The smell of packaging tape and cardboard boxes continued to perfume the rest of the house,
The smell of packaging tape and cardboard boxes continued to perfume the rest of the house,
In planning her Happiness Project, Rubin turned to the wisdom of the ages, scientific knowledge, and lessons from pop culture all aimed at creating happiness. She uses this book to set down her adventures and discoveries along the way. She learned a number of things, including that novelty and challenge are important sources of happiness, that while perhaps money can’t completely buy happiness it can help in its purchase when it is spent with fore thought, that ordering and organizing her external environment contributed to a sense of inner peace, that treating herself could make her feel worse, that venting negative emotions didn’t get rid of them, and that sometimes it was the smallest of changes that could make the largest differences in her world and her happiness.…
Life is an ongoing cycle, forever trapped within the consumerism, legalism, and ruthlessness of modern society. Only through our fleeting innocence, purity and the appreciation of our natural world are we able to go beyond society’s harsh expectations and regulations that only end in the destruction of a person’s spirit.…
A famous man once said, “ How beautiful is youth, that is always slipping away! Whoever wants to be happy, let him so : of tomorrow there is no knowing”…
By “blue-sky” research, Sir John Vane means researching and spending time partaking in activities that a person is genuinely interested in, not wasting time on activities with a goal of reaching an end-product or result. Essentially, Sir John Vane uses the notion of “blue-sky” research to push the goal of taking part in what a person is interested in, not in something with a goal of otherwise selfish notions. Advantages to “blue-sky” research, as explained by Sir John Vane, include the development of Bayer aspirin and its’ effects. Because of Felix Hoffman’s genuine interest in his research, aspirin was invented, therefore proving beneficial to millions across the globe today. Ian Frazier connects “blue-sky” research to playing in the woods…
The couch looked like leather. The stained glass windows were beautiful. The fans hung lazily from the ceiling. He walked up the stairs and heard them creak.…
When people are young, they are always told, “your childhood years are some of the best years of your life so enjoy them while you can.” Children typically spend their hours watching interactive shows and playing with toy, yet I have a very hazy memory of doing those things. Coming from a deprived, immigrant family did not permit me to have this joyful childhood experience, but instead led me to grow up faster than customary and shaped me into the person I am today.…
As a child, my afternoons were filled with fun activities, whether that be classes in swimming, horseback riding, and gymnastics, or just sitting on the couch reading a book that was just released. Subjects such as college and AP classes were far from my mind. Sure I cared about doing well in school, but my concerns revolved more around the fun activities I planned outside of school.…
Over the course of youth’s childhood, they will eventually make a remarkable change from an adolescent into an adult, resembling a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis and emerging into a beautiful butterfly. For years there has been a debate between teenagers and adults dealing with the topic of when teens rightfully become mature and grown up. Henry G. Felsen addresses this subject through telling his own sixteen year old son his opinions and thoughts on this debate in ‘When Does a Boy Become a Man?’. The difference between a boy and a man is not in which one looks like, it is the actions and choices that a man makes which differentiates him from the boy he once was. Henry Felsen has done a commendable job in supporting this theory. He explains what the future holds for these teens that rush into adulthood with the wrong idea of what it is all about.…
Anna Quindlen witnessed the hastening signs of summer and fondy reverted back to her boredom during those times away from the classroom. In her writing, "Doing Nothing is Something," she suggests these task-less periods of downtime may awaken creativity inside a youngster, that may have otherwise never surfaced. She blames society for stripping our youth of the opportunity for downtime by increasingly over scheduling their days. While learning how to be productive is very important, having enough time to explore your own mind is necessary for any age.…
Being a grown up seemed like fun until I grew a little older and realized the hardships that came with it. I couldn't help but to think about what would happen when I got to my parents age; I thought about what I would look like, who I would be married to, and what my kids would look like. I began to ponder.…
Even though it is cliché, things you do as a child fuel the fire for how you live the rest of your life, and the decisions you make. When I was younger, my friends and I anticipated summer like a little kid waiting for school to get out. The reason was, of course, school was out, but more importantly we got to run to that big bricked church down the road and receive free lunches. Every weekday all of the neighborhood kids would wait anxiously, peeking out our doors until eleven a.m. As soon as the clock struck eleven, we would all run through the freshly cut green grass, and down the steaming blacktop road, to the big, red-bricked church. We would cut through the churches flowery lawn, and pass the sign that said, “free lunches in basement, eleven to one”. We ran quickly through the double doors, and down the white flight of steps to the huge, white basement.…
Growing up can be a world of confusion. Trending from what am I going to do when I get older? Does my hair really look good like that? When will I have time to study for that test or will I get invited to that party; however ageing offers some benefits as well. Adolescents and young adults begin to notice ideas, feelings, and perspectives, other than their own. Coming of age involves recognizing different perspectives.…
A large bay window peeked into the fresh lawn outside and right in the middle of it sat an immense lime beanbag. I would slump easily into it, after a never-ending day of impossible math, to read contently. Of course, the book came from one of the two towering walnut bookcases, glimmering reddish in the irregular rays of sunlight. The room nearly flew to the sky giving the image of an ancient roman cathedral with vaulted ceilings. To the left of the beanbag nook, the king, feather-filled bed protruded like a needle perpendicular to the beige wall. The soft mattress was caringly wrapped in teal and lavender floral sheets. Across the room from the bed, and next to the book shelves, a small but neatly-kept L-desk waited to be used when homework time started. My overly used laptop and practically ancient printer sat on the desk, quietly keeping each other company. The last of the four large walls in my rectangular room held the door to the rest of the house in one corner. My matching walnut armoire occupied the middle of this wall, silently watching and looming over me like a protective giant. On the wall on top of the armoire, my much-appreciated flat screen TV took its place like a prince taking his thrown to become king. This meant there was still an enormous space in the middle of the room. What would I put there? A square, orange and fuzzy rug sheathed the naked oak floor. An eclectic couch made of a mosaic sprinkling of quilts sat on top. Yes that would be the finishing touch……
When we are young we admire the great and cool things that teenagers are able to do, and all we want is to be teenagers. As the years would go by we would get more excited because our teen years were getting closer. However, when we finally reach those teenage years, we then suddenly wish we could be kids again. A teenager and a child both have their differences and similarities, but they are more different than we think; after all, they are two different ages.…
Joseph Epstein’s “The Perpetual Adolescent”, has a very stubborn outlook on society’s obsession to stay young. It has become a norm to remain in one’s adolescent phase of life rather than to continue onto the adult stage. Epstein points out faults of the perpetual adolescent by demonstrating how this child-like state prevents people from taking life seriously. His one-sided views depict a society that is devoid of actual grown-ups, capable of making mature responsible decisions.…