To start this final blog post, for those of you who may have some trouble figuring out the meaning of this quote, let me give you my own opinion. First of all, to “know where you stand” with someone is to know their feelings about you, or what their opinion and vision of you is. Thus, the quote for this blog post can be interpreted as, “If you’re constantly having to wonder what someone thinks of you, maybe it’s time to start wondering and start walking away.” But that’s just me. Anyways, this quote has DEFINITELY applied to me in my life, and I’ve realized a lot from reading it.
One of the ways this quote has applied to me would be in regards to my “trials of love,” as I like to call them. You know—crushes and all. The point is that in one of those trials that I faced, I liked one girl a LOT, but sadly, she never felt the same way about me. And though she made it clear to me, my heart was always in limbo, and the time in which I liked her was one of the most perplexing and confusing times of my life now that I reflect on it. On one end of the spectrum, I thought I truly loved her. I thought she really might have been the one. I thought she was my true Valentine, a message from a heavenly angel. In a way, Cupid struck my heart with an arrow, but it slowly filled me with poison, and the worst kind at that: the kind of love unrequited. (For those of you who have that “Come Again” song from choir, you what I mean.) And on the other end of the spectrum, I was a cold-stoned man, a veteran scarred by the wounds of war; cruel and unforgiving on the outside but scared inside. And though I knew she never let me back, I always felt like I had to get something off my chest; I had to tell her how I felt. I know she wouldn’t listen, but I guess I thought that maybe she’d realize how much I cared about her and she’d actually bother to look back if I told her. But the darkness in my heart always beat on with the same questions: “What if she doesn’t listen? What if she doesn’t care? What if she just shrugs you off? What if she just walks away and doesn’t look back?” I think that simple question was what kept me from telling her how I felt, and that’s what broke me down. For so long, I would dream of her finally getting it, but all I was doing was “holding onto something I didn’t need,” as the singers would say. Eventually, sadness turned into anger, and I started growing bitter by the day. But then, one day, I was touched by God’s grace and love, and that’s when I realized that if God could love us so much that He’d be willing to put HIS own life for us, I’m nothing but a fool to keep a grudge in my heart. And sometimes it’s hard, because my old heart of stone just won’t let go, but my heart of flesh beats with new love and tries to see her through God’s eyes. And I realize that it’s fine if she doesn’t listen. It’s fine if she doesn’t care. It’s fine if she shrugs you off. It’s fine if she just walks away while you drown in your tears and she doesn’t look back. God knows how you feel. He was rejected Himself. Besides, her shrugging you off just shows that God never meant for her to be yours. Maybe she was there to teach you something, something that would make you come out stronger in the end. But don’t grow bitter: love her the same way God loves you, and just forget about the horrible things that will happen. God WILL heal your scars. You just have to walk away, and realize it really doesn’t matter where you stand in her life. And that’s all.
Wow. I honestly didn’t even realize I wrote all this. But this is what I’ve been through. And though this may sound childish to some and mature to others, this is the only time I could think of when I realized that it doesn’t matter where you stand in the eyes of someone who never even glanced at you. All you have to do is walk away. And even though it’s hard, just remember that “If you want something very, very badly, let it go free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, it was never yours to begin with.”
Well, for starters, this quote is talking about your relationships and what you should do with them. So the first part of the quote ("where you stand with someone") refers to your relationship with someone else. So, if you are always wondering where your relationship is going or if it's even right for you, you should "stop standing and start walking". This means that a relationship should be truthful and honest. You should never be questioning your bond with someone else. If you are constantly wondering, that means that your relationship isn't strong or steady. That's why you should "start walking" which basically means to move on. It means to keep going forward in your life without being stuck in the place. Honestly, it's basically telling you to get over your relationship so you can move on with your life. A relationship that you don't enjoy from your heart will be a set back. So, you should find a new one that brings the best out of you.
Personally, in my life I have never had a serious relationship (as in dating) because I never felt that I was ready for it. So, I really can't use this quote to compare it to my own life. However, I can see how this quote can be used not just for relationships. It can also be used to represent your goals. For example, if you are always questioning your job or a goal that you want to accomplish, it isn't the right match for you. Obviously, circumstances might force you to have that job or goal but when you are fortunate enough to have a choice, you should just move on. You should be doing what you love or what your heart tells you to do. This can be difficult however since your goals are always changing. It might be hard to let go of your childhood fantasies and dreams. I can relate to this side of the quote since my goals have changed since childhood. As a kid, I dreamed of being a doctor. It seemed cool to treat people and learn about how the human body works. However, as I've grown, I started to look deeper into other topics. For example, engineering and space has started to become a larger part of my life and education. Now, I want to pursue engineering since I want to build and design. At the same time, I want to explore the possibilities of space since it will something bigger than just our world. It'll be about the universe as we know it.
In the future, I know that this quote will be a bigger part of my life. As I start building relationships and explore careers, I will have to follow my heart. It will lead me to the path that best suits me.
Since this is the last of the blogs, I guess this is sort of like a goodbye. I know that I definitely haven't enjoyed doing them each month from the beginning of 6th grade. However, it helped my share my thoughts and voice my opinion. So, I will miss these blogs, kinda like the way you "miss" homework during the summer. RIP Blogs... 2014-2017 You will not be forgotten..
Everyone worries about first impressions.You might spend hours perfecting your appearence, you may pray for things to go well, or you simply might say screw it and let whatever's going to happen happen. But the truth is that everyone cares about making a good impression, no matter how ganster you think you are. Thinking about others opinions is usually good, as it allows you to think of the consequences of your actions not only to yourself, but to everyone around you. However, if you are paranoid about others opinions and thoughts about you, negative effects will probably occur. You will become to concerned about others feelings and making a good first impression.
So first off, what does this quote mean to the average person. The part about knowing where you stand with someone refers to your relationship with someone. Next, when it says stop standing and start walking, I think that it means you have to move on, and by the way if you are continuously questioning where you stand with someone, you probably don’t have that healthy of a relationship.
The main instance where this is very possible is relationships. This doesn’t relate to me so I don’t have much to say about that. But another main field where this can and probably will happen is chosing a career. You cant pick a job and be satisfied with it unless it is something you would pursue if you had all the free time in the world. You cant pick a job without having any experience or background knowledge in that field. So, if you are continuously wondering where you stand with your job, how you feel about it, if it is the right thing for you, you will just keep asking useless questions. You have to be able to experiment with other careers or spend more time leanring about the field you work in in order to truly know where you stand with your job and boss.
Whenever any of my relatives or my parent's friends are visiting NJ, my mom feels obliged to invite them over to our house. If someone asks my mom if they can come over, my mom struggles to say no. She can’t refuse anyone anything. She is afraid that if she says no, the person will be dissapointed and they won't have a good first impression. So everyone ends up coming over, and I have to entertain them.
If you keep on weighing others opinions to determine if your actions are acceptable, you will never get anyway. You will end up waiting for ever for the person to reply. So, you must keep doing your stuff so that you can get on with your life. I once heard of a story of two mosquitoes: a father and a son. The son just came back to his father after his first flight. His dad asked him how he felt after flying. The son, who was a young and naive insect said that everyone was applauding me. “Even the humans were clapping for me,” however the humans were trying to kill him. So if he had wondered what the humans were actually doing, then he would have probably been killed on his first flight.
So thats it I guess. Woo hoo for summer vacation!!!!
The quote “If you’re constantly thinking about where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking” is completely open to interpretation. In my opinion, this saying can go many ways, both in a positive and negative perspective. However, this quote carries a specific universal message- stop thinking and start acting. In other words, you should stop thinking about a decision for such a long time and instead execute the idea, with no regrets or second thoughts at all. Just do it now, so you won’t regret it later.
Upon initially reading this saying, the first thought that popped in my brain- as I’m sure was the same for many of you- was clear and bold- RELATIONSHIPS. Not as in the family-like bonds between close ones, but instead the romantic ones. Crushes. Now, I can immediately think of countless situations that I’ve witnessed that have to do with the quote. However, I’ve never been in a serious relationship with anybody before, and so I cannot relate with the topic from this outlook. But personal thoughts aside, the idea is, at least in my view, that people feel as if they’re in the dark when it comes to how their crush feels about them. They wonder if they have any special link with the other person, and want to confess their feelings, but then for some reason decide against it. This leads them nowhere but back to square one. For example, imagine a person having feelings for a girl. He constantly wonders where he stands with her and wants to know how she feels about him, but is too afraid to make a move. For a long time, he is in a stagnant position, with no action or plan in mind. However, he could eventually realize that he’s stood around enough, and after finally making a first move (walking), he has a chance at the least.
Another way of looking at the saying is similar to what Sparsh and Ashwin mentioned before. This perspective would involve a person already in a relationship. In this case, they would be thinking about what exactly makes them so special, and what their current position is in the relationship. Generally, this isn’t a very good sign, and if they’re always wondering about where they “stand,” then they might have to eventually start “walking.” This meaning that they would have to move on. Again, I can’t describe any instances where this applies to me, and so I can’t write about them.
This quote could also mean something without having to do with any relationships whatsoever. It could apply to everyday situations, or goals and dreams. Unlike the other interpretations, I can relate to this one. For example, I remember when I was at a very young age, I always wanted to become an astronaut. I would always dream of becoming a part of something so huge and important- space exploration. Although this may be true, over time, I would think, “Well, if I want to become an astronaut, what is there in me that fits this job description so well? What makes me so distinct from other people who want to be in this field? Where exactly do I even stand if I want to become an astronaut one day?” I realized that this career was not so much for a person like me. Now, I’m more interested in a topic vastly different- medicine and biology.
All in all, this quote doesn’t have much of an impact on me and I don’t think it will matter that much in the future. However, that doesn’t mean it is not imperative to understand. Now that I think of it, this oddly ties with all the other blogs that we’ve had to do this past year. For instance, it has to do with understanding where your dreams and goals lie. But that’s just my view. Anyways, it feels as if a small burden was lifted off my shoulders, with this being the last blog entry and all. But, thinking back, these monthly posts had a positive impact on me... Happy Summer, guys!
“If you’re constantly thinking about where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking.”
This quote means that if you have to question yourself about how you feel about someone and whether you feel like spending time with them is worth it, it's time to take action. We often just think many things but fail to act based on our feelings. If you have to question yourself in a relationship (the most common example), maybe it's time to not be stuck at Point A but travel to a destination that brings you happiness.
This quote can be used to describe crushes but I’m not going into that. This quote has mostly represented me by my relationship with friends. As teenagers we have a lot of drama in our life. We hold grudges, argue, and feel jealous of one another. But the problem between me and my friend was competitiveness.
I'm not competitive with my friends with grades or sports. I expected to feel all the competition in high school when people want to have a high GPA and rank. My friend started “the competition” this year. She used to always text me and ask what I got on each assignment since we had the same classes but at different times. Then to respond, I would ask her what she would get and then she wouldn't respond. She was so eager to be up to date with all my grades and my average in all the classes. At first I told her each time she asked because I never suspected her of feeling competitive. But overtime I realized that anytime she talked to me, it was always only about school and grades. If I ever got a higher grade and she found out I could sense a change in her mood. She seemed mad, disappointed, and jealous.
By observing her change in behavior I got mad at her. I began to feel distant from my friend who I new since elementary school. I asked myself, is she really my friend or rival? Can I trust her? I stopped talking to her and “started walking” away. Our relationship did become weak and it seemed like the two of us didn't exist to each other. But over time I got over it. Now we are a little closer and talk everyday. However, I'm careful of what I say and try not be an open book in front of her. There are many other instances in my life that go hand in hand with this quote but this is just one that sticks out to me.
This quote sends a strong, and very important message, even though it may be in a way that you may not be able to understand. From what I can tell, the first part of the quote ("If you're constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone") refers to the uncertainty people feel when they consider what their "someone" thinks about them. Do they like you as a friend? Or as something more? People are terrified of asking the question that could settle all those problems, simply because they are afraid. Afraid that if their "someone" says no, either directly or indirectly, that their friendship could utterly collapse. That one thought pushes people into submission, and they end up simply wondering where they stand.
The second part of the quote ("Maybe it's time to stop standing and start walking"), however, tells people to do exactly that. The second part tells people to suck up any courage and dignity they have and ask the feared question. This half of the quote says to ask the question, even if the risks may seem daunting. How is never asking and always wondering a good idea? If you ask, you'll at least have a 50% chance of being right. And imagine what happens when you are! You can have one of the best times of your life, making some memories that you'll never forget. And if you're wrong, I say to you "So what?" Yes, it will be extremely awkward between the two of you, but with enough time, anything is possible. You can always start fresh with that person, and hopefully, you can build a relationship to where it was before.
I, however, have never come up to that point yet with anyone. It is not that I am in denial, though. I simply don't feel anything special to one of my friends. However, as I grow older I'll meet more people, and maybe then, this quote will apply to me, but since I have no way to find out my future, I'll just have to wait and see.
P.S.-> With this final blog, I just want to take a moment to say how AWESOME middle school G&T has been. Have a nice summer everyone!
“If you’re constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking.”
This quote is clearly relationship advice. In my interpretation, this quote means that if you love someone, but they don’t love you back, you should move on because that person is not worth wasting time and energy on.
The prompt this month is to relate to this quote, but in all honesty, I cannot. I am only 13 (about to become 14 very soon). I never experienced “love.” Heck, I never even had a crush before. Now you may be thinking, “Oh she probably had a crush before She’s just too shy to admit it.” But I am telling the truth. I’ve known most people for quite some time. I’ve known some people for 8 to 9 years. I’ve known some people for 3 years. Perhaps knowing some people for so long puts a damper on liking someone. I know them well enough, know their strengths and weaknesses, their highs and lows. It’s just kind of impossible to like someone you already know a lot about. Having a crush is only possible when someone doesn’t know a lot about a person. It makes them fill in the missing information about the person they have a crush with unrealistically high expectations. Since I know some people well, I don’t have high expectations, therefore not having a crush. And of course, I don’t know everyone well. But that’s a personal choice because from a distance I can determine if the person if worth getting to know or not. Perhaps another reason I don’t have a crush is because I am only 13. I have better things to do. Like reading or watching movies. I just don’t have an interest on pursuing love at such a young age. When I hear people talking about who they have a crush on or dating, I cannot help but feel like vomiting. Maybe I experience that reaction because I am immature. I just don’t see how someone can like someone else. I mean we’re barely teenagers. Why waste time on liking someone when you can do something more worthwhile.
Anyways, before you come to think of me as a pessimistic psychopath that just likes to rant, I’ll answer the prompt. I feel like this quote does not only have to relate to relationships but to also with hobbies. When this quote is applied to a skill, it can be rephrased to: “If you are not good something, give up and move onto something achievable.” As pessimistic as it sounds, I think its great advice. Why stick with something you suck at while you can pursue something you actually may be good at. For example, I used to think I was good at music and wanted to learn how to play an instrument. But as it turned out, I am not that good at music. I still struggle with concept of finding the beat and/or rhythm. I cannot read sheet music. I cannot even play the recorder right (and the recorder is a very basic instrument all 3rd graders learn and master). I love music (I listen to hours and hours of music) but I can quite confidentially admit that music is not my thing. Upon the realization that music is not my thing, I began to explore other hobbies. While doing so, I learned that I am somewhat good artist.
A relationship is a tender structure, whose main foundation is knowing each other’s thoughts about one another and whose walls and supporting beams are having faith in one another. Without this, a relationship would go into rack and ruin, as a saying goes. As far as I can elucidate, this quote means that if you cannot tell how another person thinks about you, then that person isn’t the right one for you. If you are always thinking about what your position is in someone else’s life, perhaps his or her position in your life should change. Maybe it’s time to move forward, to progress in life before it’s too late. When someone is just standing, thinking of where she stands in another’s life, it clearly shows that the other person doesn’t think of her that much, or else the other person would’ve made his feelings towards her clearer if he really cared about her (or vice versa with the ‘he’ and ‘her’). This quote is basically saying, if you’re not sure what the other person in the relationship thinks about you, then it’s time to go forward to a new relationship.
As a middle school student, it is expected for this quote to be applicable to me. I however, haven’t had a relationship/dated someone in my life because I think I’m too young for it. However, this quote has applied to me if you look at just regular instances, and not romantic ones. I think this quote can be applied to normal friendships too, since after all, it doesn’t specifically pertain to just romance. This is what I think the second meaning of the quote is. By “constantly wondering where you stand with someone,” I think the speaker/writer of this quote means that if you are constantly struggling to solidly define your relationship/friendship with someone, then you should “start walking”, or start going away from the person. If your relationship with someone isn’t clear and is filled with murky and hazy thoughts that you don’t know about, perhaps that relationship isn’t right for you. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean that only relationships that you date with the other person have to be clear; I think other regular relationships with friends are just as important and you shouldn’t be wondering if you are being used or not even in those.
An instance where this applied to me was probably back in elementary school, (this is going to sound like a really childish and immature scenario, but bear with me - I was only 8) when I had a few friends that were constantly excluding me everything they did together, preferred not to work with me in group projects, yet still continuously called me their “best friend.” That led my little naive mind of that time to convince myself stick around with them, even though they were just using me to make it seem like they had a lot of friends. They had tons and tons of these mysterious “secrets” that they would giggle about all the time, but would practically ignore me most of the time, although they did make me spill out every single secret/inside joke that I had. After a little while, I began to doubt how much of a “best friend” I was to them, even though they kept calling me that cheerfully so that I wouldn’t go away. I guess this is the “constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone” part of the quote. And then it dawned upon me - these people were merely using me and were of no advantage to me in any way. Realizing this, I simply walked away, and found a new group of better people to hang out with. Of course, my old group of friends tried calling me back, but I knew better than to listen to them. If I had stumbled upon this quote back in elementary school and interpreted properly, maybe I wouldn’t have formed a relationship with that group of fake friends in the first place.
Continued (I reached the character limit)... Overall, if you think that the other person in your relationship doesn’t value you much, or if you are always questioning if the other person likes you or not, chances are that you aren’t in the right relationship. Sometimes, when you are stuck in a relation where you aren’t sure what the other person thinks of you, it’s best to just walk away, and start fresh, so that you have a new chance at finding a relationship where you don’t have to doubt the other person.
Well, other than that, this is it for middle school G&T! It’s been fun, reading everyone’s views on certain topics. These blogs have definitely been a large part of middle school, since I’ve had them every month for 3 years now. I’ll miss this class (as well as the AMS one :) ), and have a great summer everyone!
Well, first of all, I was scanning the quote and the other comments, when I realized I had no such instance where I felt that I was being ignored by “someone” or anything. In fact, I have never even had a “crush.”I always had assumed that such things were not for me and I really did not want feelings or anything. I have always belittled things such as “true love” or “romance” or “crushes.” They have never had any meaning in my life before. As you can probably imagine, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has always disgusted me. But as I re-read the quote again, I realized that the quote could be understood with different approaches. I mean, I was taking it in the most obvious way possible--to have crushes and that stuff. But then I got it--what if I wrote about the many times a friend or someone I considered really near to me has left me?
(FYI- I’m completely over it and I now get that these things happen. Also, I’m not trying to be depressing or anything. Also the names mentioned aren’t their real names.)
So. When I was in first grade, I had basically no friends, since I was not social and just did not want people around me. I really did not want all that friend stuff happening to me. I liked to be alone and quietly play knockout during recess or maybe read a book during lunch. But all of that changed when I met my soon-to-be best friend, Ashley. We were just outside, with me reading my book and every other first grader running around screaming their heads off, when she saw me alone and came to talk to me.
And then it started, my first ever (and last ever) friendship and I was beginning to actually, like it. I had always thought that people were annoying, disgusting animals (no offense) who were just there to annoy me. But Ashley had changed my view on people, having friends, and even humanity. There we were, just playing, rolling down the hill during recess and playing kickball and just having normal first grade fun. Now I was one of the screaming little first graders. I loved every moment of it. I couldn’t believe that I had thought that having friends was terrible.
We spent half our first grade year just running around and screaming our heads off, laughing and having fun. But of course--things always have to take a turn. A new girl, Kimberly, came into our school and unfortunately (JK) was assigned to my class out of all the other classes. For a few weeks, everyone was nice to the new girl, just friendly “hi’s” and “bye’s,” the usual. But then of course Ashley was like, “Oh I want to be friends with her.” I had no problem with this, since I had recently discovered that having friends was not at all terrible as I had made it out to be. I wanted new friends and have MORE fun. So I said, “yes,” and Ashley went off to talk to her.
Well, I had thought that I gained a new friend--but instead, I had lost one. Our friendship started taking a turn. Kimberly never used to let Ashley talk to me and all the fun first grade projects that we used to work together on, just turned depressing. Every time I tried to talk to my best friend, Kimberly just used to push in between and push me over and start talking to Ashley. What I had feared about friends had come to pass, finally. I felt like I had been waiting for this moment. I started becoming cold and distant again and resolved to never make friends again. Even when Ashley used to try to talk to me, I used to ignore her and just used to yell at her, “Why don’t you just go play with Kimberly?!” and used to storm away to play knockout and smash some basketballs into nets. I had unfairly blamed my best friend for what Kimberly was doing. But I did “start walking” as it says in the quote when I felt that I no longer was Ashley’s best friend. Eventually, Ashley stopped coming to talk to me and we just drifted apart. I became my lonely self again, but even more cold and distant. I just couldn’t take being betrayed by another “best friend.” From the end of first grade till the end of third grade, I kept my resolve to never be hurt again by people I had trusted, and for two years I stayed alone, played alone, and did everything alone. (I did have other “friends” but they were more like acquaintances). And pretty much, the lesson I took away from that experience was to never have “best friends.” You might think that seven years later from first grade, I’d have opened up and have best friends again, but I don’t think I can ever call anyone my best friend. Maybe a “close friend” but definitely never a “best friend.”
Anyway, on a lighter note, this is our last blog post of middle school, and I will miss it and our G&T class. Have a great summer! :-)
That is a pretty powerful quote to end our blog careers of G&T on, and in many ways. Despite that, it is hard for me to find an instance where the quote is relevant. I’m not the kind of person to break off any kind of relationship. I guess I just don’t have the courage to tell someone that I am unsure of how he or she views me. For the relationships where I do feel that way, I can’t walk away. I’m paralyzed, frozen in place, too worried that I’m going to hurt someone I care about, even if they don’t care about me. Those people aren’t people I can just walk away from, since they have shackles tightly snapped on my legs. I don’t want to get specific. So I’m going to take this seemingly one-meaning-only quote and put a twist on it. When people read this quote, the first interpretation that comes to mind is probably that the message is telling you to walk away from relationships that just aren’t working out. But the direction was never specified...so what if you’re walking TOWARDS someone? Sounds crazy and like I’m completely butchering the ‘true’ meaning of the quote, but hear me out. Who says you have to destroy what you’re unsure of? If I’m wondering where I stand with someone, I don’t want to end my relationship with them; I want to find some way to repair it! Many people, including myself, have been in a state of limbo with someone, where you’re not sure how the person views you (whether it be romantically or platonically) and you just ignore the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty. You are “standing”, like the quote says. From a standing point, you can either walk towards the person and try to repair the relationship, or walk away and leave them behind. I suppose it’s example time. So, there was this person, who I will call Person. Person and I had been talking as friends for a few months. Platonically. As friends. I didn’t think of Person as anything more than a friend; in fact, I never even imagined our relationship being anything more until Person started to act strangely. Person started talking less and seemed like they weren’t interested in talking to me anymore. This went on for some time, where I was in that limbo of being uncomfortable and not knowing how Person felt about me, yet I didn’t say anything. Until I decided to walk, that is. Walk TOWARDS Person. I confronted Person, and tried to understand why our friendship was falling apart. I didn’t walk away; I didn’t take offense or blame Person. It turns out Person was interested in me romantically. If I had just let the relationship go, then I would have seriously hurt Person without ever knowing the truth. In breaking out of that standing point, I gained a stronger relationship. I started walking. Now, Person and I have been ‘together’ (not officially, because I don’t really care about dating) for almost a year and a half. Stop standing. Start walking.
This quote holds a lot of meaning in life, especially for those in unstable surroundings, such as middle school or high school. There’s a lot of times in life where students start to wonder about what other people think about them, whether it be friends, classmates, or even the school population in general. People often try to change themselves to get people to like them better. However, this is not always the best way to do things. Changing yourself into something different, or pretending to be someone that you’re not may make people think more highly of you, but you won’t be able to enjoy life as much as you could have by being yourself.
I have had an experience in this field myself too. I once had a very unstable friend. She was a very unique person, different from all of my other friends. Many times, I found myself confused about her and wondered what she thought of me. Whether she thought of me as a good friend or just a random other person was huge question of wonder. Before participating in any activities with her, I often had to think twice, unlike with all of my other friends, in which case I usually just jumped right in for anything that we ever did. In a while, wondering where I stood with her became very tiresome. Eventually, I decided to take my friends advice and just try out my life without her once and once started walking on my own, my life became a lot better.
This experience has taught me a very important lesson: If you’re simply testing the waters in a relationship and are not too sure about it, it may be better to try without them. This might come up better than before, or even worse. The results, however, are always for the good of the relationship, telling you whether it would be better for you to continue your friendship or relationship with that person, or just severe right then and there. This quote explains the same lesson about life and relationships and can be applied to anyone and everyone of all ages.
WOW! You guys/gals really all confessed here. It's funny when I read this quote, I didn't necessary view it as a romantic relationship- I just viewed it in regard to friendships in general. Amazing thinking here! Thanks for sharing. You have all grown up so much in these last three years. I hope these quotes, as much as you dreaded and despised them, forced you to think about life. Always grow; grow every day. Be a better person today than you were yesterday. You deserve it for yourself and others around you. Thanks for sharing all these years and I know you guys/gals will succeed in all that you do in high school and beyond.
Amitesh arya- This quote, in my opinion, means that if you are in a relationship with someone and you are not sure what kind of relationship it is (title-wise) and rather than trying to understand it and ponder over how the other person in the relationship views it, just pursue it as you will never know how it can turn out unless you try.
An instance of where this quote and my interpretation of it applied to me is quite peculiar and odd compared to the other people who responded. Rather than this quote being applied to a human relationship such as a girlfriend, I can apply it to a relationship with my pet parakeet. A pet bird is a lot different than with other animals as parakeets are prey in the wild rather than a predator. This effects a relationship with them as A LOT of trust has to be built before a bond is created and effort has to be put in from both ends. When I first got my parakeet he was really shy and scared and wouldn't even come out to eat food when people were near his cage or looking at him. My goal was for the parakeet to play step up which is when the parakeet sits on your finger and you put another finger in front of him and he steps up to that one and so on.
Although based off my parakeet's reaction to me, it seemed that it was impossible that I could be able to build trust with him. After looking at tutorials on line, I learned that I have to get my bird to be familar with my hand and my voice. This could be done by talking to him everyday and by waving and resting my hand on the side of the cage. After doing this for about 2 weeks, my parakeet would let me put my hand inside of the cage but would fly into the corner if it got anywhere near him. The next step in the process was to give the bird a reward for coming near my hand. I did not have any bird treats in hand, therefore i just used lettuce. Using food did not help as the parakeet did not have any reason to support that the food was tasty therefore had no motive to come near the food. I just left the lettuce on the perch and soon he tried it and liked it. Now that he knew that how good the lettuce tasted he came near my hand and slowly but surely starting eating it off my hand.
I handfed my parakeet lettuce almost everyday for about two months. I was not sure if I had built enough trust and was scared of moving further as I was afraid of getting bitten. Finally, I just thought that the bird should trust me enough after getting fed by me for months. One day I just put my hand in the cage near the bird without any food. My parakeet was perplexed that there was no food was was glancing around looking for it but he did not run away from my hand. Next, I bravely stuck out one finger in front of him hoping not to get bitten and to my surprise he jumped on my finger and sat there looking at me!
To start this final blog post, for those of you who may have some trouble figuring out the meaning of this quote, let me give you my own opinion. First of all, to “know where you stand” with someone is to know their feelings about you, or what their opinion and vision of you is. Thus, the quote for this blog post can be interpreted as, “If you’re constantly having to wonder what someone thinks of you, maybe it’s time to start wondering and start walking away.” But that’s just me. Anyways, this quote has DEFINITELY applied to me in my life, and I’ve realized a lot from reading it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ways this quote has applied to me would be in regards to my “trials of love,” as I like to call them. You know—crushes and all. The point is that in one of those trials that I faced, I liked one girl a LOT, but sadly, she never felt the same way about me. And though she made it clear to me, my heart was always in limbo, and the time in which I liked her was one of the most perplexing and confusing times of my life now that I reflect on it. On one end of the spectrum, I thought I truly loved her. I thought she really might have been the one. I thought she was my true Valentine, a message from a heavenly angel. In a way, Cupid struck my heart with an arrow, but it slowly filled me with poison, and the worst kind at that: the kind of love unrequited. (For those of you who have that “Come Again” song from choir, you what I mean.) And on the other end of the spectrum, I was a cold-stoned man, a veteran scarred by the wounds of war; cruel and unforgiving on the outside but scared inside. And though I knew she never let me back, I always felt like I had to get something off my chest; I had to tell her how I felt. I know she wouldn’t listen, but I guess I thought that maybe she’d realize how much I cared about her and she’d actually bother to look back if I told her. But the darkness in my heart always beat on with the same questions: “What if she doesn’t listen? What if she doesn’t care? What if she just shrugs you off? What if she just walks away and doesn’t look back?” I think that simple question was what kept me from telling her how I felt, and that’s what broke me down. For so long, I would dream of her finally getting it, but all I was doing was “holding onto something I didn’t need,” as the singers would say. Eventually, sadness turned into anger, and I started growing bitter by the day. But then, one day, I was touched by God’s grace and love, and that’s when I realized that if God could love us so much that He’d be willing to put HIS own life for us, I’m nothing but a fool to keep a grudge in my heart. And sometimes it’s hard, because my old heart of stone just won’t let go, but my heart of flesh beats with new love and tries to see her through God’s eyes. And I realize that it’s fine if she doesn’t listen. It’s fine if she doesn’t care. It’s fine if she shrugs you off. It’s fine if she just walks away while you drown in your tears and she doesn’t look back. God knows how you feel. He was rejected Himself. Besides, her shrugging you off just shows that God never meant for her to be yours. Maybe she was there to teach you something, something that would make you come out stronger in the end. But don’t grow bitter: love her the same way God loves you, and just forget about the horrible things that will happen. God WILL heal your scars. You just have to walk away, and realize it really doesn’t matter where you stand in her life. And that’s all.
Wow. I honestly didn’t even realize I wrote all this. But this is what I’ve been through. And though this may sound childish to some and mature to others, this is the only time I could think of when I realized that it doesn’t matter where you stand in the eyes of someone who never even glanced at you. All you have to do is walk away. And even though it’s hard, just remember that “If you want something very, very badly, let it go free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, it was never yours to begin with.”
-Vipin Gunda
ReplyDeleteWell, for starters, this quote is talking about your relationships and what you should do with them. So the first part of the quote ("where you stand with someone") refers to your relationship with someone else. So, if you are always wondering where your relationship is going or if it's even right for you, you should "stop standing and start walking". This means that a relationship should be truthful and honest. You should never be questioning your bond with someone else. If you are constantly wondering, that means that your relationship isn't strong or steady. That's why you should "start walking" which basically means to move on. It means to keep going forward in your life without being stuck in the place. Honestly, it's basically telling you to get over your relationship so you can move on with your life. A relationship that you don't enjoy from your heart will be a set back. So, you should find a new one that brings the best out of you.
Personally, in my life I have never had a serious relationship (as in dating) because I never felt that I was ready for it. So, I really can't use this quote to compare it to my own life. However, I can see how this quote can be used not just for relationships. It can also be used to represent your goals. For example, if you are always questioning your job or a goal that you want to accomplish, it isn't the right match for you. Obviously, circumstances might force you to have that job or goal but when you are fortunate enough to have a choice, you should just move on. You should be doing what you love or what your heart tells you to do. This can be difficult however since your goals are always changing. It might be hard to let go of your childhood fantasies and dreams. I can relate to this side of the quote since my goals have changed since childhood. As a kid, I dreamed of being a doctor. It seemed cool to treat people and learn about how the human body works. However, as I've grown, I started to look deeper into other topics. For example, engineering and space has started to become a larger part of my life and education. Now, I want to pursue engineering since I want to build and design. At the same time, I want to explore the possibilities of space since it will something bigger than just our world. It'll be about the universe as we know it.
In the future, I know that this quote will be a bigger part of my life. As I start building relationships and explore careers, I will have to follow my heart. It will lead me to the path that best suits me.
Since this is the last of the blogs, I guess this is sort of like a goodbye. I know that I definitely haven't enjoyed doing them each month from the beginning of 6th grade. However, it helped my share my thoughts and voice my opinion. So, I will miss these blogs, kinda like the way you "miss" homework during the summer.
RIP Blogs... 2014-2017
You will not be forgotten..
Everyone worries about first impressions.You might spend hours perfecting your appearence, you may pray for things to go well, or you simply might say screw it and let whatever's going to happen happen. But the truth is that everyone cares about making a good impression, no matter how ganster you think you are. Thinking about others opinions is usually good, as it allows you to think of the consequences of your actions not only to yourself, but to everyone around you. However, if you are paranoid about others opinions and thoughts about you, negative effects will probably occur. You will become to concerned about others feelings and making a good first impression.
ReplyDeleteSo first off, what does this quote mean to the average person. The part about knowing where you stand with someone refers to your relationship with someone. Next, when it says stop standing and start walking, I think that it means you have to move on, and by the way if you are continuously questioning where you stand with someone, you probably don’t have that healthy of a relationship.
The main instance where this is very possible is relationships. This doesn’t relate to me so I don’t have much to say about that. But another main field where this can and probably will happen is chosing a career. You cant pick a job and be satisfied with it unless it is something you would pursue if you had all the free time in the world. You cant pick a job without having any experience or background knowledge in that field. So, if you are continuously wondering where you stand with your job, how you feel about it, if it is the right thing for you, you will just keep asking useless questions. You have to be able to experiment with other careers or spend more time leanring about the field you work in in order to truly know where you stand with your job and boss.
Whenever any of my relatives or my parent's friends are visiting NJ, my mom feels obliged to invite them over to our house. If someone asks my mom if they can come over, my mom struggles to say no. She can’t refuse anyone anything. She is afraid that if she says no, the person will be dissapointed and they won't have a good first impression. So everyone ends up coming over, and I have to entertain them.
If you keep on weighing others opinions to determine if your actions are acceptable, you will never get anyway. You will end up waiting for ever for the person to reply. So, you must keep doing your stuff so that you can get on with your life. I once heard of a story of two mosquitoes: a father and a son. The son just came back to his father after his first flight. His dad asked him how he felt after flying. The son, who was a young and naive insect said that everyone was applauding me. “Even the humans were clapping for me,” however the humans were trying to kill him. So if he had wondered what the humans were actually doing, then he would have probably been killed on his first flight.
So thats it I guess. Woo hoo for summer vacation!!!!
The quote “If you’re constantly thinking about where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking” is completely open to interpretation. In my opinion, this saying can go many ways, both in a positive and negative perspective. However, this quote carries a specific universal message- stop thinking and start acting. In other words, you should stop thinking about a decision for such a long time and instead execute the idea, with no regrets or second thoughts at all. Just do it now, so you won’t regret it later.
ReplyDeleteUpon initially reading this saying, the first thought that popped in my brain- as I’m sure was the same for many of you- was clear and bold- RELATIONSHIPS. Not as in the family-like bonds between close ones, but instead the romantic ones. Crushes. Now, I can immediately think of countless situations that I’ve witnessed that have to do with the quote. However, I’ve never been in a serious relationship with anybody before, and so I cannot relate with the topic from this outlook. But personal thoughts aside, the idea is, at least in my view, that people feel as if they’re in the dark when it comes to how their crush feels about them. They wonder if they have any special link with the other person, and want to confess their feelings, but then for some reason decide against it. This leads them nowhere but back to square one. For example, imagine a person having feelings for a girl. He constantly wonders where he stands with her and wants to know how she feels about him, but is too afraid to make a move. For a long time, he is in a stagnant position, with no action or plan in mind. However, he could eventually realize that he’s stood around enough, and after finally making a first move (walking), he has a chance at the least.
Another way of looking at the saying is similar to what Sparsh and Ashwin mentioned before. This perspective would involve a person already in a relationship. In this case, they would be thinking about what exactly makes them so special, and what their current position is in the relationship. Generally, this isn’t a very good sign, and if they’re always wondering about where they “stand,” then they might have to eventually start “walking.” This meaning that they would have to move on. Again, I can’t describe any instances where this applies to me, and so I can’t write about them.
This quote could also mean something without having to do with any relationships whatsoever. It could apply to everyday situations, or goals and dreams. Unlike the other interpretations, I can relate to this one. For example, I remember when I was at a very young age, I always wanted to become an astronaut. I would always dream of becoming a part of something so huge and important- space exploration. Although this may be true, over time, I would think, “Well, if I want to become an astronaut, what is there in me that fits this job description so well? What makes me so distinct from other people who want to be in this field? Where exactly do I even stand if I want to become an astronaut one day?” I realized that this career was not so much for a person like me. Now, I’m more interested in a topic vastly different- medicine and biology.
All in all, this quote doesn’t have much of an impact on me and I don’t think it will matter that much in the future. However, that doesn’t mean it is not imperative to understand. Now that I think of it, this oddly ties with all the other blogs that we’ve had to do this past year. For instance, it has to do with understanding where your dreams and goals lie. But that’s just my view. Anyways, it feels as if a small burden was lifted off my shoulders, with this being the last blog entry and all. But, thinking back, these monthly posts had a positive impact on me... Happy Summer, guys!
“If you’re constantly thinking about where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote means that if you have to question yourself about how you feel about someone and whether you feel like spending time with them is worth it, it's time to take action. We often just think many things but fail to act based on our feelings. If you have to question yourself in a relationship (the most common example), maybe it's time to not be stuck at Point A but travel to a destination that brings you happiness.
This quote can be used to describe crushes but I’m not going into that. This quote has mostly represented me by my relationship with friends. As teenagers we have a lot of drama in our life. We hold grudges, argue, and feel jealous of one another. But the problem between me and my friend was competitiveness.
I'm not competitive with my friends with grades or sports. I expected to feel all the competition in high school when people want to have a high GPA and rank. My friend started “the competition” this year. She used to always text me and ask what I got on each assignment since we had the same classes but at different times. Then to respond, I would ask her what she would get and then she wouldn't respond. She was so eager to be up to date with all my grades and my average in all the classes. At first I told her each time she asked because I never suspected her of feeling competitive. But overtime I realized that anytime she talked to me, it was always only about school and grades. If I ever got a higher grade and she found out I could sense a change in her mood. She seemed mad, disappointed, and jealous.
By observing her change in behavior I got mad at her. I began to feel distant from my friend who I new since elementary school. I asked myself, is she really my friend or rival? Can I trust her? I stopped talking to her and “started walking” away. Our relationship did become weak and it seemed like the two of us didn't exist to each other. But over time I got over it. Now we are a little closer and talk everyday. However, I'm careful of what I say and try not be an open book in front of her. There are many other instances in my life that go hand in hand with this quote but this is just one that sticks out to me.
This quote sends a strong, and very important message, even though it may be in a way that you may not be able to understand. From what I can tell, the first part of the quote ("If you're constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone") refers to the uncertainty people feel when they consider what their "someone" thinks about them. Do they like you as a friend? Or as something more? People are terrified of asking the question that could settle all those problems, simply because they are afraid. Afraid that if their "someone" says no, either directly or indirectly, that their friendship could utterly collapse. That one thought pushes people into submission, and they end up simply wondering where they stand.
ReplyDeleteThe second part of the quote ("Maybe it's time to stop standing and start walking"), however, tells people to do exactly that. The second part tells people to suck up any courage and dignity they have and ask the feared question. This half of the quote says to ask the question, even if the risks may seem daunting. How is never asking and always wondering a good idea? If you ask, you'll at least have a 50% chance of being right. And imagine what happens when you are! You can have one of the best times of your life, making some memories that you'll never forget. And if you're wrong, I say to you "So what?" Yes, it will be extremely awkward between the two of you, but with enough time, anything is possible. You can always start fresh with that person, and hopefully, you can build a relationship to where it was before.
I, however, have never come up to that point yet with anyone. It is not that I am in denial, though. I simply don't feel anything special to one of my friends. However, as I grow older I'll meet more people, and maybe then, this quote will apply to me, but since I have no way to find out my future, I'll just have to wait and see.
P.S.-> With this final blog, I just want to take a moment to say how AWESOME middle school G&T has been. Have a nice summer everyone!
By the way, this is Snehil
DeleteSorry for that
Delete“If you’re constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote is clearly relationship advice. In my interpretation, this quote means that if you love someone, but they don’t love you back, you should move on because that person is not worth wasting time and energy on.
The prompt this month is to relate to this quote, but in all honesty, I cannot. I am only 13 (about to become 14 very soon). I never experienced “love.” Heck, I never even had a crush before. Now you may be thinking, “Oh she probably had a crush before She’s just too shy to admit it.” But I am telling the truth. I’ve known most people for quite some time. I’ve known some people for 8 to 9 years. I’ve known some people for 3 years. Perhaps knowing some people for so long puts a damper on liking someone. I know them well enough, know their strengths and weaknesses, their highs and lows. It’s just kind of impossible to like someone you already know a lot about. Having a crush is only possible when someone doesn’t know a lot about a person. It makes them fill in the missing information about the person they have a crush with unrealistically high expectations. Since I know some people well, I don’t have high expectations, therefore not having a crush. And of course, I don’t know everyone well. But that’s a personal choice because from a distance I can determine if the person if worth getting to know or not. Perhaps another reason I don’t have a crush is because I am only 13. I have better things to do. Like reading or watching movies. I just don’t have an interest on pursuing love at such a young age. When I hear people talking about who they have a crush on or dating, I cannot help but feel like vomiting. Maybe I experience that reaction because I am immature. I just don’t see how someone can like someone else. I mean we’re barely teenagers. Why waste time on liking someone when you can do something more worthwhile.
Anyways, before you come to think of me as a pessimistic psychopath that just likes to rant, I’ll answer the prompt. I feel like this quote does not only have to relate to relationships but to also with hobbies. When this quote is applied to a skill, it can be rephrased to: “If you are not good something, give up and move onto something achievable.” As pessimistic as it sounds, I think its great advice. Why stick with something you suck at while you can pursue something you actually may be good at. For example, I used to think I was good at music and wanted to learn how to play an instrument. But as it turned out, I am not that good at music. I still struggle with concept of finding the beat and/or rhythm. I cannot read sheet music. I cannot even play the recorder right (and the recorder is a very basic instrument all 3rd graders learn and master). I love music (I listen to hours and hours of music) but I can quite confidentially admit that music is not my thing. Upon the realization that music is not my thing, I began to explore other hobbies. While doing so, I learned that I am somewhat good artist.
P.S. Since this the final blog... Happy Life!
A relationship is a tender structure, whose main foundation is knowing each other’s thoughts about one another and whose walls and supporting beams are having faith in one another. Without this, a relationship would go into rack and ruin, as a saying goes. As far as I can elucidate, this quote means that if you cannot tell how another person thinks about you, then that person isn’t the right one for you. If you are always thinking about what your position is in someone else’s life, perhaps his or her position in your life should change. Maybe it’s time to move forward, to progress in life before it’s too late. When someone is just standing, thinking of where she stands in another’s life, it clearly shows that the other person doesn’t think of her that much, or else the other person would’ve made his feelings towards her clearer if he really cared about her (or vice versa with the ‘he’ and ‘her’). This quote is basically saying, if you’re not sure what the other person in the relationship thinks about you, then it’s time to go forward to a new relationship.
ReplyDeleteAs a middle school student, it is expected for this quote to be applicable to me. I however, haven’t had a relationship/dated someone in my life because I think I’m too young for it. However, this quote has applied to me if you look at just regular instances, and not romantic ones. I think this quote can be applied to normal friendships too, since after all, it doesn’t specifically pertain to just romance. This is what I think the second meaning of the quote is. By “constantly wondering where you stand with someone,” I think the speaker/writer of this quote means that if you are constantly struggling to solidly define your relationship/friendship with someone, then you should “start walking”, or start going away from the person. If your relationship with someone isn’t clear and is filled with murky and hazy thoughts that you don’t know about, perhaps that relationship isn’t right for you. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean that only relationships that you date with the other person have to be clear; I think other regular relationships with friends are just as important and you shouldn’t be wondering if you are being used or not even in those.
An instance where this applied to me was probably back in elementary school, (this is going to sound like a really childish and immature scenario, but bear with me - I was only 8) when I had a few friends that were constantly excluding me everything they did together, preferred not to work with me in group projects, yet still continuously called me their “best friend.” That led my little naive mind of that time to convince myself stick around with them, even though they were just using me to make it seem like they had a lot of friends. They had tons and tons of these mysterious “secrets” that they would giggle about all the time, but would practically ignore me most of the time, although they did make me spill out every single secret/inside joke that I had. After a little while, I began to doubt how much of a “best friend” I was to them, even though they kept calling me that cheerfully so that I wouldn’t go away. I guess this is the “constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone” part of the quote. And then it dawned upon me - these people were merely using me and were of no advantage to me in any way. Realizing this, I simply walked away, and found a new group of better people to hang out with. Of course, my old group of friends tried calling me back, but I knew better than to listen to them. If I had stumbled upon this quote back in elementary school and interpreted properly, maybe I wouldn’t have formed a relationship with that group of fake friends in the first place.
Continued (I reached the character limit)...
ReplyDeleteOverall, if you think that the other person in your relationship doesn’t value you much, or if you are always questioning if the other person likes you or not, chances are that you aren’t in the right relationship. Sometimes, when you are stuck in a relation where you aren’t sure what the other person thinks of you, it’s best to just walk away, and start fresh, so that you have a new chance at finding a relationship where you don’t have to doubt the other person.
Well, other than that, this is it for middle school G&T! It’s been fun, reading everyone’s views on certain topics. These blogs have definitely been a large part of middle school, since I’ve had them every month for 3 years now. I’ll miss this class (as well as the AMS one :) ), and have a great summer everyone!
Well, first of all, I was scanning the quote and the other comments, when I realized I had no such instance where I felt that I was being ignored by “someone” or anything. In fact, I have never even had a “crush.”I always had assumed that such things were not for me and I really did not want feelings or anything. I have always belittled things such as “true love” or “romance” or “crushes.” They have never had any meaning in my life before. As you can probably imagine, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has always disgusted me. But as I re-read the quote again, I realized that the quote could be understood with different approaches. I mean, I was taking it in the most obvious way possible--to have crushes and that stuff. But then I got it--what if I wrote about the many times a friend or someone I considered really near to me has left me?
ReplyDelete(FYI- I’m completely over it and I now get that these things happen. Also, I’m not trying to be depressing or anything. Also the names mentioned aren’t their real names.)
So. When I was in first grade, I had basically no friends, since I was not social and just did not want people around me. I really did not want all that friend stuff happening to me. I liked to be alone and quietly play knockout during recess or maybe read a book during lunch. But all of that changed when I met my soon-to-be best friend, Ashley. We were just outside, with me reading my book and every other first grader running around screaming their heads off, when she saw me alone and came to talk to me.
And then it started, my first ever (and last ever) friendship and I was beginning to actually, like it. I had always thought that people were annoying, disgusting animals (no offense) who were just there to annoy me. But Ashley had changed my view on people, having friends, and even humanity. There we were, just playing, rolling down the hill during recess and playing kickball and just having normal first grade fun. Now I was one of the screaming little first graders. I loved every moment of it. I couldn’t believe that I had thought that having friends was terrible.
We spent half our first grade year just running around and screaming our heads off, laughing and having fun. But of course--things always have to take a turn. A new girl, Kimberly, came into our school and unfortunately (JK) was assigned to my class out of all the other classes. For a few weeks, everyone was nice to the new girl, just friendly “hi’s” and “bye’s,” the usual. But then of course Ashley was like, “Oh I want to be friends with her.” I had no problem with this, since I had recently discovered that having friends was not at all terrible as I had made it out to be. I wanted new friends and have MORE fun. So I said, “yes,” and Ashley went off to talk to her.
(I have more...I'll comment it on my post.)
Well, I had thought that I gained a new friend--but instead, I had lost one. Our friendship started taking a turn. Kimberly never used to let Ashley talk to me and all the fun first grade projects that we used to work together on, just turned depressing. Every time I tried to talk to my best friend, Kimberly just used to push in between and push me over and start talking to Ashley. What I had feared about friends had come to pass, finally. I felt like I had been waiting for this moment. I started becoming cold and distant again and resolved to never make friends again. Even when Ashley used to try to talk to me, I used to ignore her and just used to yell at her, “Why don’t you just go play with Kimberly?!” and used to storm away to play knockout and smash some basketballs into nets. I had unfairly blamed my best friend for what Kimberly was doing. But I did “start walking” as it says in the quote when I felt that I no longer was Ashley’s best friend. Eventually, Ashley stopped coming to talk to me and we just drifted apart. I became my lonely self again, but even more cold and distant. I just couldn’t take being betrayed by another “best friend.” From the end of first grade till the end of third grade, I kept my resolve to never be hurt again by people I had trusted, and for two years I stayed alone, played alone, and did everything alone. (I did have other “friends” but they were more like acquaintances). And pretty much, the lesson I took away from that experience was to never have “best friends.” You might think that seven years later from first grade, I’d have opened up and have best friends again, but I don’t think I can ever call anyone my best friend. Maybe a “close friend” but definitely never a “best friend.”
DeleteAnyway, on a lighter note, this is our last blog post of middle school, and I will miss it and our G&T class. Have a great summer! :-)
That is a pretty powerful quote to end our blog careers of G&T on, and in many ways. Despite that, it is hard for me to find an instance where the quote is relevant. I’m not the kind of person to break off any kind of relationship. I guess I just don’t have the courage to tell someone that I am unsure of how he or she views me. For the relationships where I do feel that way, I can’t walk away. I’m paralyzed, frozen in place, too worried that I’m going to hurt someone I care about, even if they don’t care about me. Those people aren’t people I can just walk away from, since they have shackles tightly snapped on my legs. I don’t want to get specific. So I’m going to take this seemingly one-meaning-only quote and put a twist on it. When people read this quote, the first interpretation that comes to mind is probably that the message is telling you to walk away from relationships that just aren’t working out. But the direction was never specified...so what if you’re walking TOWARDS someone? Sounds crazy and like I’m completely butchering the ‘true’ meaning of the quote, but hear me out. Who says you have to destroy what you’re unsure of? If I’m wondering where I stand with someone, I don’t want to end my relationship with them; I want to find some way to repair it! Many people, including myself, have been in a state of limbo with someone, where you’re not sure how the person views you (whether it be romantically or platonically) and you just ignore the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty. You are “standing”, like the quote says. From a standing point, you can either walk towards the person and try to repair the relationship, or walk away and leave them behind. I suppose it’s example time. So, there was this person, who I will call Person. Person and I had been talking as friends for a few months. Platonically. As friends. I didn’t think of Person as anything more than a friend; in fact, I never even imagined our relationship being anything more until Person started to act strangely. Person started talking less and seemed like they weren’t interested in talking to me anymore. This went on for some time, where I was in that limbo of being uncomfortable and not knowing how Person felt about me, yet I didn’t say anything. Until I decided to walk, that is. Walk TOWARDS Person. I confronted Person, and tried to understand why our friendship was falling apart. I didn’t walk away; I didn’t take offense or blame Person. It turns out Person was interested in me romantically. If I had just let the relationship go, then I would have seriously hurt Person without ever knowing the truth. In breaking out of that standing point, I gained a stronger relationship. I started walking. Now, Person and I have been ‘together’ (not officially, because I don’t really care about dating) for almost a year and a half. Stop standing. Start walking.
ReplyDeleteThis is the final blog post, huh?
Well.
Farewell.
This quote holds a lot of meaning in life, especially for those in unstable surroundings, such as middle school or high school. There’s a lot of times in life where students start to wonder about what other people think about them, whether it be friends, classmates, or even the school population in general. People often try to change themselves to get people to like them better. However, this is not always the best way to do things. Changing yourself into something different, or pretending to be someone that you’re not may make people think more highly of you, but you won’t be able to enjoy life as much as you could have by being yourself.
ReplyDeleteI have had an experience in this field myself too. I once had a very unstable friend. She was a very unique person, different from all of my other friends. Many times, I found myself confused about her and wondered what she thought of me. Whether she thought of me as a good friend or just a random other person was huge question of wonder. Before participating in any activities with her, I often had to think twice, unlike with all of my other friends, in which case I usually just jumped right in for anything that we ever did. In a while, wondering where I stood with her became very tiresome. Eventually, I decided to take my friends advice and just try out my life without her once and once started walking on my own, my life became a lot better.
This experience has taught me a very important lesson: If you’re simply testing the waters in a relationship and are not too sure about it, it may be better to try without them. This might come up better than before, or even worse. The results, however, are always for the good of the relationship, telling you whether it would be better for you to continue your friendship or relationship with that person, or just severe right then and there. This quote explains the same lesson about life and relationships and can be applied to anyone and everyone of all ages.
WOW! You guys/gals really all confessed here. It's funny when I read this quote, I didn't necessary view it as a romantic relationship- I just viewed it in regard to friendships in general. Amazing thinking here! Thanks for sharing. You have all grown up so much in these last three years. I hope these quotes, as much as you dreaded and despised them, forced you to think about life. Always grow; grow every day. Be a better person today than you were yesterday. You deserve it for yourself and others around you. Thanks for sharing all these years and I know you guys/gals will succeed in all that you do in high school and beyond.
ReplyDeleteAmitesh, please submit this BLOG. Avani submit BLOG 8!
ReplyDeleteAmitesh arya-
ReplyDeleteThis quote, in my opinion, means that if you are in a relationship with someone and you are not sure what kind of relationship it is (title-wise) and rather than trying to understand it and ponder over how the other person in the relationship views it, just pursue it as you will never know how it can turn out unless you try.
An instance of where this quote and my interpretation of it applied to me is quite peculiar and odd compared to the other people who responded. Rather than this quote being applied to a human relationship such as a girlfriend, I can apply it to a relationship with my pet parakeet. A pet bird is a lot different than with other animals as parakeets are prey in the wild rather than a predator. This effects a relationship with them as A LOT of trust has to be built before a bond is created and effort has to be put in from both ends. When I first got my parakeet he was really shy and scared and wouldn't even come out to eat food when people were near his cage or looking at him. My goal was for the parakeet to play step up which is when the parakeet sits on your finger and you put another finger in front of him and he steps up to that one and so on.
Although based off my parakeet's reaction to me, it seemed that it was impossible that I could be able to build trust with him. After looking at tutorials on line, I learned that I have to get my bird to be familar with my hand and my voice. This could be done by talking to him everyday and by waving and resting my hand on the side of the cage. After doing this for about 2 weeks, my parakeet would let me put my hand inside of the cage but would fly into the corner if it got anywhere near him. The next step in the process was to give the bird a reward for coming near my hand. I did not have any bird treats in hand, therefore i just used lettuce. Using food did not help as the parakeet did not have any reason to support that the food was tasty therefore had no motive to come near the food. I just left the lettuce on the perch and soon he tried it and liked it. Now that he knew that how good the lettuce tasted he came near my hand and slowly but surely starting eating it off my hand.
I handfed my parakeet lettuce almost everyday for about two months. I was not sure if I had built enough trust and was scared of moving further as I was afraid of getting bitten. Finally, I just thought that the bird should trust me enough after getting fed by me for months. One day I just put my hand in the cage near the bird without any food. My parakeet was perplexed that there was no food was was glancing around looking for it but he did not run away from my hand. Next, I bravely stuck out one finger in front of him hoping not to get bitten and to my surprise he jumped on my finger and sat there looking at me!
Good, thank you! Please tell Avani!!!!!
ReplyDelete