Films.

   We as a nation and a society are easily amused, well.. sometimes.
   If not by failing contestants on BGT that can possibly make you feel uncomfortable and cringe worthy, football or a good ol' chat&banter, films seems like the last resort in my eyes.
 Films.
   So sometimes films are the main thing that we turn too for comfort. In hope that it will keep our minds occupied from the boredom that was once swallowing us whole.
   Sitting down with loved ones or the family watching a classic like Grease or Pitch Perfect. - I have too say, I'm slightly obsessed with both films, knowing most of the words to the songs off by heart... true dedication. - Sitting with friends scaring each other with a scream when there's a tense bit, then actually screaming because there was a loud noise or a face popping out of nowhere. Cuddling up to a partner and watching the soppy romances... that are just so repetitive you just need too look at the cover to know what it's about.
     I personally love films, I love the classic films like The Lion King, Toy Story, Lilo and Stitch, Winnie the Pooh. - As you could probably tell, I have a slight compulsion to watch Disney. I'm pretty sure everyone has a favorite Disney film, we've all grown up watching them and seeing the advertisements of the new and unique talking animals, monsters, people, children and scrat. 
Scrat and Ice Age.
   Scrat's the little sabre tooth squirrel, slightly delusional acorn-obsessed and dedicated partner of a nut. He is forever opening and closing the show of Ice Age with a world changing action. Without even murmuring a word other than his howls of pain when he is parted with his beloved nut, he shows us how innocent and enthusiastic if not, slightly depressed an animal can be. His pain I find humorous but in his eyes, it's traumatic. He spends his life forever devoted to his nut and often finds himself in ghastly situations that only his stubbornness gets him out of.

    Ice Age is almost one of my favorite sets of films. The random occurrences and well thought together plans for this unexpected "Herd" are the easiest way to make me smile. Maybe I'm just easily amused by the stubbornness of the animals or maybe I'm just generally a child at heart, take your pick. I'll leave it at that. 
~Soph. 

Standing tall but it looks like I'm still short?

       So do you feel like you're standing tall but still just a little too short?

   When you think you are free, it brings responsibilities. Looking after yourself, tending to needs that have to be taken care of, understanding that not everything that you want to happen, will happen.
   Acceptance is one thing but only you can be the one too trigger this emotion. People may be able too give you advice but not make you feel acceptance. They can only touch apon something and talk about something, the rest is down to you.
    Standing and being free is a only time you cannot blame someone for your actions, I mean, you're free and alone, who can you blame? Freedom within itself is responsibility, it's the only time when you can accept that only you have made the 'mistake' and take responsibility for it, if it doesn't go well, hold you hand out to someone close too you and ask for help or advise. Take action and change the way you think.
    Why do we refer too things as 'mistakes'? Because something didn't go as perfect as we wanted it too, because someone may give you a negative reaction or because it's just simply wrong? The attention you give the action that went wrong determines it as an mistake, it wasn't a mistake. Nothing is a mistake, it's a life choice.
    Being dependent on someones reactions on what you do is basically what a child does to their parent, the child will look up to the parent for approval and compliments too show they have done well, nothing seems better than getting a reaction from someone. Knowing that they think you've done something amazing and they are grateful for you sharing your talent. 

Where does independence or freedom come in?
    Does it come in when you are alone and doing your own thing and not caring about other people's reactions?  
    The way you do something should be an action. An action that has no restraint. By thinking of what people may react with or complain about is like one bit of string, wrapped around your body and pulling you back, inch by inch. 
    You may not think that you are paying attention however, after your action is completed, do you then think about how people will judge it?

Standing tall but still falling short
   So once you have completed an action, do you feel like you cannot reach that goal just beyond your fingertips? No matter how far you try to stretch you cannot grasp it?
   Goals are set so you can work towards them, hold them in your hand and keep a firm grasp to make sure it won't leave.
   Time is the only healer, spending time on your goal and improving you skills.


    "My goal in life is too survive, everything else is just a bonus." - Unknown



    Your mind may feel like it's falling short however it's just taking that next step up towards that goal just within your sight. Things cannot always be handed too you with a little bow attached on the side, that's not how life will work, no matter how pleasing and amazing that feeling would be. Life works by working for things, and by working for things we receive things. These things that we will receive will make that goal more special and create a meaning too you.
    How would you feel if everything was handed on a plate too you? Bored? Possibly. Entertained? Unlikely. Happy? Debatable.

    Work for something and stay dedicated, it will be worth it in the end and you will learn that life is what you want it too be, with what you make it. Share your choices with others and be open too change.
 
    Change with the world and the world will change with you.
~Soph.

Childhood #2

    The beach is possibly the best place to be, only when it's hot. As a child, I used to be taken there quite a lot.

   As a family, over packing for the beach seemed to be our talent. We used to pack things like lunch fit for twenty, wind breakers, buckets, spades, towels, books, changes of clothes, fishing rods, bait, hooks... the list is possibly endless. - at one point,  we took a wheel-barrow down..

   As soon as we'd arrive at the beach, I'd jump out the car and run straight onto the stones, then struggle to walk along the odd shaped, sharp rocks, causing the rest of the family to catch up on me and overtake me. The stones were the worst part of the trip, I was never able to walk along the beach without getting stones jumping and hopping into my shoes or coincidently kicking a rock the size of a bowling ball. 

   During the hours that we would spend down the beach, we would take around an hour just applying sun cream, I hated it. Every time my mother would put about a cup full in her hand, clap her hands together and wait for my response. Looking at the sun cream that was causing her hands to go an ghostly white, I'd take small, cautious steps forward. Whilst smiling she would plaster the sun cream over my forehead, cheeks, nose and then the eyes. - Well, eyelids. - The pain would be unbearable, a bit like fire on you eyeballs. - Not that I've ever had that but if I did, I'm sure it would feel something like that.

    After the trauma of the unforgivable sun cream, I'd then race with my cousin towards the water. - It wouldn't really be a good race, it looked more of a leaping battle, something from Swan Lake... maybe a little less extravagant  This was a routine, a way to jump from one visible sand spot to another, and away from the sharp, unforgiving, large rocks that aim to hurt little toes. - 

    Coming to a halt just before we collided with a wave, we'd then jump back because we knew that the water was less than five degrees at its best. The jump back was almost critical. It was a way too avoid the waters ice like temperatures however, our efforts were rewarded with a splash from the wave crashing down on the sand centimetres in front of our feet. The squeals that left our mouths were almost inaudible. Containing out nerves we would turn too face the temperature of the water with courage, we ran. Squealing, laughing and trying to keep our balance whilst face planting waves seemed difficult but it seemed like the most fun to watch and be doing. Adjusting our bodies too the cruel temperatures seemed almost impossible but when you're young, if you're having fun, you don't pay attention too those things. 

    As the end of the day drew nearer and our energy levels were minimum and our stomachs filled to maximum. The sun would set slowly and everything would be plastered in an orange glow. The sky a light pink, the sun a royal orange and the sand, a crisp golden brown. The sights would complete the day and wrap everything up in a bundle to add too the memory box. 

    Anywhere can create memories but being with people who mean a lot too you can create only the special ones. Take everything day by day and hold you hand out too opportunities that may come up to create something special that you can remember for the future. 

~Soph.

Childhood #1

  Being a child have been the the best days of my life so far.
   "I remember back in the days," - possibly said too much by people around me. - So, back in the day what can I remember? Seeing as my memory is pretty bad, not a lot. However the pieces that I can think of are the ones that put a smile on my face.
   My mother is a walking person, she loves walks and seeing the sights and feeling the fresh air rush around her. Whenever I ask her why she loves it so much, she'd leave me with one sentence. 

   "It makes you feel alive."

   By this quote she means that your body is using basically all its senses, some possibly stronger than others. Sight, obviously to see what is going on, what is around you and to take in the clashing or blending colours of the flowers, trees and the sky. The sense of smell, smelling the newly cut grass in the summer overpowers anything else. The wind and heat from the sun tests your sense of touch and often plays around on your skin until your body responds and sends a shiver down your spine. We're left with taste. Well, it's not about what you can taste on a walk, it's about what you taste after. A hot drink after a walk in the cold. Feeling it gently slither down your throat and leaving heat in its place.
   So, what does this have to do with childhood? As a child I used to be forced on a family walk. I'd kick, fight, shout and throw a tantrum in hope that I wouldn't have to stroll for over three hours and travel for what felt like twenty three miles. However, once we got started and had taken about ten steps down the road, I'd be running around and laughing. I'd pick random flowers and put them in a bunch, take them back to mum and then get reprimanded because "They're wild flowers and wild flowers aren't meant too be picked." 
   The best sight too see was the small whirl of leaves being flicked around in the wind and travelling down the road beside us. 
   The walk we would go on was near our house and would go through the town and then through fields. One field was my favorite. - May sound sad, I was a child remember. - It was a massive hill. - A trek to get up. - At the very top we would see an old oak tree that had branches leaning too the floor and begging you to basically climb on them and do a little tree dance of success around it, this was obviously to show that you had survived the hike to get there. I'd be entertained for hours, just climbing and slipping down the branches of the tree. 
    It's amazing how free you feel as a child. How entertained you are by the simplist of things. How vivid your imagination is or just how happy the small things can make you. 

    "It makes you feel alive."
~Soph.

What if there was no such thing as money?

    Imagine, you're sitting on a bench, alone and watching the cars fly by with angry, careful drivers late for work. You're feeling the wind rush by you and causing the leaves to dance around your feet, the sun is out and you can feel the slight warmth radiating from it. A peaceful thought isn't it? 
   Random memories are nuzzling their way into your brain and slowly melting away. Leaving a small smile in their place. All of this was suddenly stopped by someone sitting next to you on the bench. Not only were they invading your 'peaceful' relaxation time but they also stop your thought process and that 'peaceful' feeling you had felt slowly fades away. Looking in the distance together the stranger asks you a question. The question. A question in which they don't want a response, they just want you to stop and think.

   "What would you do if money was no object?" They would say, breaking the silence that was once surrounding you both and then plunging you straight back into it.

    Bearing in mind, you'd still have too work for your family and have a job etc. but what would you do? Would you pursue the career that you'd dreamed of as a child or as an adult? Becoming that famous footballer, the next Vincent Van Gogh, a writer, singer - the list is never ending of possibilities.

   "What is stopping that 'dream job' from happening?" They would then ask, once again breaking the silence and triggering another thought process too boggle your mind and yet again, wanting no answer or response.

    When you get down to something that you'd really want too do, do it. Why do we let our minds concentrate on making the money the most important thing? If we keep doing a job that we don't like doing. Working around people that we possibly don't like working with. Doing things that we don't like doing, to live and to keep doing things that we don't like doing. Sound silly too you? In that vicious cycle of doing things you don't like, in order to please people you don't like, in order to buy things, you possibly don't like and maybe teaching your children to follow your steps.

   The silence is yet again broken.

   "What's better too have? A short life filled with things you love and enjoy or a long life doing things that hate and bore you till you're close too tears."

   At the end of the day, if you love what you're doing, it doesn't matter about anything else. You could potentially make a career and become a master at what you love and enjoy. Somebody is interested in something and everyone likes something different. You have the choice. The power. The capacity of thought to change what you think and follow what you love, regardless of what people think.

 As the person gets up too leave, they leave you with one question and have left before you can respond.

    "What do you desire?"

   Once again you are plunged into your 'peaceful' setting but instead of the thoughts subtly popping up in your mind, there are questions and answers and curious things, that final question standing solidly in the center of it all.

What do you desire?
~Soph.