Is it in you?

"Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment."

The above quote can be found in the receptionist's desk of the Caldwell College Fitness Center. Now, as a frequent, 4-6 times a week visitor of my school's gym I was particularly intrigued to find this simple quote written on a piece of lined notebook paper pasted to the edge of the desk for any keen eye to notice. But what does it mean exactly? Is it meant to motivate the visitors or just some sort of inside joke? Is it the sweatier you are the more you feel you have accomplished? I'm not really sure what to take it for, but I do know hard work is definitely not measured in liters of sweats. It is all about desire.

Desire is something uncontrollable. It is a passion that takes over and engulfs one in a tunnel of motivation. The above video is something that consistently guides me into this tunnel. For example, one night after returning from the gym and taking my usual hot shower, I sat at my computer bored and went to my favorite YouTube videos and came across this Nike commercial. My roommate and I, both life-long softball players, screamed and remembered this exact video as the commercial that aired throughout the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But as it began, silence fell. Chills overcame and we remembered our one true love. It is the game that never lets you down, almost like a warm friend. It is an escape from realities. It is why we are here, and what we are today. We play and we become "the happiest girls in the whole USA." The video closed out and we were left breathless. Next thing I know, we both grabbed our gloves, bundled up in coats, boots, and beanies to go play play catch on the lawn in front of Rosary Hall at 11 o'clock at night. Everything else went away. Nothing mattered because I was doing what I was meant to do, and doing it solely because of MY desire to play. No other intentions than to do what made me happy. Play because I love it, something I had recently forgotten. I'd never felt so gloriously happy in my life. Its my one true love.

The Alternative to Reality

"Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else."
-Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter."
-Thomas Helm

We've all been there: pounding out those last chapters of a book and you are completely wrapped up in the characters, setting, and your flaring emotions. Whether it be best-sellers such as Twilight or Harry Potter (both personal favorites) or the good old, beat up edition of your favorite classic that gets you every time, ending a book is always a relief as well as a loss. Books are escapes from everyday life. They are chances to jump into an alternate reality. I mean, every once and a while, who doesn't want to just be someone else for a day? Leave your real worries behind and find yourself mixed up in a love story or adventure for a bit.

What is your favorite book to turn to when you want to escape reality?

No regrets here, thanks. I think...

“Just remember, the same as a spectacular Vogue magazine, remember that no matter how close you follow the jumps: continued on page whatever. No matter how careful you are, there’s going to be a sense that you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn’t experience it all. There’s that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should’ve been paying attention. Well, get used to that feeling. That’s how your whole life will feel some day. This is all practice. None of this matters. We’re just warming up.”

-Chuck Palahniuk (American freelance Journalist, Satirist, and Novelist)

People say it often, but is it really true that everyone has regrets? Do we really forget to live in the moments and let to many things pass by that we later regret not paying attention to? Is it really just a regret of seeing things happen and not acting upon them or the actions we actually take that are regretful?

Well, I am probably the most regretful person you will ever meet. Everything I do, or rather don't do, turns into a regret. Something that runs through my head for hours on end like the constant ticking of a clock. I don't know exactly why this is but its like no matter what I do, I cannot win. It is an everlasting personal battle. If I do something I felt was right, I consistently second-guess myself on whether that was actually the right choice. Should I not have done that? Was there something else I could have done instead? Or, on the other hand, and actually this one is the much more frequent battle: the regret of not doing what I want. Is this really going to be what my whole life is like? NO. It will not. Because you see, it does not matter whether the timing is right or whether others will judge you for your decisions. More often than not, things are not always going to turn out the way we planned. That's life. There is a distinct possibility that I, and anyone else who feels the way I do, will always have that "collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all". But personally, I plan to make myself unstoppable. if this is all "just practice" then nothing will stop me from living in the moment. Nothing will compromise my happiness or get in the way of my wants. If I go out and try to live everyday on my own terms then at the end of the day, I will be able to say "Hey, I don't regret anything. I did all I could."



But then again, some things are easier said than done...




What is your interpretation of this quote? How does it make you feel?

Writing for Individuality

"Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals."

-Don Delillo (American novelist of New York City)

Being our first twelve blogs are an assignment for a writing class, I figured the first quote I will reflect on should be about writing. Not everyone considers themselves writers, whether it be because it just doesn't come easily or because you think your products just aren't considered good enough in your eyes, but I think everyone has a little writer in them. It is a desire to express yourself through unique written word. It can be your own little secret or a proclamation that you wish all the world could read. It is a supreme form of self-expression. In a society as modernized as ours it is easy for us to become one of the many, to get lost in the crowd, to follow standards set by the general population, but writing is a way in which we can rise above the rest and show them who we really are. We can dig deep into our souls and let our feelings and thoughts be painted across the paper.

Personally, I strive for individuality through writing, through speaking my opinion and not letting others break down my likes. I try to do what I like in every aspect of life and try to not let the outside opinions of others affect the happiness I want and deserve.

In what ways do you express your individuality?