Who is your Susie?

The following is a heart-warming and inspiring story I received in an email.

Come with me to a third grade classroom...

There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of the sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. 'You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Quotes I Love #1

I've always been a big quote fanatic. There's just something about words that I find powerful. When they are combined to create a quote they become inspirational to me or relevant to my life. The quote could be on friendship, disappointment, love, life, relationships, or happiness. No matter what type of quote I read, I just love them. My obsession with quotes has grown since I created my own Twitter account 2 years ago because I am able to be positively influenced all day by various Twitter accounts that I follow. I keep a quote book in my room of every quote that has had an impact on me--my collection of quotes has greatly expanded as of lately. My quotes do not just come from Twitter; they also come from plays, movies, and music lyrics. The following quotes are not by any means my most favorite, but they are ones that have really impacted my perspective that I have on various topics as well as my life.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
-Winston Churchill

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher."
-Oprah Winfrey

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion."
-Abe Lincoln

"True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be."
-Unknown

"Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose."
-Evan Esar

"If you let things change, they often change for the worse. If you make things change, they often change for the better."
-Unknown

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."
-Oprah Winfrey

"You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him."
-Leo Aikman

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
-Robert Frost

"It's our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
-Albus Dumbledore

"Love is the intense desire to be intensely desired."
-Robert Frost

"Your dreams live in a land far, far away from your comfort zone."
-Josh Shipp

"It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop."
-Confucius

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."
-Carl Jung

"As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more."
-Jules Renard

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"
-John Greene

"When things go wrong, don't go with them."
-Elvis Presley

"Real loss only occurs when you lose something you love more than yourself."
-Unknown

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."
-Stephen Covey

"Life is not a having and getting, but a being and a becoming."
-Myrna Loy

This blog is the first of many blogs in which I will display quotes I love for others to enjoy and find meaning in. If you have a powerful quote, please share it with me.

Personality Traits I Admire Version 2

Nearly a year and a half ago, I wrote a blog post about personality traits I admire. You can read that blog post here: http://elezpona.blogspot.com/2010/02/personality-traits-i-admire.html. I've been meaning to write a similar blog post for many months now, but have been unable to come up with the perfect list of personality traits. Plus, my top 6 were already chosen, which made choosing an additional 6 somewhat challenging. I have been able to narrow it down to 6 traits; I feel they really are appropriate for this stage of my life that I am at. These 6 qualities are ones that draw me to new people and have helped me form new and amazing friendships.

Hardworking - adj. characterized by hard work and perseverance

I've always admired those who have a work ethic. I've also always admired those who go above and beyond in their jobs. It appears to me that with every passing generation, a hardworking person is hard to find. When I meet people who are hardworking, I am automatically drawn to them. Who is a hardworking person that you know? Why do you classify them as hardworking?

Positivity - n. the state or character of being positive: a positivity that accepts the world as it is

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a naturally positive person. For this reason, I am fascinated by people who are positive all the time. Sometimes I find it to be flat out exhausting to be around people who are this way, but ultimately, it is inspiring to me. For example, one of my best friends, McKenzie, is ALWAYS positive. She has a natural ability to always see the glass as half full. During conversations we have together, I flat out tell her I cannot believe how positive she is. Even with things she should be upset about, she still has a way to see things in a positive light. It is so inspiring to me, and it is something I personally aspire for. I don't think I will ever naturally be this way, but day by day, I am finding ways to look at different aspects of my life positively. Positive people are fun to be around, which is why I admire this personality trait.

Faith - n. belief in God

This trait is self-explanatory. People who have a strong faith in God are the most happiest people I have ever met. I lean on these people to push me with my faith so my faith continues to grow. This is one area of my life that has grown tremendously over the past year a half. People who are open about their relationship with God inspire me to continue on my journey with God. I wish this quality was not becoming rare in today's world.

Spontaneity - n. the state, quality, or fact of being spontaneous

Being spontaneous. I feel so many people want to be spontaneous, but few are. I try my hardest to live in the moment and not get caught up in how much things are going to cost or what I have to do the next day and simply just live! I've become surprisingly much more spontaneous in the last 6 months in my life and since then, life has become more of an adventure and I absolutely love that. Do something you wouldn't normally do, and live life with no regrets. My only advice on this one is to be sure and think about potential consequences of your choices. What are some of the most spontaneous things you've done lately in your life?

Carefree - adj. without anxiety or worry

I love people who are carefree, it's a breath of fresh air to me. Try not to worry. If you're worried about the world coming to an end, remember it is already tomorrow in Australia.

Open-Minded - adj. having or showing a mind receptive to new ideas or arguments

The opposite of this is being opinionated. I honestly cannot stand opinionated people because they come off as uneducated. I respect people who have their opinions and are not afraid to share them, but be a little more sensitive to the fact that everyone is not just like you or does not think just like you. Being open-minded provides an opportunity to learn and have a less heated conversation. The world is forever changing in lifestyles. Have respect for those you are different than you by being open-minded. If there is one thing I do have an opinion about, it is being open-minded.

Privileges of Being a Friend

Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think about how being a friend is an important responsibility? Over the last year of my life, I have gained some exceptional friends and maintained friendships because I decided to transfer to a new college. I have come to the conclusion that being a friend is no easy task. I have also come to the conclusion that being a friend to someone is a privilege. I've reached a point in my life where I have learned the true value of friendship and who I not only need in my life, but also who I want in my life.

Let's face it: being a friend is a lot of work. You never know what you may have to do for a person you care about. You not only have to do easy things like exchange text messages, pay for a meal, or spend a day at the beach together, but you also have to do hard things like help them through a tough time, pick them up in the middle of the night so they get home safely, or see them at their worst. This is clearly not an all inclusive list because I haven't even touched on giving advice, calling them out when their wrong, or telling something they may not want to hear.

I'm truly blessed. I have incredible friends who understand and love me. They know my flaws and choose to overlook them because they know everyone has flaws. My friends know and keep my deep, dark secrets and bend over backwards to help me when I'm struggling. They also know how to make me laugh and teach me things that I didn't even know I needed to be taught. My friends make me a better friend, and I could not feel more blessed than I do.

To me, these are the privileges I've had while being a friend. Ultimately, these are the same standards I hold my friends to which is why they are my friends because they fulfill these privileges.

1. Having fun together in a way that only myself and that other person understand

2. Being there for a friend no matter what the circumstance

3. Making them a better person

4. Donating my bed to a friend for the night

5. Understanding their personality (sense of humor, what makes them happy, what makes them sad, what their biggest insecurities are)

6. Accepting their mistakes, regrets, accomplishments, successes, sadness and happiness and knowing that they have shaped them into who they are today

7. Seeing and tolerating them in their worst and best moods and being thankful that they show both (and all moods) to me

8. Keeping their secrets

9. Making them laugh when they need to laugh and letting them be sad when they need to be sad

10. Helping them through the tough times and celebrating with them during the happy times

Summer 2011 Goals

Summer is my favorite time of the year because I get to spend it doing things that I want to do without feeling an ounce of guilt for neglecting my school work. This summer has kicked off to being the best summer of my life, and I have many goals to ensure that it stays that way.

Here are the things I hope to accomplish in the remaining months of summer:

1. See the movie Bridesmaids (completed July 24)

2. Go sky diving (postponed to when I study abroad/next summer)

3. Take a day trip to the Dells (completed August 2)

4. Have successful Drill Team performances (completed in July & August)

5. Read "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (completed July 7)

6. See Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in theaters (completed July 16)

7. Establish a regular work out routine (completed July 12)

8. Have plans put into action to study abroad in the Spring of 2012 (completed August 31)

9. Drive my motorcycle to the Norske Nook in Osseo for pie with my dad (September 11)

10. Spend an entire day with friends outside (completed August 23)

11. Take another trip out West (unsuccessful)

12. Read "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman

13. Convince my mom to take a "girls" trip (completed shortly after I posted this blog)

14. Pay off the interest accrued on my school loans (completed June 22)

15. Officially get my motorcycle license (completed July 1)

We'll see how much I end up accomplishing by the time September rolls around. I'm excited and thankful that I have a lot to look forward to and the means to make my goals a reality.