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In the Spirit of Giving Up
Regardless of your denomination, the beginning of spring is the perfect time to start anew, to cleanse yourself of bad habits, and reevaluate your current situation. We all have something we could live without, whether it be tangible or intangible: cheese burgers, gossiping, biting your nails, procrastination, talking back to your parents, you name it.
So, this month, in the spirit of renewal, the Maya Gazette staff is embarking on a mission. From this edition to the next, we resolve to give up saying negative things about others. In the words of Yoko Ono: “Try to say nothing negative about anybody for three days, for forty-five days, for three months. See what happens to your life.”
So much time in our lives is wasted on bad thoughts, time that could otherwise be spent doing and saying things that are productive and kind. It’s easy to slip into a routine of gossip and bad vibes, we can attest to that. But that’s why this month, we are making a conscious effort to change.
The Maya Gazette promises that during the time span of this edition to the next, should any of the four of us say something unkind, be it about a classmate or about your siblings, we will say 3 nice things to cancel it out--not necessarily to the person we were talking about, but to the person you were conversing with.
Will it be easy? No. But does that mean we shouldn’t try this? Also, no. This is a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and see how far we can go. It will also be interesting to see how it will affect ourselves and our attitudes towards life.
During our next edition, we’ll make sure to write a follow-up to our mission, recounting our experiences and our conclusions on the subject. Feel free to join us and make sure to send us your follow-up! You don’t have to do the same thing we are--give up something you think will challenge and impact you.
So, this month, in the spirit of renewal, the Maya Gazette staff is embarking on a mission. From this edition to the next, we resolve to give up saying negative things about others. In the words of Yoko Ono: “Try to say nothing negative about anybody for three days, for forty-five days, for three months. See what happens to your life.”
So much time in our lives is wasted on bad thoughts, time that could otherwise be spent doing and saying things that are productive and kind. It’s easy to slip into a routine of gossip and bad vibes, we can attest to that. But that’s why this month, we are making a conscious effort to change.
The Maya Gazette promises that during the time span of this edition to the next, should any of the four of us say something unkind, be it about a classmate or about your siblings, we will say 3 nice things to cancel it out--not necessarily to the person we were talking about, but to the person you were conversing with.
Will it be easy? No. But does that mean we shouldn’t try this? Also, no. This is a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and see how far we can go. It will also be interesting to see how it will affect ourselves and our attitudes towards life.
During our next edition, we’ll make sure to write a follow-up to our mission, recounting our experiences and our conclusions on the subject. Feel free to join us and make sure to send us your follow-up! You don’t have to do the same thing we are--give up something you think will challenge and impact you.
2nd Semester: the Good and the Bad
Second semester is a nightmare dressed like a daydream. Well, in some ways.
First off, you are deceived into thinking that the worst is over, that teachers will begin to lighten your workload, that they will begin to hold classes outdoors, that all you basically have to focus on now is passing, that with summer a mere five months away, there is nothing that can stand in your way.
You thought wrong. Second semester actually makes up for more than half of the entire school year, a fact that most students forget to acknowledge. This is the time of the year when your teachers realize the actual amount of material that they have yet to cover. And so begins their hectic frenzy of nonstop homework, projects, and tests.
Even when you were at your best it was hard to complete this, but now you’re working on four hours of sleep and zero motivation. You just came back from winter break, even though every bone in your body was begging you not to. You miss sleeping until noon, eating all the food, and keeping school at a distant place in the back of your mind. The withdrawal symptoms are real. It doesn’t end there. You probably have to start preparing for AP exams, which is less than ideal. You have to become a sponge that soaks up all the knowledge--everything, EVERYTHING, from the first day of school must suddenly be remembered. But let’s be real, you don’t want to soak up anymore knowledge. You wanna sleep. And so down the grades go while you admire from above. Should you care? Yes. Can you care? Nope.
But wait. You see that small ray of sunshine peeking out from behind those gloomy clouds (aka. endless stacks of paper)? Hold on to it. Because there are definitely some points worth remembering.
Remember that there are so many fun activities and events coming up. The Spring Musical, Miles for Smiles, Spirit Week, Clash of Colors, the Friendship Fair, Spring Break, and a whole lot of four day weekends. With all of these exciting and memorable occasions time will, as the old saying goes, “fly.”
Remember that there are only 34 more A days and 33 more B days left. In the grand scheme of things, these numbers are relatively small. Both of these numbers are barely a month, and together, they add up to less than three months. Meaning that the rest of the time leftover is devoted solely to weekends, holidays, and basically days without school.
And finally, remember that these second semester days are the last ones you have to spend with your friends. When else will you see them, 8 hours a day, everyday, during the summer? Enjoy this time in High School with some of the best friends you’ll ever make. There’s a reason that most adults look back on it and wish they could return. High School is the easiest you’ll have it. Take it from four seniors, you will miss it. You will miss the little things--the routine, the comforts of being able to ride the bus straight to your house, teachers actually caring about you doing well in class and being able to ask them for extra help and advice, your parents packing you lunches and cooking you dinner, playing for your high school sports team because you actually have the time. You will miss them so, so, much.
In the end, second semester is what you make it. Be it with the glass half full, or the glass half empty, it’s up to you. We are choosing to see it as the former.
First off, you are deceived into thinking that the worst is over, that teachers will begin to lighten your workload, that they will begin to hold classes outdoors, that all you basically have to focus on now is passing, that with summer a mere five months away, there is nothing that can stand in your way.
You thought wrong. Second semester actually makes up for more than half of the entire school year, a fact that most students forget to acknowledge. This is the time of the year when your teachers realize the actual amount of material that they have yet to cover. And so begins their hectic frenzy of nonstop homework, projects, and tests.
Even when you were at your best it was hard to complete this, but now you’re working on four hours of sleep and zero motivation. You just came back from winter break, even though every bone in your body was begging you not to. You miss sleeping until noon, eating all the food, and keeping school at a distant place in the back of your mind. The withdrawal symptoms are real. It doesn’t end there. You probably have to start preparing for AP exams, which is less than ideal. You have to become a sponge that soaks up all the knowledge--everything, EVERYTHING, from the first day of school must suddenly be remembered. But let’s be real, you don’t want to soak up anymore knowledge. You wanna sleep. And so down the grades go while you admire from above. Should you care? Yes. Can you care? Nope.
But wait. You see that small ray of sunshine peeking out from behind those gloomy clouds (aka. endless stacks of paper)? Hold on to it. Because there are definitely some points worth remembering.
Remember that there are so many fun activities and events coming up. The Spring Musical, Miles for Smiles, Spirit Week, Clash of Colors, the Friendship Fair, Spring Break, and a whole lot of four day weekends. With all of these exciting and memorable occasions time will, as the old saying goes, “fly.”
Remember that there are only 34 more A days and 33 more B days left. In the grand scheme of things, these numbers are relatively small. Both of these numbers are barely a month, and together, they add up to less than three months. Meaning that the rest of the time leftover is devoted solely to weekends, holidays, and basically days without school.
And finally, remember that these second semester days are the last ones you have to spend with your friends. When else will you see them, 8 hours a day, everyday, during the summer? Enjoy this time in High School with some of the best friends you’ll ever make. There’s a reason that most adults look back on it and wish they could return. High School is the easiest you’ll have it. Take it from four seniors, you will miss it. You will miss the little things--the routine, the comforts of being able to ride the bus straight to your house, teachers actually caring about you doing well in class and being able to ask them for extra help and advice, your parents packing you lunches and cooking you dinner, playing for your high school sports team because you actually have the time. You will miss them so, so, much.
In the end, second semester is what you make it. Be it with the glass half full, or the glass half empty, it’s up to you. We are choosing to see it as the former.