Masks

As you all have seen I've been on a rampage about this stop bullying stuff. It's actually had a big impact on Facebook so I'm really glad people are standing up for things that have no concern for themselves. Following what you believe in is one of my main goals for this blog AND its actually working. So thank you to all my readers and people who have thrown me encouraging shout-outs.

While reading the stories and watching all the videos on bullying, which had to be at least 100 total documents, I developed my next idea for the blog. I asked my self one simple question. "Why do certain people get bullied and others don't?"

Well the answer was simple. It's because they don't fit in with the norm and are different in some shape, form or fashion.

But wait TK, in your blog "Definitions" you pointed out that no one is normal.This is correct. The reason people fit into a crowd and aren't different is because they mask who they are. People would rather be someone fake and fit in than be who they really are and stand out from the crowd. That's why being smart or  being the good girl instead of being dumb or a slut makes you uncool. When did this world become reversed of how it should be?

With all this being said, I decided to try a little experiment. Lets all unmask our lives. By showing who we really are there won't be "normal" people anymore, just a bunch of outstanding individuals. Awesome idea right?

Well since it's my blog and my idea to do this I figured I'll be the big guy hand go first. I'll share things that almost no one knows about me.

1. I'm a closet nerd. Not the kind that buries themselves in books but the geeky, gamer type. I absolutely love playing video games on the PC but I never really told anyone because I didn't wanna be called a nerd or geek.
2. I love classical music. It relaxes me and helps me open my mind. In fact, im listening to it right now. So if you don't like this blog, maybe I listened to the wrong song or something.
3. I am absolutely terrified of letting anyone get close to me emotionally. Everytime I try and let someone into my life, I push them right back out when they get to close. I'm a working progress though.
4. I can't stand to let people down. If I fail them, I've failed myself.
5. I would much rather have a good girl than a slut any day. I can't stand to see someone who is beautiful on the outside but on the inside is rotten to the core.

Well thats all I can think of right now but if you ask me a question i'll be happy to answer it 100 percent truthfully.

OK, now that Ive done it, it your turn. Post one thing that no one knows about you on Facebook. If you don't, your hurting no one but yourself. Don't be scared, people are going to judge you either way so why not give them the truth.

The Point-

People get bullied for actually being themselves and the bullies are usually the ones with the masks on. Am I the only one who thinks that backwards? Lets take the first step together on getting things back to how they should be. Who knows, maybe we'll save someone from getting picked on or beat up. Unmask yourself so we can see the beauty underneath.

Dead Tree Theory

Well this past week has been rather relaxing. I hope all of you had a fun and safe spring break. I also may have some big news for the blog in the future so lets keep those fingers crossed and hope everything turns out. If it does I'll be going in the direction I've always wanted!

Dead Tree Theory-

One thing I've found myself enjoying is driving. I like to just drive to clear my mind and let my mind wander. One day I was taking my 20 mile voyage back from the prestigious grounds of the WCJC campus, looking at all the unplowed fields and pastures filled with cows when I noticed a dead oak tree. I know what your thinking. What in the world can you get out of a dead tree?!? Well what I got out of this dead tree was life. It symbolizes our life as a whole.

All deep thinking aside for a second. What are the parts of a tree? Roots, a trunk, branches and the top of the tree. Ok, now back to thinking deep. How could this symbolize out live?

The Roots-

The roots represent everything that has came before us. These are things we cannot change but will someday influence who we will become. These are things such as our family, our heritage and all the things that will touch our lives from the moment we are born.

The Trunk-

The trunk represents our life from when we are just born until we become adults. This is a time when our friends and family will make or help us make most of the decisions that are necessary to get through life in the direction we are supposed go in. This will also influence our lifestyles greatly but for the most part you life will be pointed in the direction for success.

The Branches-

The branches make up most of the tree splitting in all different directions. This section of the tree will symbolize your adult life, where you make the choices the will set the path you decide to go in. Right from the beginning the branches split. This represents your first choice or decision that will majorly effect your life. From that split the branches take two or more directions. Then, from these branches there is another split representing another choice and so on.

The Tree Top-

This will be the end of life. This is where everything you have done in the past has led you too. You can't go back and change it, where you are now is where you're stuck at. All the past decision have led you to this final spot.

The Point-

Your life is a dead tree. Like I said earlier your parents will start you off in the general direction needed for success. Once you become an adult you will be forced to make choices and decisions that will have effect on your life. Every thing you do sets you on a new path of direction and there are only a few paths that will lead you to the top of the tree. Are you on this path? or will you be at the bottom of the tree. Every decision is yours to make and only you can decide where you will be at the end of your journey. And remember you will be someones roots one day.

 "You don't set out to build a huge, perfectly sculptured wall. Instead you lay each individual brick as perfectly as it can be laid. This will eventually lead to the most perfectly built wall. Now apply this to your life." -- Will Smith

Stand. Fight. Conquer.

I was sitting in class today and received a text from my aunt. She asked how I've been and blah blah blah. She also heard about my blog and asked for how to get to it so i'll be putting a link on the "info" page of my Facebook. Anyways, after talking to here I realized how long its been since I've posted, so here I am. It was encouraging to learn that these things are actually making an impact, so thank all of you for spreading my page around :)

Also, while talking to my aunt(who is originally from Ohio), I learn a terrifying fact. I'm sure that most of you heard of the shooting at Ohio st., if not look it up.http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57385711/1-dead-in-ohio-school-shooting-suspect-detained/ Well, from what i gained, the shooter fired ten shots. 5 of which ended up hitting one person who survived from a teacher pulling him into the hall. This person happened to be my Aunt's cousin. From what I know, he is now out of ICU but will probably be paralyzed. So send out that prayer chain for him.

OK, onward with this post.

I've been wanting to put this topic in my blog chain but needed a story to go along with it. Well, the past week has brought me 2 stories. See if you can pick to the subliminal message before you read "The Point."

Kony2012-

This is a story about a group who went to Africa almost ten years and learned that this part of Africa was being run by a terrible man named Joseph Kony. Kony captures kids and tortures them, forces them into sex slaves and forces them to fight. After the group learned of this terrible happening, he returned to America determined to make a difference. He started a program called Invisible Children inc. This program set out to aide the helpless in Africa and has the ultimate goal of justice against Kony, who is the most wanted international criminal. On March 5th Invisible Children inc. launched Kony2012 to spread awareness of the event. That was two days ago. The Youtube video now has over 7.3 million views. 7.3 million views in TWO days. Click to watch. It takes 30 mins but its worth every second. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

School Happening-

I was at school a while back when i just got out of class and was heading back to my car. If you've ever been to WCJC you know that they banned smoking on campus so this means all the smokers crowd in a circle in the parking lot. Well on this particular day they where out there and talking obnoxiously to each other.

 There is this guy I see every day going to class. Anyone can pick him out of a crowd because he walks with a limp and has a scar on him head from brain surgery(we'll call him B ob.) I've met him before and he's an awesome guy. Has a wife, little girl and lives his life as normal as possible. We'll I proceed down the ramp and pass Bob, giving a quick hello and keep going to my car. This is when I heard the most obnoxious of the smokers start making fun of how Bob walks and making derogatory statements about his mental state. Now if you know me, I usually don't get mad at anything but this absolutely set me off. The next few lines is how the conversation went between me and ol' smokey. WARNING: There are words that may offend some so don't read if you are easily offended.

Me: (in a calm voice) Excuse me sir.
Ol' Smokey: yes?
Me: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?
(all 5 of them look at me like im some kind of ghost)
Ol Smokey: huh?
Me: I heard you making fun of that man and frankly i don't appreciate it
Ol smokey: I'm sorry man, I didn't mean anything by it
Me: if you have one/ ounce of respect in your body you would never ever do anything like that. And for your gah damn information, the person you make fun of every day served in the Army, fighting for ignorant ass and this is how you choose to repay him?
Ol' smokey: I'm, I'm sorry, I didn't know.
Me: Next time you even consider making fun of someone remember what I just told you. Also, Next time you see Bob I want you to apologize because he knows you've been doing this. 
I turned to see Bob watching through the door. He smiles and I wave him goodbye.

The next day I talked to Bob and Ol' Smokey did apologize. He even apologized to me when I was leaving later that day and still to this day he says hello to me.

The Point-

The point behind both of theses stories is that we both stood up for something that was greater than us. When is the last time you stood up for something besides yourself? If you truly believe in something you need to STAND up for it. If you continue to FIGHT and fight and fight for something you believe is right then you will eventually CONQUER your goal. It might take a long time such as Kony2012 or it could happen in a few seconds like my example.

During the next week I want everyone to just take a look at what is happening in there environment. Find something you believe in and stand up it. Nothing is ever going to get accomplished by just sitting back and doing nothing. In fact, I think that not doing anything is the easy way out. Try and get others in on this too. Repost my blog, write your own or anyway possible. Today is the day for you. It's your turn to Stand. Fight. Conquer.

Simplicity

As many of you know I've faced many challenges in my life. Going through these experiences you realize it's really easy to get down. After coming to terms that getting down and depressed won't get you anywhere I created a short list of rules.

I've I live by 3 rules:

1. The Golden Rule
2. Never forget your dreams
3. Revel in Simplicity

The "Golden Rule"

Treat others as you would like to be treated. There isn't any excuse not to. I find to often that people are selfish and think no farther than what benefits themselves. I try to follow this but I know everyone slips every once in awhile, I'm guilty of it myself.

Never forget your dreams

As you've all read previously my blog about dreams. People often forget their dreams and stray from the path they originally set out to pursue. Just keep those dreams rattling around in your head and you'll be just fine.

Revel in simplicity

This is my absolute favorite rule of the three. People often tend to live life in a rush. I can understand how its easy to get caught up in everything because life has a funny way of throwing everything at us at once. Being in a rush we often overlook the beauty that come in the simplest things. One of my favorite thing to do is drive to my grandpa's house and just sit. Most people would look at this and see a old, run-down house surrounded by fields. I see many things.

The fields- a bunch of rows of cotton? Not at all. You start with a seed. The simplest and smallest of things. You throw dirty on it and give it water every once in awhile and the seed turns into cotton. This one cotton plant will keep someone warm from the cold of winter. How badass is that?

The house- It may be old and run down, yes. But what are houses for? They house families and families make memories. There are so many memories that happened in this house, most we will never know but that doesn't mean they don't exsist. Some good, some bad, who knows, but thats what the house represents. All the memories that were shared in it.

Its amazing to sit on the porch of the house and watch the sun turn the sky into a thousand different colors as it sets behind the field of white. This is enjoying simplicity, or at least, it's how I enjoy it. All these simple things come together and form life. Most people just haven't slowed down to enjoy it lately.

The point-

As humans we get so caught up in the tasks we do every day. Its not our fault, it just happens. Whens the last time you took a step back from life in the fast lane to slow down and just enjoy the simple things? I find simplicity in everything; a beautiful view, a pretty smile, good news, a hobby, a cold beer. Why don't you try it? Take a step back and just enjoy the simple things that come together to form the crazy thing we call life. Well I guess I've rambled on enough. That's all folks!

Change

More often than not people ask me questions about my life. Some pertaining to how I live it, why I do things, blah blah blah. There are 3 questions that I get asked way more often than the others, that is if people actually have the courage to ask them. I'll be addressing all three questions at one point or another but i figured I'd start with this one first:

"If you could go back to that day and stop yourself, would you?"

The first time I was asked this my immediate answer was yes, of course I would. Since that day i've spent alot of time pondering this question and this is the conclusion i've come up with. Lets suppose you sat down one day to read a book. You start the storyline not knowing whats before you, but after awhile you find yourself engulfed in whats happening. You can't get enough of it, you think it's the most badass thing you've ever laid eyes on. All of a sudden the you notice the ending chapters are ripped out.

This is what its like for me.Yes it absolutely sucks to not knowing what would of happened but i think I'm more caught up in how the story would of ended rather than wanting to go back and stop myself so I could actually live my life the way it would of turned out. I dream of going back and becoming a professional athlete with a rockstar life but in all reality I know it wouldn't of turned out like that. That's all just some fantasy that I wanted to live.

That's why my answer is, now, is no. I wouldn't trade a day of my life now for a hundred the other way because I know that everything that has happened to me is what make me the person I am. I'm everything I want to be and am headed in the direction i want to be headed in. In my eyes i AM the pro athlete with a rockstar life.

The point-

 The thing about the book ending short might suck right at first but it gives you the chance to do something else. It gives the chance to re-write the ending and make it how you want it too. Everyone has something they think they messed up on and probably wish they could go back and change. But do you really want to? Just think about it.  Everything that has happened to you has gotten you where you are. Maybe it's where you wanna be, maybe its not. If its not the good news is it's not too late. Rip the last few pages out of your book and grab a pen.

Curiosity

What is curiosity? Does it simply mean you are interested in something? or does it touch deeper than that? This post was generated from a memory awhile back. Funny what our minds choose to remember.


This took place a summer 2 or 3 years ago, although i remember it like it was yesterday.

I was at my sister's summer league softball game, and to anyone who's ever been to one, it usually consists of a few events. Of course there is the softball game that attracts the the parents who usually bring along their kids. With the kids around it usually mean they're running around play wallball or some other made up game that we all loved at one point or another.

Anyways, it was after the game was over and i was waiting for my sister and mom to get through conversing with the other parents/team mates when i noticed this little kid out of the corner of my eye. He's wasn't running around with the rest of the kids, in fact, h wasn't doing anything at all.

He was just standing there, staring at me. I looked around, wondering where his parents where. Noone was in sight. That's when I looked into his eyes. You could see it, he was in deep thought. What was this that stood before him? I was foreign to him. He comes up and starts playing with my tires. Testing them out, seeing how they work. He proceeds to touch my gloves tryin to figure out what they are. He looks up at me and there it was again. That look in his eye. Curiosity. "Tyler! Get away from there, thats not nice." The lady proceeds to apologize and scold the kid as she walks away with a death grip on his arm.

I think the lady was wrong for this. The boy was curious. curiosity is what makes the world go round. Without curiosity where would we be? We would still be cave people sitting around, scratching our asses wondering what everything was and how it worked. If I could go back to that day and stop that lady. it might of made a huge difference it the kids life. Now he'll probably be scared of ever confronting anyone thats different or having an open mind to new things in general.

The Point-

Curiosity is the wonder that bestows in our minds. We wonder about things that are unknown and foreign to us and its OK to be curious about things we don't know. Just because we were taught to shy away from things that were out of the average when we were younger doesn't mean we have to go our whole lives living in unknown. Let curiosity lead your mind and you'll be amazed at the things you learn.  Well i guess it adios untill next time, and remember be CURIOUS!

Dreams

I originally planned for this to be about something different but was inspired by a video and a song. I actually have no idea what is gonna be said during this as I usually think of things to write before I crash and burn at night but like I said this just came up.

This one is about dreams. Not the dreams you have when your sleeping or when your in class tuning your teacher out during some boring election, but your life dreams, goals and ambitions. What are yours? Do you have any? Just take a minute to think about what they might be.

If I had to guess i would hope EVERYONE had dreams even if it consists of the simplest things ever. When you really think about it, what would life be without dreams? My guess is just an aimless wander in no direction at all. The dreams you have make you the person you are. They're what make you get up and do the things you do.

My first inspiration to write this blog came about 2 weeks ago. I dont know if any of you have heard of someone named Ben Breedlove but its a story worth finding on youtube. He was in high school and soon to be in college. All of his friends and family adored him because he always had a smile on his face, treated people with respect and people loved to listen to him because, due to certain circumstances, he was matured beyond his years and had the wisdom most will never have. He started a youtube channel because his life dream was to go into media and be a broadcaster. Sadly, these dreams never came true. Ben pasted away on December 25, 2011. Even though Ben was diagnosed with a heart condition when he was a young boy he still had dreams. Even though life pushed him down he still got up everyday and new that life wasn't worth living without having a reason to live.

The song "Even if it breaks your heart" by Will Hoge/Eli Young Band also inspired me to post this. Its an amazing video that has a one-liner that I love. "Keep on dreaming even if it breaks your heart." That one line says what took me a whole blog to do. To me this means that even if it take you forever or something delays you, you should still continue to chase your dreams. No matter what.

The point-

Even when life kicks you down to the lowest of lows you'll always have your dreams. In my opinion this alone should be what you need to get back up and kick-start your life back in the direction you want it going. They don't have to be some big elaborate plan to take over the world, even the simplest of dreams will do. Well i guess thats enough rambling for one sitting. Until next time, keep on dreamin' even if it breaks your heart. RIP Ben Breedlove