The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

After seeing the many posts, pictures, and quotes from the John Green book Looking For Alaska on tumblr, I added the book to my increasingly long "Must Read" list.  It wasn't until my mom got The Fault in Our Stars from the library, finished it, and couldn't stop raving about it, that I finally started to actually put my goal into action and read a John Green book.  Let me tell you, I haven't regretted any second of it.  I'm currently reading Looking For Alaska but have since finished The Fault in Our Stars and one of my new favorite books, Paper Towns.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book was unlike any book I had ever read before.  Although the main characters were somewhat younger than me and were living through much more hardship, I immediately felt connected through our mutual trouble with growing up, keeping friends, parental relationships, and getting lost in literature.  All of the characters were so enjoyable and, as cliche as it may sound, inspirational.  While I call the characters inspirational, do not assume that they are ever-optimistic and content with their numbered days.  I find these characters inspirational because, although they don't let their diseases dictate their every move, they each have a different approach to their own lives, and none of them are perfectly optimistic and happy.

This story really put my own life in perspective.  Again, as cliche as it might sound, it did truly show me how lucky I am to be healthy.  I have known, and I'm sure almost everyone has known, at least one person that has been affected by cancer.  John Green really puts into perspective how someone so close to my age can be affected by such a horrible disease, and how much appreciating my family, friends, and health is important.

Building the Nostalgia

We had a little surprise get-together for my friend's 18th birthday the other day, and it was a huge success! Somehow, she had no idea of our intentions, even with the multiple times we knew that she had to have seen our secret Facebook messages or sly texts... Somehow though, we pulled it off and our night of surprise food, music, cake and friends was fabulous (just like her!)
We spent the night siting around on our other friend's back deck, over looking the lake, forgetting about the ten-page English paper that was due the next morning and the multiple tests that we should have been studying for, and instead enjoyed each other's company because we knew that although we still had two more months of summer, this would be one of the last times we would all be seeing this group together, and it marked the end of an era of seeing each other, the same people that we've spent the last thirteen years growing up with, every day.
This year, I couldn't wait until the day of graduation came when I wouldn't have to step through these hallways or see the same people ever again, but as the days numbered and the real "lasts" started to happen, it really sank in. These people, that at the beginning of this year I couldn't wait to get away from, were the people I held the most memories with. These were the people that I had grown up with, that I laughed and cried with, that I fought with, secretly hated, but ultimately loved. Suddenly, the thought of spending the last thirteen years with the same groups of people became not a burden, but a gift. I am so thankful for all the memories that I have been able to create with my classmates, and although I never let myself admit it before, I will truly miss them all a ton.

"The core of man's spirit comes from new experiences."

"The core of man's spirit comes from new experiences." 

Christopher McCandless 

 It is the start of a new year, a new period of my life. This is the year of decisions, of independence, of moving away, and of new experiences. In three short months, I will be making the decision as to where I will live for the next four years of my life, and in less than seven months, I will be embarking on my greatest adventure yet. It still hasn't hit me. I can't wait to get away, to be free, to learn new things and meet new people, but as I try to decide if I want to stay three hours away from home or live half a day's worth of driving away, I can't seem to make myself think of how hard it might be to actually live that far away. I have always been independent, but I also have always been very attached to my family and my home. I know I will miss the trees, the mountains, the clear skies, and the local ice cream. I know I will miss being able to see my cousins on the weekends and having the ability to go shopping with my sister anytime I want. I will miss the after school talks with my parents. I know I will. But try as I might to remind myself of these things, my yearning to go far away isn't muted one bit. I'm excited to go to a brand new place with brand new people. I'm excited to go to a place where the accents are different and the styles aren't the same. A place where not everyone looks the same, or acts the same, or has known each other since they were five-years-old. I'm excited. I know that although I will get the same experiences going only three hours away as I would moving twelve hours away, there is something different. The fact that it's farther makes it more of an adventure, creating a newer perspective. An exposure to a different type of culture, creating new experiences for me to hold onto forever.

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