Blog April 28, 2016

What Tuesday Has Inspired You?

Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Prompt: Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesday's with Morrie that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. 

            Based on the 6 Tuesdyas I have read about in the book Tuesday's with Morrie, the Tuesday that has inspired me the most was the 4th Tuesday, which talks about death. I think this chapter has truly opened my eyes to why we should always live our lives to the fullest. We should never take anything for granted, because one day that thing will be gone. To assume that we will never lose someone or something will just make things harder for us in the future. Many people believe it is impossible to have someone being taken away from them, so they don't appriciate the time they have with that person. From this chapter I learned to appriciate all of the little things I normally don't think about. In the book on page 84, Morrie says, "'The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted.'" A lot of people don't understand that we should be happy for all the people and things we have in our lives. This shows that we should appriciate the loving people we have in our lives. We should also enjoy nature, and everything outside, because we never know when it all can be taken away from us. 

            Another thing that has impacted me was how Morrie said we have to accept that we are all going to die. If we don't accept that we will eventually die, we will have so many things that we haven't done, or said. On page 82 Morrie says, "'Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.'" This means that we have to accept the possibility of our death, before we can truly appriciate what we have on this earth. Anyone can die at any moment, and because of that the things on this earth should be appreciated so much more. If we don't accept that we will die, it will cause us to think certain things will never be lost, but that's not true. We won't be able to appriciate the little things in life, and won't be happy all the time. On page 81 in the book Morrie also says, "'...know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time. That's better. That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you're living.'" Facing the reality of death allows us to see the world and our life at a different angle. We will see the beautiful things we haven't noticed before, and start to feel happier knowing we shouldn't be upset all the time. We should always try and stay positive, because life is too short to be unhappy.

            After reading this chapter it has definitely changed the way I thought. I've learned so many things, and started to look at life differently. I have constantly been thinking to myself about if I were to die today, would there be anything I would regret? Whether it was something I never said to someone, or an action I didn't take, or not appreciated things, they will all add up. I would definitely regret not taking certain actions if I died at this moment. From thinking about all of this, I now know to not be afraid to tell someone something, and not be afraid to take a risk. I appriciate the little things, like having a plate of food in front of me everyday, and the fact that I'm able to go to school, and have caring friends and family by my side. Our lives are truly an amazing expirience, and everyone should learn to make the most of it, before we waste it all. 

Blog April 18, 2016

Bucket List Blog

Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Prompt: What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesday's with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesday's with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is your bucket list? You can write a paragraph leading up to a bulleted list of what you would like to do/accomplish in your life.

            When I read the first couple of chapters in the book Tuesday's with Morrie I instantly told myself that I would end up loving the book. The thing I liked a lot about the book so far was the way the author wrote. The writing is very descriptive, and I am able to picture the characters and everything that is going on very well. You can also tell what the characters are feeling based on the word choice. From how the author describes actions (especially when Mitch first gets to see Morrie after college) the readers can really tell how their relationship is and how close the two have been in Mitch's college years. It definitely warmed my heart when Morrie was still able to remember Mitch after such a long time. Another thing I like is how the author sometimes goes back in time to Mitch's college years while it still pertains to the book. The author throws in some of his writing he did back in college while he had Morrie as a teacher. The writing tells us a little about Morrie and Mitch's relationship together. 

            When I first started reading the book I did not expect it to be so sad and overwhelming to think of. At the same time it is very heartwarming and thoughtful. The books makes the readers think a lot about our choices in life, and how we should be greatful for everything we have now. The book so far has been full of different emotions. You can see the different pain Mitch and Morrie feel so far in the book. While Mitch talks and spends time with Morrie, he feels awfully sorry for him. While on the other hand every movement that Morrie takes causes him physical pain. Those emotions that the people in the book feel move into the readers own emotions, and I love when books are able to do that. At one point you will be smiling about Morrie's personality, then the next moment you will want to cry at the fact that Morrie is going to die and is constantly in pain. I think Morrie is very strong to still be living with a bright personality in his condition. Mitch is also as strong as Morrie. Personally I get very overwhelmed when I'm with someone who is very ill, and can barely help themselves. Mitch is able to sit in front of Morrie, watching him suffer for hours just to talk with him. The fact that Mitch is able to do this without having an emotional breakdown shows how he is strong. It is tough for both of these characters, but they still try to keep a positive attitude. 

            Based on Morrie's life the readers can see how Morrie doesn't take life for granted. In the book Morrie  says to Mitch, "'Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do.'" This shows how Mitch's disease really affected him and the way he acted. He is always happy and says we shouldn't be sad about living an unhappy life. In many people's eyes Morrie has an unhappy life, but that doesn't stop him from keeping the great personality he has always had. Morrie doesn't want to be sad for the rest of his days, so he remains happy. This had me thinking about what I wanted to do with my life before I pass. Here is a list of things on my bucket list. 

- graduate college 

- walk the Golden Gate Bridge 

- complete a marathon 

- inspire someone 

- get married

- meet all of my favorite band members

- speak fluently in another language 

- learn how to drive

- go sky diving or scuba diving 

- visit at least one of the seven wonders of the world 

- go exploring and get lost 

- learn how to play another instrument 

Blog April 8, 2016

3rd Quarter Reflection

Prompts: In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Launguage Arts?

What is something you accomplished this quarter that you are proud of? What has been the most challenging part of 3rd Quarter for you, and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

            An area I think I made my biggest improvements in English Language Arts is my researching skills, and knowing my strengths and weaknesses. Before this quarter I usually picked a website that looked like it had a lot of information to help me with my work. During the argumentative unit, I learned to pick reliable sources, so I don't have false information in the argumentative paper I wrote. Knowing how to find reliable sources is a very helpful thing to learn, because you can use the skill for the future. Now I can easily tell if I can trust a certain site, or if I shouldn't use the information it has on it. Another improvement I made 3rd Quarter was knowing what I needed improvements on and what I can move forward on. Knowing what I can move forward on helps me, so I'm not doing the same things I am good at all the time. 

           Something I accomplished this quarter that I'm proud of is reading a lot. I think the third quarter has been the quarter I have read most. Usually I don't have a lot of time to read at home or during school, but I somehow managed to read a lot. This school year I have been in Battle of the Books, so that has impacted how much I have read. I can be very indecisive when choosing a book that I am interested in and it's good to be in Battle of the Books, because you can discover new genres you haven't read before and maybe see if you like it or not. For the fourth quarter I definitely want to read even more books. I think it will get me more prepared for highschool. Mystery books are usually not books I will pick out for fun. For Battle of the Books I read a mystery book called The Boy in the Burning House. I was very interested in this book which surprised me. I'm glad I got the chance to read this book, because now I can look for more books in the same genre. Also it has taught me to go out of my comfort zone when I comes to books, so that I know if I really like them or not. I'm proud that I have read a lot even when the quarter was been a little stressful with other work. 

           Something that was challenging 3rd quarter was keeping myself focused and trying my best for everything in my English Launguage Arts class. This class is the most important to me, because I know that everything I learn in this class will benefit me in the future a lot, so doing my best in this class was and still is my top priority. In the previous quarters this school year I didn't have much trouble finding time to complete all of the needed assignment. This quarter has been a little more stressful, because I have been involved in things like Best of Berwyn, and Battle of the Books, and other activities. This took away a lot of my time to do homework or make up work. To overcome this I have been working extra hard and staying focused and not getting off task or distracted.