Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

You’re intelligent,

you’re caring,

you inspire,

and you love me.

Dear Dad,

Everyday you celebrate

my successes,

my failures,

and my setbacks.

Today,

I acknowledge yours.

Dear Dad,

Beyond intelligence,

caring,

and inspiration,

you are an engineer,

a leader,

a donator to many good causes,

and a teacher.

Dear Dad,

This year,

I did not make you a card,

or buy

you a forced gift;

this year,

just remember

that I will always love you.

Xoxoxoxo,

Ava

Where I've been sleeping for the past 4 days

For the past four nights, I have been sleeping on my yoga mat. For those of you wondering, I was not forced to leave my bed and I was not forced to spend the night in the stifling air of the third floor. I choose to leave my bed. I mindfully climbed up to the third floor each night, where my azure blue yoga mat lay. But I was not approaching downward dog or eight-angle pose; I was going to sleep.

For four nights, I slept with one, primitive pillow and two downy fleece blankets. The first night, it was very difficult to adjust to the ground. It exemplified sleeping on bare

Azure blue yoga mat, primitive pillow and blanket

hardwood floors although I was on both a foam mat and carpeted floor. Laying flat on the ground encouraged my back to feel the rugged sensation of a sore back after running too many miles. Over the next three days, I gradually became more accustomed to the stiffness and inflexibility of the floor, though the “floating” sensation of my bed lingered and enticed. I had to adapt to a curling–up–into–a–ball position, for the curve of my back had no mattress to rest upon. I had to overcome the compression of the steamy air in the room and I had to accustom to the lack of ample pillows. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep. Somehow I managed.

Most sane people who own beds, would accuse my behavior both obtuse and ungrateful. I welcome this opinion, however, I also would like to be given a chance to object. As a life-long resident

Getting the proper amount of sleep will lead to better success

of Massachusetts, I can correctly and conclusively claim that the most inhabitants enjoy the pleasure of a roof over their heads and beds to sleep upon. However, this does not deem poverty, in even the most renown states, nonexistent and obsolete. According to the organization, A Bed For Every Child, 1 out of every 7 children in Massachusetts live in poverty. These children do not own beds. They may not have ample food supplies. These children’s everyday lives, performance in school, and opportunities to thrive have all been affected by the lack of a comfortable place to sleep. But think about it this way: all children are the future of our society. We need to share our care.

This post has yet to explore my reasoning behind sleeping on the floor when I owned a perfectly comfortable bed sat in my bedroom. I believe that the comforts in our life, such as a roof over our heads, ample food (enough for constant snacking), sleeping in a warm when desired or cool when preferred bedroom are privileges in our lives. I am not one who pleasures pampering myself with luxuries and it makes me feel almost more human when I put myself in line with those less fortunate than I. It is a consistent reminder of how lucky I am to live in my current reality. Food is a privilege. A roof is a privilege. Attending school is a privilege. A bed is a privilege. And sleeping on my floor reminds me of that aspect. So no, it is not an act of obtuseness or ingratitude for temporarily avoiding something I am given; it is a reminder to be forever grateful.

Why I Changed the Name of this Blog

Formerly known as “You Live On It…You Decide,” this blog has been renamed to “Revelation of the Revolution.” Here’s why.

In November of 2015, this blog was created as a place for me to share some of the stories,

events, successes and setbacks in my life. These posts developed into lessons I had learned in life. I decided to share these lessons with all you readers out there. The next thing I knew, was that You Live On It…You Decide, was spinning off into a little reading corner for many of my friends, and it became my comfortable hideout from the rest of the world.

You Live On It…You Decide was not appropriately parallel to the content of the posts. It felt vague and almost too open-ended. I don’t want to dis the reputation of the previous title, but I thought it was kind of [okay, I really don’t believe in this word I’m going to use next, but most of you will probably understand], cheesy and too naive/innocuous. Frankly, in from my perspective, I see this blog as a place for me to create my inner self and to develop a better character. Through posting, and hopefully through reading, I aspire for myself and readers to learn about new types of approaches to life. Essentially, to be inspired.

When I was brainstorming some other names, I couldn’t decide between Pinpointing the Clouds, Light Through the Woods, Revelation of the Revolution, and many others. In the end, I choose the last name because it is still open ended, yet more related to the majority of these posts.

So today I’m making history by renaming this blog, but here it is:

Revelation of the Revolution (even looks good on the page, eh?)

Thank You

The school year has traveled to its termination. Now I sit, reflecting the various subjects I’ve discussed through the tedious, enjoyable, and moving classes. I reflect on the people who deserve recognition for the numerous ways they’ve supported me. I don’t think I write, publish, or thank these people enough for the work they do to ensure maximal success in me.

First, I’d like to thank my parents. They are the backbone of everything that happens in my life. They sincerely value my education and without their support, I would not obtain the knowledge, perspective and values I adhere to on a daily basis. They deal with my passel of complaints, celebrate my joys, and encourage me to strive for more. Thank you.

I’d also like to thank the teachers at school. They are consistently supportive of everyone’s hopes and dreams. They aspire to help us achieve these dreams within and beyond the classroom environment. In retrospect, I can assuredly say I have learned at least one important life lesson from all of my teachers. They are all honest, fair, and responsible people. Thank you.

Middle school is a difficult transition year for many people and I’d like to recognize my advisor for his eager help. Mr. Chang was beyond exceptional. Although he is an extremely knowledgeable man, his talents stretch farther than that horizon. He is a great listener. He is open-minded and he celebrates differences. Mr. Chang has helped me grow in these areas. I think the most important thing Mr. Chang has told me–as a seventh grader who was unfamiliar to the routines and opportunities of middle school, and as an advisee–is that it is okay to ask for help. Since I was younger, almost all of my teachers have commented in my school reports that I struggle to raise my voice to my own benefit. They have also said that I don’t like to make mistakes. Mr. Chang told me at the beginning of the year, “It’s okay to ask for help during E-block. That is essentially what this period is designed for. In fact, I think that often times it is the more successful students who ask for help or check in with their teachers.” This sentence has somehow stuck with me throughout the whole year and I’ve learned that it is nearly impossible to score 100% percent on every assessment, and I have learned that it is okay to ask questions. Thank you.

Next, I’d like to thank all of my friends, inside and outside of school. Every single person in our little “friend” group has some significant impact on group. If one was removed, it would be like removing a color from the rainbow. Sophie, Sam, Abigail, Christina, Veronica, Hagar, Ilsa, Henry, Christian, and Kimia from school and Jackie, Zoe, and Maulik from previous friendships, each of you offers a different talent, energy and idea to our relationship and I genuinely appreciate your contributions. Keep rocking those goals!!!

Finally, I’d like to thank all the readers of this blog. The fact that you spend minutes of your precious day to read my blog really touches me (and is a deposit in our RBA!). Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for reading!

Thanks for the great school year, everybody!!!

Weather's Attitude

Some Glad Morning One day, something very old happened again. The green came back to the branches, settling like leafy birds on the highest twigs; the ground broke open as dark as coffee beans. The clouds took up their positions in the deep stadium of the sky, gloving the bright orb of the sun before they pitched it over the horizon. It was as good as ever: the air was filled with the scent of lilacs and cherry blossoms sounded their long whistle down the track. It was some glad morning. ~ Joyce Sutphen

Currently, I’m following First Sip. This small gem emphasizes life through the inspirations in which it was created. Its daily influx of quotes, poems and advice, deems my reading experience a

pleasure. This poem, titled Some Glad Morning, recalls my mood’s relationship to the weather. It’s odd. When the sun prances, my mood follows. When rain falls, somehow, my mood emulates the weather. I know…in my first post ever on this blog, I said that “attitudes are contagious.” Deeply pondering over this idea, my conscience shares that weather is the world’s most influential attitude.

So, I am on summer vacation. I hope for limitless sun, countless hours of light, and ample sounds of bliss.

3 Things That Feed the Human Soul and Bank Accounts

Hello everyone!

   This post is from my perspective about the three aspects in life that I believe have a major impact on me. In the comments, please tell me what you think three of the most important aspects to embody are!

   These little tips in the infographic are all little "deposits" into bank accounts. ????? Yes, most of the stuff I've been posting about is related to my inspiration from Sean Covey. I just finished The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and I think one of the most powerful philosophy's I read in his chapters, is the idea of everybody having their own "bank account." Nope, not the place where investment bankers use your money etc. but the place where you make somewhat "imaginary" deposits and withdrawals. Covey effectively illustrates two bank accounts: a Personal Bank Account and a Relationships Bank Account. Similar to a real bank account, there are ways to make deposits and withdrawals. Lets start with the Personal Bank Account (PBA). Some deposits come from: keeping your promises, avoiding procrastination, making the most of your talents, and being gentle with yourself. When you act abiding some of these little tricks, there will be, what I like to call, a self accomplishment moment. This is a feeling of joy, and proudness that may run through your body. Meanwhile, the Relationships Bank Account is a bank account that gives a brief snapshot into your relationships with others. Similar to the PBA, deposits are made in a million different forms. For example, making deposits may include: being loyal to your friend, listening to your friend, doing small acts of kindness (such as giving a genuine compliment), etc. As you can see, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO MAKE DEPOSITS! However, Covey also addresses that deposits don't just fall out of the sky, like rain, without a price. Withdrawals are made when you break a promise, judge your friend, ignore your friend, are hard on yourself, don't respect yourself etc. Just like there are millions of ways to make deposits, there are a billion ways to make withdrawals. 

   Three things that I believe feed the human souls are Listening [which is a RBA deposit], Caring [which is both PBA and RBA deposit], and Reading [which is a PBA deposit]. Enjoy!

Ava Long

Fads In My Seventh Grade Year

School is ending. The long road, which everlastingly stretched beyond a visible horizon, on which I stood back in September, is now close to termination. My seventh grade year has disappeared into the clouds in a matter of what felt like only a few months. I can only imagine being in high school in a year. For the next two weeks, I will be posting about seventh grade, the memories, the teachers and the fun. This post is called “Fads In My Seventh Grade Year.” Since the beginning of the school, people have been obsessing over various dance moves, celebrities, and youtube videos. Whether or not these fads represent anything, some are still prevalent among the student body, while others have slowly withered away. This is a memoir; this is a memory; and this is one slim glance at seventh grade.

The Whip Nae Nae

This video has 868 million views. Seriously. It’s sudden fame and capricious withering is what I will remember most about this fad. Emulating this dance move was recess competition and it somehow represented being “cool.”

The Running Man Challenge.

The dance move with crossed legs and shaking hands. The dance move that almost every boy in the grade attempting to imitate. Drama class. Science class. Every class.

Dabbing

This seems to be a move that demonstrates “coolness” and being “chill.” What does that even mean? Head in elbow, other arm outstretched behind your head…

Hello, by Adele

The lyrics in the first verse of Hello by Adele were input EVERYWHERE! I mean, teachers generally start the class by saying “Hello” to the class. The response was, “It’s me.” Even emails included lyrics from Hello! It was talked, it was sang, it was danced to: it was Hello.

Illuminati

The sign on money. I frankly do not understand what it means. I don’t know if I ever will. It was particularly prevalent especially during the winter months. It was used if you were taking some test and you didn’t know the answer. If you were a seventh grade teacher giving a difficult test, expect some answers on some students tests to look like this:

Illuminati confirmed.

Kimchi

It seems that kimchi made its way to one of the fads of seventh grade along with the illuminati. There was a boy in the seventh grade who just really liked kimchi and South Korea. He would jump around and flap his arm around and say in a high, squeaky, yet blissful voice, “Kimchi! Kimchi! Kimchi!” He also frequently sang a song involving kimchi and “sous” korea. Apparently it was called the Kimchi Song.

Navigating Through Trails

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. ~George Bernard Shaw

Inspiration of the Week: Think Win-Win

Wednesday, May 11, 2016. It’s the middle of the week. The beginning is past, and the end seems miles beyond the horizon. I am caught in the middle. Middle of a commodious ocean, where I cannot glimpse the slightest sliver of land in either direction. Yes, seeing the horizon is serene and calming, but after staring at the same old ocean too long, I begin to crave inspiration. I look for the wind that will push me towards the horizon, a.k.a. Friday.

Of course, one of my favorite books of all time, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Think Win-Win

supplies a bountiful supply of this desire. On Wednesday, I continued reading the fourth chapter of the book, which is titled Think Win-Win. This chapter primarily considers building friendships and how different levels of success/failure can affect those relationships. I was completely surprised at the reality of Covey’s statements! I frequently experienced unhealthy attitudes especially when it came to comparing with other people. This is what I learned.

There are four types of people in the world. The first is the Win-Lose attitude and it seems to be the top scorer of the four attitudes throughout a mediocre community. Here are common “symptoms” of the Win-Lose approach:

What someone does…	Win-Lose attitude
Your friend wins first prize in the writing contest	Feels ashamed of self; feels the need to avenge own reputation; feels the need to prove that one is better
You ask your dad to borrow the car, but he says no	You argue with your dad until he is forced to give in; you won’t let go of the situation and use it against dad in another conversation at dinner

Lose-Win, or Win-Lose

The second type perspective is Lose-Win. If you’re suffering from Lose-Win, you’re most likely a doormat and people are stepping on you. The disadvantages of Lose-Win is that others will often exploit your uncertain character. They will step on you, and they will wipe their feet.

What someone does…	Lose-Win attitude
Someone tells you that you look bad in those jeans	You give in because you have low self-esteem and trust that others won’t lie to you
Someone encourages you to play the final spelling bee round because you’re good at spelling	You give in and say that someone else should do it because you’re not good at spelling

As you can probably tell, both of these approaches to relationship construction are unhealthy and result in one person losing or winning. However, as Sean Covey puts it, when two Win-Lose people encounter each other, the worst of all possible acquaintances occurs: Lose-Lose. In this scenario, both people feel a loss, the situation is not resolved, the friendship will be fractured, and the world does not progress any farther. However, sometimes there are also people who purposely act accordingly the Lose-Lose attitude. In general, a Lose-Lose approach defines itself as daunting others from success when you have been let down.

What someone does…	Lose–Lose attitude
You do not get the lead role in the school play	You notice that your best friend is really good at acting, and think that they will receive the lead role, so you work to prevent that from happening.
You do not score as high as your friend on a math test	You tell them that you could’ve scored as high as they did, and that they’re grade is really not all that great.

The fourth approach to life is Win-Win. This attitude is suggesting that there is something for everyone. As Sean Covey states, success is not a pie. You do not have to be the first at the party and cut the largest slice. There is an infinite amount of success. That line, “infinite amount of success” sparked something in my brain when I first read it. I think it triggered a realization in my head: there is no point in being jealous of someone else’s success or judge one’s failure.

A Win-Win attitude recognizes that no one is good at everything. Whether you win the competition or receive last place, obtaining a Win-Win perspective will bring forth a sense of self-accomplishment. It will help one understand that even though the first place ribbon is in someone else's hands, one can has still learned and gained some type of knowledge through the experience. The best way to go: Win-Win

What someone does…	Win-Win approach
You’re friend gets first place in the X-country race	You compliment him/her and are genuinely happy for their success, knowing that you excel in others areas.
You become first chair of the orchestra	You go up to your friend who tried really hard for the same position and say something encouraging, genuine and appreciative about their efforts.
You get good grade on English paper	You help your friend, who didn’t score as high, improve their writing.
You make a mistake in your math homework	You understand your mistake, you learn from it, but you also share your discoveries with the class, endeavoring to prevent others from making the same mistake.

Thinking Win-Win is personally one the most challenging, yet most effective tips in the 7 Habits. I fully read this chapter on Wednesday, May 11. During the rest of the school week, I practiced being mindful and happy for my friends’ successes while celebrating my own. For example, when English paper grades were returned, I observed and reflected upon my own grade. However, I was truly proud of my friend who received a better grade than me. Here is a poem about success that I have written:

Success is not a pie.

There is no “100%.”

There is an infinite amount of success,

And it comes in all forms;

grades,

art,

friendships.

But the most meaningful,

is when one discovers the power

of celebrating others.

                                                                                    ~Ava Long