Category: Junior Literary

Dear Mr. Kevin Hart,

             This book was an inspiration, aw well as somewhat of a mirror of my life. Much to my surprise, we have gone through some very similar situations. You know sometimes when I go through things, I feel like I am the only one, so it was like a breath of fresh air to know that I am not alone.

            The chapters that stood out the most were: Life Lessons from Dad, Life Lessons from Mom, Life Lessons from The Grind, Life Lessons from Obstacles, Life Lessons from Loss, and Life Lessons from Success. If you don’t mind, I would like to tell you why.

             When I read the title Life Lessons from Dad, I thought it would be about how your dad taught you how to be a man growing up. As I began reading, I saw that your dad taught you what not to do instead of what to do. Mine did the same thing. Then when I read the title Life Lessons from Mom, I thought it would be about the few things in life your mother could teach you about being a man. As I read, I saw that your mother showed you that when you must take care of business, that is just what you had to do, especially when there are children involved.

             Next, I read the title Life Lessons from The Grind, I thought it would be about the things you learned while trying to make a name for yourself. It was exactly that. Then I read the title Life Lessons from Obstacles, I thought it would be about the things you learned during the times that bad things started to happen. It was exactly that.

             At this point, I’m just not knowing what to expect, which is great, may I add. So, I read the title Lessons from Loss, and I thought it would be about the people or interest you would lose in certain things/people. Although it was that, it was also about the loss of the things and people you cherish too. And when I read Life Lessons form Success, I thought it would be about the wonderful things that come with success. It was like that, but much like Life Lessons from Loss, you would lose a lot with success.

             I say all of this to simply say that the way your formatted, organized, and wrote the book not only kept me wanting to read more, but also kept me not knowing what to expect. When writing something as grand as a book, that is a great thing to be able to do. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this. I’m more than positive that I am not the only person who is inspired by this book. Please keep doing your thing.

 

It has been exactly nine days since I’ve been to school, and I see this as a blessing in disguise. During these last nine days I’ve been torn down in every way possible. My confidence has been tested and maybe even diminished. My aggravation has skyrocketed, and my stress has been high. I have let the words of others circulate my mind until it’s all I’ve been able to hear. I have procrastinated looking in the mirror, too scared of what I might see.

At the same time, I have this new level of assurance, like I’ve fallen and I’m just starting to get back up. I’m not fully up, but I’m right there on the edge. I have this little voice in my mind telling me, “their perceptions of you are false,” and I chose to believe it.

This week I realized I have to take things day by day. All this time I’ve been living in future thoughts that I’ve missed out on half of my high school career. I am so behind in the achievements that I could possess right now.

I believe I have awoken. Time has gone by so quickly and I can’t help but wonder, “did I waste it?” But see, I don’t believe I have.

One thing I learned this week is that everything I’ve ever done has led me to this moment right now. Every decision I’ve made. Every single mistake has led me to this moment right here. I’d be lying if I told you I’m not okay with the person I’ve become because I am so proud of myself. I’ve overcome so many challenges and barriers throughout these past few years. These events have taught me brilliant lessons that I will forever hold dear to me. I know now that if those situations would have never occurred, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

I also learned that the only thing that is holding me back from achieving my goals and dreams is myself. Myself. I can accomplish anything I want to. Absolutely anything. When my mind tells me I’m tired, I will keep going because the only thing holding me back is me.

If I would have known this sooner I probably wouldn’t need to work so hard, but I refuse to let my mind focus on ‘what ifs’ because it is WASTED TIME. And at this point I have no time for wasted time.

I refuse to let myself get down because certain people have left my life. I realize now if they were so willing to leave so quickly, they don’t give a damn about what I am about to become. I almost let them determine who I was going to be and if I was going to make it or not.

In these last nine short days I learned that the day I stopped listening to what everybody else said was the day I started getting stuff for myself done.

I believe I am finally awake.

This is a poem that I wrote spur of the moment while waiting for the bus for a Walmart trip one day. Honestly, I have no clue what brought it on or what inspired it, it just came out. I’ll be the first person to say it sucks, but I’m still gonna embrace it. Please enjoy ‘Midnight’!

Midnight

This is your chance.
Run for your life.
Skip out on town.
Make it back before midnight.

Look around at the sights.
This is your chance to excel.
Make it back before midnight
to escape this hell.

The clock hits twelve.
Made it back before midnight.
You have no more chances.
You’re stuck here now.

Make it back before midnight.
This is your chance to change yourself.
Look back at your wrongs.
And move forward to create your rights.

Learning to handle stress is very stressful. I start to worry about things and try to calm down, but I can’t and wind up even more frustrated. I honestly don’t know how to control myself sometimes, but I have been working very hard and am finding new ways to distract myself from stress.

1. One thing that I have been finding helpful is yoga. Stretching out my tense muscles really helps me with reaching a calm state of mind.
2. Taking longer showers. Some studies may show that long showers indicate loneliness, but I have found that the hot water relaxes me and the humid air helps me with good breathing.
3. Reading. I know this is a more obvious one, but you may be surprised how much a good book will help you destress. Books allow us to escape and enter another world that has nothing to do with us.
4. Walking. This is another obvious one, but walking is very beneficial. As it turns out, committing to healthier life choices and exercising  habits can do wonders for your mental health and ability to fight stress.
5. Don’t spill tea. Stop gossiping. If you spend your time talking about other people’s problems and what they are doing, you lose time for yourself. Also keeping up with other people and what they are doing can be exhausting. Focus on yourself instead.
6. Drink tea. Try rewarding yourself with a cup of non-caffeinated tea with just a little sweetener if needed. Many herbal teas have great relaxing ingredients. Caffeine and sugar can make you a little jittery though, so read into your tea before you drink it and don’t over do the sugar. Here are some of the best teas to help with stress: Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, Valerian, Golden Root, Ashwagandha, Tulsi, Catnip, and Ginseng.
7. Aromatherapy. Get a diffuser and try filling your room with relaxing scents. The smells can be used as a stimulant for your mood. Many essential oils will tell you if they can be used in this way, but just in case, I advise these scents: Lavender, Rose, Vetiver, Bergamot, Roman chamomile, Neroli, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Ylang ylang, Orange or orange blossom, Geranium.
8. Don’t Procrastinate. A lot of our stress as students comes from our work load, but procrastination can really get you spiraling. It is important to get your work done as soon as possible instead of waiting until the last minute because waiting will lead to stressing and perhaps lessen the quality of your work.
9. Breathing. Even something as simple as breathing can help you with relieving stress. When you are caught up in a moment, and you catch yourself over doing it, sit down and focus on your breathing. This can relieve the tenseness in you muscles and chest as well as control  your heart rate.
10. Do what you love. It doesn’t matter what you write, draw, sing, or dance. Do it, but make sure you don’t treat it as an assignment. When relieving stress, we have to center ourselves and remember what makes us happy. Do what you love because you love it, not because you have to. This will really help find yourself in a hectic moment, and with that you will have the confidence to keep pushing.

I believe that mental entrapment is deadly. That sounds very odd and out of place on many levels but I believe that to be true in its entirety. In fact, I have so many factors as to why and it’s very common in my family. When I say mental entrapment, though, I don’t just mean not being able to escape those wild thoughts that someone may have at five a.m., but the emotions that hurt the most. Many people would wonder how that could be mental entrapment but those hurtful emotions feed into your innermost thoughts and it starts to become such a huge issue in the lives of many. Mental entrapment for me defines being stuck in your mind for what seems like forever. It is the continuously getting lost between what is real or fiction or even just feeling as if there’s a bind or blockage in your mind, holding you back. Mental entrapment could be caused by many things, including mental illnesses like depression or bipolarism, or even just the simplest of heart breaks. There are so many symptoms and outcomes of what I refer to as mental entrapment. Mentally, it could most definitely affect the way a person thinks and handles a situation. However, it could affect a person physically, as well. From a personal experience, it feels as if someone’s physically squeezing walls against you, blocking your way. The entire feeling is completely different from a panic attack, though they seem the same. Either way, it feels like you cannot escape or get away from whatever is affecting or bothering you. There’s often an urge to run away and due to the fact that you cannot, the feeling gets worse and your chest begins to tighten very harshly. It’s very frightening when it happens and it feels like there’s no way to help it. Personally, that’s why I enjoy travelling so much. Many of my friends or people that have talked to me know how much I talk about travelling and leaving Mississippi. It’s because of the entrapment that I feel mentally. There’s not a particular reason that I can pinpoint, exactly, but whenever I leave the state, I feel free. Those small bursts of freedom are enough to help me get by and when I have to come back, I crave it again. As weird as it sounds, I feel as if I get a broken heart when I come back from a trip away from here. It hurts so much, too. My chest starts to hurt and I get so heart broken. It’s such an odd thing to think about and it seems so weird writing it out. It would probably sound crazier if I said it, but it’s what I feel to be true. It’s such a hard thing to bear through, and I’m often described as someone who has wanderlust. I just hate being trapped. Emotionally, it’s even crazier. I’m stuck with my consistently racing thoughts from sun up to sun down. Sometimes, it’s so bad that sleep becomes a stranger to me. If I tell others this, I’d probably sound like I need to be institutionalized but this is how I view such things.

Underneath your clean fingernails

beyond your soft hair 

inside your empty pores

into a heart full.

I love to swim through your veins 

I’m sorry for pricking your smooth skin

there are a few of my edges that haven’t rounded 

I’m sanding them down

making sure I don’t miss any points.

you bite my lip 

prevent me from kicking over loose stones again. 

I’m sorry I’m not quite steady.

I’m working on it 

I’m going to be.

Soon, I’ll be such a good swimmer your body will have to absorb me 

as a necessary protein

or vitamin

you’ll need me without consciously knowing it 

I will be the one who is there when your sugar is too low 

when your blood pressure soars 

when your skin cracks from the lack of sunshine. 

let me show you how it feels to be taken care of. 

 

 

So, as you all know, I have a deep love for video games. A very deep love. Specifically for Nintendo games. I live and die by Nintendo. Every day I wake up and forget to charge my Nintendo systems, and then get really upset when I cant play pokemon at midnight. It’s an endless cycle- but its special, and it’s a part of me.

Anyways, for prom, I really want to do something that is very…. me. Something that represents me as a person. Something that represents me as a nerd who doesn’t have much of a life outside of the virtual world. Me as a cosplayer. I essentially want a dress that could somehow captivate my entire world.

I began thinking.

“Kerri, you can modify anything. why not modify a dress to fit your needs.”

therefore, I came to the conclusion that my dress will be inspired by ……

 

Princess Zelda!

(without the sword)

I plan on modifying a white dress to fit her style. I’m thinking of finding some type of gold twill/bias tape to sew along the bottom edges, and then either handsew in some type of lace, or embroider the details.

Of course, i’ll be able to use my own hair. Very happy about that.

 

 

UPDATE:

I began writing this a few weeks ago, and I wanted to update this because I found something that worked well. I searched across many many cosplay sites to find a decent dress, but they all seemed to use rather cheap fabrics, and the ones that didn’t use cheap fabric were crazy expensive.

I went on Facebook, and went to the buy/sale/trade pages for cosplay (which actually exist! and i probably shouldn’t spend too much time on them,,,, that could be quite disastrous)

Long story short, I was able to get a pretty good prom dress for a pretty good price! its a bit big on me right now, but ill be able to take it in! I’ll be sure to update you guys on the progress of the dress as i work on it.

I know its a bit early, but, I’m really excited! This is one of those things every teen movie focuses on, so it has to be pretty memorable. If it’s got a scene in high school musical, it has a place in my life. Maybe that’s not the right way to live ones life by, but it works for me!

 

At three years old, love came to me in the form of a security blanket; Bun Bun I named it, always carrying its bunny ears in my tiny balled up fists. It had my name monogrammed on its heart, or at least that’s what my mother told me. My eyes that were just a little too big for my face couldn’t formulate letters into words yet, so I just took my mother’s word as truth because I loved it. That wouldn’t be the last time I did that; blindly put faith in things or people I loved. Love left when my red-roofed house ignited with one swift lightning bolt. All that was found in the rubble was my sister’s copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and a severely charred copy of my mom’s favorite Christmas movie.  My name was lost within licks of flames, crushed into nothing but ashes. Three year olds rebound quickly, therefore my first heartbreak didn’t sting for too long.

Love visited again at five, not too long after the last. I had a pink tut that I was given. It was the embodiment of me in a piece of clothing; pink, sparkly, made of tulle. I wore it every day; to school, birthday parties, outside with friends. So many holes were shred into it, but I wore it despite that, despite the flaws. My mom couldn’t stand to see me adorning something so tattered. She threw it away. That heartbreak hurt a little more, but again, nothing unbearable. I got new clothes, and my world was right again.

Infatuation took over love’s place for a while. My attention was focused on small things and people for years and years; boys I was convinced I’d marry in the fourth grade, fads I fell obsessed with, exotic animals I was destined to own. The typical trials and tribulations of elementary school. These were all just quick bursts of what I assumed was love, but wasn’t mature enough to realize wasn’t. I never wish I realized then it wasn’t love though. Having a sense of false “love” when  you’re young is better than nothing. There’s things to look forward to and excited for. Being self-aware at the ripe age of ten doesn’t bode well, especially when your near future of high school is overflowing with that as well. Ignorance is bliss. Being in love and ignorant is a luxury. You only get that a handful of times.

// woah the end! haha I’m for sure NOT done with that, but that’s what I’ve conjured up so far. Hope you guys eNjOyEd!!!!

 

I forget just how forgetful I can be. I forget deadlines, names, necessities for life. Just a few minutes ago, I realized I had forgotten my badge back in my dorm room, so I was almost locked out of JI. I know that there are some ways to improve your memory, but I just never took the time to really think about them. I’ve heard of that tying a string around your finger, and I wonder if that really works. I saw that concept show up in a book I read last year. It’s supposed to be one of those old wives’ tales, but the string is supposed to “keep the thought” about whatever you were trying to remember there. 

There are other ways to improve your memory too. Drinking water, trying to meditate, and getting enough sleep are a couple of ways to try to improve your memory. I do only one of those – drink water. My sleep schedule isn’t the greatest. I usually go to sleep anywhere between 11 and 1, sometimes 2 on those odd nights, and I wake up at 6:25 to get ready for the day. I’ve never tried to meditate because let’s get real: the mind is scary. My mind is not “scary” though. It’s boring and there’s barely anything I can grasp that comes through my thought process. Anyway, I’m going to include a couple of links for those that want to learn more ways to improve your memory. 

14 Natural Ways to Improve Your Memory

Eight Ways to Remember Anything

The way I’ve imagined the way Generation Z and Social Media (all aspects of it.) is like that of a bad romance (cue Lady Gaga.)

You have this couple, they meet, start to learn a little bit about each other day by day, and then suddenly they are completely and utterly infatuated with the other. Sometimes, and definitely in this case, they become co-dependent. This can prove to be toxic, and harmful. Social media serves as the stereotypical “bad boyfriend.”

While some not see it as a luxury, Millennials got to grow up for a period of time without technology being the fore front of everything in their world. Advanced technology of smartphones, easy-access computers, etc. was still new and developing.

Gen Z’ers were born into a society where not only had technology advancements had soared, but they were starting to become an integral part of everyday life.

Some were useful. Hassle-free heart and breathing monitors to make sure cradle deaths were avoided; high-tech security systems to keep the household safe; even collar activated pet doors were invented so that the family life would remain undisturbed.

With these inventions, came new problems. Smart devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops brought social media. Social Media is a wonderful thing that allows communication be widespread. At a touch of a button people can catch up with their friends, let the country know of breaking news, and just waste time during dull moments. However, social media brings along with it a plethora of negatives.

The sweet honeymoon phase turns into a violent, toxic relationship. What used to be the positives, morph into an ugly monster.

Now instead of going to school and getting bullied, you can now get beaten down emotionally from home! Used to, there would be a safe space to hide yourself from the hate, but Generation Z is safe no more.

Unrealistic body images have also been set into the Gen Z’ers since birth. Images of extremely edited girls have been plastered on everything; billboards, benches, trucks, and every social media app imaginable. It’s easy to drown in it.

But even with those things, Gen Z still loves Social Media. They are totally and utterly in love with it despite it being horrible to them. Just like a bad relationship. Technology is only advancing. What to come for the next generation is ever scarier.