My Secret Super Power

A long, long time ago, about eighteen years, my mother gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. It was perfect, just the four of us. My mom, dad, their firstborn Nathan, and me. When I was almost three, I was blessed with a little sister. It was wonderful. My parents are amazing, and my brother and sister are true blessings. I always tried my best to obey my parents because I knew they knew what was best for me. Then I turned fourteen.

My fourteenth birthday I was given the gift of knowing everything. It was almost instantly that I suddenly knew more than my parents. Now, this was a blessing and a curse because my parents still thought they knew everything too. This made for many fights, fights I had never really had with my parents, and for many slammed doors. I think these fights occurred because my parents were jealous that I had received my gift so young.

Being fourteen was absolutely perfect! Nobody knew anything and I knew everything. It was a dream come true.  I felt as though I had been given a super power. Of course my power wasn’t as strong at school because every super hero has a weakness. I think the school had some type of force field. It is not that I was wrong all the time at school, but I was not always right like I was at home.

Many times my mom would say, “You think you know EVERYTHING don’t you?!” I hated this question because there was no way I could admit to my powers, so I always denied I knew everything. (Even though I did.) Being a super hero and a freshman was perfect; it had its difficulties, but for the most part it was fantastic. It was such an exciting year.  After the first semester of my freshman year I turned fifteen. The long awaited fifteen.  For most people that would not have been a big deal, but I had a super power and my super power had a time frame, which I was not aware of. When I had received my power, a fairy god mother did not tell me the rules. When I turned fifteen, I lost my powers, all of them. I no longer knew everything.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to when I knew everything; when everyone was always wrong and I was always right. When life was simple and I had a super power. But if I had the chance to gain my power again, I would not. I have found there is wisdom in being wrong. It is wise to admit not knowing everything. Jules Renard, a French author said, “If you are afraid of being lonely, don’t try to be right.” In all my eighteen years of life, I have found this to be incredibly true. I never really fought with my parents until I knew everything. Looking back, I can see how drastically my relationships changed in that one year. At the time I thought it was wonderful, but it was not. Being right was not worth it. It is better to have an open mind, and a willingness to learn. There is wisdom in being humble enough to admit to being wrong.  I hope I am never given that gift again.

                           

Presence is a Present

“Can I help you?" The Bashas’ employee, with perfect, winged eyeliner, asked me. 

"No, sorry. I'm still trying to decide."      

Decide on what? ICECREAM! Growing up, I never really cared for ice cream, but recently I have discovered that I absolutely love it. So when I went to Bashas to get ice cream with my mom and sister, it took me a while to decide which scoop of heaven I was going buy. I let my mom and sister choose their ice cream first, so I could have more time to think about all the mysterious flavors. When they had finished, it was my turn. I had made up my mind. Rocky Road. I KNEW I wanted Rocky Road more than I wanted the other fourteen flavors I had to choose from. I took the first bite, and fell in love. But by the time we had gotten into the car, I had already regretted my decision. I should have gotten Mudslide.... 

 This experience made me think of  a TV show I used to watch, Brain Games. This show explains how our minds work. I remember one specific episode it talked about going to an ice cream parlor and trying to make a decision. It said that we will always be happier if we only have to choose between vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. When we have different choices to choose from we will (almost) always regret our choice. By having so many different flavors, we will think, maybe I would have enjoyed the other one better. I think I proved their study to be true.

I cannot help but think this study about ice cream can be linked to our everyday lives. In the 21st Century we can choose between numerous things. In regards to social media, we can choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, good old fashioned texting, FaceTime,  or thousands of others apps. Sometimes we get caught up in the never ending list of apps, and fail to remember ancient face to face conversation. Unfortunately, when we do choose ancient face to face conversation, we spend it scrolling through some type of social media. I am guilty of this. I know that I do it because I do not want to miss anything. I want to always be entertained, occupied, and communicating. While talking to my friend Alexandra, I could be talking to Marr-Rhyzle, or I could be texting my crush, or I could be Snapping my cousin. Just like the ice cream, I am left to think, maybe I would enjoy doing something else better.

With so many choices to choose from, we will always have regrets. I have faith that majority of the time we make the right choice. However, I know for a fact, just about all of us make the same wrong choice every day. 

How many times have you been talking to your friend and you get a SnapChat? Or a text? Or a Facebook notification?  Every day while communicating vis-à-vis to our loved ones, we are interrupted by technology, and we respond to it. We willing ignore the person right in front of our eyes for our phones. 

Now don't get me wrong, I think technology is wonderful. I love the fact that I can see my Nana's beautiful face from over 3,000 miles away. I love that I can talk to my cousins who live in Georgia whom I miss dearly. But I HATE that society has become engrossed in technology. I hate that people think we need to post our entire lives on Facebook. I hate that when I'm talking to someone they are scrolling through Twitter. I hate when halfway through my story, my friend looks up from their phone and asks, “What?” I HATE that society has become addicted to a screen.

(Sorry about that rant.) 

This semester I was blessed with the opportunity to be in the musical Marry Poppins. I knew that I was going to love being a part of this musical, but I did not know I would learn so many valuable life lessons. Before every show, the cast and crew would stand in an enormous circle to receive a motivational speech that would get us excited for our performance. Before one show, one of our directors said something beautiful that has stuck with me. She said two simple words that have changed my entire state of mind. 

Be present. 

I hope you read those words and felt the power I did when I heard them.

 Be present. 

We are here, now. We are surrounded by people we love. Every day we have the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime. Yet, every day we stare at our screens, we refresh pages, and post silly comments. While doing so, we are losing precious time with the people in front of us. Be present. Spend time with the people in front you. Enjoy every moment, so that one day you can remember moments, not posts.

3,571 Miles

                Twenty years ago, my semi-newlywed parents packed up their 1995 Ford Tempo and drove 3,571 miles to their new home in Holbrook, Arizona. When my parents and brother made the long journey across the country, they left behind all of our family. All my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in New York or down in Georgia.  The closest family they now had was my great-aunt and great-uncle and their children in Safford, Arizona.

                Holbrook, Arizona is the only home I have ever known, and I absolutely adore it! Holbrook has the most beautiful blue sky that can be seen for miles, and when the sun gets ready to say goodnight, it paints the most incredible sunset. Rocks, dirt, and weeds can be seen around every corner, but even those have their own divine beauty. Over the past eighteen years, I have fallen in love with this little town and its citizens.

               I have the most wonderful memories growing up in The Brook. My dad loved to take me and my siblings hiking. We spent hours on a little mesa behind my house. We named it Jedi Mountain, and still call it that today. We would always play wiffle ball, Turkey*, and jump on our trampoline. I could not even begin to describe how amazing my childhood was with my little family of five.

                Most of my childhood memories include my childhood best friend, Savana Shumway. I have fond memories of going to her house and having the most incredible adventures. I was always a bit jealous of her, or maybe more than a bit. It seemed as though Savana always had family over, and she has a big family! She has twice as many siblings as I do, and about fifty cousins. Her grandparents lived in town, and we often spent time over at their house. If we were not with her grandparents, we were with at least some of her forty-something cousins. As much as I loved spending time with her family, it always made me jealous. If I wanted to see my grandparents I would have to spend days in a car. I am in no way complaining. I loved the road trips I took with my family of five to visit my family across the country and I loved when they came to visit us. I just always wished they lived closer.

                As the years have passed, I have often thought the same thing. I wish my family lived closer. Tonight at a family dinner at the Demuth’s house, I realized that my family does live close. Over the past twenty years, my family has made a new family here in Holbrook. As I look at the town, and the families here, I cannot help but think everyone here has become my family. I could not even begin to list all the people who have influenced me for the better here in happy Holbrook. I feel as though I have hundreds of family members.

               My Nana, the most wonderful woman I have ever met whom I miss dearly, once told me that I’ll never run out of love. I am so glad that is true. It is wonderful having so many people here to love, and I cannot wait for my heart to grow even more as I go throughout my life. My time in Holbrook is coming to an end, and as much as I cannot wait to leave, it will always be my hometown. Wherever I go, I know that I will have countless family members back home, where the sky is blue for miles, and the sunset is incredible.

*Turkey- a game where my dad would stand in the living room with a nerf gun while, in the hallway, my brother, sister, and I would stand, anxiously waiting for my dad to call, “Turkey! Turkey! Turkey!” When he would do so, the three of us would go running through an opening at the end of the hallway where my dad would shoot us with the nerf gun. Then he would take us, “gut” us, “cook” us, and have Thanksgiving dinner.