Taking Chances

Life is short. It’s what you make it. Some people are dealt bad hands, while others skate through with no problems at all. It’s a game of luck with which hand you’re dealt, but once you have your hand, it’s about what you make of it. You have to step out there in blind faith. You have to trust that things will turn out right. Take chances and risks, because you only get one shot at it.

I worked this out in my art class. One of the class has had a hard time lately, granted. This person has chosen to be the martyr though. They spent the whole class whinging and whining about the work and how they felt so behind and that they couldn’t possibly do things on their own and take a risk. I found myself getting so angry.

When I first started art classes, at 22 years old, I knew nothing about art really. At school I was told that I was no good and shouldn’t bother. Turns out the teachers were wrong. But I wouldn’t have known this if I didn’t take risks in my art. If I didn’t make the extra effort and go that extra mile. Yes, things scare me, but when I need help, I ask for it. But for the most part, I take risks, I play with the pictures, and inject a little of me into it. With fairly good results.

So what I’m saying, people, is, take risks! Don’t just stand there and shake. Be bold. And as the song says, “What do you say about taking chances?”

Writer’s Blog

I wanted to write something inspiring, witty and imaginitive, but I find myself lacking the words. Frankly, I’m sick of people. Fed up of people using others. I have a ‘friend’ (wow, I never thought I’d have to use that phrasiology again!) who is always there to call on me when they need me. When they’re depressed and need help. When they need a shoulder to cry on. They’re never there when I need them though. It’s almost too much hassle. This friend, I haven’t seen properly for three weeks now, and when I saw her while driving on Sunday, she blanked me completely. Supposedly I’m ‘one of her best friends’, Yeah, Right! She only wants one thing. Attention when she wants it. Well, I’m done. I’ve had it being used!

People backstab, and bitch and attack others they supposedly consider friends, and then expect them to just accept it and be there.

Christians say to turn the other cheek. Well, I will do that. If she ever needs help, I will be there, but never again will I consider her a friend. I am not something to be picked up, played with and put down.

NEVER AGAIN!!!!

Depression

Have you ever felt like you want to die? Have you ever hated yourself so much you could just obliterate yourself into nothingness?

Depression is a crippling illness, which is receiving a lot of media attention right now. I know people with depression, who are good people stuck in a repetitive destructive cycle. Unfortunately, I also know people who use the excuse of depression to avoid the real world. These people are the ones that get help, leaving the genuinely needy people to struggle and suffer alone.

Depression hits more that one in ten people, and the age range is far more vast than you would initially think. The symptoms of depression vary from person to person, some feeling lethargic and lacking energy. Some losing appetite, and some simply feeling ‘blue’.

With this vastly changing illness, it is surprising that the medical profession seemingly decided to treat it in a stock way, as if it was simply the flu.

Doctors seem to act like this illness is nothing more than an imagined disease, thought up to make their lives difficult. It is then interesting that they seem perfectly willing to treat people who are using depression to gain attention.

Why is it that in this day and age, that people who are desperately hurting and in pain, cannot get the help that they need, while the people who are perfectly happy can use this to access all the resources that should be available to help the genuinely suffering people.

Heather Mills: Is she skating through because of her disability?

Anyone following Dancing on Ice on ITV1 can surely see that Heather Mills, despite being near the top or middle of the leaderboard each week, is not as good a skater as some celebrities lower down on the board. So the question is… is she using her disability to get through?

In Sunday’s (January 31st) episode, she alone mentioned her prosthetic leg a total of four times in three minutes. The week before, it was mentioned twice in the same time and in the first episode, it was mentioned a whopping seven times.

Obviously she has a disability, but she preaches not letting anything hold her back and pertains to be a spokesperson for amputees, running support websites and inspiring people. No doubt, noble work, but when she comes on national television and talks about her disability and its limits the whole time, how can she then say she is doing this to inspire people?

Daniella Westbrook was a far more inspirational figure in the show, when she fell, tearing muscles in her back and cracking several ribs, to then keep on practicing, without complaint, despite obvious pain. She went on to say that “It’s just part of skating”. Though she is not a professional skater, in this, she showed the attitude of one, and acted far more professionally than Heather Mills.

The judges, each week, commend her for even trying as she has a prosthetic leg. This doesn’t give us the chance to see her as a skater. We are constantly bombarded with messages of how wonderful she is for trying to do this, with a prosthetic leg, which deducts from the viewing experience, and distracts us with regards making decisions fairly based on skating. It seems to be a case of “Oh didn’t she do well – she only has one leg”. With all kudos to her for going out there and skating, I refuse to judge her any less harshly than the other skaters, many of whom are putting on far better performances and are ending up lower down on the scoreboard.