Here's To You

Friends, Readers, Classmates...lend me your eyes. I come to praise the end of school, not to lament it. The legacy of this year will live on forever...for me it will anyway, and it will never be forgotten.

Here's to you, junior class. Most of us have made it, and will be seniors next year. Man how time flies when you're in school. I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I couldn't bear to be away from my parents for 3 hours of daycare everyday. Now it seems like tomorrow that I'll be going away to college, finally but not without some nostalgia for the days when I couldn't bear to leave my parents.

Here's to you, friends. You've stood behind me through thick and thin this year. I've forged stronger relationships with some people and others have weakened. It's been a strange year, but you guys were always there for me. Supportive, comedic, and sometimes hurtful...you guys always could pick me up. Thanks to all...you know who you are.

Here's to you, Senior year. This is a nod to the future and what next year will bring for us all...increased pressure to go to college. Increased pressure to go to technical school. Increased everything. But at the same time there's that sweet release. Graduation is in the future. If you're lucky you won't have to take any finals at all in the spring. You get out a week before everyone else to attend a week's worth of boring activities that you must attend. Graduation practice. AP tests if you go that route...the future is bright.

Here's to you , teachers. Thanks for pushing me this year. I needed it more than y'all will probably ever know. Thanks for treating me more like an adult and less like a little child (I mean the belittling some teachers deal out is just humiliating). Junior year has been fun and one of the first years where I've truly enjoyed every one of my classes.

Here's to you, readers...all seven of you. Thanks for reading this collection of things that spew from my brain and happened to be captured by my hands and typed into the computer. I hope you've enjoyed this collection...I know it's been fun putting this out there for you all to read.

And here's to me, Graham Duncan. You know that you have to believe in yourself and believe in God. That's all you have to do to succeed in life Graham. Your decisions are (for the most part) good, and so are your instincts for making those decisions. Trust yourself to make the right decision, in everything coming up in the future. Never be afraid to confide in a friend, or (heaven forbid) your parents. But at the same time, don't be afraid to take time for yourself. Because you need that too. You're a good guy Graham...believe in yourself and you will go far.

This is probably my last post of the year because with this one I will more than likely have my 100% for April and May blogs in English class. Thanks to those who read. It's been a good year.

And so we go...to infinity and beyond.

Today

Living is a day to day thing. Who knows if we are going to wake up in the morning. It's a morbid thought but it's the truth. We never know if we are going to live through the night. We go to bed each night thinking that we will, some say that they know they will, but how can we know what will happen that night? Truth is...we never know.

Each day is a gift. Regardless of what you believe, this thing called life is a great thing, an amazing thing. The true gift that keeps on giving. Every day you can get up and roll unwillingly out of bed should be spent celebrating the fact that you are still able to roll unwillingly out of bed. But we don't do that do we? I know very few people who celebrate every day they live. Those people who live in the here and now. The people who don't dwell in the past and the mistakes that they've made. The people who don't think about the future...they acknowledge the fact that they may never see the day they are planning for. These people are the great people I know.

Live in the today. Don't worry about what you've done...it's done and over and it can't be changed now...so quit dwelling on it. Don't worry about the future...the future will take care of itself by itself. Live in the here and now. Live in the moment. Live...now.

And so we go.

Understanding...Me

At the risk of sounding conceited, I am an extremely complex person. Not that each and every one of us isn't complex (the human body gives us each our own measure of complexity simply from existing). I don't know if anyone really understands me...heck, I don't know if I even understand myself completely.


Anyone who knows me will probably agree with me when I say that I have an interesting personality. My brains give me an academic standing over most people in the junior class (again not to be conceited, that's just how it is), I happen to have some measure of athletic talent, I can blend the student and the athlete like a pro (even though I keep my amateur status). Graham Duncan...that's my identity, but does anyone know what that means. I don't know if they do.


Being Graham Duncan means that I am the sixth in a long line of Graham Duncans. Being Graham Duncan means I come from a swimming background with a past full of successes and a future that is bright and currently stretching endlessly in front of me. Being Graham Duncan means I have been blessed with a cutting/sarcastic/gifted manner of speaking. Being Graham Duncan means academic success and a pressure to keep that academic success going. Being Graham Duncan means being my own harshest critic because of fear of what people will think or say if something happens that isn't Graham Duncan. Being Graham Duncan means dealing with the pressure of being smart and dealing with all the headaches of people trying to get my help when I just wish they would leave me alone so I can finish my own work. Being Graham Duncan is hard.


I don't fully understand myself. I know what I am and what I deal with, but actually knowing what that is and what that makes me is a whole 'nother ball game. The most annoying part of me is my brain. I wish I understood that more than I wish to understand Pre-Calculus or why the heart does what it does. I want to know how my brain works because sometimes I do things that just make me look at myself like wow...Graham Duncan is an idiot.


I hate that this whole post focused on me, I don't like judging and talking about myself. It's not me, but sometimes we all just get to thinking about these things. Never be afraid to question yourself. But don't hide who you are. Being able to be yourself is a wonderful gift...one that I have received very well.


And so we go.

Summer, Sun, Work, and All Things Enjoyable

School. Most people seem to think it's the worst thing invented by man. Personally, I don't mind it all that much. It's not fun all the time, but I mean it gives me something to do through the late summer, fall, winter and early spring months. But that being said, summer is something I always yearn for every year. School is still school no matter how much I like it, it gets wearing on you after a while having your nose constantly on the grindstone. All the social pressures and everything that goes on, it gets old after a while. Everyone lives for those 7 weeks of break we get every year. Everyone lives for summer. Everyone gets restless in the last month of school. And yes that includes you teachers too. Don't try to deny it, we students know that you wanna get rid of us as much as we want to get rid of you. Summer has a spectacular effect on the psyche of people in school. It's fun to watch. The sun puts a spell on us all. The enchanment and the warmth and everything is so much yearned for...even more so after being trapped in a school building gazing longingly outside. Sun, Summer...great stuff.


But with summer also comes work. For me anyway. The end of school is also the end of that which occupies me during the daylit hours, it needs to be filled with something else so I don't hurt myself or others from lack of something to occupy me. So my parents told me, you swim (which I do), and you get a job (which I did). And such is the composition of a summer day for me. Two swim practices a day (great fun for sure) and a shift of work (anywhere from 3 to 5 hours sitting in the sun, soaking in the rays). Lifeguarding is a great job. I may complain about it, but it's not really all that bad. Go through the training, and try to get to each of the pools before all the other people do so you can get a job, and there you go...a decent paying summer job to fund your way through the winter months. I love my job.


Also, with the advent of summer closing in upon us, the return of my sister is heralded after her freshman year of college. Talk about an adjustment for me. I've spent the winter months relatively enjoyably, Katie wasn't there, I adjusted to her not being there fairly easily, and now I have to adjust back. I have to get used to her and my little brother bickering all the time...wow...thinking about it now, it's hard to believe that I was ever used to that.


Well, needless to say this summer will be very interesting. I'm looking forward to it.


And so we go.

Just a Quick One

Blogging is one of those things that you do every now and then (or for a grade if you have Mrs. Matthews), but it takes a lot to come up with quality stuff for other people to slog through. Readers, those who don't blog anyway, can't fully appreciate what it takes for the blogger to create something meaningful to reach and give to the bloggee. This stuff is intense.

Anywho, this weekend is marvelously approaching. Slowly but surely we workers are reaching the end of our workweek tethers, about to embark to the Paradise City that is The Weekend. And for once it is going to be sunny...for Saturday anyway. Then the rain clouds will once again cover the city and bring back the dreary reminder that the weekend won't last forever and school/work is coming again to devour us all. But I personally hope severe weather doesn't visit us.

My heart and prayers go out to those in Tuscaloosa, Alabama who recently endured what is likely to be an F-4 tornado. More than a mile wide and leaving a swath of destruction in its wake across the state of Alabama and 6 other states. The death toll is rising, and I just pray for those down there. It's rough.

Well there we go. The bell for the end of first period is upon us and I must go. I leave you all with this...focus on the journey, don't just use your travels as a means of getting to an end, slow down...enjoy it, there's only one life with no do overs.

And so we go.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Today is Monday. The beginning of a new work/school week. The beginning of a horrendous two week battle with the state's accoutability test and the AP tests. Reviews are in full swing as the major testing occurences of the year arrive. After the next two weeks, we get a merciful two weeks off and then we're back to reviewing for end of the year finals. The end of the school year is a wonderful thing.


But today isn't just another Monday. Today is the Monday after Easter. Easter...the day of the Risen Lord. Now for those of you readers who waver in your belief, or don't believe at all, don't worry. This isn't going to be an opinion based blog post trying to convert as many readers as possible...this is simply one humble, God-fearing Christian high school junior's take on what yesterday was, what it meant and how to move forward.


Yesterday was Easter. Easter is the day of the Christian faith when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after being crucified and buried for 3 days. Defying all odds and breaking all expectations, Jesus came back from the dead. Can you imagine the feelings swirling around back then? The Romans: they didn't really know what was going on, and frankly they didn't care. The Romans didn't understand the Jews and their strange customs. Jerusalem was so far from Rome that they really basically ran themselves as far as things go. In fact, the Roman judge who presided over Jesus' case was going to let him go...he only crucified Jesus because that's what the Jews wanted. The Pharisees: they felt triumphant. They had just knocked off the biggest threat to their power. The Pharisees preached a different kind of life than did Jesus. The Pharisees adhered to Old Testament principles and that's what they taught their "flocks". But Jesus came along and He showed everyone a new way...a different path to God. The Pharisees were scared. They didn't want to lose their wealth and power that they had accumulated throughout the centuries. After the Crucifixion, the Pharisees were feeling very good. The Disciples: they were devastated. Jesus had handpick them three years previously and they had dropped everything to follow. They gave up their jobs, their livelihoods, their families...everything and followed him without question. Now, their Teacher was gone. What were they to do? They knew the Romans would be looking for them. What were they going to do?


That answer comes 3 days later, Jesus' tomb has been breached. The Disciples don't know what to make of it. Their Master had died and now his tomb was open and very obviously without a body inside. Could it be? Could Jesus have possibly conquered death? He had, in fact, done just that. His power was more than that of death, Jesus came back.


But what does this mean? Why go through all of that if you're not going to stay dead? Because it was for us. Jesus was killed, sacrificed actually, so that all of us following would have a direct line to God for forgiveness. We all fall short of the glory of God, we can never live up to his expectations. But because of Jesus, we can redeem ourselves. Jesus is singing the Jackson 5 song, I'll Be There. That's what he is telling us. He gave us another way out. Instead of miring in the harmful effects of sin, we can turn to him and have that burden lifted. It's a wonderful gift to be given.


So what can we do with this? Well that answer is up to you, individually. No one can tell you how to live your life. You have to choose. But why choose the hard way? Why not go with the different path and life outlined by Jesus? He lived to show us that another way is possible. Peace can happen. The world doesn't have to always live in the status quo, challenge the normal way of things. If something is wrong, why keep following it? Break out of the cycle of the world. Challenge yourself. Live out a different path and see how it changes your life.


And so we, all of us, go.

Journey

Journey is far more than a music group. Journey means something. Journey is the path you take through life. Journey is how you get to your destination, but it is so much more than just getting there. It's the people along your way, the things you do, places you go, friends you make. It is life. Our journey here is short, when speaking in grandiose geological terms. But our years on this planet take a long time. They can be full, or empty. They can live out to our expectations or they can fall short. It's all about how you choose to do what you do, and if you do what you choose to do. Our journey, our sojourn, through life has ups and downs. It's like a massive roller coaster with no end in the forseeable future and with no controls that we can see. But, like a coaster, we are relatively safe within the confines of the car and on the track. We know what's going to happen (or not happen), but once you leave the "track" or leave the "car" of life, you don't know what's coming. That's the excitement of the journey. So may your journey be long. May you fulfill yourself on your journey. May you find life, even in death. May you see that joy and sorrow are both necessary components on your journey. May you love strongly. May you see the world and all the wonders it holds for you. Enjoy your journey. And so we go.