Forgive and Forget

            

Before I begin this week’s blog, I have to inform you about the two nameless people in this photograph. OK! They are not nameless. But remember what is said in this class stays in this class! This is Rex Self and Tess McGee at the prom together several years ago (Rex and Tess, if you are reading this, I hope that this does not hurt your feelings too much. Please forgive me. I love you both.). A few weeks ago, they recently went on a date together. I would describe their relationship as being good friends. Anyways, I decided to do a little blackmail about their relationship; keep in mind that both of these people are good friends of mine. I made this fake wedding announcement and emailed it to them just to be mean. I knew that both Rex and Tess would laugh and not be offended but that they would laugh at themselves. I was right. They do not have any hateful feelings toward me, at least that I know of.

Learn to let things like this go. Rex and Tess could have easily become very offended because of my actions but instead they let it go and even laughed about it. When someone does something to you that is not an excuse for you to treat them badly. We would do well to follow their example. When someone says or does something that offends you, let it go. Don't hold a grudge for your entire life. I have seen people who are offended and they resent their offender for the rest of their lives. Most of the time, the actions of others are not malicious, and they mean you no harm. I have said and done some things out of anger, frustration, and selfishness that I regret. We all make mistakes like this. Although I would not say that the fake wedding announcement was a mistake, and it was somewhat malicious on my part. Yet, we all unintentionally offend others sometimes. Make the Game Called Life more enjoyable and overlook the rude things that others do. Learn to forgive and forget and love.

-Drew Bob

Back Seat Drivers

Have you ever been driving while some one in the back seat yells at you, “You are driving so slow!” or “You are a crazy driver. You need to slow down!” And there are other types of back seat drivers who take upon themselves the responsibility of yelling the directions at you as if you don't know where you are going. They say, “Turn here!”, or, “Watch out!” just to press your buttons and make your blood boil. For those of you who have not had the privilege of having a back seat driver, it is the most annoying thing in the world. It makes me want to turn around and slap the person but that would compromise so I would never do a thing like that.

Whenever My great grandmother would ride as a passenger, she would always tell the driver, “Red light,” and, “Green light,” as if she was driving with a blind person. I feel bad for her husband. She repeatedly said red light and green light to him for sixty five years. He must have had very much patience.

Once I was driving in a car full of noisy and distracting boys. Now, that was a bad idea to begin with. To make things worse,they all thought that they were great back seat drivers and that they would help me to drive “safely”. Due to the crazy things that they were doing, we may have been throwing water balloons from windows of something like that, and I was not paying as much attention to the road as I should have been. I was laughing and having a good time and my mind was not focused on the road. As I was passing the turn where I needed to make a left, everyone in the back seat yelled, “Turn, turn, turn”. Rather than slowing down and checking the left lane for oncoming traffic, I quickly made a turn that was not quite a U-turn but not a left turn either. I nearly missed a car that would have resulted in a head on collision, hit the curb, and almost ran over a pedestrian. Of course the guys in the car all started yelling and freaking out, which didn’t help.

The obvious lesson to learn from this story is, don't listen to backseat drivers. You have a better view of the road than they do and your mind should be more focused on the road theirs is. Apply this to life off of the road. You have the most knowledge of what is occurring in your life. You almost always know what is right and what is wrong. Trust your instincts and do what you know is the right choice. Don't let others persuade you to do something hasty. The best way to not let others persuade you to make wrong choices is to avoid the situations where you will most likely be put under peer pressure. For example, if I would have never been in the car with all of those people in the first place, I would never have been so distracted and I would not have put their lives in danger. Stay away from people and places that will persuade you do make terrible choices. Do what you know is right.

Don't be a Hypocrite

In my blog, I have told you all to give compliments, and ironically I am kind of a hypocrite when It comes to this topic. This is because I am terrible at giving compliments. This week I would like to take my own advice into consideration and give a short compliment to all of my followers.

Abby, you say things under your breath that are so funny! I enjoy sitting next to you so that I can hear your smart comments. People think that I am crazy when I bust out laughing at something you said because I was the only person who heard it. You should speak up when you say some of those things. You are a silent comedian. You also are a great drummer and clarinetister person or however you would say that.

Elizabeth, you are one of the smartest people that I know. You also are a talented singer, dancer, guitar player, and song writer. I like it when you trip and stumble on things. You know how to make people laugh.

Ian my man, you are so fly. I wish that I had as many hats as you have. You also know how to make me laugh. I wish that you lived in Holbrook longer. You can dance like a, like a I don't know. You are a good dancer.

Shabby, you are a beast in volleyball and basketball. I would not want to be guarding you or be the one who is on the other side of the net from you. When you are off the court, you are the nicest person ever. You love your family so much and I admire that.

Sherrrrrrnnnn, you are so cool for letting me,Gage, and all of those annoying boys put you through so much crap. If we ever become too annoying, just tell us to cut it out and we will. Your blog is always one that I look forward to reading each week.

Maria, girlfriend, you are the most responsible teenager that I know. You manage to have a job, go to school, and participate in multiple activities. You are so nice, maybe too nice. You spend so much time to help other people. And did I mention that you are a great sign maker?

Gage, you are so mischievous and fun to be with. You would tear me up in COD any day. You are not afraid to take risks. I must say that your shoulders are looking pretty massive these days. Your have some sick cheer leading skills. I wish that I was man enough to be a cheer leader like you.

Payton, you are not in my class but I guess I will make an exception for you. You are such a little person but you have a huge personality. You are a great at cheer and great in this game called life.

Bethany, your pictures are so artistic and meaningful. But your words that describe those pictures are even better. You are a great volleyball player. You seem like you are one of those people that would be good at anything that you put your mind to.

Charmayne, you are so quiet but when you say anything, it is so profound. I wish that I could be as good at welding as you are. I admire your desire to prove that boy wrong who told you that you would never make it to state.

Ashley, you and Ryan together make Bunley.

Just kidding Ashley! You are so fun to tease because you always have funny reactions. You are so intelligent. You make a great student council president, and you will make a great president of the

United States one day.

Dawnafé, you are a great actor! I was so surprised when I went to watch the play. You are an amazing tattoo artist. I still laugh when I think about the time when you slapped James! I like it when you plug in your iPod in class because you have a good taste in music.

Mrs. Caffey, you have so much devotion for teaching and for your students. I love your stories and I love your class. Thank you so much for taking the majority of your day to help students.

Chelsea, I love you bro.

So everyone, what is the moral to this “story”? Don't be a hypocrite and give compliments.

Why Can't We Be Friends?

  One day earlier this year, around the time of fall break, I was walking through campus during the lunch hour when I had a prompting to walk toward the part of campus that is in between the library and C-building. I had previous plans to walk a different pathway that I believed was a shorter distance. At the time, I did not know why I was inspired to walk that way but I decided to listen to that prompting. As I walked, I saw a young freshman sitting all by himself at one of the tables. He had only been attending Holbrook High School for a few days and he had not made any friends. Mary had introduced the kid to me the day before while he was registering for his classes. I knew of him but I did not personally know him. Anyways, this individual appeared terribly sad and lonely.

I had been told by one of my teachers that I had intimidated the freshman the day before because I am such a tough senior. I would also be scared if I was a freshman so I don't blame the little guy. I had no plans or obligations at the time, so I sat down, decided to talk to him, show him that I am not as scary as I look, and try to be a friend to him. At first, he was very reserved and I could only get him to say a few word at a time. But the longer that we talked, the more he opened up to me. He discovered that I am not the mean guy that I appear to be. We have been friends ever since then.

This experience reminds me of a great song that says,” Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't...”. Although this song is incredibly annoying, I agree with its lyrics. Be friendly and people will want to become your friend. Makes sense, don't it! Don't reject other people just because you don't know them. Be humble enough to take a few minutes from your day and talk to someone who you don't know very well. They might become one of your closest friends. Another issue that I would like to address is being judgmental. Making judgments about others because of their appearance and your first impression of them is completely wrong. I have regretfully made the mistake many times though out my life and then that same person has become one of my closest friends.

Another point that I want to make is this: be friendly. A cold shoulder is more hurtful than many of us realize. A smile, a compliment, saying hello, a hug, or asking someone how they are doing may seem like little things that have no effects. However, these acts of kindness can entirely improve someones day and lift their spirits. Show some brotherly love. Think of how you can be a friend to someone else and they will be your friend in return.