Some things really do get better as they age, and the little old house that sits at the top of a hill is the perfect example.
This little house is strong and mighty, and it has seen its fair share of heartbreaks, makeups, first moments, last goodbyes, tears, smiles, storms, fires, spring rain, and much more.
It sits atop a hill, with a view of the mountains surrounding and a window through the trees to look down into the valley surrounding below it. This little house has aged, but it has a story to tell.
The house has sat atop the same hill for over seventy years, watching multiple families grow, being a safe place for kids to run to after the rain starts, a place that is not just a house, but a home.
Even though the white picket fence with the red fence is tipping over with chipped paint, the porch does not keep the rain out, the wood floors inside are warped and worn, the ceiling leaks, and the doors do not keep the winter chill out, it has aged beautifully.
Although those little details seem off-putting to most, to me they make that little ageing house a home.
Walking among trees, flowers, and bushes, I see so many detailed shapes and colors that could be put together to represent almost anything. One homework assignment I had this week was to create a biological structure using elements of nature, and it was incredible to see how many mediums were available in the small space of my backyard.
I can see the textures of the plants and imagine how they would function in a work of art. I remember back in the seventh grade when our english teacher had us replicate the art of a famous nature artist by arranging leaves on the ground. We created the pattern of a heart using the different shapes, colors, and textures of nature. It was incredible to see how so many pieces of nature can come together and create something so beautiful.
While nature is stunning in itself, it has the capacity to be rearranged into a work of art with intent. The intention within a nature piece shows the connection between human spirit and the beauty of the natural world.
Last week was my first trip to the beach since coming out of quarantine. I had been looking forward to it the whole week and then it was finally time to leave. We packed our surfboards and wetsuits and made our way to the beach.
It was a hot day, the sun was shining and the mood was good. We sang songs in the car all the way to the beach and when we arrived we immediately grabbed our stuff and ran down to the beach. Feeling the sand between my feet and the sun on my shoulders felt so good. I hadn’t been to the beach in 6 months and it felt so good to be back. My friend and I looked at each other and just started running towards the water like two little kids. The water was cold but also warm, just perfect. We swam for a few minutes before we decided it was time to get on the surfboards and attempt to surf.
Well, we definitely miscalculated how big some of the waves were and just got slammed to the ocean floor. It was a struggle getting out in the water again as the waves just came crushing in, taking you and your board with them. When we finally made it out we waited for a wave that was small enough for us, as we have never really surfed in our lives. We kept trying and trying and every yet so tiny success was enough to keep us motivated.
We ended up being in the water for 3 hours trying to stand up on our board. At one point we were so exhausted we didn’t even have the strength to push ourselves up anymore. The sun started setting, creating a beautiful bright orange color that reflected from the ocean. It was time to go, and our teachers called us back in to pack our stuff and head back to the van.
I will go back to the beach again tomorrow and I will not give up until I stand on the board surfing down the line, even of it will take me weeks to accomplish it.
Video games are an immense sensation throughout the world. There are many different types of video games that can cater to many kinds of people. There are cute games like Animal Crossing and horror games like Phasmophobia. There are games that are considered classics by everyone such as Minecraft and Mario Kart. Personally, Minecraft is one of my favorites.
There are many ways to play these games, as well. There are consoles like PS4 and Xbox. Many people also play mobile and PC, which is a personal computer.
Photo Credit: pcgamer.com
Recently there has been a new game that has taken the world by storm. Among Us is a multiplayer game that everyone has been raving about. People can create private games to play with their friends, or they can play public games with strangers.
There are two roles assigned at the beginning of the game, Imposter an crewmate. The crewmates have to fix the spaceship and the Imposter has to sabotage it. The Imposters can kill players in order to help them win.
Among us can be played on PC and on mobile. I have recently been obsessed with the game and have been playing non-stop with my friends. I have won a couple of times, but to be honest I am not the best.
So I found myself looking deep in the eyes of a green eyed boy with dark hair and an illuminating smile and felt the corners of my moth turn upwards on their own.
What is this feeling? I tend to know what feelings rush through my body, but this human has created a new, different, unusual feeling. There is no sort of nervous fear or butterflies, there is just this comfortable glow surrounding the green eyed boy.
Am I finding myself falling…?
Falling for what you ask? Well simply put, I do not know. The only thing I can relate to the feeling of the green eyed boy is falling.
It is not a bad sort of falling, but rather a floating or soaring, but weightless none the less.
I think I am okay with this new feeling entering my body, but I am still very perplexed by the unknown sense that looking into the green eyes of the boy with the dark brown hair and illuminating smile brings to me.
As a woman, I am here to voice my opinions about children.
For humans, a simple act of pleasure can erupt into a death-defying stunt. It’s not only humans who do it, it is all female animals, besides the male seahorse. Heaving, pushing, urging a living thing out of your body. Draining all your strength, causing pain, and honestly leaving you a little saggy, is it worth it?
From that point forward you are, until you die, attached and sworn to this tiny human that will cause balding, lack of sleep, and stress migraines. Not to mention the, as i call it, money vacuum that you have not ignorantly created. Your bank account’s life was solid, it had a well-paying job, an apartment, a girlfriend, and maybe a cat. Then the kids come along. Your bank account had to sell its apartment and cat, doomed to a life of emptiness.
Beyond that, when your young children are awake, you are awake, and when your young children are asleep you ugh…let’s be honest do they sleep? If the off chance presents itself that they are asleep long enough for you to open and close the door after exiting their room, tiptoe over to your room get under your covers, close your eyes, and sleep, then you will either be super paranoid and not truly sleep, or you will go into something called the coma. The coma means when you awake after a beautiful sleep, that could not have been broken if World war three commenced in your front yard, your child has pooped itself, thrown up, and cried for two hours.
As your child grows you will have poured every ounce of love that you have into your kids to hopefully see them happy and successful in life. In the teenage years, that love might feel meaningless, and your children could become distant or even resent you. Of course, you will love them unconditionally, but it starts to hurt because you love them more than you have ever loved anything. Continuing on, your children have to embark on their own journey and find themselves, leaving you behind and creating their own life. You no longer have control over your kids, which is scary because you want them to stay safe, and you do not trust their safety with anyone besides yourself.
Once your children have left your house, you start to feel empty. Your purpose is gone. You have no one to care for besides yourself. You don’t know how to do that because it hasn’t been about you for 20 years. You look at yourself and realize that your life has passed by so fast and now you are old and alone. Maybe still with your partner or maybe not. You realize that nothing brought you true happiness besides your kids. Now you look forward to visits and phone calls. From mom to grandma.
You realize that purpose is all that humans crave. You have found yours. Your children give you purpose. Every day if you do not want to get up for yourself you get up for your kids. Watching them take their first steps makes up for every dirty diaper. The first day of school and offset pigtails make up for all of those sleepless nights. Holding your grandchildren make up for the hard laboring hours that got to your children’s births. Long talks, I love yous, watching your kids excel, your kids getting A’s in school, seeing them fail and get back up, you feel pride. Pride for what you have created. Pride for their accomplishments. And Pride for possessing their love.
Through all of the hardships lays a love that is irreplaceable
Finally. After two full weeks of quarantine, I was able to leave my room and go outside. After being isolated for so long, the simplest things make you the happiest. A hug from a friend, sitting with people, being able to go and eat at the cafeteria. I was so relieved to finally be with my friends again. The first thing I did was go on a long, big run across the campus of my school. It felt so freeing to be outside again and run through the campus and greet people.
On my third day of being out of quarantine, I was able to participate in the outdoor ed program again. We took a trip up to some local mountains. The drive there was just beautiful. Huge mountains and creeks all around. We left the van and I immediately ran to the creek. Feeling the cold water around my legs felt truly amazing. It was that feeling of freedom that I finally felt again after being isolated in my room for so long. We hiked along the creek until we came to a nice spot with shade and deep pools in the creek. We put down our bags and started to explore.
I started scrambling along the rocks going higher and higher, sitting on a high rock overlooking the little valley. I was so incredibly happy to be back in the outdoors again. I climbed back down and noticed lots of tiny frogs jumping around. I remembered how in Germany when I was younger, I would always go and catch the frogs in the lake behind our house. I started catching some frogs and it felt like I was in Germany again. I would catch one and hold it for a while before I released it back and caught the next one.
We stayed for about 2 1/2 hours before we made our way back up to the van. It was a small trip but it brought me so much happiness and I hope I get to participate in many more trips to come.
OVS Journalism Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.