Day 67/365

2.29.2012.
Extra.

It's leap day! Comes once every four years and without it today would be July 13th, 2013. So today was kind of like an extra day, but most of the world spent the day just like they would any other day. What if we had a little extra of everything though, even if just for a little while? Like an extra cookie, or maybe an extra hour in the day, or an extra amount of money, or an extra pair of jeans. What would you do with it? Would you take advantage of the excess? Or would you waste it and treat it like nothing special?

Day 66/365

2.28.2012.
Underneath.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an ant? To be so small compared to the human-run world, fairly powerless as well. Laying on the floor looking up, an interesting yet uncommon angle, makes me feel like an ant that's about to be squished.  I can't say this angle is my favorite; I'm all for perspective and new angles but I would rather look down instead of up which is a little ironic since I'm a super positive person most of the time. Laying on the ground does give you a perspective of things smaller, like an ant or a little kid, where everything seems so high and out of reach.

Day 65/365

2.27.2012.
Around and around.

Like a wind up doll sometimes life just goes around in circles. Lately I feel like I'm going around and around and around, doing the same thing everyday, and some days I just feel stuck in the exhausting routine, same story different day. And sometimes breaking the ongoing circle of life is easier said then done. I am very ready to break out of this routine and move almost 2,000 miles away for college, but lately I've noticed that sometimes even being ready isn't always enough.

Day 64/365

2.26.2012.
Take a bow.

We all perform anonymous good works on a day to day basis, things like pushing in a chair or going out of one's way to help someone else, and sometimes we don't always get the recognition that we not necessarily merit but that might make the efforts feel more worthwhile. I think sometimes we all need to have the opportunity to stand in front of a crowd and take a bow and know that every little thing we do is really appreciated and not all in vain.

Day 63/365

2.25.2012.
Companionship.

I'm sure you've heard some of the miraculous stories of animals doing extraordinary things and at times saving peoples' lives and seemingly causing miracles to occur. Animals are like the perfect friend: they're loyal and will always stay by your side; they'll listen to you when you need someone to talk to; and they'll interact with you and entertain you when you've had a rough day. To have the companionship of an animal is something everyone should seek, because it's one of those ultimate friendships that you can't break.

Day 62/365

2.24.2012.
Responsibility.

Sometimes it is easy to just shake off something that you have to do and either procrastinate it or just pretend like it doesn't exist and ignore it all together; child care isn't one of those things, which is part of the reason why I enjoy it. You can't just pretend like the kids don't exist, because they do and they need your attention and your assistance. When you're in the car with them they need you to drive carefully and keep them safe. When you are in charge of a child, whether it be your child or someone else's, suddenly everything shifts and you have the responsibility to keep the child happy, healthy and safe.

Day 61/365

2.23.2012.
Practice makes perfect.

If you want to run a marathon you have to train, if you want to be a heart doctor you have to study, if you want to be a professional dancer you have to practice. No one wakes up one day and is perfect at something; if you want to be good at something you have to commit yourself to it and practice till you reach the perfection you were hoping for. These girls are at dance at least three days each week and sometimes more before a recital. When they aren't in the studio they still have to stretch and make sure they remember their choreography; it's a lot of work, but when they go out on stage and preform the routine they've been practicing, they look flawless and all of their practice pays off.

Day 60/365

2.22.2012.
Personal.

There are very few things that look the same when you look at them from a distance as they do when you get up close and personal with them. People are the same way. You can look at them and sometimes even talk to them and not have any idea who they really are until you get to know them and their past and the values that make them who they are. It isn't a difficult thing to get to know someone for who they really are; it just takes time and a little bit of effort. Try and get up close and personal with someone and see the change that it can make.

And Happy 18th Birthday Cody!

Day 59/365

2.21.2012.
Hope.

Diagnosed with a disease that could take your life at any moment in time is a struggle that most of us will hopefully never have to face, but some do. I know a little girl, who at not even four years old, was diagnosed with cancer, a concept that is incomprehensible for a child that age, and yet she had the attitude of hope; she didn't give up when they had to stick her with needles; she didn't give up when they had to shave her head so she wouldn't have to see her hair fall out. Because of her hope, she now has joy and life; she pulled through and with her last round of chemotherapy and her red blood cell count high enough is now able to get back into her normal life, a slightly different life than before but still a life that she gets to live to its fullest. I wear this bracelet on my wrist to remind me of two things, one to never take anything in life for granted.

Day 58/365

2.20.2012.
Overlooked.

Without trying, I tend to see most of life much differently from a lot of people around me. I notice things you wouldn't typically observe or think of capturing. I think it's sometimes the simplest beauties that you overlook, you simply forget about. Like sunrises, sunsets, the moon, the stars, flowers in spring, snow on mountains. In Georgia we, or at least I, tend to forget about the trees and how lucky we are to live in a place that is so green all the time. I try not to overlook everything that seems small because one day it could not be there anymore and then it wouldn't seem so small.

Day 57/365

2.19.2012.
Heard.

You can be seen, you can be listened to, but to truly be heard and accepted for what you are saying is something entirely different. When a presidential primary candidate steps up to the microphone to speak they have to think about their audience and how they can speak and truly be heard, not just seen and listened to.
I am one of those people that cannot focus on anything a person is saying for very long, attention deficit disorder may as well be my middle name. So when I am listening to someone speak, or a teacher in a classroom setting I always have to have something to occupy my hands, or I take notes in rainbow colors to keep myself focused.
It's a rare occasion that I actually hear someone, words tend to whiz past me, I will remember everything I heard and not be able to give you a point for any of it.
I've come to the conclusion this is why I don't like politics; I went to a Rick Santorum event tonight and to be honest I was bored to death; my focus was drawn to the camera men just a few rows in front of us, which made everything Mr. Santorum was saying very much listened to and not heard.

Day 56/365

2.18.2012.
Moments.

You never know when something will happen that will affect the rest of your life. Sometimes even the smallest things can cause such a ripple effect that it could change the course of your life. It just goes to show that everyday occurrences that may seem small and ordinary could cause something extraordinary to happen. I think it's important to cherish the small moments, because it's the small moments that lead to something bigger. Life is your story and you decide each and every line that you put into it by the little everyday actions and reactions; smile at someone you don't know, offer help you usually wouldn't offer; watch the ripple effects, even if it only makes you feel better about yourself.

Day 55/365

2.17.2012.
Little children.

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Sometimes I wish I were still a little child. They don't have to worry about what other people think of them. They have their whole lives ahead of them, no mistakes, no wishing they had done better or worked harder. To me, little children put into perspective how much we have to look forward to; if our life on earth is just a small piece of our eternal life, then really our entire mortal life is like being a little child and all we are doing here is growing and learning how to better ourselves and be the best version of us we can be.

Day 54/365

2.16.2012.
Affection.

People show their affection in an infinite number of ways: kisses, hugs, presents, compliments; the possibilities are endless, but the point being that anyone and everyone has a way of expressing their feelings. But each and every one of these expressions of affections are not only spoken but they are also acted upon. Actions speak louder then words; don't just tell someone you care about them, show them.

Day 53/365

2.15.2012.
Smells.

We all have encountered smells in our life, both good smells and bad smells. There are sweet smells of cookies or flowers and sour smells of diapers and vomit. Smells can cause discomfort for sure, but there are some smells that bring back memories. These memories can be of a person, place, or time. Whenever I smell a pool, that mix of chlorine and water, for instance, it always brings back memories of summers I spent at the pool; I would get there early for swim team practice and still be there come dinner-time. It's a flood of thousands of summer memories that can come back in a matter of seconds just by smelling a little bit of chlorine. The smell of flowers reminds me of spring and always makes me think of tulips as they come out of the ground once all the frost has disappeared and the flowers begin to bloom and take color and shape. Whenever I smell something though, it just reminds me of this beautiful planet we live on and how blessed we are to be here and how lucky we are that our Father in Heaven created it for us.

Day 52/365

2.14.2012.
February 14th.

Valentine's Day. The day when you're supposed to express your love for your significant other. Many people dress in pink and red and hand out valentines and treats to their friends, while others mope about wearing black calling it "singles awareness day" and complaining about not having someone to buy them flowers.  In America, Valentine's Day has turned into one of the most celebrated days on the calendar. Each year February 14th brings in about $14 billion; it is a day where 180 million red roses, 36 million heart shaped boxes of candy, and countless cards and jewelry are purchased. All of these items are meant to symbolize romance and love. Personally I don't really see the point in Valentine's Day; it's an excuse for buying six chocolate covered strawberries, that might cost $10. But I do see a point in reminding the people that you care about that they are important to you, so if Valentine's Day is that excuse then you won't find me complaining about it.

Day 51/365

2.13.2012.
5.

When I think of five, I think of common sayings like "five more minutes" and "give me five," or I think of a $5 bill. Wikipedia says 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the natural number following 4 and preceding 6. I think that, putting it rather simply, 5 is the one of the first numbers you get aquatinted with; after learning to count by twos then you learn to count by fives. It's that number that's simple to round to and right in the middle; it's another one of those small things that we just have and couldn't imagine a world without it.

Day 50/365

2.12.2012.
Touch.

When you climb into a car, in the middle of winter, early in the morning, you will discover first that the door handle is cold and then that the steering wheel feels like ice. As you begin to drive, the feeling in your fingers depletes until your fingers start changing to a redish blue color; it's then that you may discover another touch, the touch of someone's warm fingers wrapped around your frosty ones, this touch warms not only your fingers but the caring of the touch warms your heart and gives you a feeling of importance. Have you ever thought about how much you touch in a day? Our world revolves around our sense of touch. We touch an endless number of items every day: each other, door knobs, steering wheels, and food. Each touch can mean something small or large: we may touch food to discover its temperature or turn a door knob to see if it's locked. But when we touch each other, every touch can have a story attached with it; when someone is upset we give them a hug; we greet each other by shaking hands; we pat each other on the back for a job well done; and we may tap each other lightly to draw the attention of the person we are addressing. There are also harmful abusive touchs that are used as weapons and can cause pain and anger. Each touch is exchanged in different situations, and each touch can be taken in a different way. Sometimes a touch can be positive in one situation and negative in another.

Day 49/365

2.11.2012.
Deceitful.

Apperances are not everything, we can look at something, assume it looks nonthreatening and then come to find out later that it wasn't what it looked like at first glance. Looking out the window, you could be fooled into thinking that it was a warm day outside today, but in fact it was 26 degrees when I took this picture. Days like today remind me that sometimes we justify the things we do just because they look safe or because everyone else does it, when really we need to make our own choices sometimes and not always look to what seemingly "everyone else" has found "safe."

Day 48/365

2.10.2012.
Variety.

Life is like a box of donuts, you have to choose from a variety of options, but you can only truly savor one at a time. If you force yourself to eat too many donuts at once, you won't recognize the differences between them and you may never know which ones you really like and which ones you only somewhat like. Trying to take all of life in at once can be overwhelming and prove pointless in the end, because you really just end up missing out on something that you will never have the opportunity to try again. Occasionally we all need a little reminder that this life is our one life, and we should not only try a variety of things but try them all one at a time and not overfill our plates. We need to learn from everything we do and not just let things slip through our fingers, so that in the end we can know what we liked and didn't like and what we want to be around and what we don't want to associate ourselves with.

Day 47/365

2.9.2012.
Curiosity.

Everyone is curious about something and wishes they knew more about it, but not everyone has the courage to take the time and explore. I admire those who take opportunities to learn everything they can about what they are interested in; I think that it shows dedication and a good work ethic when you can take an interest and explore it on your own without being told what to explore.

Day 46/365

2.8.2012.
Carefree.

Childhood is that little snippet of our lives where we are untouched by many of the evils of the world and can simply spend our days carefree without fear of what the future may hold. I love little kids of all ages and spend much of my time with them. I'm intrigued by the way they can be fascinated by the simplest things. There is a child at the daycare where I work that is obsessed with cleaning supplies, such as brooms, and will constantly beg me to let him help me sweep the floor; at two years old, he doesn't have any real worries or threats in his life; all he wants to do is help me clean up the room at the end of the day. I love spending time around children; I love their positive carefree attitude. Simply because they believe they can do anything, they inspire me to want to do the best I can in everything I do.

Day 45/365

2.7.2012.
Frightened.

I've come to realize that sometimes the things that scare us the most are the things that are most important for us. Cats, or my cats anyway, are terrified of the vet, but the vet is important for their health and well being. Some people are scared of things like planes that are avoidable, but life can be difficult without them. Other people are scared of trying technology and will never know how incredibly helpful it can be. For me, right now I'm terrified of growing up and moving on with my life, which is something inevitable in my future but something full of a dominoes line of decisions.

Day 44/365

2.6.2012.
Complexity.

A computer keyboard is an everyday item for most Americans, and it's difficult to survive without it in our world today. Have you ever thought about all the technology that goes into something as simple as a keyboard? Probably not. It makes it unnecessarily complex to think about it, but it also gives you a new perspective on the things we sometimes take for granted.

Day 43/365

2.5.2012.
Don't wait.

If you melt chocolate chips in a bowl, at first they'll be like very thick hot chocolate, but then as you let the mixture sit it becomes hard. If you let it harden enough, even when you melt it again, it will never regain the consistency that the original melted chocolate had. Sometimes we come to a crossroads in our life and we have to make a quick decision and hope its the right choice, but sometimes we hesitate and that once positive option turns from a thick creamy mixture to a hard lump. We then have to work hard to try and turn it back into a possible option at all. When you're given an option for a new opportunity sometimes it's best to just grab it while you can and use what you've been given; don't wait around until the time seems more opportune and you think it may turn out better in the end. Just as the chocolate is difficult to re-melt, we can't pick and choose when we receive opportunities and so have to be ready to accept them at any time.

Day 42/365

2.4.2012.
A game of strategy.

Life is like a game of Othello, sometimes you get lucky and find a place where you can play and flip a bunch of markers, and other times you don't. There are times in our lives when we feel like winners and we may have more markers on the board that are our color, and then in just a short period of time our markers seem to change color or disappear and suddenly we feel like the victim instead of the victor. Sometimes we need to remember that in some specific ways we can always be the victor. Life is a little like a game of strategy; if you learn how to play your markers right, then you can turn any situation around in your favor. It's all about your attitude and perspective. Tell yourself that you will succeed and you will (even if in a seemingly small way); tell yourself you will fail and all of your markers will quickly change color because you gave up hope.

Day 41/365

2.3.2012.
Stop.

I love stop lights. I hate missing lights, but sometimes I have crazy busy days where some of my only moments alone and my only times to think are while I'm sitting at a stoplight. If you add up all of the time that we will each spend at stop lights throughout our lives, I'm sure it would add up to hours and hours and days, maybe even weeks, of waiting for the light to turn from red to green. But next time you're at a stop light instead of dreading the time you have to wait while other cars fly past and pedestrians cross the street, watch the cars drive past and think about everything in your life you have to be grateful for: where you're headed, the clothes on your back, and the car you're driving in. Take the time while you are stuck waiting and turn it into a time of reflection rather than a stressful countdown to when you can press the gas pedal and get moving once again.

Day 40/365

2.2.2012.
Hope.


“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” - Marilyn Monroe.
"Everything happens for a reason." I stand behind this 150%; every person we meet, every red light we don't make, and every experience good or bad happens for a reason: to teach us something or to cause a chain reaction to lead us to something. Nothing is coincidence; everything is supposed to happen for one reason or another. I think it's important to remember that and not get so worked up about all of the little things that don't work out. We have hope that the future holds something bright and everything will work out in the end.

Day 39/365

2.1.2012.
Flowers are happy things.

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul." - Luther Burbank
Welcome to February. My little sister got asked to prom today and these flowers came along with the request. Flowers can have so many different meanings and are used for so many different things, but typically flowers represent life and love. When flowers come back in the spring after a cold winter they bring smiles to people's faces and bring hope for the warmth of summer. In February, I'm hopeful for new experiences and new perspectives on some of the hardships that life may bring.