contemplating change

So, I've got a nice big fat change coming up that I'm really excited about. Wanna know what it is?

MY BRACES ARE COMING OFF! 

So, if you couldn't tell, this makes me ridiculously excited. I've had these metal torture devices on my teeth since October of 2009, and they come off in LESS THAN 48 HOURS!

Yeah, it's a good change, but we talked about change at youth group on Sunday, which has me thinking. This time of year seems to be a great time for change for me. Last year, I started dating my wonderful boyfriend right around this time, as well as swimming in my last swim meet. I get my braces off on Thursday morning, and I'm working on sending off my transcripts so that I can transfer out to Ohio in the fall. I make the decisions now. Heck, I'm doing the lesson at youth group this week, on the media.

Life is full of change. We don't always like it, but it's definitely there. We need to learn to adapt, because otherwise we're gonna be miserable. Life stops for no one, and as far as I can tell, there are only three certainties in life once you're born: taxes, death, and change. Change being the only one that haunts us every day.

So, suck it up, and learn to take life step by step. We'll miss a lot if we're always wishing for the way things used to be.

-enna

it's all just WORDS!

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Most people would recognize this quote from Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet. There is great truth, though, in these words from the balcony scene. I wish to examine it not in the context of names but that of words. For what is a name but a word for something?

And what is a word? Is it something we write on a page? Nope, it’s not – they are meaningless scribbles on a piece of paper that we assign a sound, a meaning to. Writing is not necessary to communicate. This is why there are so many alphabets in history and in the world even today – the Chinese, Arabs, Hebrews, English...all have their own alphabets, and authors of fantasies – J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Paolini, Allison Croggon – create their own alphabets for their languages and fictional peoples. We had words long before we had a written record. No, the value of words is not in the scripts with which we write them.

Is it, then, in the sounds our mouths make? We cannot even claim that this is what makes a word. Many languages exist to say the same day-to-day things around the globe – the Germans say, “Gute morgan,” (I’m questionable on the spelling of that, since I know no German beyond those two words), the Mexicans and Spanish say, “Buenos dias,” the English say, “Good morning,” – but they all simply wish to greet someone at the beginning of the day. These are just sounds that we make with our mouths to mean something. Where is the value?

If the value of words lies not within the scripts we write nor within the words we speak, where IS their value? For there is great value in being able to communicate well; count me far from discrediting the ability to share ideas and notions. I’m a Mass Communications major, for heaven's sake; I’ve no wish to say that communication is unimportant. I write and I sing, I speak and I record. Where is the value of my work if it does not lie within what I write or what I speak?

Any mass communications department is closely related to the fine arts department. These two are interconnected, entwined with each other. It takes imagination to sculpt, to paint, to write, to sing, to film a sequence for a television show. But where is the value in any of it?

The value of our words, be they written or spoken, lies in the meanings they portray. Whether you say “table” or “mensa” or “mesa” or whatever word it is you use to describe a table, someone will know what it is you are trying to convey. There is a reason they say a picture is worth a thousand words: sight is easily understood by all. We use our words to convey a meaning. Our written words could be twisted and skewed in light of whatever the reader may be feeling; something written to be sarcastic could be taken literally.

Thus, tonality and body language are a huge part of ANY language. We use our words to describe our surroundings, our thoughts, our dreams. These meanings are deeper than little squiggles on a page or a few sounds spoken. They contain the value we assign them.

However, others may not assign the same meaning to a word that we do. Our body language or tonality, or just little squiggles, could be misinterpreted for something opposite the actual meaning. Our words hold power, but that power could easily be misused. We have to guard our words carefully, and ensure that we explain ourselves in the clearest way possible. The power in words should not be taken lightly.

-enna

a soldier's song

Hey, no Valentine's post yet. My excuse for this is my lack of celebrating Valentine's day. Well, I got a card from my mom and dad, but that's really all...so no post about Valentine's or love or anything like that till after I get to celebrate with my boyfriend. ;)

Anyhoo, remember that writing contest? Well, I've picked a set of lyrics for submission...I just haven't submitted it yet! It'll happen this week. :) Anyway, the lyrics are for a song I did for Satus Lucis called A Soldier's Song.

Enormous
Imposing
So the enemy stands
Terrified
Shaking
I want to run away

But I will do what I must
Because you have my trust

I stand at the battle
Scared senseless by the enemy
But at your touch I know
I am not alone
And for you
I will face the enemy

Attacking
Fighting
Taking blows for you
Injured
Determined
I return to fight again

I will do what I must
Because you have my trust

I stand at the battle
Scared senseless by the enemy
But at your touch I know
I am not alone
And for you
I will face the enemy

Everyone has something they will fight for
Something they’d give their lives to defend
For me, that is you
Without you, there is nothing worth living for
So I will fight all my life for you
I would die for you

I stand at the battle
Scared senseless by the enemy
But at your touch I know
I am not alone
And for you
I will face the enemy

-enna

opportunity knocks!

Opportunity is knocking at my door...who am I to turn it down? My school is having a writing contest, with the categories of documented research paper, creative writing/short story (6pg max) and poetry/lyrics. Two out of three...doesn't get much better than that! I may also actually dig out and polish an old paper I did...or write a whole new one. Who knows! I'm thinking maybe a paper on the dangers of contraception...it would definitely be setting me apart from any other entries in this very liberal school. However, hard facts are wonderful things...and there are lots of them out there.

Anyway, I have to write a new story for the one category, since apparently as I've looked through what I've written...the shortest story I've written is ten pages long. I do have a couple that are shorter, but they're...well, not that great. One's something that I did for the heck of it for a contest and definitely plays to the little kid, and the other one was written for kindergarten, first, and second graders. Yeah, not something I'm going to enter into a college writing contest. It's not like I have no ideas, though. ;)

The only one that I actually have ready and just need to edit would be that third category. I have so many poems and lyrics written that if I printed all of them and put them in a pile, it'd be at least half an inch thick...probably thicker if I hunted down all my old ones. I have it narrowed down to five possibilities...not sure which one I'll edit yet. Final version will definitely be posted here!

As for the story...any ideas for a nice, short storyline? I have six double-spaced pages to write in, and no short-story ideas (right now, anyway). Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!