Here I Blogeth

I am TIRED of just existing!

I’m TIRED of being treated like a child at school, tired of being pandered to, tired of just existing in a world where nothing else is expected of me except just cleaning my room and doing my homework!

I just want to do MORE.

I don’t know why I want it so much, or whether there’s actually truth behind the teasing I get at school that I don’t want to have fun. Maybe I don’t. Maybe fun isn’t the only thing that matters. Doesn’t anyone SEE that?

Why am I only expected to do the bare minimum? Why can’t I do anything else? Why does everyone expect me to fail? Why am I just living a life of existence – not real living?

I feel like my reading “Do Hard Things” by Brett and Alex Harris are my feelings, my frustration, put into a book and set out for the world to see. How long have all of you had to put up with my rants on how teenagers are underrated in today’s society? I just finished the book now… and I feel like I’m strapped down.

The school, for example. I know they’re trying to bring these kids along “slowly” and whatnot, introducing them to real work, but in the meantime, I’m stuck in a place where I’m not learning anything except in math class. They put me in charge of the new newspaper club because I complained of not having enough to do – but that’s not what I want. And, as much as they hate to admit it, it's not what the students want either. I would bet that if the teachers raised the bar and expected them to make the jump, then I SWEAR that they would make it. They're not stupid - a lot of them are even smarter than me! All they need to do is make the jump, the effort... give the extra mile. If they wouldn't expect nothing of us, then we would give as much as they expected.

Newspaper club is nice, college is important with a capital I…

But I feel like that I’m more than capable enough to do things NOW. Not that I’m perfect, or completely mature, but just because I’m a teen doesn’t mean that I’m worthless and can’t do anything! My mom tells me that all the time – that teens today just aren’t growing up… but then she turns right around when I ask to do something more and throws a bunch of stuff about me getting overwhelmed and not being able to handle it.

As much as she believes that, and says she believes it, every time I feel like God’s placed it on my heart to do something, she stops me.

Recently, with my garage sale, she’s learned not to underestimate what teenagers can do when I raised over two hundred dollars in less than a week. However, she also learned then, she can’t just expect me to fail. She has to stop me from trying if she doesn’t want me to do something.

So now, that’s what she’s doing.

I know that parents are the mouths of God or something, and that God put them over me, but I feel like as much as they encourage me to do as much as I can, they’re also perfectly sure that I won’t be able to handle it. As if what I can do just isn’t enough.

Maybe God’s holding me back for a reason – or maybe he’s seeing how hard I’ll try to do his will. I don’t know. All I know is that I feel like God wants me to become involved in politics somehow – I’d love to help out with the CFC group. The Christian Family Coalition. Maybe I need to push her, maybe I should just trust God and step back and not pursue it. I don’t know.

All I know is that I, as a young woman, have the potential to be so much more than they expect me to be. My parents expect me to make A’s and go to a good college – but at the same time, they don’t expect me to be responsible enough to handle doing what I want to do – which is help to form and shape the future of our country in a Godly direction. Why does everyone expect me, as a teen, to be unable to do anything now?

Can’t I do something?

This is a message to all teens that read my blog… don’t let low expectations drown you in the idea that you’re worthless, stupid, and unable to do anything. We can. We’re just as able as any adult to do everything from raise a million dollars to running a political campaign. Don’t let the adults stop you from doing big things now… and don’t get wrapped up in the “fun” and the “now” so much that you can’t develop to the best you can be. If you don’t, then you are stealing from yourself – and God.

To the adults:

Don’t underestimate us. Don’t say we are the future. Don’t let us be content with complacency. We’re not the future. We are the now.

Let us fly, I beg of you.

Love and Pitchforks,

Katie

P.S: I highly recommend the book "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. I've got a copy for anyone that wants to borrow...

So, uh, I actually had this post written... like... three days ago.

*embarrased cough*

Anyway, I'm writing another one today, so I may have an unheard-of two posts in one day. =D

***

Contrary to popular opinion, I DO go to church.

Geez. Some people, y’know?

Apperantly there has been this strange, unusual rumor going around that certain people, (ahem, Julie and Joy,) have decided that I hardly go to church. I would like to knock that rumor right out of orbit RIGHT NOW. I totally go to church EVERY WEEK. However, as most of you who pay attention will know, I usually go to SECOND service, not FIRST, unlike those people who are of the opinion that I don’t go to church. I did skip out on Sunday School this year, though, I will admit. And Youth group. But I did make it to church, I PROMISE.

Anyway.

For those that are interested, Skull Candy Headphones are a certain, very good, somewhat expensive brand of headphones. They sell them at Target. I like them. A lot.

*glances at her list of topics to address*

Oh, right. I did another garage sale. The church that I’m going to Night of Joy with had a garage sale the week after I had mine. As with all interesting stories, I suppose I shall start at the beginning…

The The tension of Bible class hung around me, with kids furiously taking notes, teasing each other, talking as if the Bible teacher didn’t have ears sharper than a cat. As usual, I was ignoring the “hang loose” hand sign from Cory and Alec when the Bible Teacher (who is also the Youth Leader at Crave the Youth Group for the Church I go to school at,) mentioned it.

As I needed another thirty dollars to make my two hundred to go, I raised my hand, intelligently, as per usual. “Mr. (insert name here),” I asked, using my diplomatically reasonable and interested voice, as if I’d been paying close attention to the entire lecture. (Which I did, of course. *innocent face*) “I still have some things left over from the garage sale I had last week – could I bring it over and help with the sale?”

As I am charming, convincing, and he probably badly needed help, he let me. (Besides the fact that he’d been asking us to do it… reiterating points makes it sound like you’re listening.)

It set in cycle quite a round of events.

I brought the stuff over that afternoon, and made the spectacularly stupid move of staying up until midnight on the computer with the intent to wake up at five in the morning. Personally, you can just buy me a cape and call me superwoman – because I did.

I arrived at the surprisingly small garage sale, expectations lowered. Okay, I thought, They’ll just need help carrying stuff and setting it up, and then I’ll aim toward working in the shade – I get dehydrated way to easily.

HA.

I was pinned to the clothes section, which was possibly the only section that was out in the hot sun once they figured out that I was proactive in begging people to buy things, unlike the rest of the world.

I WAS surprised that that Columbian woman that shows up at every single garage sale I’ve ever been to or had didn’t come. It was almost sad.

I found out that if you make begging signs with your hands then people come and at least look at your stuff.

Also, since everyone else priced everything, all the prices were off. They had a flat price for everything in my section – one dollar. So I… uh… cheated. I started handing out the baby clothes for fifty cents each and upping the price on the bedding. I mean, who sells a quilt for a dollar??? Or a rug, for that matter?

Ehh. So I tweaked them, then told on myself, then got praised for it. This is life. I think.

What I’m trying to figure out is why did they put the easily-burned, easily-overheated, and with a family with the history of skin cancer out in the hot sun for five and a half hours. I mean, considering I was one of two white people there… You would think they could afford to put a couple people a little less prone to sun-related health risks out there. But no. Of course not. Just because I’m not shy about talking to people.

No, I really liked it and am complaining because I like complaining. =D

Oh, and there is an incident I MUST tell.

On Friday, during the all-important Lunch Hour, my twenty-something year-old math teacher and Alec, (one of the seniors,) had some kind of bet or dare or something. I only saw the contest.

Basically, each took a dime or quarter-sized blob of wasabi, and had to chew it for five seconds and then not drink water for another five or something.

It. Was. Hilarious.

I nearly DIED laughing. I’m not sure what they bet on, but it must have been either a decent-sized bet or an insult to their manhood or something. I know I would never be so stupid as to eat that much wasabi willingly. Men’s brains must be missing a self-preservation sense or something.

And, Apperantly, since I've already taken Spanish 2 twice, they're sticking me in the Senior SAT Prep class. This will be... interesting.

Love and Pitchforks,

Katie