, better yet, 70% of your brain. Apparently one of the biggest reasons people get headaches is because they don't drink enough! Often you can't tell when you are dehydrated. Having always lived in a dry place, I am the best at this. If you need help not drinking water, ask me.

2) DON'T GET SLEEP... Or at least do it randomly
Though I haven't tested this one as thoroughly as water, this is another one of those BIG things that all the health scientist people tell you to do. 'Sleep sleep sleep!' If you must sleep, just randomly start to sleep 3 hours more than you did before. But remember to get even less than you normally do the next night, and then explode in sleep the next night. That's one thing I found out gives you the best/most intense headaches. Your brain tends to like a system or schedule. It's like trying to turn a train a full 180 degrees with one sharp turn... or just going off the tracks all together... Works like a charm!

3) DON'T WEAR SUNGLASSES
Has anyone noticed that you get headaches when it's too bright? Like in class when the sun decided to be in just the wrong spot to blind you throughout class? Good! I'm not the only one! (...Right?) This one I found out during the winter. With the snow reflecting the sun up, you are surrounded on all sides by sun. It isn't the best for your eyes, and it always gives me headaches. If you want a headache, go outside and either stare at the snow or stare at the sun. If you wear contacts- it's an extra plus! It feels like the sun is getting magnified into your eye and trying to fry your brain like an ant!

4) CRY
Every single time I've cried, I get a headache. The longer the cry, the longer the headache. End of story.

5) JUST... BANG YOUR HEAD ON SOMETHING
Stand under a basketball hoop when people are playing. Or or or! Accidentally run into your door as you get ready in to morning because you don't want to turn the light on! That one works really well too.

6) EAT LOTS AND LOTS OF JUNK, AND ABSOLUTELY NOT ANYTHING HEALTHY!
Want your head to hurt? Give it a reason to hurt! Those healthy foods are called healthy for a reason! If you give your body what it needs, it doesn't stress your brain out as much, and doesn't panic at the fact that you have a lot of what you don't need. So fil'er'up with junk and your good! Don't go for the apple, go for the big hunk of whipped topping.

7) DECIDE TO EXERCISE
Ever just sat there and tried to make a plan to exercise? To get a headache, just decide one day to start running as fast as you can for 2 hours. It'll throw your brain into a jiffy- "Wha? What just happened? I feel like I'm trying to escape from an Olympic runner! With a gun! Panic! Anxiety!" If you can't do that one, just don't ever exercise. If you can get away without walking, don't walk.

8) SPEND AS MUCH TIME IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER AS YOU CAN
That screen is made of thousands of little tiny square things. How many pixils is your normal vision of a tree composed of (yes, in real life.)? NONE. The screen is one of the best places to get a headache. To get a headache, just sit down for all the extended versions of Lord of the Rings in a row. Not only is it fun, it ends in a wonderful headache!



Well. I hope some of these were useful. Happy headache making!

Blogs Blogs Everywhere!

This assignment was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be!

The first blog was the easiest. I saw food, I wanted food. I saw good food. *Drooling

Chocolate Therapy

This blog is written by a 22 year-old named Sarah (no. No the name doesn't have anything to do with it :D). She cooks a lot. And boy does it look like she knows what she is talking abut!

The first thing that caught my eyes were the top picture. It's cakeballs! It's neatly organized, and has catchy colors. She also takes pictures of what she bakes. (Mouth watering pictures. Daring you to make some!) I personally really like her writing style. It's fun to read, and makes you feel like she's talking to you. You can almost imagine her voice :). The directions are fairly simple to read and follow as well. Which, frankly, you need in a cooking blog. Seriously.

Becca's Writing Blog

I have a friend down the street in my ward that is AMAZING at writing. Though she hasn't sat down to write on her blog for a while, I'm planning on making her do so soon. :)

Of course I like her writing style. She has wonderful grammar, and her stories drag you in. She actually wrote these years ago... But imagine what her writing would be now.

Some of them are creepy, but the last one she wrote is super cute! You get clean stories, and, an inspiration. The biggest downfall to this blog is that she doesn't post enough!

Zen Habits

I'm not sure if this one counts as a blog or not... but hey! I like it!

Once upon a time, I was looking for motivation to keep trying to do my best even though I didn't know what to do with all my school work. *Drumroll. This website popped up! (Excuse the language on page that pops up. It's not swearing.) I started looking through the rest of the website, and I liked the other posts. Basically it's the 'how to's of society. "How to have Compassion." "6 Practical Ways to Overcome Depression." Etc. I like some of these posts a lot.

Again, it's neat. It's clean. It's useful. The three things I think need to be in a blog!

Life Coach

My friend just sent this one to me... I guess I'll be checking it out! :)

I-it         vs.        I-thou

These is the two ways we can treat another person.

I've seen people as the 'it'. I try to forget about the 'I' part of that equation. They have been an 'it' too.

Who hasn't been bullied? Who hasn't felt alone? Who hasn't felt worthless? Who hasn't felt hopeless? Who hasn't felt like they aren't enough? But also, who hasn't felt happiness? We're all humans here!

I've seen 'I-it' equations. It is extremely... interesting to see from the outside looking in. The funny thing is, they both feel like the 'it' themselves, so they treat each other like the 'it'. I always felt like laughing and crying at the same time while wondering how to help. They were just both making it worse! Further and further and further!

When we discussed this way of looking how people treat people during class, I tended to look at other relationships instead of my own. But then, when Mr. Dye started talking about how he treated his kids and analyzing it this way, there was a new light.

Dang I need to be more careful.

Like in the story, I think siblings are the most prone to 'I-it' towards each other. Yet, we are with them the most and it hurts the most if our own family doesn't accept us for who we are. Friends, yes. They are important. Especially now as Mr. Dye said. But why does it seem to hurt more if you get less acceptance from your siblings than friends at school? Is it because we know that they know us better? Or does it hurt because we know that they don't know us as well?

My goal, and what I have tried to do for a long time, is watch how I treat my siblings.

I think 'I-thou' is the heart of charity. The pure love of Christ. That's why it is hard to do it all the time. :) We are not perfect.

My Week... Not a College Student Thank Goodness!

Well,

While my classmates were either visiting colleges or in Mexico,

I was still in school!

Yippee.

I did math, sketched, analyzed what I needed to do/fix, and wondered around the school feeling slightly... out of place... "why aren't you with the rest of your grade Sarah?" "I thought you were going to be in Mexico Sarah!" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" Yeah yeah yeah. Got it.

I'll take the blame for not being somewhere fun, but I still learned a lot.

Big personal reveal #1- I'm depressing! I pity myself too much and need to get my face out of my pillow on my feet! I also learned something that holds me back. When I get too stressed or feel that I will never be done, I shut down. Whoop. That's something to fix. I'm going to have reasons to be stressed for the rest of my life. (Like... College! Can't shut down there! Just a way to explain the title...) May as well learn to put up with it, not be overly stressed (the devil to the nature of my brain, curses!) and move on. I think I've known that for a long time, I just finally admitted that it was an extremely degrading, and that it was what has always held me back. Not to mention my fault... :/ :) One of my fatal flaws I am striving to fix.

#2- I love my friends. They are very very important. As who they are, what they have helped me become, what they teach... just for existing! They are important because they are people. I'm so glad our paths crossed! They are wonderful! I missed them dearly! Every last one! I was immensely grateful for the ones that I did see throughout the week.

#3- With the above, I learned that family is the most important thing. Friends are important. But throughout my life, my family has been a constant I have been able to count on to stay the same (You have no idea how grateful I am for that. I know not everyone has that same blessing). The only thing that changes are adorable additions (that are a little feisty...). Forever too!

How does that relate to who I am? ... who am I?
I am someone striving to do her best. Knowing that there is a plan for all of us, and that we can be with our families forever. Also, knowing that I am a Child of God and no body can change that.

What am I going to do because of this?

Learn and live so I can help my own family. I will work hard to learn, and work hard to learn how to learn. I'm going to have to be teachable for the rest of my life!

Talent... for anything?

Assignment:
Post #3 – Write a well-developed paragraph on the following question:  How can you use your talents and interests to “join the conversation” online?  How can you be am ambassador for the gospel by using your individual gifts?  Make sure to title your post to reflect the meaning and essence of your writing.  Add a visual element.


Blogging... blogging.... What do my talents have to do with blogging?

I can play violin...

I've tried doing one blog. A writing blog.

Needless to say... it failed. Just simply failed :) (Well, not in my eyes. Somewhere to write whatever I feel like!)
I just came across as a... what do you call it... highly emotional unbalanced teenager?
I guess I was when I started it... Still am... Not that I would actually admit it...

Talents are usually seen as, say... a musical ability at a particular instrument. Or being to sing like an angel like a couple of my good friends at school. Or being able to draw up a storm with brilliance and wonder. Or like my friend down the street, being able to write in such a way you just melt! Or being amazing at a sport! Maybe looking downright hot is one of those... *Looking into space. (jk...)

I have been told several times that those aren't the only talents. Everyone has talents afterall! And no one is the best at anything! Somehow there is always someone better. (Although I just might be the best at being jumpy and startled at anything. That one drives my mother crazy. "Sarah! You don't have to jump every time someone walks in the room! Cut it out!") But one of my teachers told me that she had been told she was good at giving people the benefit of the doubt. They also told her that was a talent.

But hey! That means trying to make something have a conversational feel when someone is reading it is a talent!

I think that if someone were to write an angry comment on my blog or something I said somewhere else, then I would be able to keep my head and not blow up. Lately I have found out that that is a talent. The only person I have really blown up at is one of my five brothers. I haven't even blown up at the other four and I live with them! But it is hard to get me mad (that is not an invitation to try to. That would just be pathetic). Though I may not always be able to explain things the best, I keep my head. And I want to explain! I also love talking (obviously). Especially people. I want to make them feel better and know that everything will be okay even if it doesn't seem like it. My phrase: " I promise that though it doesn't seem like it, everything will be okay. Everything is better than you think."

Using the Right Harmony Behind the Words

"...And I'm a Mormon." The best ending to any youtube video!
But also an answer to a challenge. ;)

In 2007, M. Russell Ballard, one of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed the LDS church, my church, regarding the internet, and how we should all be more involved (in the right ways)

Here are a couple of what I thought were highlights:

"I am in my 80th year. By some accounts that makes me pretty old. Actually, some folks think some of the Brethren may be too old to know what’s going on in your world. Let me assure you we are very much aware."
 We always think this way about our grandparents, the poor people. But is anyone really too old to learn? I think the apostles and prophets are some of the best examples of always continuing to learn as long as they can. I think they are especially in tune to what happens in the world. Would God send a guide that didn't know the landscape? Or even worse, a blind guide? We get direct revelation, and it is for our time. Not the times when they were thirty. Otherwise, what would be the point of having a modern day prophet?

"You can see how important the right words are today. Words recorded on the Internet do not disappear."
In this same address, he goes on to say how we must be careful. We must be knowledgeable. We must be kind. We have to be sure in what we say, but also be understanding I was talking with a friend the other day, and this friend didn't understand why words could hurt so much. I sat and thought for a moment. Why are they so hurtful and powerful? I think one reason is because you cannot take them back. You can do anything to fix it except with more words. If you steal, you can go back and pay for it. If you break something, you can fix it or buy a new one. You can't buy a suit to cover the words you said. They stick there. Especially on the internet when anyone and everyone can see it.

My Perfect Day

    One, I would wake up at five in the morning (No, I am not crazy). Rested, relaxed, and most certainly NOT stressed. I'd run around the neighborhood a bit with my older brother. Up by where the trees get thicker and thicker and where the houses are surrounded by their own forests. Then I would drive up to the hike that is about five minutes away, and hike it with a close friend, to the lookout point that looks out on everything. For breakfast we would have homemade sourdough waffles with fresh blackberries and blueberry syrup. Don't forget the hash browns and the scrambled eggs! We'd have to bring blankets, for this day would be towards the beginning-middle of March when there is still a ton of snow at higher elevations, but none at my house.
    After going home and freshening up, I would sit down and write under the covers. I would get up and play my violin to my heart's content. That is, until we had to leave to go skiing with my brothers and dad. Skiing for as long as we can, we'd be back home before dark. We'd play soccer and basketball in the backyard for a while, watching the sun go down. After realizing that we were extremely hungry, we would go help mom in the kitchen just talking (No fighting please!!). While dinner was cooking (as long as it isn't ice cream or chillie/cheese sandwiches, I'm good!), we'd sing hymns and other songs in the living room with my mom playing the piano and my younger brother attempting to play a couple of his own and doing his best. We'd sing dinner and clean up. We would sing Lizzie to bed, and I'd drive to the cabin my cousins usually rent around this time to be with my best friend/cousin. We'd talk and catch up, watch movies, eat ice cream, and dance around the room crazily to fun music and make up stories to go along with the songs.