" You never know when
you're making a memory. "
Rickie Lee Jones
A song, the sound of a person's voice, a color, a smell – any of these can trigger a memory. Your mind stores an amazing number or memories, from the smallest to the largest life events: a birthday party, a kind word, a graduation ceremony, a hug from a friend, bread baking in the over, a kiss…. And you never know when a memory will pop into your head. What you do today will be tomorrow's memories for you (and may be someone else).
" When you have to cope with a lot of problems,
you're either going to sink
or you're going to swim. "
Some questions have either a right or a wrong answer. Should I go to School? Should I finish my homework? Should I drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes? You know the right answers to questions like these. The wrong answers can cause problems for you. If you're already carrying more than your share of problems, don't make things worse for yourself. If you need support or encouragement, tell an adult you trust.
" Love yourself first and
everything else falls in line. "
Here are three more good things to do for yourself from Gershen Kaufman and Lev Raphael:
4. Do at least one thing every day that's good for your body.
5. Do atleast one thing every day that's good for your brain.
6. Find and adult you can trust and talk to.
( Tip : Make a list of all six good things — yesterday's and today's — and put it where you can see it every morning. )
" I take care of me. I am the only one I've got "
Groucho Marx
What have you done for yourself lately? Authors Gershen Kaufman & Lev Raphael spell out six good things to do for yourself. Here are three.
1. Choose something to do just for fun. Then do it whenever you can.
2. Give yourself a present every day. (This dosen't have to cost money. Listen to a favorite CD or take a bubble bath.)
3. Forgive yourself for something you did in the past.
" Progress involves risk.
You can't steal second base
and keep your foot on tghe first. "
Frederick Wilcox
You can't get anywhere if you don't take risks.
" Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. "
Why put limits on yourself? Why can't you work to change a law? Why can't you run for class president? Why can't you try out for a team or school play? Only you can tell yourself no. Only you can stop yourself from doing whatever you've always wanted to do. Take a chance; stick your neck out.Maybe you'll find that you can do what you once thought was impossible.
" A friend is a present you give yourself. "
Robert Louis Stevenson
Making friends is hard work. You have to be willing to reach out, to listen, to be honest and accepting. You have to risk being rejected; not everyone will want to be your friend. Still, a life without friends would be no life at all. As poet Edgar Guest once said, "Who would be happy, first must have a friend."
" I wish there were windows to my soul,
so that you could see some of my feelings. "
Artemus Ward
Its important to be able to name and describe your feelings. Then you can talk about them more clearly. You can get help understanding the ones them seems confusing to you. Gershen Kaufman and Lev Raphael suggest three ways to grow a Feelings Vocabulary;
1. Listen to other people talk about their feelings.
2. Ask for help explaining your feelings.
3. Read about feelings. (Ask a parent, teacher, or librarian to recommend a book.)
" Trust your hunches. "
Joyce Brothers
It sounds good. It looks good. It seems like a good idea. But something about it doesn't feel right. (You could be facing a new relationship or a new experience. A Friend could be trying to talk to you into something.) You've tried to find out as much as you can. You've dug for the facts. You've thought about it a lot. And you're still not sure… Trust your hunches. Listen to that little voice inside your head.
" It is such a secret place, the land of tears. "
Antoine de St. Exupery
Where do you go when you're felling sad? Is there someplace you can be alone and cry if you want to? We all need to cry sometimes. Even boys. Even grown-up men. Crying is a way to let go of painful feelings. It can be good for you. Charles Dickens once wrote, "Crying opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens down the temper, so cry away."
