The Re-emergence of Stress

 "It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons."

-J.R.R. Tolkien

Stress is such a elusive and yet prominent factor of life.  I would like to think that as a person got older the amount of stress they were under decreased but in fact, I believe that a person merely learns to deal with the stress in certain aspects of life but is forever encountering new causations.
The fact of the matter is stress is intense emotional and mental turmoil over an event or situation that is not entirely within one's control.  Of course there are millions of articles and products and methods to relive stress but when it comes down to it, stress may only be dealt with by the individual.  A person can determine what to be stressed about and what to simply let happen.  However, this is easier said than done.
Stress is a complicated issue that is experienced differently for each person in different ways.
I am one to be easily stressed out over matters that should probably not concern me as much as they do.  Growing up, I would become so nervous before performing for judges and just people in general, rather it be playing the piano or the flute, dancing, or singing.  As I got older my nervousness was easier to contain and less to deal with.  I am proud to say I have less stress going into performances, public speaking, and major tests than ever before.
Nonetheless, I still become stressed out by new situations rather casual or professional.  I worry about matters that do not need to be fussed over and will play out in time.  I am a person who generally has a plan about the events in the day, the week, the month, and so forth.  I have a planner and whenever I make a plan rather it be formal obligation or simply a design on how my time that day will be spent I like to stick to it.  I like times and organization and scheduling.  I am very much like my mother in these ways.  She was always there for me growing up and taught me how to breathe and just do my best.  She was always told me straight what she thought which helped me to grow but in the same way she was very supportive.
Nevertheless, someone came into my life about five months ago who is pretty much the opposite of me in this manner.  This person does not stress the small things and does not make plans or set time limits on situations.  Of course, this individual is very dependable and does what has been promised on time every time.  Regardless this person has the ability to calm me down and realize what is important and when simply to go with the flow. They showed me a new way of thinking and I showed them mine (which I pretty sure caused them stress too but only because they cared).   I did not realize what an impact this individual was making until they were not here everyday with me.  Although just a phone call away, it is not the same.  You know who you are.  I just wanted to say thank you.  You always have the capability to calm me down and I hope to see you soon.
Now I have to deal with issues and new situations alone again and it seems like I have almost forgotten how. Its a hard thing to grow up and be dependent on yourself to wash clothes and remember to eat and pay your bills and other adult things but it is one everyone has to go through.  And rather you are at this point in your life or younger and think life is stressful now under your parents' roof just you wait or older and have it figured out a little better than the rest of us; life does not go according to plan.  One can either have great emotional breakdowns everyday and not learn to deal with matters or attack situations (and have only the occasional breakdown).  Whatever happens remember that in any situation, this is only a moment and soon it will pass.  Someone once said "Everything will be alright in the end, and if it is not alright, it is not the end".  Bad things will happen but good ones will happen also.  It is up to you to decide on which to focus.

"If we wait until we are ready we will be waiting for the rest of our lives."  -Lemony Snicket 

What I Love

1. You know who you are 
2. Lovely words and inspiring quotes
3. Music <3
4. Texas 
5. Dancing
6. Those nights that seem like they will last for forever and you never want them to end 
7. Texas A&M University 
8. Sweet tea 
9. Homemade ice cream 
10. Butterflies!  (real ones, jewelry, clothes, and of course the ones in your stomach) Les papillions 
11. Thunderstorms 
12. Sunshine
13. The beach 
14. Stories, history, wonderful movies, and captivating novels 
15. Fireflies 
16. Looking at the stars 
17. French
18. Traveling and vacations 
19. Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings 
20. Strawberries 
21. Bread 
22. Kind people 
23. Colorful pens, makers, and crayons
24. Candles 
25. Singing 
26. When the music playing in the background applies directly to your current situation 
27. Sweet notes, emails, and text messages
28. Lovely surprises
29. Chicken fried steak 
30. Bookstores 
31. Old pictures and scrapbooks 
32. Cowboy boots 
33. Riding horses through the country side 
34. Twilight (my favorite time of day) 
35. Analyzing literature 
36. Baking 
37. Sundays (church, lunch, lazy afternoons, the best day of the week) 
38. Laughing almost too hard to breathe
39. County Fair and Rodeo 
40. Texas Renaissance Festival 
41. French braids 
42. Cookie dough and cookies straight from the oven 
43. Chips and salsa 
44. Puppies and kitties and bunnies 
45. Hot chocolate (Chocolat chaud) 
46. Rainbows
47. Nail polish 
48. Earrings 
49. Bubble baths and hot tubs 
50. Hammocks (even though I always fall out) 
51. Mason jars 
52. Friendship bracelets 
53. Sparkling grape juice and fancy drinks 
54. New clothes that make you feel pretty 
55. Journals 
56. Bath and Body Works lotions, perfumes, soaps, etc. (and generally everything that makes a person smell nice) 
57. Realizing just how happy you are in this exact moment 
58. Country music
59. Parties 
60. Boat rides and fishing 
61. Blankets to snuggle in 
62. Snuggling (which is a much better word to use than cuddle) 
63. Kisses goodnight (but never goodbye) "I didn't want a to kiss you goodbye, that was the trouble; I wanted to kiss you goodnight. And there's a lot of difference." - Ernest Hemingway
64. Happy memories  
65. Fairy tales 
66. Big trucks 
67. Taking pictures 
68. Long phone calls 
69. Clean laundry warm from the dryer 
70. Finding money in your pocket you forgot you had 
71. Seeing God shine through people and nature
72. Encouraging Bible verses 
73. Praying 
74. Board games
75. Ultimate frisbee 
76. Football games
77. Heartfelt conversations
78. Two story houses with wrap-around porches
79. Rocking chairs and porch swings 
80. Trees 
81. Chocolate 
82. Museums 
83. Pinterest
84. Thanksgiving 
85. The feeling of being in love 
86. Crisp, clean sheets 
87. Simple dresses that are lovely 
88. The ride home 
89. Organization
90. Summer camp 
91. Pretty, curly hair
92. Contact lenses 
93. Blue jean shorts 
94. Sunglasses 
95. Fresh vegetables from the backyard garden 
96. Ceiling fans 
97. Coupons 
98. Big and warm jackets 
99. Bonfires (and of course s'mores) 
100. Country living 

What do you love? 

The Backseat

It is strange to think so much of our time as children aspiring and wishing to be in the front seat of every vehicle we have the privilege of riding in.  When we are finally old enough or big enough to start riding in the front seat consistently, we race our brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends to reach the coveted "shotgun"seat first.  Through high school and college and beyond this game goes on with confrontations and negotiations, with victories and defeats.
However, in my opinion sometimes the backseat is more fun.  No, I do not mean that in any dirty or negative way.  I simply mean the backseat is the place where, of course it is usually crowded, but it also the place to relax and stare out the window without having to be the driver, navigator, DJ, or anything.  There are no responsibilities for the backseat rider except for trying to keep your face out of the rear view mirror so the driver can see behind him or her.  In the backseat the rider can simply ride.  One can participate in the conversations one wishes to participate in or simply listen to music or read a book.
Beyond that,  the interactions and conversations or the backseat are more conversations.  There may be more people than there should and with that there is a certain bond.  There is the thrill of going to a new and exciting place with these friends or acquaintances in a car that is filled to the brim.  There is laughter and loud music to sing along to and phones to be passed back and forth.  There is wonder that is tangible in the air as the day/night begins.
In the same way there is the quiet peace of the ride home.  Probably the same people that came in the car will not be leaving in the car but maybe so.  The ride home is much calmer.  The music is just background noise now and each is in there own thoughts.  Of course on the first few minutes of the car ride may be conversation of tales and stories being recounted with such fervor but after all the events have been discussed everyone slips away to a quiet ponder to recover from such exhaustion.  These are the best moments of the back seat.  These are the moments when some may drift off to sleep on the shoulder of a friend rather old or brand new.  It is in these moments when a girl, who has strategically placed herself next to the boy who has given her butterflies from the journey's initial commencement or maybe even before then, has the opportunity to sit close and maybe lean her head against his shoulder in real (or fake) exhaustion.  It is these moments that can change the course of a night and spark a relationship even if the movement stops here, the dynamic has changed.  Or the situation may continue.  He puts his arm around her and she snuggles up next to him in a quiet and easy way.  He may whisper something to her and she turns to respond and there may be a kiss that causes an eruption of butterflies. It is the quiet moments like these on the car ride home that make the backseat an unforgettable space.
There are the loud and exuberant moments and there are the quiet and unforgettable moments that make the back seat the place for each person in their own way. So the next time you lose the competition do not be too dismayed.  If you have the privilege of sitting in the back seat and have a moment to pause and think, remember all of the memories you have from when someone else had control of the direction you were going. Remember all of the moments that have led you to this one.  For it is in these moments of relinquished control that we have space to think and feel and act in the bubble that is the car taking you away from the pressures of the outside.  It is here, in the back seat, you can experience butterflies and peace.

Musicality and the Brain

Multimodal Project

Colorful Music

Music is essential to culture and society and has been for centuries.  Music surrounds us where ever we go; elevators, shopping malls, football games, and festivals.  Music is lovely and artistic, like this photo.  

In this image, the viewer is initially drawn to the color on the keys of a black piano.  Typically, piano keys are black and white but in rare instances all of the keys are black.  In this image, it is difficult to tell if there are white keys because of the paint covering the keys.  The yellow especially is apparent because of the sharp contrast to the black piano.  The colors could metaphorically represent the way the piano invokes creativity and brings color, or individuality through music.  Every piano player plays and performs the music differently in the same way that every person writes in their own individual way.  In each person's individual way the player changes the music, even the pieces by Beethoven or Mozart that have been around for centuries and thousands of people practice relentlessly are developed differently with each new student, with each new player.  

Furthermore, the colors hold no pattern which just adds to the beauty of this photo.  This art can never be reproduced, the art just happened just like music changes with each new performance.  

The point of view adds aesthetic appeal to the image.  The way the photo is taken so that the audience is peering down the keyboard in order to focus on keys and the colors they have been painted. This creates a focus on only the piano and the beauty of the scene. 

The effect of the picture is one of anticipation.  It is almost as if the audience is waiting, just as the piano is waiting, for hands to appear and begin to ske the keys, dancing up and down the keyboard and developing a melody.  The melody is different to every listener but to each the music speaks to the soul.  The music tells a story, shares a hardship, and embodies true love.  In this way, the effect on the viewer may transform from person to person, but to all the photo attempts to illustrate the beauty and majesty of music.  

Musical Training on the Child's Brain

The article, Effects of Music Training on the Child's Brain and Cognitive Development, is a scholarly article because of its publication in a scholarly, peer reviewed journal by the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.  

The article presents the case that adults who have had musical training have structural and functional differences in their brains as opposed to those adults without.  This has been discovered through studying children from the ages of five to eleven with musical training and comparing them to a control group of five to eleven year olds without musical training.  The experiment starting with children of similar ages and allowed the experimental group to undergo musical training (eventually amounting to four years) and comparing the results to children in the control group without the musical training.  The experiment would examine different parts of the brain in both groups of children and compare the differneces. These differences are apparent between those with musical training and those without and these differences carry on to the children becoming adults.  Musical training has been shown to improve fine motor skills, language, and mathematical performance. 

The article explores the case and presents the findings at multiple ages of the children through diagrams and written explanations.  Through the use of data and logos, the article presents the findings and proves the point that musical training is very important for the development of the brain and can help in many aspects of life throughout time. 

SCHLAUG, G., NORTON, A., OVERY, K. and WINNER, E. (2005), Effects of Music Training on the Child's Brain and Cognitive Development. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060: 219–230. doi: 10.1196/annals.1360.015
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1196/annals.1360.015/full

Life, Love, and Good Memories

"Country music is the people's music. It just speaks about real life and about truth and it tells things how they really are." ~Faith Hill
Country music is music is similar to a fine white wine; it is an acquired taste. Most people who adore country music and listen to it almost exclusively have acquired the love from a young age from their parents and have evolved this love into their own. However, there are those, like myself, who have acquired the taste in another fashion.
I started to seriously get into and seek out country music when I started going to a dance hall/bar just outside of my small town in high school. In our small community, this was the place to go and dance and be seen on the weekends. The town in which the dance hall was located was so small that in fact we just called it for the town name; El Maton. Looking back, this small dance hall was not exciting or even very interesting but when I was sixteen years old wearing my cute blouse, shorts, and cowboy boots, out with all my friends and dancing with my high school crushes, those El Maton nights were a dream. It was here I developed my love for the music. The more I went, the more I sought out music for my iPod and country radio stations to listen to in my car. Even now, I go attend dance halls, and although they may be bigger and better than El Maton; although, perhaps different songs, the music has not changed.
Country music reminds us of the slow living, summer days sitting on the back porch and drinking sweet tea as you watch the sunset and the lightning bugs start to come out.  The music speaks of faith in God, hard times, bravery, and remembering those we have lost. There are countless songs of love and sweet times when the world is lovely because you are with the one whom you adore, there are songs of love lost and missing the one that got away, and there are songs about fishing and drinking beer.
Country music embodies all that is good in the country, especially in the south, where there are dirt roads, tractors, fields to plow and harvest, sunshine to be embraced (along with the sweat), hard work, and long evenings. It is the music that reminds us to slow down and remember where we come from. Once discovered and embraced, it is the music that one seeks out and consumes over half (if not all) the radio presets. There are those who prefer the city life and choose a different life set to a different tune and there are those who just can not stand all of the bad vowels in the singing but to those the music speaks to, country music is the lifestyle we wish to maintain.