Good Deeds

Doing and recording my acts of kindness has made me realize a few important things. One of which has to do with growing up. Even so often I'll find myself doing, saying, or not doing something that I did normally as a child. I'll stop myself and suddenly think of the impact my action has had on another person, or myself. Things we do without even thinking about can seem small, but have a profound impact on someone else. With each person we see throughout the day, we should ask ourselves: "what kind of impact did I have on that person?" I happened to be thinking about this when my grandparents took me and my brother out for dinner this weekend. Having already ordered my food, I reflected on how I treated our server. Of course I remembered using the common courtesies of "please and thank you" but I noticed I hadn't even looked at the waitress. I decided that when she came back to deliver our meals, I would try to be more mindful of how I treated her. I really tried to be as pleasant as I could, and thought I noticed a difference in how she was acting. I'm not sure if it was just the fact that I was paying more attention to her, or if I did brighten her mood a little. After eating dessert, my grandpa wanted to go for coffee, so we walked down the street while my grandma stayed and waited for the bill. When we got back my grandma had told me that our waitress had payed for mine and my brother's dessert. After looking for her to thank her unsuccessfully, I wondered if just the way I acted really had that much of a ripple effect that she decided to go out of her way to do something really nice, or (since I guessed she was close to my brother and I's age) if she thought I was hitting on her. Either way, my family and I left happier, and I hope I made her day just a little bit better as well.

New weapon, new structure, new country

To start off, I love my new weapons. My twin hooks are totally different from anything I've ever used before. Every time I pick them up I find myself baffled on what to do with them. Surprisingly, this has gotten me really excited. Unlike other weapons I've tried that seem to have a similarity about them when it comes to use, these are almost completely new and different to me. Although they share some similarities with escrima sticks, double broadswords, etc. that I've used in the past, they just have so many hooks, points and striking surfaces. I have numerous scratches on my forearms and wrists already just from playing around with them. I feel excited to be trying a new thing and "start from scratch" (excuse my pun).

As far as structure goes, I've been taking a different approach to it that definitely works better for me. Getting up in the morning and doing pushups isn't new to me, but previously I only did it when I could wake up on time and it was convenient. Now I'm getting up consistently and getting my pushups and situps done in the morning, which, as said many times is the right way to do it as it sets a standard for the day. One thing I am really stuggling with, however, is my afternoons. Particularily getting all my homework done around everything else. With one of my personal requirements being: "keeping my core school subjects at or above an 85% average" this is a problem with me. Advancing through grades in elementary, middle, and high school I've always been quite a bit slower at school work than my classmates. I almost never finish my tests when everyone else does, and have to take time after school or at lunch to do so. Also, homework that takes most average students an hour to finish normally takes me two-three hours. My work is generally good, but it just takes me a lot longer than most people. I am honestly struggling to find a balance with this.

This spring break I'm taking a trip to India with my grandfather. Obviously I'm exstatic about getting the opportunity to experience a completely different culture and environment! I should have wi-fi at the hotel and will use my grandpa's laptop to keep in touch and share my experiences with my team when I am gone. Just wanted to share that because of how pumped I am about it!