Hope Builds Bridges, FEAR BUILDS WALLS

“Fear builds walls.” To me this phrase means a lot of different things. For one, it means that if you walk around in your life being afraid of everything, then you are never going to achieve anything. You have to be willing to take a risk and try something new. It’s almost like that old phrase, “you are going to miss a hundred percent of the shots you do not take”. If you are not willing to take a risk then your life is going to be very boring. People can also take this phrase in a whole other direction. Some people might say that fear builds walls in relationships as well. If you are going to go into a relationship and expect not to take risks, then you have another thing coming. That’s all a relationship is: a big risk. You have no idea whether or not it is going to work. So, if you are afraid to take risks, there is going to be a MASSIVE wall in your life because you are not going to be able to have a normal relationship without worrying about it failing. Another thing that people take into consideration when reading this phrase is sports. If you have fear, then you are going to have some problems if you play physical sports like football or soccer. If you are afraid to get hit, then there is a wall in football and if you are afraid to go up in the air to fight for the ball, there is the wall in soccer. Fear can sometimes be a good thing, but nine times out of ten, it will only hurt you.

The Top Ten Things About Nate Zobrest

1.My editor for this class
2.Hangs out a lot with the Herter's
3.Blonde hair
4.Listens to good music
5.He is a senior
6.Tall
7.Taller than me
8.Taller than Mr. Currin
9.Long hair
10.Short hair

A Winning Attitude Or Just Overly Competitive?

What is winning? I believe that there are a variety of answers to that very popular question. I think it all depends on a person’s mindset. It depends on whether or not they have to win every time they play a game or whether they feel good coming in second as long as they gave it their best shot. To me, winning is very important. I am one of the ones that enjoy winning when I play a game, but if I do not win, it would irritate me to the point that I want to have a rematch with that person just to prove that I can beat them. It would bug me enough to have a rematch with the person who beat at whatever it was that we were playing. A good example of this is when I play checkers in my advisement. I have beaten everybody and only lost once to Matt and when that happened, I was a little annoyed. Don’t get me wrong, I was not annoyed at Matt for beating me. I was annoyed at myself for not playing the right moves that I should have. If you ask, I am sure that he will tell you that after he beat me, I kept pestering him for a rematch until we finally played and I won. I believe that the true definition of winning is coming out on top in anything competition related that you do. To me, coming in second just means that I am the first person to lose. It also means that I came closer than anyone else to winning and I could not capitalize on my opportunities. I think that I will someday lose my competitive mindset and will not mind losing but right now that is what winning means to me.

My Favorite Holiday

Out of all of the holidays, I would have to say that Christmas is my all-time favorite. I like Christmas not only for the gifts, but because of the meaning behind it. I love going to the store around the holidays and seeing people doing there last minute shopping. They are always in a bad mood because they procrastinated until the last minute and now they have to rush and get everything that they are going to need. I think that is a big part of the fun during the holidays. Just sitting back and relaxing with the family and soaking it all in. I personally enjoy doing just that, especially these last couple of years because I know that my time at home is drawing to an end and I want to enjoy every last minute it. I know that those Christmas mornings are moments that I am never going to be able to experience again. I will keep enjoying Christmas, but it will not be the same as it was when I was at home. I also enjoy it because it is an excuse for the family to get together and be civilized. There are no argument or disputes that need to be settled, just family being family and enjoying one another’s company. I enjoy it when my family is sitting around the living room drinking a cup of go Joe juice or something and just talking. I also enjoy Christmas because of the weather. I love going out and having a snowball fight in the dead of winter. When you can go outside and be completely frozen in a matter of minutes, then the weather is perfect. I guess it is the sum of all these things that make Christmas my all-time favorite. Nothing else can come close.

What Am I Thankful For?

What am I most thankful for? That is a tricky question because there are many things that I am very thankful for. I guess the biggest thing I am thankful for is my parents. They have always been there for me and have always had my back when I got into a jam. It did not matter how bad the situation was, they would always support me and fight for me. There was one time down in Georgia that I am not going to elaborate on, but it proved that they supported me through the thick and thin. This is why I am thankful for my parents. Another thing I am thankful for is my friends. Whenever I have gotten into trouble at school or at home, I have been able to talk to my friends about it. I never have to worry about them laughing or judging me for it. They have also allowed me to vent to them about problems I am having. Like if I get into trouble for something that I did not do, they do not care if I yell at them to vent my frustration. Finally, one more thing I am thankful for are the many teachers I have had in my entire school career. Although there are several of them that I despise very much, they all had my best interest at heart, and I thank them for it. They did not have to wake up early in the morning just to tech me how to write my name! Also, they have been putting up with me year after year, so I kind of have to give them props as well because let’s be honest, not everyone can do that! There are so many different things that I am thankful for, so I am happy to have an opportunity like this to be able to reflect on that.

LUNCH TIME

If I could have lunch with three people, I think I know who I would pick first. I would have to pick my Grandma. She died three years ago and I never got to say good bye to her. Having lunch with her would enable me to be able to say bye and to reinforce the fact that I love her. Looking back on it today, I know I did not tell her that enough.
Another person that I would have lunch with is my biological mother. She and my Dad divorced when I was little and I have so many questions for her. I definitely would not talk to her right now because I love the way my life is now and I do not want to start anything up that might interfere with it. I have only one memory of her and that is not a good one, and plus I have heard some bad stories about the way she used to treat my brother and I.
The last person that I would want to sit down with to have lunch would be my big brother. I have not seen him since we went down to Texas to watch him graduate Basic Training from the Air Force. Since I am going in September, I have a ton of questions about Basic. I also miss him and would enjoy the time I have with him. I think it would be a good time to just relax and catch up.

Thanksgiving Traditions

My family does not really do anything special for thanksgiving anymore. When my grandma was alive, we used to go over to her house and she would make an enormous dinner. It was always good. Ever since she passed away, we stay at home and make a small dinner. It is nothing too big. Last year we went to a thanksgiving play. That was nice. This year, since my brother is out of the house, we are probably just going to go out and eat. Another thing that is sort of a tradition in our house is the Thanksgiving Day parade and game. We usually wake up early too watch the parade and then after that we all sit down and watch the football game. Another thing that my dad does is hunt. He always loves to go out and hunt on thanksgiving with my uncle Bill. I am finally going to join him this year. I hope that it becomes a tradition even after I move out. When I move out and get settled with my own family, I hope to begin a tradition. I cannot cook so I will marry somebody that can. I hope to be able to wake up and watch the parade and then the game like I do now. I also hope to continue going out and hunting with my dad. Then when my kids get older (God willing) I hope that they enjoy all of the traditional activities as much as I do.

Three Quotes

“Some people develop a wish bone where their back bone should be.” Anonymous
I love this quote because it is so true. Many people I have talked to throughout my life have always said they wish for this and they hope for that. I think if half of those people got up off their butt and worked towards achieving their wishes, or goals, they would be singing a different tune.
“The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is that an optimist thinks this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true." Unknown This quote also rang true for me because I have seen a lot of people complain about the world they live in and yet they do absolutely nothing to change it. Those very same people laugh at the people that say they love the life they have because it can’t get any better. This worries the pessimists because if the world truly couldn’t get any better than what it already is, then what could they possibly have to be pessimistic about. Nothing!
“The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time.” Joe Girard
I really like this quote because it speaks a simple message. To me, it basically says to get off your butt and do some work. If you are not willing to work for a reward, success will never come your way. However, it does not mean that you will get rewarded every time you work.

Respect

Respect, I think, is a term that many people need to learn. According to dictionary.com, respect means “the condition of being esteemed or honored”. In my own words, I would say that respect is simply the acknowledgement of another person’s feelings. People always say that you should respect your elders, but I have rarely heard anyone say you should have respect for younger people with the same conviction. i feel that all people deserve respect as long as they return the favor. To me, this does not mean that if someone does not respect you, you do not have to respect them. I try to respect everyone, but I do not go out of my way to show it for someone who does not do the same thing. I also feel that respect is earned. You cannot walk up to someone on the street and automatically assume that they respect you. You have to give them a reason to respect you, whether you do something good for them or you just show them the same respect that you wish to get from them. I also believe that once respect is lost, it is very, very hard to get it back. You can do many good things for someone but all it takes is one mistake to wipe all of that out. It takes a lot to earn respect and not a lot to lose it. Once people begin to respect each other, I believe the world would be a much better place.

Dream Job

When I get out of high school, I am joining the Air Force, as you may already know. Once I get done with basic training, I am going to technical training school so that I can be qualified for my dream job. My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) as it stands right now is Tactical Aircraft Maintenance. I am going to be able to do mechanical and ballistic work on some of the fastest airplanes in the world. However, that is not my dream job. My dream job would have to be flying a SR-71 Blackbird, one of the fastest jets in the U.S. Air Force, and in the world. As of right now, I am going to be stuck working on them because I do not have 20/20 vision. In order to fly, that is what you would need. After I am done with the schooling for working on the jet, I can apply to get the laser vision correction and then if my eyesight is normal, I will be able to fly any plane that I want to. Another job that I would not mind having is becoming a part of the border patrol. I think it would be a great opportunity to serve the country and protect it from illegal immigrants. I think that if I were to have to pick any of these jobs, it would have to be flying in the Air Force. However, I would be happy if I got the opportunity to do any one of these two.