Ringin' in the (possibly last) New Year!

So it's 2012 and we all know what that means, only a year left of the world!! Right?? Yeah... Sure...

According to ChaCha, about 50% of the world believes the world will end in 2012. I don't... And I don't know many who do... And I think this statistic might be somehow inflated. But if it's not, it means that 50% of this world will live 2012 in a way that the other 50% probably won't.

Maybe it's not the most optimisitc mindset, but think about it...

The only moment you would have to worry about is the one you're living. No worries about things like money or work. Grudges can be forgotten. Inhibitions can be wiped away. You can finally feel okay about taking to time to enjoy life. And not only can you stop worrying about your own life, but you and every other person you know are leaving this place at the same time. Meaning, the people you love are able to live just as wonderfully free as yourself.

Even more freeing is the fact that if we all had this mindset, no one would be worrying about judgements or labels.... because no one would be handing them out! If everybody was living in a way in which their only concern was to enjoy the life they had in the time they had left, who would waste their time with preconceived notions and hating?

Even if I have my doubts about how the world will end, I want to feel free to live and to live happily. I think I'll be adopting the lifestyle I'd have if I knew the planet was going to pot by the year's end. I can't imagine living any happier. Imma recommend errbody do this...

All the love I can possibly give,

Sophia

Love

I think about love a lot. It's one of those things I always kind of keep on my mind. Like Skyrim.

Except I don't doubt Skyrim. It does what it's supposed to and gets on with itself. Love just doesn't seem to be so easy. And I don't mean exclusively romantic love... I'm talking about any kind of real love at all.

I used to believe there was enough love to go around. Now I have myself second guessing. Has the world always had this many atrocities? Am I just now realizing what this world is actually full of?

I think about all the people who have killed themselves because they've never felt the feeling of being loved. If they had just one more person on their side they might have spent just one more day on this earth. Or they might have spent years more. No one knows. Because no one took the time to see. Or to love.

I've had my share of bad days, but I count myself among the lucky. Among the ones who know what love is. If anyone wants to feel this and hasn't, I'll do my best to help. I've seen too much hate and neglect not to care.

All the love I can possibly give,

Sophia

my very first blog.

i've never written a blog before. and in the spirit of Christmas, i think the best way to start is with a second 'first': my very first Christmas letter! since my parent's letter was short and sweet, and i'm  (unfortunately) more and more becoming an adult, i figure it's time i write my own Christmas letter to keep everyone updated. 

Dear friends and family,

Merry Christmas! Hoping everyone's 2011 was happy and healthy. I'm currently a junior at UNI. (An aside: I'm also currently watching The Lion King as I write this. A highlight of 2011 was seeing this marvelous film in theaters again.) My major is presently up in the air. And whether or not other people are okay with that, I am. I'm 21 and have all the time in the world to figure out what to do with my life. 

My January and February were probably similar to most people's January and February: cold and uneventful. The only things I was involved with other than the typical school work were choir and UNI's 10 Minute Play Festival. I played a young girl in love with her boyfriend who's trying to justify leaving her for a job in Chicago. The script also describes her as having an obsession with trains... I didn't write it. 

March took me to California over spring break, which was a BEAUTIFUL week. I swam in the ocean for the first time ever and can't believe it took me this long to do so! I mean, I traveled to Europe before spending time on a coast. Who does that?

April and May were fairly uneventful. I finished up my sophomore year at UNI and returned home for summer break. In June, I went on my first mission trip and had an incredible time. I went with my brother, dad, and several church members to West Virginia and helped fix up and paint a house for a lady recovering from cancer. We also had time to see a lot of things, such as Martha Stewart's prison. I caught a snake in the mountains where we stayed and let it slither over my face. For some reason my dad didn't think it was as cool as I did.

Also in June, I helped lead a day camp in McGregor through Camp EWALU. I had two wonderful co-counselors, but we somehow were still exhausted by the end of the day. EVERY day. This might have been because when EWALU assigned three of us to the job, 30 kids were signed up. When we showed up the first day there were 50. This meant I was watching a group of about 15 first and second graders by myself. In case you were wondering, the Quiet Game didn't work.

When I wasn't busy with camp or trips over the summer, I worked at the pharmacy in Elkader, as well as my dad's eye clinic. I also picked up random jobs here and there playing for churches and whatnot. It was a pretty good summer. Then again, it's always a good summer when Elkader doesn't flood.

Fall rolled around, and I went back to school. Like the past semester, I was involved with the Women's Chorus at UNI. I also picked up a job at the dining center, which I later (as in three days ago) discovered was the same job my older brother had when he was going to school at UNI. He thinks it's really cool and funny. I think it's terrible knowing my brother had to endure the same grueling boredom.

In September, my best friend told me me he wanted to date me (finally). I feel like a lot of people saw this one coming, but that's probably a good sign. Sam's a student at UNI with me so we have a lot of time to do things together, like write/record music, hang out with our WONDERFUL friends, and learn sign language. Except we really only memorized a handful of words before we kind of gave up on the sign language thing.

Random highlights I have yet to mention:

-Solving my first Sudoku ever

-Ziplining through the Appalachians

-Taking care of my fish and frog, Hitch and Voldemort respectively

-Realizing beef jerky is actually tasty

-Discovering the glory of Skyrim, the world's greatest video game...

...Which leads me to a random philosophy I'd like to share: I feel that video games have a place in a child's life. They teach decision making and encourage imagination, creativity, and perseverance. And, of course, they foster strong hand-eye coordination. I'm not saying they are the most important thing in the world (because they definitely aren't), but I'd much rather have my kids creating situations and solving problems than merely watching others do it on TV or in movies. I don't know how this is relevant, but just saying.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Hoping we'll all be around this time next year...you never know with that whole Myan calendar idea... (Big joke, right?)

All the love I can possibly give, 

Sophia