Beautiful Memories

The innocent eyes of a child watched in anticipation as the heavy forest- green door creaked open and I watched as my mother appeared carrying a soft pink bundle. At that moment I thought to myself, “I finally have a baby sister!” She walked carefully and slowly (so as not to disturb her)  toward the gigantus master bedroom that would now be her home. Slowly, she lowered herself  into the green, flower- printed rocking chair and opened the blanket just enough for my brothers and I to see the black haired fuzz ball that was now our baby sister. Though I may not have known it at the time, I now realize  this is truly the meaning of beauty.

Beauty can be interpreted in many different ways, and can take various forms. As the saying goes, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” I think that sunshine during a rainstorm is beauty, just seeing the perfect drops of rain shining and reflecting the sun as they fall to the ground. And the color of the dark gray storm clouds silhouetted by the beautiful long rays of golden sunshine,  painting an awestruck picture in your mind.  Or maybe making hot chocolate-- and the way the kettle screams, and whistles at you when the water is finally ready for you to pour it  into your over-sized mug that is filled with the sifty hot cocoa mix, soon to transform  into a concoction of silky smooth chocolate;  marshmallows and whipped cream mountains top it. And the way your brother looks with a whipped cream mustache carefully smeared on his upper lip, and the sound of us laughing at him for being such a dork.

It’s Halloween night and the moon is like a bowl of pearly white milk.  Lurky, leaping shadows skit across the street, illuminated by the yellow light, staring forever in one direction: down. Slowly the shadows morph into my sister and I as we quickly scurry up to the very last house for the night; our heart beats are conga drums. Excitement and curiosity line our faces as we wait patiently for the angel waiting inside who is giving out “FREE CANDY!” We almost scream at her,“Trick or Treat,” as we anxiously wait for the moment when the Kit-Kat delicacy lands in our all-too eager hands. Our mother smiles as we come skipping back to the car, telling her with much excitement about the treasure we had just received. We make it back up to our house where a nice pot of hot chili and yellow cornbread is waiting to be devoured.

It doesn’t  matter if a bowl full of hot chili and a warm cornbread muffin, or hot chocolate are the things we hold close to our hearts -- or a little sister that you have been hoping for has finally landed in your outstretched arms. A a rainy day can turn upside down, the sun coming out of its hiding place;  finally we realize that  most anything has a little bit of beauty in it. It just takes the right person to take that beauty and to mold and shape it, share it, make memories out of it to turn it into “Something truly beautiful.”

In Itself

The world, or I guess the universe, or even the galaxy, it is a crazy place. It’s structured like a great balancing act done by thin contortionists on taught wires, showing just enough beauty in some places, and then exploding with vibrant heartache in one spot. Life is like a series of beautiful moments unraveling over each other like bruises bloom over fragile skin. I could name one thousand things and still my mind would be whirring with more possibilities, more moments, more memories, more ideas, and I guess that’s my first “something beautiful.” The human mind is limitless, it is astounding, the expanse of the thoughts and perspectives held inside of it are incomprehensible. And it’s absolutely beautiful.

I see eight tan feet splashing through the freezing water in Abby’s creek. They belong to all four of us, to Abby and Jake, Brooklyn and me. They contrast with our pale scars, earned from running around Payson with no shoes on like indians. We’re proud of them. They’re gorgeous, and so are our ideas, bounding back and forth between the pitches of our laughing and the freedom that we savor. Laying on the trampoline, all four of us, gazing up at the net of trees that lets in patches of glowing dusk. The way Jake talks about music, the way all of our eyes light up when we have an epiphany, our telepathic conversations and our midnight bursts of tragic energy and happiness. Everything about our days and nights together and the unexpected places we find ourselves ending up. The way we push and pull at each other’s mindsets and personalities, our entire coexistence and dependence upon each other is beautiful in some twisted way I have yet to understand.

I see my little brother wake up in the gray dawn (from me shaking him aggressively.) At the young age of 11, all of the world’s pressure and hurry has started to press in on this creature that is still a mystery to me, even after 11 years spent teaching him how to swing and lecturing him about being more spontaneous. I witness all the bruises on his arms from nightly football practices and the determined look in his eyes when he wakes up two hours early to do homework that is due the same day. He’s ready for the world, ready for a crazy, fulfilling life, and it’s gorgeous to me, yet frustrating because I was never that way.

I see the sun set over the mountains that I have grown up roaming, and I see stars come up over an exasperatingly colorful landscape that is slowly fading into the reign of winter. I look at a globe etched in borderlines and places I have never been to and I hear a new song that makes me feel like myself again.

I feel the absolute freedom of the audience at a concert. I savor every last vibration of the amps leading up my feet and into my heart, syncing everyone’s pulses, making us all young. I laugh in absolute ecstasy in the midst of all the clapping and the brilliant music emanating from the stage, foggy with blue lighting and heat and smoke.

I feel everything revolving around me in a chaotic harmony that I am hopelessly determined to interpret someday. I feel the awkward pulling sensation as an airplane takes off from its shackles of pavement and gravity. I watch hot air balloons and hear the fantastic crack of thunder, and I am left in a rare loss for words at the beautiful, tragic heartache of a vibrant, passionate planet that we live on. The world, in itself, is beautiful.

NOTE*: These examples are from 2012-2013 school year and do not include the four poetic devices underlined (imagery, alliteration, simile, metaphor). They also use the pronoun "you" a lot--which is best to avoid. The examples are not edited by me; not meant to be perfect--but they are wonderful examples (well-developed beginning, middle, end), by your peers, illustrating how to explore a topic effectively.

Unnatural Beauty

The world is beautiful.  Our surroundings are beautiful, there is nothing more beautiful than nature.  It’s amazing seeing all of the wonderful things on this earth, and so amazing that humankind exists.  Mental beauty is amazing as well, when I feel good about myself, that is by far the most amazing feeling ever.  It is a great feeling to have pride in myself, and who I am. To feel like there is a reason to be on this earth, other than to just breathe.  It gives life a meaning when you feel beautiful.  I love seeing families, and children playing!  When a family is laughing, it makes me smile on the inside.  It’s  a great sight that such people can bond together.

Nature is an amazing.  It is mind-blowing.  It is such a beautiful sight when a beautiful sunset, sets over the horizon of the earth.  The colors bursting through the air, and the cool breeze blowing my hair as if I’m blow drying my hair. The beach is also an amazing sight.  Watching the incredible waves the size of planet earth, crash up onto the sand.  Thinking about the creatures that live inside that beautiful ocean.  Being at the beach has a great impact on my mental state of mind.  Your mind can relax, and you can play.  Nobody there can get into my head, I am in that moment of happiness, with nobody else’s thoughts controlling how I reflect on myself.  I get these same feelings at a lake, when you can see pine cones falling off the majestically tall trees. That private little area where you can escape, your mind wanders.  When I see little creatures roaming through the woods, I get this sensational feeling, it’s a feeling that is indescribable.  

The human mind is incredibly powerful.  The way my brain is working at this moment right now, is just beautiful.  I’m not perfect.  And I don’t claim to be, but when I look at myself in the mirror I see someone with a meaning to this world.   I see beauty.  It’s beautiful when I can see myself in a positive way, not anybody else's negative opinion of me.  It is truly sad when I see someone carve their life in the direction that haters want it.  Everyone should be themself, no matter what the haters say.  Yeah, I am short.  But when I look in a mirror, I feel tall.  Because that is my interpretation of myself.  When I feel beautiful, I am beautiful. It always leads to an amazing day.  It’s a day that I feel good about myself.  That is truly beauty.

Family.  The definition of family is a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.  Being together with my family makes me happy, when we’re spending time at a picnic, or driving in a car together, or just having dinner together.  When I am with my family my whole life feels put together.  Like we are an inseparable piece of art.  When my whole family is laughing, that is true beauty.  We are having fun, all together!  I love my family.

Beauty is a lot of things.  It’s seeing nature, squirrels running through the woods, it’s feeling good about yourself, and it’s being with your family, and feeling like yourself. Beauty is truly an amazing thing no matter the definition.  Beauty means more than the definition in the dictionary; combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses.  But it is so much more than that,  the human eye can not always see beauty for what it truly is. When you put your mind to it you will find beauty in every detail of life.  No matter what the case.

Beautiful Beauty

Beauty is all around, and in everything we see. Everything contains beauty in some degree, whether it be inner or outer beauty. We just need to look for it, sometimes even search! It has been said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Beauty is defined in the dictionary as: A combination of qualities that pleases the senses. There are many different types of beauty, including inner beauty which is more difficult to see. Beauty is inside all of us whether we decide to show it or not.

The beauty of nature is all around, always moving, always buzzing with sound. The grass swaying in the wind, dancing to the song is beautiful to behold. The bees buzzing in the flowers, humming along. The waves crashing, and the sun shining. The birds chirping, the wind roaring, or the rain pounding; nature is  beautiful. The sand beneath my toes, with the waves crashing to the shore, and the birds fluttering above. Nature is a hidden paradise filled with beauty. Sitting on a rock, watching the river slowly flow, as the fish beneath the surface zig zag to and fro. Blossoming flowers falling to the ground ever so softly, trying not to be heard. The earth would be dull without nature and it’s diversity of beauties.

Girls running around the mall together, boys throwing a ball, children playing tag in the street. It’s called friendship. Friends are always there for you whether to laugh or to cry. Close your eyes and imagine life without friends. No one would associate with anyone else, the sound of laughter wouldn’t be heard, and no smiles shared. Life wouldn’t be anything like the way it is today without the beauty of enduring friendships. Remember those pictures from your childhood with your best friend, in your mother’s dress which is way too big on you, and room to spare even with the high heels? Now that you think about it, wasn’t that a good memory? Memories shared with those friends have a way of  sticking with you and shaping you into who you are.  This type of friendship is beautiful.

Beauty doesn’t just have to be on the outside, inner beauty is one of the best kinds of beauty. Inner beauty shines from the inside out. The world often thinks of beauty as the skinniest girl in the school with the cutest clothes, tons of makeup, and a two hour hairdo. But, beauty isn’t always manifest as physical attractiveness. Inner beauty is when a person stops to hold the door for someone else, or offers to pick something up for you, or someone who always finds the positive in people and is kind to everyone. Just a simple smile to someone can be beautiful in other’s perspective. Someone once said “If you live close to God and His infinite grace—you won’t have to tell, it will show in your face.”