99 - Healthy Happy Heart, and Other Summer News

My sister and I are starting a health blog. My other sisters are also invited, and will probably include their input.

You should read it. :)

Click here. Or here. If you REALLY want to read it, CLICK HERE.

In other news, I've been doing a lot of reading this summer. Don't worry, I'm still keeping track of my Reading Riot stuff. I just haven't posted about it in a while. I'll do a catch up with that pretty soon, though.

I've been reading Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. Basically, this journalist discusses successful people and their stories. He also talks about the misconceptions our culture has about said successful people.

Some interesting ideas so far:

• Being an expert at something requires hard work as well as abundant opportunity. 
• Being an expert at something also requires an inordinate amount of practice. 10,000 hours, if I want to be accurate. 
• Being renowned has a lot to do with being in the right place at the right time. 
• Your home environment does more to cultivate your intelligence than almost any other environment. 
• There's no such thing as being super smart. Intelligence, like all things, has a threshold. 

That last one I especially find interesting. I mean, obviously, there are innate abilities involving intelligence. However, recent findings have shown that there isn't a perfect correlation between the highest of intelligence and world-renowned success. A person with a high IQ (generally, above 130) is just as likely to succeed as a person with a higher IQ.

This book has been so interesting for me because I have always been placed in gifted programs in school. I had a rant about work and intelligence a few posts ago, so you guys know that this kinda stuff really hits home for me. I'm not, like, super-genius-smart. I do, however, have a large vocabulary. Any guesses as to why? Reading is all I ever did as a kid. I always (and still do, in fact) had a book with me. My step-sister is freakishly good at math and puzzles. Do you know what she always had with her as a child? A Sudoku book. Gifted people don't just stumble upon a talent and become experts. They can stumble upon passion, they can stumble upon opportunity, but one does not stumble upon expertise. Expertise requires work.

Anyway. I'll probably post more about Outliers later. Or maybe not. I don't know.

Good writing, interesting concepts, and personal meaning all wrapped up in one 300 page book. That's my kind of reading material.

-ka

98 - Dreams Come True

So, I've been in Disney World this week. I'm going to post more about that later, but I feel like I needed to start this post with that fact.

Do you know what the motto of Disney World is? Disney World: Where Dreams Come True. For those of you who know me, I'm not a huge Disneyland/Disney fan. I don't have as much fun as some people at theme parks, and I know that most people just don't understand that. The characters in Disneyland and Disney World were a main part of most people's childhood. I watched the cartoons and enjoyed the music, but I can't say that I have one Disney character that inspired me as a child.

Don't fret, however, because my childhood was not lost. Instead of being lost in fantasies of pretty dresses and fairy godmothers, I was lost in a world full of phoenixes and wizards. I imagined casting spells and defeating dark magic with my friends.

It's interesting being in a place full of other people's dreams because it makes me realize everyone has their own fantasy. Everyone has something they get irrationally excited about, even if they don't think they do. All I know is, when I walked with my family into Universal Studios Orlando and saw the brick spires of an all-too-familiar castle, my heart jumped more than a little bit. My dream was not realized in the place where dreams come true, but that doesn't mean it didn't come true.

Like I talked about in my last post, everyone needs a place in which they can escape. For a very long time, my imaginary place was in a book. I made friends with the characters, and I flew away to a place where no ordinary thing could catch me. During my travels, I (nearly) perfected my British accent so as to truly be a part of the story. I acted out my own endings and imagined my own role in saving magic from He Who Must Not Be Named. There is something truly magical about escaping your life within the confines of your own house.

I realize that I'm not unique in my feelings toward the Harry Potter series. In fact, I'd wager that more than half of my age group feels the exact same way. But, it doesn't matter. They still don't know what Harry Potter did for me. It's special because I'm special, and that makes all the difference.

You probably don't really understand this post. In truth, it's more for me than for any of you. I'm just feeling the satisfaction of having a childhood fantasy come to life, and I thought I'd share.

So, for all the childish dreams inside of you waiting to come out, just hold onto them. They do come true eventually--even if only in your imagination.

-ka

97 - In My Place

Today was a rainy day.
I really like rainy days.

This summer has been an extremely hot one, and so when I woke up this morning to a slight chill and the smell of rain, I was REALLY excited. Haha.

Later on in the day, my mom went to a anniversary dinner with her husband (they've been married four years now), and I went to the gym. When I pulled into my driveway, I just sat in my car for like twenty minutes. Together, the rain beating on my windshield and my mellow music created an atmosphere unlike any other. Obviously, since this experience warranted a blog post, the serenity I felt was important.

Everyone needs a place. Whether you're married or single or whatever, everyone needs a place. Sometimes, your place can be abstract; it can be within the confines of a book, or woven into a melody. Sometimes, your place can be a physical place -- a closet, or a chair.

No matter where your place is, you know that you will feel calm.
Peaceful.
Relaxed.

You know that, in your place, nothing else matters except feeling. You can be in your place and know that, somehow, everything will be alright.

Everything will be alright because right here, in this moment, you're happy. Maybe you're content, or maybe you're excited. Maybe you're grateful or humble. Maybe you are utterly aware of yourself. You are feeling, and emotion equals life. When you stop caring, that's when you stop living.

Everyone needs a place where they can just feel whatever it is they need to feel.

For me, the place changes (as it probably does with many people). Today, my place was in my car. I was watching my blurring windshield and singing along with She & Him, the Shins, and Bright Eyes. Somehow, in those moments, it seemed as if the rain was falling in sync with the music. It created the perfect amount of background sound to put my soul at ease. My car was my place, and I was feeling.

It feels good to feel.

This isn't my photo. I got it from pikachudork on Deviantart.com.
I should've taken a picture of my own car, but some experiences just can't be captured by photo. Only words will get close to doing them justice. 

-ka

96 - Carry On

I know that I have at least one sister who isn't a big fan of We Are Young, but I really do love this song. Same band, only this song isn't about getting wasted at a bar.



We are shining stars. We are invincible. We are who we are.
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground.
Carry on.

-ka

95 - Waiting and Missing

I heard once that when you really miss someone, all you want is for them to experience whatever you're experiencing at that moment.

For the last three weeks, I've been doing a lot of missing.

Whenever I see something funny, all I want to do is text him. Whenever I'm sad, all I want to do is run into his arms. Whenever I'm happy, all I want is for him to know what made me happy and be happy right there with me.

It's interesting, knowing someone very well. So well that you can tell what mood they're in even before they can. When you can look at their facial expression, and it's almost like you have psychic abilities because you can just tell what they're thinking. And then they do the same thing to you, and it freaks you out a little bit that you've let someone in that far - given them power. Knowing someone well and letting someone in requires an immense amount of trust.

Missing him is hard. I give myself a stern lecture every morning.

Kolbie, you are going to be happy. You are going to have fun. You aren't going to make everyone else feel awkward because you're depressed. You're not going to take your sorrow out on everyone else. Kolbie, it's not the end of the world. He's not dead, he's just gone for a while. He'll come back. 
Kolbie, would you want him to mope around, being sad all day? No. 
Kolbie, you are strong. You are confident. You have a strong support system, and he loves you. It hurts, but you don't have to let pain control your life. 
Kolbie, it's ok to cry. Have a good, painful cry. But then, stop. 


There are times when I miss him in a good way. Like, I almost don't feel sad. I just feel happy that I love him. I think about the good times we've had, and the good times we've yet to experience. A still, small voice whispers to me that it'll be a very happy time.

So here I sit, waiting. One can wait and experience life at the same time. I'm just waiting for the moment when I don't have to wait anymore. I'm waiting for the moment when you are gonna be right there with me. And that makes this moment even more special.

-ka

94 - On Intelligence

Intelligence has less to do with inherent abilities as it does work.

If I have learned anything in my education, it is that being smart is not necessarily a gift from heaven. Don't get me wrong, I know that some people are blessed with the ability to learn easier than other people. Some people are definitely prone to genius ideas. But do you ever wonder why it seems like those people are always busy? Why those people put all of their efforts into their chosen field?

I have.

Those people work. Hard.

I have been fortunate enough to be placed in an environment that encourages education and work. I have also been blessed with a natural ability to learn, and a love for it. But it makes me so mad when people tell me how easy it must be to be "smart".

"Oh, Kolbie, it's easier for you to go to class because you're smart."
"Oh, Kolbie, it's easier for you to write your essays on time because you're smart."
"Oh, Kolbie, it's easier for you to take that many credits because you're smart."

Let me just clear something up.

I'm not mad because I want my work to be recognized. I'm mad because those people use the word "smart" as an excuse to be lazy. I'm even more mad at our education system, because I firmly believe that there are many, MANY, more people in the world that have the potential for genius. They have the potential, but because of the standards placed before them, they will never know it. They are raised to believe that being simply average is something to strive for.

I'm not saying that being average is a bad thing, but too many kids are raised thinking that all they will ever be is average. They grow up with people telling them that they can't be smart, or athletic, or talented. Maybe they have negligent parents, or maybe they have negligent teachers. Either way, more and more children are dropping out of high school. More and more children are succumbing to depression. More and more children are thinking that they're not good enough to be successful, so they stop caring.

Everyone is good enough to be successful. Everyone deserves the chance to be above-average.

Intelligence has less to do with inherent abilities as it does work. If you want to be above-average, you need to work. The only way to overcome the Nelson-Mandela-named fear of being great is to be great, and to realize that being great is working hard. The best part is that once you've had a solid foundation in working hard, you can actually work hard doing at something you love.

And you want to know something funny? It actually makes you happy.

To all those people who think my life is easy because I'm smart, I'm here to tell you that my life is far from easy. Everyone is given obstacles in their life. Instead of choosing the easiest ways to go, though, I choose to work hard and be triumphant.

Don't mistake my being happy for my life being easy.

Intelligence has less to do with inherent ability as it does work. Yes, I've said it three times. But I just you want you to remember that the most, and perhaps you'll tell someone you know who really needs to hear it.

-ka

93 - Choices

I'm tutoring my little brother this summer because he is taking AP Human Geography next year. I'm also helping him with reading and writing, so I'm basically being his English teacher this summer. (Which is convenient, since that's the career in which I want to be.)

He's reading the Harry Potter series this summer, and so I'm discussing it with him and helping him critically analyze the thematic elements. It's pretty interesting because I'm doing what I love to do, but I can't be the student. As the teacher, I have to be the one to guide rather than explore. It's my brother's turn to discover what he thinks about the books and the connections he makes, even if I want to tell him that what I think is right.

Anyway. We were discussing choices today. He's midway through the first book, and so we looked at all of the different choices that the characters have made and how those choices have affected their lives. More specifically, Jonathon pointed out that because Harry's choices were mostly taken away from him in the beginning of his life (pre-wizard status), he was better equipped to make the choices he needed to later in the story. Because he knew what he didn't want, he chose what he did want. The Sorting Hat told Harry that he could be a great wizard if he followed the path that Voldemort did, but Harry chose to follow a different one. If you've ever read the whole series, you know that his one decision to not be like Voldemort shaped his adult character.

One choice. One choice made all the difference in his life. His choice forged the path for good, for light, for triumph. I mean, yeah, he made other choices in the future that seemed more important. But, to me, that one conscious decision to not choose individual greatness was his ultimate decision. From then on, he followed through with that choice. He became a literary hero. (At least, for my generation.)

It made me think about the choices that defined my life. Oftentimes growing, choices were taken from me. My mom always said that going to church wasn't an option, going to mutual wasn't an option, going to family parties wasn't an option, going to piano lessons wasn't an option, doing my homework wasn't an option... and so on, and so forth. When you're young, it seems like all of these life decisions are taken from you. However, upon closer inspection, I realize that I was given something even greater in return.

Like Harry, I was better equipped to tackle the bigger problems in my life because not doing so many things "wasn't an option." I was raised with core values that make me happy. They make me honestly and truly happy. Not only have they brought me joy, but I have seen other people find it as well. I didn't have a choice about doing homework, but I did choose to make education a lifelong process. I didn't have a choice about going to church when I was younger, but I did choose to have faith in God. My family has one of the strongest bonds I have ever seen, and I can't imagine my life without those endless family get-togethers. I have creative outlets and a passionate mind - a free mind. I have a mind that chooses good, light, and triumph.

Q: How do I know?
A: I want to share what I know. I want to share my good and light and triumph.

My free mind can choose whatever it wants.

It chooses a fulness of life.

-ka