Daily Gratitude Shout-Out!!!
Thank you California for your beaches and the sand between my toes!!! California makes for a grrrrreat vacation!
I'm All Done!
It came! The end of school and beginning of summer came! Graduation was so crazy for me as I was busy preparing for my speech. I guess I wouldn't be "Me" without keeping myself busy until the last moment of school. Anyhow, the ceremony was amazing and all the speakers were just so so good and truly inspiring. It was fun for me to sit on the podium facing all my classmates throughout the ceremony. I remember looking and going through each row naming everyone I could, remembering how I met each of them. Then when we all threw our hats up together, I remember feeling this huge sigh of relief come over me and this weight leaving my shoulders
. It was an incredible feeling, leaving me so happy I danced with my friends out of the ceremony and out of the stadium. It was such an amazing experience.
The ceremony was followed by a million pictures with friends and dinner at Olive Garden with my family. Then the sports mall for "Grad-Night" with food, games, and prizes until 4 in the morning. So great. I was so tired the next day, but brightened back up when I found the $40 I won in my pocket. Ah... Sweet sweet moments... :)
A couple days after graduation I left for NYC with a few kids from school and my theatre teacher as sort of my "Senior Trip." Needless to say it was SO much fun! While I was there I got to see shows, meet famous actors and do everything there is to do in New York. It was so much fun, and truly inspiring for me. Every time I saw a show I had such an overwhelming feeling that this somehow needs to be a part of my life. Wherever life takes me, I hope acting is in there somewhere with it.
I Bet My Bottom One Too Many Times...
A few days ago, the day after I got home from New York, I had the sudden urge to go rollerblading. As some of you know, rollerblading is my "go-to" when I need to get outside because it's a lot like skating. And being such a close resemblance to skating, I looooooooove going fast!
Every time I go rollerblading I always go the same way home: past the lake, around the roundabout and down the hill. The hill is my favorite part, as I can just glide down and feel the fast wind going past me. Now, usually I break enough to make the turn at the bottom of it, but this time I didn't. So because of the speed, the turn was too dangerous; it was too sharp for how fast I was going. I went to turn and as I curved, my rollerblades skidded side-ways, I lost control and flew forward. I remember in that moment thinking, "Not my face!" so I flipped around causing me to land straight down on my bottom in a sitting position, skidding down the road, and ripping up all the skin on my back-side and upper thighs. It was great. I remember feeling so embarrassed and so shocked, I hadn't started feeling the pain yet and slowly got up and skated on home. My mom was then greated with me coming into her room saying, "Mom... I think I hurt myself." I turned around to show her the damage. Behind her eyes I could tell she was extremely worried and panicky, but instead of yelling and freaking out, she calmly said, "Um... Alright. We're taking you to the doctor." I slid into the car face first onto my stomach for the ride over. By now I was feeling both the pain, and the nausea due to the shock. The doctors treated me, trying several different cleansing methods and numbing agents. By the end of the three hours spent in the procedure room we established that I needed a Tetanus shot, to keep the wound clean and wrapped, and to lay face down for two weeks. I guess my recklessness caught up with me once again... But anyone who knows me can say, "It's probably about time."
This recovery process has been hard on both my body and my emotions. It's hard not really being able to do anything myself or without pain. But thank goodness for family! My mom has been my savior throughout this process. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her. And the rest if my family has been so willing to help. I'm so grateful for them.
Whenever I have nasty things like this happen to me, I always think about the reason. And even if there really isn't a reason for something, I like to think there's at least something we can learn from them. As I lay on my stomach for two weeks, it's hard to find more enlightening reasons other than the obvious: don't be stupid. But the other day my dad said something that I have never thought about in any situation like this. He told me that maybe what happened, and what is happening, to me is not for me to learn things, but also for someone else; to help someone else. Maybe my children or a close friend will face something similar to this and not know how to handle it or know what to do. But now I do! I guess my main message of the day is this:
So many people say, "Think about how your actions or choices will affect someone else before you do them." But often do we think about how our experiences affect other people? When something hard in our lives happens directly to us, it is easy to feel like "the only person this is teaching is me." But I think everything in our lives can help someone else in the long run. So next time you fall and scrape your knee, go through a nasty breakup, get in a car accident, get gum stuck in your hair, or anything, just remember what you go through can help someone else. :)