The Worth of A Soul by Amanda Schultz

How often do we compare and find our own worth little?
Phrases like 'why me' and 'I wish' are life's common riddle
But to hide who you are is a sad way to go about
What if she wasn't afraid to let her true personality out?
She used to be a sunny, happy girl who focused on giving
But as the days got colder and longer she no longer felt like living.
She compared herself to fake beauty hoping for a favor.
She clung desperately to the idea that society could save her.
Little did she know the effect her smile had.
She thought that without it, the world wouldn't be that bad
She couldn't see her worth, the worth of her soul
Because pleasing society was now her ultimate goal.
Now she goes about with a shattered soul, a broken heart,
A contagious hole, a missing part
Souls. I tried to tell her that hers was worth the time of day.
Broken, fragile, shattered, cracked, yet beautiful still in every way.

Getting Over the Wave

I have always dreamed of being a surfer girl. During every trip to the beach I was always focused on the surfers, small dots on the horizon, cruising down waves and having the time of their lives. My mind stuck on the idea of flying, and never let me forget it.

Every summer since I would practice my form in the backyard when no one was watching. The cycle went on for years, until I finally got the courage to ride real waves. So, I grabbed a board and surfed for the first time. The sea was smooth glass, with the occasional roaring wave; gulls were soaring overhead, salt lingering in the air. It was perfect, convincing me that I was going to be the best surfer on Newport Beach. Nothing could slow me down.

But, once I had gone too far out to reach the ocean floor, fear started creeping in on my perfect dream. Every minute spent on the board JUST further convinced me that something was lurking underneath me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and drag me down to the depths of the sea.

In my excitement to surf, I had forgotten about my paranoiac fear of sharks. All sharks. Big, small, albino, spotted or purple. Every one means the end of the world to me. I can’t even be alone by any water because of this fear. And whenever I have the feeling that a shark is near, a huge panic attack with lots of hyperventilating or just frozen shock ensues. Always. Whether in a kiddie pool, the bathtub or in this case, while surfing.

As I sat on my board in the middle of the ocean, about to dissolve into a panicked shrieking mess, I realized that I could do this. All I had to do was stand up and surf one wave, then I could be done.  No shark or fish was going to stop me. So I stood up. And started soaring down a wave. Finally, I was really surfing. Living my dream. I flew down the wave with saltwater and freedom blowing in my face; let out a scream of happiness…and ultimately fell off the board into the shark infested water. The usual panic attack occurred then.

I had done it. I had conquered my fear, even if only for a minute. All that I needed to do was stand up and face it. Each of us has a fear of something. And we all have the power to overcome it and succeed. Maybe you want to get 100 percent on a chemistry lab exam, or kick a winning goal in a soccer game. Whatever the case, I believe our dreams can be achieved no matter what. Yeah, we'll always have fears, but we just need to stand up.

We Cannot Go Through Life Without Help

This I Believe

By Roxie Chambers

I never wanted to be a nuisance to anybody, so I usually kept to myself when I had struggles. If there was something I could not do myself, it was something that didn’t need to be done. I had no trouble with helping others, I simply didn’t feel that others should take time out of their day to help me.

In the summer of 2013, I had to have foot surgery because of a genetic issue. I would be bedridden for three weeks, but I was looking forward to the idleness. Obviously my mind did not register the fact that I wouldn’t be able to fully take care of myself. The realization of how helpless I had become didn’t dawn on me until the day after surgery.

The pain of my foot grew, and I found myself in need of many things, such as pain pills, food, and water. I would never ask for any of them, my mom would automatically bring them to me. Although I didn’t like the fact that my mom was helping me so much, I compromised with myself saying that as long as I didn’t ask for help, I wasn’t a nuisance.

As the days went by, I found my younger brother would check on me almost hourly. It was hard for me to believe he felt the need to do that. Didn’t he know I wouldn’t ask him for help? Apparently he did, because he eventually stopped asking and would silently check to make sure I had the necessities, then leave the room.

My mom had acquired a routine to bring my pills to me every four hours. But the one day when my mom didn’t come into my room with my pills, gone because she had gone shopping, I hardly noticed that the system broke.  As the time passed, my pain grew fast. I could no longer hold in my tears as I could only think of one solution.

I imagined before what a horrible feeling it would be to surrender and ask for help. My pride would shatter, and I would officially become a helpless nuisance. But as I called my brother’s name, I felt a burden lifted from my shoulders. My brother came bounding up the stairs to my room, eager to help me with my need. I realized as he was helping me that he didn’t think of me as an inconvenience, so there was really no reason to refrain from asking for help anymore.

My brother’s kindness helped me get over my ignorant fear of asking others for help. I’ve observed that I couldn’t have gotten through that trial without the help of my mom, brother, and other family members. As I go through my life, I now eagerly accept the help of others. I am also enthusiastic when helping others, knowing that we all need support. This I believe, we cannot go through life without help.

This I Believe -- Brenden Stark

This I Believe

Brenden Stark

I was young. Ignorant. Innocent. Stupid. Anyone will be a little overwhelmed their first time at an amusement park, and I was no different. Growing up in “Happy Valley Utah”, Stranger Danger was a topic I had little experience with. As my family stopped at a picnic table, I continued on, seeking to quench the burning thirst for knowledge that consumed my mind. I followed my sister for several hundred feet, curiosity the only thing in my mind, and naturally asked her a question. Only it wasn’t my sister.

The moment the woman turned around, a new light, a horrible realization, filled my mind. I ran off before any physical damage could be done, but the lesson was learned. A lack of knowledge cannot and will not be tolerated in this world, a world of harsh understanding that will drown anything not aware of the path it will take.

Knowledge is beautiful. It adds awe and inspiration to everyday life. I have spent every day of my life chasing down and cherishing every bit of knowledge that I can possibly get my hands on. On the flipside of that coin is the human weakness, ignorance. I have squeezed as much as I can from every waking moment, working to eradicate the infection that is stupidity from my own mind. While the quest for knowledge has saved countless lives, incompetence and just plain stupidity has cost many more.

Proving someone else wrong is always fun. But while knowing more than someone about a certain subject is a gift, knowledge in itself is a necessity. Ever since my escapade at Disneyland, I have come to know about many life-saving ideas, knowing who you are talking to the least of these.

Knowledge will not only bring safety and security, but happiness and joy. As I sit through classes or flip to some science show, a little bit of wonder begins to push through the shroud of boredom. And, as I choose to feed that wonder, the fog of ignorance begins to dissipate and be replaced with a light of wisdom and clarity.

Knowledge is our friend. As we push through this life, it not only provides a way to escape our worries and problems, it makes the path we must take a little easier. It is always there for us to pursue, and the more we have, the better life becomes. This I Believe. That Knowledge is our Greatest Ally.

I Believe in Sunshine

I Believe in Sunshine

By Lauren Lyons

B3

This year I decided that I despise winter.

Throughout the previous years of my life, I never had a problem with winter. As a kid and even as a younger teenager it simply signified hot chocolate, snow, and Christmas. But this year was the year that I felt winter in my soul, and I didn’t like it one bit.

To be honest, I was having a tough year anyways. The easy, sheltered world I knew seemed to be collapsing around me in a matter of seconds, and there was nothing I could do about it. I already felt hopeless and desperate. Then came winter. The biting wind, the despairing gray skies, and the snow that looked beautiful but eventually became little more than an annoyance that concealed all hope of spring; all of it combined together to create an overall bitter, colorless atmosphere that seemed to suck any remaining happiness out of me. Every night I would go to sleep, and every day I would spend the majority of my time looking forward to going back to sleep. I was miserable, and there were many times when I felt like I would never be really happy again.

Then the snow melted, and for the first time in a long time I stepped outside with a smile on my face. The sky was no longer blanketed with dreary gray clouds, but instead it was a pure blue. The world was a palette of colors: pale green and yellow grass, charcoal streets, and a little variety of vibrant flowers. But the best part was, of course, the sunshine. It illuminated everything in its wake and spread its brilliant warmth, melting the shards of ice in me that had made life seem so cold.

Although it snowed again a few times afterward, I was able to persevere because I had hope. Those couple days of sunshine were the only things that kept me sane, and they taught me a crucial lesson. I, along with everyone else on the planet, will inevitably go through times when my world seems wearisome and hopeless. The beauty of those sunny days taught me that I need to endure through the bitter winters of my life in order to experience the fantastic joy of spring, because it’s worth it.

I believe in enduring, and I believe in sunshine.