Of Worth

This past week I have been asked a similar question twice: to pick something of worth.  In English it is to pick a book that is of literary merit written in the past thirty years, and to eventually discuss if it is of worth to study.  I had to quickly convince myself that Harry Potter wasn’t a good idea for an advanced literature class and looked through a list to pick- from the mostly unheard books- a book that I might think would be interesting to read.  After class I went to lunch and was presented a similar question.  As this year is senior year, I was asked if I would like to be in the senior video, and to tell about the most meaningful thing that has happened to me over the course of high school.  I don’t know about the rest of the seniors but thinking about the most important thing that has happened to me over the course of high school is hard.  I went home for the weekend and spent a while thinking over what I should pick.  What book would be worthwhile to read?  What event has defined me in high school? 

In the end the two questions were answered by the same though process.  What has defined me is by doing something familiar something that has become a part of my life since I was little.  I decided to choose a book I was familiar with, one that I owned and has enjoyed before.  I picked the most meaningful thing in my life was something that had been painful at times and I still have the scars to show from it.  I picked a book that had also been painful to read at times, to feel pain with the characters.  Finally I picked a book and an event that has changed me mentally.  I am not the same person I was before and after this event and reading this book.  Both occupy my thoughts often, as you reader can see as I write this post.

Finally, both the book, The Lovely Bones, and earning my black belt in taekwondo were journeys.  Both journeys took me a while.  I’ve been training since I was nine, half of my life, for my black belt, and never understood truly the ideas in The Lovely Bones but now I feel that I have grown enough to be able to understand to accept and to continue to grow.  Does that make sense?  Is my reasoning sound?  I wanted to have something of worth to show a journey not easy, sometimes not fun but both are rewarding in the end.

To me, that is true worth.
-Emily S.

Bittersweet Ending

     As I have been sitting here doing my blog comments for the week, it's hard not to notice how many posts are about graduation and how close it is. So i said to myself, why not post one too. Here goes nothin'.

    The one word I have for graduation is bittersweet. We have all been waiting for this day for our entire lives. We can't wait to move out and be on our own, away from our parents for the first time, not to mention all of the cramming, partying, mid-terms, and degrees that come along with college. But when i really think about it, most of us will be leaving behind those that we've known for the past 4 years or more. The comfortable little world we like to call Los Osos High School will be a thing of the past. We won't show up to school and park next to our best friends anymore. We won't hug everyone we see in the hallways every day of every week. So, as I see it, this grand moment comes with happiness and tears, anxiety and readiness. However, I've got to think that even though I will be leaving high school, I won't forget all of the memories I have made. When one door closes, another will open. We will all get used to the new environment of college and meet a few people along the way that may become life long friends. So, instead of anxiously awaiting the day graduation finally comes, let's make this last month and a half really count; embrace what you've got around you, hold tight to all the memories we've made, and let's go out with a BANG!

_meredith k