Music is power. Music has the power to make people feel things. I find it strange how some noises can cause people to cry or be joyful. What is it with music that has this effect on people?

For me, music is life changing. From sitting in the band room early in the morning and making music, to listening to music in my room at midnight while taking a break from homework, I have never not enjoyed it. Music makes me feel what's going on around me, and it also takes me away from my surroundings and leads me into my dream world. It's indescribable.

I try to delve into each note I hear, or each beat or pitch. I think about why the composer or artist chose that specific note in that order. Each sound in a song is picked for a certain reason and what's interesting to me is why they chose it to be there. Each note plucked, plucks a string in my heart(cheesy i know).

Death by Finals

The school system is beyond frustrating. Feeling the heat, especially during finals week, I find it ludicrous how our 20+ weeks of hard work depends so heavily on an assignment or test given to us at the end of the semester. It's hard to maintain straight A's throughout the semester, and having one large assignment at the end of it that can determine whether you get an A or B is difficult to cope with.

Another fact that scares me is how well we do in these few years of our teenage lives will reflect on what the rest of our lives could possibly be like. If we don't  perform top notch during high school in this day and age, it's nearly impossible to compete with those who do when college application time comes.

I wish school was about genuinely learning new things and discovering yourself. But of course, we don't live in a perfect world so that's not the case. School is so heavily depended on numbers, memorization, scores, and exams that we forget the true meaning of school. I'm not saying that all we do is pointless and a waste of time, but more of that is going on than it should be.

Times a Tickin'

There's not a moment where we aren't aging. We don't think of our age growing throughout the seconds. minutes, hours, but it's happening. It's a constant thought that frightens me. I imagine myself growing wrinkles on my face as i'm staring at my phone screen and wasting precious time on social networking sites, or unnecessary extra sleep just because i'm too lazy to get out of bed.

I feel that if i'm not spending my time wisely, possibly studying or doing homework, then it's time wasted, and that's untrue. I, along with many others, need to understand that just because you aren't using all the time you have to be improving your grades or doing things along the lines of schoolwork, it doesn't mean you're wasting you're time.

In order to be happily sane, it's necessary to have some "you time". Understand that its not a waste of time because you're enjoying yourself in whatever you're doing, whether its sleeping, or exercising, or just doing nothing. Although one should use their time to it's full extent, how you choose to spend it is solely upon yourself, just keep in mind that time is of the essence.

How one wants to grow throughout the seconds of their lives should be thoughtful. One can never regain the seconds they've lost, all you can do is improve and learn to spend it more wisely for the future. Use your time to work on yourself, rather than watching upon others through a tiny screen.

Things Could be Worse

Often times when I'm in public, I hear complaints from people about this and that, but I never hear people expressing how thankful they are to be living. We live in a day and age where we constantly look at what we don't have rather than what we obtain and it's quite sad.

We could live in a world where freedom isn't free, or where segregation is popular, but we don't and I rarely see appreciation for how far we've come. Being unappreciative towards life causes depression, if only we could open people's eyes up to see what's truly in front of them. There's constant talk about how people not having the latest technology, or not having the best clothes. What I try to remind myself is if I have ever lived without it, I don't truly need it.

Teenagers are a huge advocate here, but so are adults. Adults should be paving the way to happiness for the younger society, but instead they're setting an example. Not all, but many. We all need to be reminded of the simple things in life that should give us immense pleasure, things such as:

• dogs
• trees and sunshine (typical, I know, but beautiful)
• beaches
• stars
• babys' laughter
• naps
• books
• good movies
• bouncy balls
• spicy food
• sweet food
• mountains
• snow
• cake
• butterflies
• LIVING 

We things that don't come so easy to others, and we need to use them to our advantage. It's important to be happy. Odds are, something one may be mad about today, might not matter to them in a year or even a week from now. Don't dwell on things that drag you down because it's nothing but a waste of thought when you could be HAPPY. Life is too short to have a long face.

Inevitability

The future is inevitable. For me, inevitable things are full of fear and anxiety because no matter what you do, it's going to happen and there's no way around that. You can take it in your direction but that doesn't mean it will end up where you wish. Quite terrifying if you ask me. 

I would say I'm the type of person to want to have control over most things. I want to know what I'm doing, where I'm going, and when. Of course things don't always work out that way, having everything planned out, but knowing my plan makes me feel secure and sure of things. A big part of what I'm talking about here is my plan for college. I don't know what I want to be or where I want to go, and this is my future here!

People often tell me that life will take me where it will, and for the best, but it's hard to put your faith in others words. What if I don't end up with a nice life? Or if I'm struggling with a job that I dislike? So many things can happen, way too many possibilities. I know that I'm the only one that has a hold of my life so I need to take action and discover. Discover things that I didn't know existed. Look for all the endless possibilities. 

Most importantly I need to remind myself that I'm just a teenager. I have time, although not too much, there is time. I need to take that time and use it to it's fullest to truly delve into what could be. I know I'll be amazed at what's out there for me to achieve. There's so many things out there that I can do  that will give me personal joy as well as joy to others but I just haven't found it yet, and I, as well as many others, need to realize that that's okay.

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, and more Dogs

The dog; a mans best friend. A woman's cuddle buddy. The perfect companion! Dogs serve many purposes to society, such as helping the disabled, depressed, or just a means of having fun. Dogs are truly selfless and kind. I often marvel at dogs because they have no self benefit to performing for others, but they still do it without a fuss(most times). Also they're just so adorable!

There are many types of dogs such as the English Mastiff, Golden Retriever, Pug, Border Collie, Bulldogs, Great Dane, Beagle, and much more. The dog world is so vast, and it is estimated that there are more than four hundred million dogs in the world. At first dogs were used for labor, like working and hunting. Modern day society has turned them into a means of companionship which in my opinion puts them to better use.

I have two awesome dogs of my own and they're a form of relaxation for me. They're two Lhasa Apso brothers, one extremely sweet and selfless while the other is stuck up and bossy. My sweet dog, Max, is often always going up to strangers waiting to be petted and nuzzling them if they don't. On the other hand, Sammy, the other one, is more of a pretentious introvert, not to be rude or anything.

Growing up with dogs, I have gained a strong sense of responsibility and carefulness. I am pretty much responsible for everything when it comes to them and I would contribute a lot of my maturity and lifestyle  to growing up with the privilege of having animals.  I believe that owning pets, specifically dogs, is beneficial to most families with young children because it teaches them how to grow with responsibility for others, even if it is just an animal.  

My dogs, Sammy & Max

Key to Life

Being open minded is key to being happy and to living your life to its full extent. Not that kind of full extent to where you live until you’re 100, but as in you’re living your life to the fullest. You learn new things, meet new people, and have the experiences of a lifetime. Things you can’t do if you’re a close minded person.

Over the summer, I traveled around the east coast. I saw so many different types of people, from the Amish to “blinged out” rappers. It opened my eyes and allowed me to see what was really out there. I realized that there is more to the world than what I see in this bubble of a town. I learned things that I would not have known if I wasn't to go.

You see, if you don’t open your eyes and make the effort to learn new things, you’ll never expand your thoughts and point of views. You’ll always wonder what it’s like to live how another person does. Don’t be afraid to think differently than other people and don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons.

The other day, I was walking at the beach with my sister. I saw a gay couple, and behind them I saw a woman covering her children’s eyes, guiding her kids away from the couple. I was so displeased at how the woman reacted. She was so obsessed with the thought that marriage should be between a man and a woman that she didn't stop to think that they’re both human beings too. They still love the same, and they are both of the same species. Anyways, who is she to judge? She doesn't know who they are or what they’re going through in their lives.

We all need to stop and think about how other people live and always keep their feelings in mind. I see kids at school being completely thoughtless towards other people. The last thing everybody needs to do is to add stress onto other people’s lives, because we may have no idea what’s going on in their life. Keeping other peoples thoughts and beliefs in mind is also key to being open minded.

Overall, I would say that I’m a pretty open minded person. I want to try new things, go to new places, and meet new people. I want to travel across the world and experience how other people live, in poverty, or in mansions, or whether they eat mush or caviar. I want to see it and to be there.