Metacognition: Thanks for the Memories

As I boarded the plane nearly 6 months ago, I never thought that 6 short weeks could change my life. Yet 6 long months later, I found myself face to face with the physical representations of a nearly indescribable summer.

It was on Thanksgiving morning when my mother knocked on my door, and politely reminded me that I had committed to unpacking prior to Thanksgiving dinner. As I awoke, and shortly after started my morning prayers, I asked myself what I was truly grateful for. Though it may sound cliche, I found myself thankful for just one thing: memories.

As I stared at my immaculately clean room, I realized that it was finally time to look at the one thing I had yet to compulsively organize--the 3 foot by 2 foot canvas bag sitting atop the penthouse shelf in my closet. Almost as if by magic, the first thing I saw was the mix CD my 12 other volunteers and I had made entitled (appropriately) "The Soundtrack To My Summer".

With my speakers screaming out memories and nothing to kill but brain cells and time, I began sorting through the bag that I had lived out of for 6 life changing weeks. Two hours passed by, and yet I still had half a bag of memories sitting before me. Two more hours passed by, and yet this time, I found myself staring at only one thing--an empty bag. The Sharpied canvas was no longer the carrying case for memories or home to the smell of  Sean's Axe drenched sweatshirt--it was just a bag. With tears welling up in my eyes that could never say goodbye, I realized what I had to do.

Days later, I sit here writing this blog. My room remains immaculate, and my mind still remains buzzing with memories of a summer I only pray I'll never forget. Nearly everything remains the same, including the top shelf in my closet that is home to a 3 foot by 2 foot bag; yet this time, it holds only one thing--memories.

Metacognition: Poetry Writes Itself

When author Laurie Halse Anderson was interviewed about her riveting book Speak, she was asked whether or not she would write a sequel. Her response has always been the same: I will not speak of the rest of Melinda's story until Melinda is ready to share that story with me. Though cliche, I feel the same way as Ms. Anderson; it's impossible to write a story without first hearing or experiencing at least a part of that story for yourself.

When the poetry assignment was given, I was more than a bit relieved. "No more Orlando" I thought, "this will be easy". It was only when I sat down at a blank screen for the 5th time when I realized that this assignment was far from it. When assignments are vague, I tend to feel flustered and unable to think of anything I deem creative. Yet when assignments are very clear and concrete, I struggle to color within the lines, always wanting to see if I can add just a little color to the white space surrounding what most would deem the "artwork". The poetry assignment fell in the vague category for me as far as instructions, yet I found my struggle not with finding a topic to write about, but with writing about the topic itself.

When I write, I try to not put words on a page--I try to let a story that's been eating away at me spill out and flourish onto a blank canvas. Yet as I sat down at my computer time after time, I found myself unable to let the story out. Finally, on my 6th attempt, I allowed myself to completely relax and just let my mind and fingers say what my heart and soul had been unable to.

Writing for me is personal, and when you only have a few stanzas to sell yourself and your story to the reader, it can often feel intimidating. Here I am, a 16 year old student, divulging my innermost feelings and thoughts, and all I can do is just pray that my thoughts won't be graded or thought upon too harshly. So here they are, more words on a page. Maybe they mean something, maybe they don't. If I've learned one thing, it's that a writer can do no greater thing than to leave themselves vulnerable on piece of paper expecting no one and everyone to understand.

Blogging Around

Kali's Post and My Response

As Kali so beautifully wrote, society really has no right to place each unique individual into a rigid and binding stereotype. Kali wrote about how in class we had been debating whether or not the words "gender" and "sex" mean the same thing, and how after a few thought provoking comments, she had changed her view. At on point, my classmate had thought that the two words were interchangeable, yet then came to the realization that they were anything but. She concluded by saying that society should not and has no right to define us; life in the black in white is much too rigid so it's time we embrace the true beauty of the gray.

My comment/response to her truly inspiring, motivational and uplifting post is as follows:

Kali, this was a very powerful blog post. The fact that you were able to show the change in your thinking and ideals is amazing, and the fact that this change enabled you to be more open minded is fantastic. This blog is really inspiring, and helps reaffirm that society really shouldn't discriminate or box us into such rigid stereotypes. Bravo for using class references to show a very powerful change in perspective and thinking.

David's Post and My Response

When we think of  women's rights, we instantly think of issues like freedom of choice, job equality and healthcare. Simply by hearing those two words together, a thousand things rush through your mind, but few times are any of those racing thoughts focused on the meaning behind the words themselves. In the constitution, women were promised rights equal rights, yet we still find ourselves debating topics that would suggest otherwise. David's post really examines the core ideas behind this pairing of words, and how honestly, they should never have become a topic of debate in the first place.

My comment/response to his thought provoking, unique and well worded post is as follows:

I really enjoyed reading your opinion on this quite controversial subject. While many people seem to take one side over the other, you found the only logical answer: middle ground. The flaw in the argument of "women's rights" itself is rarely pointed out, and I find it quite refreshing to hear. Your post was very thought provoking and informative, and I very much so enjoyed reading your opinions and the eloquent manner in which you chose to word them.