Monday, November 30, 2009
Turn your fear into fascination!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Happy Veterans Day and Happy 11/11!
While it would be an exciting day to remind you to make a wish tonight at 11:11 for double the luck, today holds a stronger importance in the national holiday: Veterans Day. While many of the younger generations tend to use this day as an excuse to skip school or hang out with friends, it’s important for people to realize exactly why this day is so special.
A war environment can be cold, lonely, and painful. It can be hot, miserable, and twisted. Your insides can wrench with pain as you watch the soul leave someone’s body. Your limbs can shake with devastating fear as you leave behind those you love. It takes real character to be a soldier. It takes a lot of will to survive.
There are six badges below. You have one month to earn one badge. On December 11, you can decide which badge you have earned, or you can have someone else decide. The objective? You must give up something that you use or do often for one month. Take some time to think about it. Some examples might be your addiction to the internet, junk food, lazy habits, excessive arguing, etc. Giving up any of these will be beneficial to you in the long run. Plus it takes 30 days to develop a habit, so if you can get through the month, you will hopefully have kicked your bad habit.
Or you can choose to give up something that may or may not make any difference to your habits, but will challenge your willpower, just like a soldier. This can be giving up sexual relations, giving up shopping for unnecessary things, or giving up music with swear words. The choice is up to you.
Once you have completed your goal (which you will!), pick one of the badges below that relates to your toughest struggle. Once you have picked what symbolizes your journey the best, that has become your new symbol. You can draw it underneath your name for future signatures, wear it as jewelry or a t-shirt symbol, or simply appreciate it as you see it in nature. Whatever you do, recognize your symbol with pride, you have earned it.
Badges:
Sun: energy, strength, life, guidance
Moon: influence, wonder, emotion
Spiral: progress, awareness, development
Firefly: strength, peace, harmony, change
Seahorse: patience, generosity, friendliness
Feather: truth, virtue, innocence
And don’t forget to mail a letter to a soldier: past or present, family or stranger. They have seen, heard, and dealt with things most can’t even imagine. And if you are a soldier, Happy Veterans Day and thank you for all of you have done! J