The power of encouragement

Happy 7Eleven day everybody!  Did you get your free Slurpees?  I sure did.  But I got much more than a frozen, artificially flavored treat.  We all love receiving encouragement; whether it be from someone we know or not.  I don't know about you, but I think words are most powerful when they are unexpected.  Now you're probably wondering, "Ary?  What do nice words and compliments have to do with Slurpees?", well, while I was at the 7Eleven I saw this little boy and his mom.  You could tell that this boy had cancer by the way he looked and how his mom talked to him.  But on the way out I saw the little boy and his mom by their car when a man came up to the little boy and said, "you can get through this, you're like a superhero!  I'm a cancer survivor too and you're going to be just like me someday.  You can fight this little buddy,".  The smile on that boy's face could make flowers grow, I swear.  It was obvious that those words were a huge comfort to the boy and his mom; especially coming from a stranger.  It's so simple to make someone smile with words.  You may not realize it, but your words can stick with someone for their entire life, whether they be bitter or sweet.  So be like that man, encourage someone today, encourage someone every day!  Make someone smile and help flowers grow!

If you're reading this: You look great today and you have great taste in blogs.
Over and out!
<3 Ary

Before he called himself Kylo (part 2)

 “They means nothing to me Master!” Ben screamed clutching tightly to his now broken lightsaber, “they’re your family, Ben!” Luke screamed back.  Ben’s eyes had a fiery hugh to them.  A sinister yellow with a ring of red circling the edge of his discolored irises.  They looked exactly like Anakin’s eyes as he battled Obi-Wan on the burning planet Endor.  “They abandoned me!  Why should I care about them when they never cared about me?!” Ben looked like a frightened cat!  With his black, curly hair all frazzled, his eyes yellow, and in battle-ready stance.  “Ben, how could you ever think they never cared about you?” Luke’s vice was now much softer and sympathetic but Ben’s wrathful look didn’t change, “you know what?  You’re just like your grandfather!”.  Ben just growled before snapping, “good,” he mumbled with gritted teeth, “that means I have the ability and power to defeat you!” Ben pounced towards Luke igniting the beam on his lightsaber.  Swiftly, Luke swerved out of the way just in time for Ben to slice a door in half.  Breathing heavily, Ben whipped around and used his strong powers of the Force to thrust Luke into the wall, knocking Luke out.  “That’s enough old man,” Ben chuckled evilly.

            Ben ran away.  He had taken as much food, water, and clothing as he could stuff into his satchel.  He tied his red blanket around his head so he wouldn’t burn up under Tattooine’s two scorching suns.  Ben’s heart was now stone and unbeating.  Hope was no longer running through his blood.  Only hate and bitterness.

~~~~~~~~~~

            After running and running for days on end.  After having run out of food weeks ago, with barely any water left, Ben collapsed into the sand.  As he lie there, waiting to die, a shadow swam across his back.  Ben was half unconscious so he had no strength or will to lift his eyes to see who it was, but he was able to hear his voice before he passed out.  It was low, muffled, and sounded like he was talking via radio broadcast.

            When Ben had awoken, he was obviously in a jail cell, but he wasn’t dead so that was nice.  “What’s your name, kid?” asked, no, demanded the same radio-like voice Ben heard earlier.  Ben looked up to see many of the infamous Stormtroopers standing just outside of the cell gate.

“my name is Ben.  Ben Solo,”

“Solo?  Any relation to the smuggler?”

“he’s… he’s my father,”

“perfect.  You’ll be of great use to the knights of Ren,”

“as what?”

“bait,”

“no, please!  Don’t return me to my father!”

“why not?  You’re not good for anything else other than blackmail,”

“I am the Padawan of Luke Skywalker!  I have mastered the Force like no other Jedi ever has!”

“you’re the son of a rebel who aided in the defeat of Darth Vader, why should we care?”

“because… because I have seen the power of the Dark Side.  I have disowned my family and the ways of the Light Side of the Force.  I wish to be like my grandfather, Vader.  Only more powerful,”

The Stormtrooper turned to his comrades, “take him to Snoke!”.  Ben was yanked and hauled out of his cell and down the cruiser’s many hallways, but he put up no resistance.  After what seemed like an eternity, Ben was shoved into a large dark room.  “Who are you?” questioned the massive hologram in front of him.  This must’ve been Snoke.  Ben scurried up to his feet, “I am Ben Solo, grandson of our former leader, Darth Vader!” Ben shouted confidently.  The hologram called Snoke seemed intrigued, “I see you have associated yourself with your grandfather in place of your mother, father, and uncle,” Snoke purred, “why is that?”.  Ben took a deep breath and puffed out his chest, “as I told the trooper, sir, I have left behind my family and the ways of the Light Side of the Force to join the more powerful Dark Side,” he shouted.  A mischievous smirk crawled across Snoke’s face, “you will be of great use to us, you will be the perfect leader for our new almighty army,” Snoke hummed, “you will need a bit of testing and possible training, but you will lead the Dark Side to victory!  But you will need to change your name,”.  Ben was slightly puzzled, “why, exactly?”, “so the rebels don’t track you down immediately!” Snoke barked, “we shall call you, ‘Kylo’”.  The name left a bitter-sweet taste in Ben’s mouth as he said it, “meaning ‘outcast’…” Ben sighed in disappointment, “no, it means ‘ruler’!” Snoke corrected.  A wicked grin was plastered into “Kylo’s” face, “ruler.  Just like my grandfather,”.  Kylo let out a loud evil guffaw as he let darkness consume his stone heart.

Before he called himself Kylo (part 1)

            His innocent hazel eyes opened up to catch their first glimpse at the world he had just entered.  He took his first breath to fill his lungs and get his heart pumping.  His parents looked down upon him with such love and adoration that you would think that he was the first person they’d ever laid eyes on.  He was swaddled in a beautiful red blanket that he would never let go of.  His mother gently kissed his fragile forehead before uttering his name.  “Ben,” his mother choked out holding back the sobs of overwhelming joy, “Ben Jarvin Solo,”.

            Ben Solo was the new addition to the Solo family.  His uncle, Luke, was very excited to be Ben’s mentor once he was to come of age.  Not to mention Chewy who was excited to have a new friend.  The whole galaxy was celebrating the birth of Ben Jarvin Solo.  But the one who was most excited about the new life was Han, Ben’s overjoyed father.  Han spent countless hours preparing for his child.  From building a room for his beloved son, to arranging the plans for his education and training, and everything in between.  The one thing Han didn’t account for, was his marriage to Leia.  They would always bicker and squabble during the night, assuming Ben was fast asleep.  But Ben heard every word, every insult, every slanderous statement that his parents threw at each other.  Even at a young age, Ben always felt alone without his parents.  With their constant arguing it was hard to believe that his parents loved him.  How could they love him when it appeared that they didn’t even love each other?

            After Ben turned ten, he was already showing signs that he had the Force within him.  But one night, his magnificent abilities came to the surface like a bright firework of power!  Though, you may think that was a joyous event that would be celebrated, it was anything but.

It all happened when Ben was cowering in the dark corner of his room with his red blanket.  He tried not to cry, but the fear and hopelessness had built up so much in his innocent heart that he couldn’t hold back the many tears that were waiting to be shed.  Han and Leia were full-on fighting.  Loud shouts of insults and the sounds of angry feet stomping on the hard floor echoed in Ben’s ears.  He was sick of it.  The constant bickering between his parents had to stop, but what could he do?  He was only ten.  In that instant, Ben’s innocence broke.  He stood up, tall and strong as he wiped the remaining tears away from his blood-shot eyes.  His fists were clenched at his sides, his eyes were stern, and his heart was empty.  Ben gently sprawled his red blanket over his bed then marched out of his cold, barren room.  He stormed over to his warring parents.  “That’s enough,” Ben snapped sharply, interrupting the hurtful conversation between Han and Leia.  Han turned his head and stared at his son with a roaring fire of rage.  Within a few seconds, Han’s body turned to face Ben as well.  “What did you say?” Han spat with gritted teeth, but Ben did not falter, he stood firm.  “I said; that’s enough,” Ben repeated.  Han looked as if he was ready to explode like a hydrogen bomb, “is that any way to speak to your father?”.  Before Ben could respond, Leia rolled her eyes and grumbled, “like father like son,”.  With that, all hell had broken loose between Han and Leia,

“so this is all my fault?!”

“well you are his father!”

“how could he have learned that from me when you’re the one hanging around him all the time?!”

“I’m around him all the time because you’re never around for your own son!  He’s your flesh and blood, Han!”

Ben couldn’t take it anymore!  He tried to stand in between his parents move them away from each other, but to no avail.  Finally, with one mighty shove, Ben channeled his powers and used the Force to fling his parents into the walls of the room opposite of each other.  “STOP IT!” Ben shouted as dust and rubble flitted about the air.  Ben looked to either side of him only to realize that he had flung his parents through the walls of the house!  Chunks of furniture, roof, and wall were scattered haphazardly around the area.  Either parent was sitting in a pile of dust and dirt with chunks of wood and metal surrounding their persons.  “That’s enough,” Ben breathed.

            Ben was now fifteen and old enough to be Luke’s Padawan.  The incident that occurred when Ben discovered his powers with the Force had not been forgotten.  In fact, because of that, Han and Leia were ready to ship him off so they wouldn’t have to deal with him and his destructive ways with the Force.  As you would expect, Ben felt increasingly weak, alone, and helpless as time went by.  The emotional weight on Ben’s heart was almost unbearable, but his heart managed to stay beating with hope. Ben hugged his mother tightly before he left.  She didn’t hug back nearly as tightly.  See, Ben was embracing his mother.  It was a silent “I love you” to his mother.  Leia’s hug was merely physical contact, but it still had love behind it.  Leia was only protecting her own heart so she wouldn’t be as crushed when her son left.  As Ben embraced his father goodbye, Han embraced back just as intimately.  Both Han and Leia were devastated to see their adored son leave to go to a completely different planet.  As soon as Ben got on that ship, Han and Leia regretted their decision.  They couldn’t abandon their son in his time of need!  But it was too late now, ben and Luke were already in the sky and leaving the atmosphere of Bespin.  At that moment, Han and Leia had lost their son.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Years had passed by and Ben was at his full potential.  He had especially mastered Jedi mind tricks.  He had even figured out how to pull a person’s thoughts out of their heads to get information!  All at the age of twenty-three!  But still, Ben’s heart was empty.  He was now bitter and all hope had left his soul.  Ben had no more love in his heart.  He had disowned his family as they had abandoned him in his time of distress.  One night, as Ben lay awake in his bedroom, he was discovering who he had become.  “My father and mother have betrayed me,” Ben mumbled stroking his red baby blanket, “they have left me behind.  How could I be so foolish to think that they ever loved me?  They don’t even love each other!  I mean nothing to them.  So they mean nothing to me,”.  Ben sat up and lifted his lightsaber off of the shelf over his bed just above his head.  He turned it on and it emitted a bright, smooth, red glow.  A bubble of rage burst in Ben’s chest as he hurled his lightsaber across his room only for it to hit a wall.  Ben sighed in defeat then crawled over to his weapon leaving the red blanket of his bed.  He turned it on once again to make certain he didn’t bust it.  Instead of a smooth glow, it let out a beam of jagged, red light.  Almost like lightning.  Ben’s eyes widened but at the same time grew dark.  A wicked grin crept its way up Ben’s face before he muttered, “join the Dark side.  It’s where all of your power lies,”.

TO BE CONTINUED....

Day 7: I never thought blogging would...

I never thought blogging would help me solve my problems.

When I started this blog I thought is was going to be bubbly, lighthearted, and fun!  Boy, was I wrong.  This blog can be fun and giggly sometimes, but more often than not, it's kinda weighty.  Who knew I could be so thought provoking!  I never knew that I could solve my own problems just by angrily typing on my laptop.  Maybe being an angsty teen isn't that bad.  Guess that's why I make such a good blogger!  Even though all I do is rant to you about my problems.  But this red background reveals much.

Guys, I'd like to thank you for sticking around this long.  I know I can be really irritating and boring, yet you stick around.  Thank you so much!  I especially want to thank you for participating in my writing challenge this week!  It's been really fun!

Much more to come for years to come!
over and out!
<3 Ary

Day 6: My favorite quote and what it means to me.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,"

- Martin Luther King Jr.

The year is 1963, the African Civil Rights Movement is in its prime.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the biggest activists of this movement.  We all know about his famous "I have a dream..." speech, but to me, that long speech is nothing compared to the few words you see above.  Though this may not be the full quote, it sends the same message that the full quote does, only with fewer words.

This world is dark, and it's only getting darker.  People seem to think that fighting fire with fire will diminish the flame, but that only causes more destruction.  The same thing was going on back in the 60s.  People were causing riots and destroying towns, leaving a trail of bitterness behind them.  Dr. King recognized this and saw that their civil disobedience was getting them nowhere.  This quote says in 20 words what no one else could say with 1000.  Why fight hate with more hate?  Fight hate with love, and you will go far.  This applies to everyone in every situation, past, present, and future.  If there is a problem, fight it with love, not bitterness.  You don't light a room by bringing in more darkness.  You don't extinguish a fire by lighting another flame.  You don't combat hate with an even greater hate.  This quote is very meaningful to me because it reminds me that being bitter and hateful solves nothing.  If there is a problem, you solve it with love and patience.  Just like Jesus did.

Radio Rebel

So recently I have been watching those cheesy Disney channel original movies.  Yes, most of them have mediocre plots, acting that needs desperate improvement, graphics that look like a two-year-old's drawing, and predictable endings.  But a few of them are actually worth watching.  Like Cow Belles and Lemonade Mouth.  But another one that really stuck out to me was Radio Rebel.

Radio Rebel is about this girl named Tara.  She is shy and doesn't like attention, but she has this secret podcast called "Radio Rebel" where she gives teens in her area life advice based on her own life.  But, no one knows or even suspects that Tara is the famous and adored "Radio Rebel".  Now, I won't get too deep into the plot, but I will talk about the amazing messages that are taught throughout the movie.

Now, this movie has many great messages but there was one in particular that really stuck out to me.  Tara talks about how people tend to behave differently around different people.  Maybe you act all studious and proper in front of your parents and act all dumb and ditzy around your crush just to get attention.  Or, maybe you act all rebellious and daring around your friends but turn very shy when you're in the presence of your teachers.  Maybe it's not even that dramatic of a difference!  Maybe you mention your love for Doctor Who all the freaking time in front of your BFF and then, in front of your sibling, you don't know what Doctor Who is.  Basically, you end up having like 17 different personalities.  Which is so true!  I know I act differently depending on who I'm around.  But Tara later says that we should be who we truly are, and if others don't like who we are, that's their problem.  You are a wonderful person with so many amazing qualities and beautiful blossoming talents!  You don't need to hide parts of your stunning and quirky personality just because you happen to be talking to your neighbor instead of your soccer team.  GOD has crafted you carefully and caringly and you should not be ashamed of that whatsoever!  Even though this movie never blatantly says anything about religion, it does have a similar message to that of the Bible's.  You are beautifully and wonderfully made by the uplifting hands of our heavenly father.  There is NO need to cover any part of his fantastic masterpiece.

Over and out!
<3 Ary

_________________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT NOTE FROM ARY:  The votes are in!  The final subjects have been chosen by you the people!  The topics for my writing challenge will be... (drum roll please)... #5 three things about myself I am proud of, #6 a charcter sketch of... (BFF, dad, or teacher), #7 I never thought blogging would...,#8 letter to ten-year-old self, #9 life bucket list, #10 who's my hero and why?, and finally, #11 my favorite quote and what it means to me!!!  Yay!  These are very inspring topics and I can't wait to see the final drafts of all of them!  Thank you SO much for your imput!

I was wrong

Most people don’t like to be proved wrong.  Even if they are wrong, they deny the evidence and support their false opinion anyway.  I try not to be one of those people, though I do make a few slip-ups here and there.  One of the false opinions I had was that the people of the Catholic religion were stuck-up, hypocritical, and overall bullies!  Turns out I was wrong.  I was stereotyping them!  I always make this HUGE deal about how Christians are unjustly stereotyped based on the limited view on the media, but that was exactly what I was doing to the Catholics!

I went to this wedding in Wisconsin with my dad earlier this year.  It was for one of my dad’s friends and his fiancée.  What I didn’t realize was that the wedding was Catholic.  When I found out, my heart dropped down into my stomach.  I was afraid that the other girls there would “persecute” me for being Protestant!  I now see that thinking in that way was utterly stupid, but I didn’t see it then.  Anyway, during the service, I thought people were going to stare at and judge my dad and me when we didn’t exactly follow their traditions.  But they didn’t.  Not so much as a passing glance.  Later, during the reception, I thought the reception would be boring and flat.  Basically, I thought it was going to be a second sermon with food.  But, I was wrong.  The speakers at the table had a great sense of humor and made lots of jokes!  Of course, they mentioned GOD, Jesus, and the Bible a lot, but it felt natural and sincere, not forced.  Soon after, they cleared the dance floor!  I thought they were going to play classical dancing songs that would lull me to sleep.  Again, I was wrong.  They played fun, upbeat songs like “Shake It Off” and “Uptown Funk”!  I had a great time!  I was proved wrong by the Catholics.  They disproved the horrible stereotypes I believed about them.  I was wrong.  But now, I am in the right, and I can’t wait to see where that takes me.