The Doors of School

 by Sam Quinn

Life is a series of doors.  One must have the courage, determination, and maturity to open them and endure what the other side has to offer.  My summer door is closing and the doorknob to my senior year of college is beginning to turn and open. What is on the other side of that door? Multiple hallways leading to new paths and beginnings, alongside of an array of emotions and obstacles.

My mind has yet to grasp the idea of entering my last year. The “real world” is so close, yet that upcoming road is something that has not yet been paved. Looking back on my entire academic experience, there have been ups and down, good and bad and am lucky to have been through it all. As I sit here reflecting and writing, I cannot even think as to where time has gone. The early school doors opened and closed in a blink of an eye, and, honestly, I do not remember much except that I was a brilliant finger-painter and struggled with the simple ways of math. (Dancers only need to count eight anyways, right?) The high school door swung open, tossing me into a sea of labels and obstructions that ultimately lead me to find my true self.

Going back to school is not just another time of learning useless information that you memorize to pass tests. It’s not another year to look back to see what you could have done differently and to be more prepared for the future. It is a time to live in the present, absorb all that is accessible to you, and to grow  as a student and person. After high school, it took a minute to figure out what I truly learned over four years. I thought about it and realized that I had done it all wrong. I came to realize that school is just one big giant math equation. There are a bunch of positive and negative elements jumbled all together. On the other side of the equal sign is the cumulative answer to what one should learn through all your years of school. And that single lettered answer should come out to be an F standing for fail. Without failure, we have not learned anything. It is okay to fall down multiple times, as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving. School is all about learning from your mistakes. In my eyes, that is the one lesson that teachers cannot teach you.  

And the door to my senior year is beginning to open. I am anxious to see what obstacles I can encounter. I am eager for the future. Most of all, I am ready to conquer rejection. Not only in the dance world, but also in life. Through failure comes success, and with success comes happiness. So look to the future, open your doors, close them and don’t look back. If your door does not have a smooth paved road lying ahead of you, keep trudging along. As the saying goes, one door closes and another one opens.

Simplicity

by Sam Quinn

Simplicity, by definition, is the quality or condition of being plain or natural. I should ask: what exactly is normal nowadays? I guess normal could be defined as constantly refreshing your Facebook to see the same six people posting random quotes and pictures making fun of "Call Me Maybe" (yours truly is guilty as charged). Normal could be defined as regularly molding yourself into the couch watching reruns of "Jersey Shore" or "Dance Moms."  Normal could be defined as sleeping late, maybe going to the gym, followed by a night of caloric pizza and possibly underage drinking. The definition of normal has simply changed over the years. 


Remember the days when we did not all have cell phones and we spent our days recklessly playing outside with friends? Remember television shows that we all found exciting and actually still watch when re runs are on? Remember when Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and all that fun social media did not exist? Let's think about our lives then. Simple. Fun. Easy going. Care-free. Drama-free. 

Nowadays, we thrive on technology and social media. When was the last time you simply sat outside and watched the sun set? When was the last time you took a walk with an old friend and just talked? When was the last time you had true alone time, no cell phone in hand, no lap top on, and no Facebook chats popping up? For me it’s hard to remember. Do it. I challenge you. Embrace your surroundings. Try a day without your cell phone to cherish the truth the natural environment has to offer. Don’t let the simple, beautiful moments of life pass you by. Life moves, move with it. Just like old times. 

Who You Are

by Sam Quinn

I debated what my next blog entry should be for a couple hours. I’ll be the first to admit, my entries have been sincerely lacking. Sincere apologies. As a way to get back on board and writing, I asked friends what they thought I should write or what they would like to read. I watched a few YouTube videos to find some inspiration and came across some political debates on the prevalent issue of gay marriage. Disgusted and hurt by some of the politician’s negligent and condescending words, I looked up the marriage definition online. I typed that word in the dictionary app on my little fancy Mac Book Pro, and came across something very inspiring and moving.

            Marriage (noun)

1.     The formal union between a man and woman, typically           recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.

a.     Similarly a long-term relationship between partners of the same sex.

In many regards, we live in a very progressive country…one that is accepting, loving, and courageous.  In other instances, it is like we are still in the dark ages.  That said, I did not expect to even see the slightest connection to gay marriage when looking up that definition. An instant smile came across my face, as it is apparent that individuals are now beginning to recognize homosexual partnerships as something more than just domestic partnerships. Gay marriage and gay rights are in the news almost daily nowadays and there are multitudes of viewpoints and stances within the marriage debate. We should all be proud of the progress made and hope that it’s only an upward growth from here. Stay optimistic, remain courageous and let’s move forward. I leave you with such an appropriate song to remind you to always be true to who you are. Life Moves, Move with it.

Your Monday Daily Affirmations

by Sam Quinn

If we all can just absorb some of this little girl's love of life, the world would be a better place. And in the words of Jessica, remember you "can do anything good". Life Moves, move with it. And smile through it.

Breathing

 

Breathing: a simple task. We all do it constantly, whether we think about it or not. This link and song, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, epitomizes how breathing needs to be more than just a simple task. We all need to take time out of our busy, stressful life and remember to simply breathe. Anything you set your mind to you can achieve, as long as you breathe and have confidence in yourself. Don’t hold your breathe, constrict yourself and limit your possibilites. Breathe through life and let your breath carry your life. Life moves, Move with it.

-Sam Quinn, Contributing Writer