My Sweet Sixteen!

GUESS WHAT TODAY IS?!
Today, I turn 16 years old! I love being able to say that. "I'm 16." It just sounds nice.
I have dreamed of being sixteen since I was about six. So for the past decade, I have dreamed of this very day. It sets the expectations for this otherwise ordinary Tuesday pretty high, doesn't it?
So, reality check.
Today is going to consist of morning Bible study at school, then classes. Let's see...Spanish: I have a presentation due. Biomed: work to catch up on, as always. Math: Going to be staying after for tutoring this afternoon to correct learning targets. English: Exams are soon, let's get some stuff done.
Overall, how extraordinary is my sweet sixteen? Because if I don't get those grades back to A's where they belong, that amazing party we have planned for this weekend isn't going to happen. It reminds me that sometimes, it's not so great to expect so much out of something that it can never be as good as you expect it to be.
That's not to say my birthday isn't going to be good. I have some really amazing friends, and I can't imagine how they could make today anything but good for me. I'm sure I'll get lots of happy birthday's and it will be wonderful. But to expect my sixteenth birthday to be the showstopping day that I once imagined is a little ridiculous. I've mentioned my math teacher's wife before. (Author Kimberly Rae.) This whole scenario reminds me of a story I read on her blog, about expectations. In the story, Kim learned not to expect too much out of her husband, because he, like everyone else is human. And there was really no way he could've known she wanted him to buy her flowers...until she bought them herself. So I guess what I'm trying to say here is that expecting my birthday to be the most incredible day to ever exist is a little overzealous of me. Who's to say something completely horrible won't happen and that when I'm older, it won't be a great day to think back on? (Hopefully, nothing horrible will happen, and I'll still have a great birthday.)
But, you know, it already isn't what I dreamed of. For one, house fire! I never imagined getting ready for school on my sixteenth birthday in a somewhat cramped house, sharing a bathroom with not only one member of my family, but all three of them. See? Already not what was expected of my special birthday. But you know what? That's okay! It doesn't have to be exactly what I expected to be great! I am a very blessed sixteen year old girl! I have a family, a house, two dogs, my writing, my boyfriend, my friends, an amazing church family, good books, caramel apple cider...the list goes on and on! I'm in a good place, and I have realized that just because the unexpected happens, doesn't mean I can't make something good out of it. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It's a pretty good motto to live by, if you ask me. (Maybe stir in some thankfullness in with that sugar, too.)
So, happy birthday to me, and it's going to be a good day, no matter what kind of lemons life throws at me!
Always, Cassie

Taylor Swift

Today's post (the first of December, yay!) is all about Taylor Swift.
I know that a lot of people don't like her (although I'm not sure why). But you know what? I love Taylor Swift, and I'm not afraid to say so. I love everything about the way she presents herself to the world. I love that she wasn't afraid to change and grow up, as well as allow her music to make that transition with her. She started out in country music, so what? She was a child then, only fourteen years old. She grew up, she changed. Her music did, too, and that's okay. That's normal. Change happens, you guys. Also, I love that she didn't let her image go wild. She never abandoned her dignity just to be "successful". Success here is used loosely, because I personally do not consider Miley Cyrus a successful person at this point. Yeah, people talk about her. Yes, they know who she is. That doesn't mean they like her, respect her, or idolize her. It doesn't mean they even consider her anything more than an overused joke. Taylor Swift, on the other hand, is someone I consider to be successful.
But what is success? A couple of weeks ago, the sophomore biomed students took a field trip to Greer laboratories, where, before our tour, we were spoken to by a doctor who works there, and he told us many definitions of success. (Like not living in your mom's basement.) So I got to thinking about the differences between our worldly successes and the meaning of success in God's eyes, a topic which was discussed at last year's Lutheran Youth Organization Assembly in Greensboro. What is the difference? Earthly success is often balanced on money, fame, and social status. Godly success is more focused on the way you live your life, and what kind of difference you can make when you follow God's will for your life. So the question is, can you have both? Yes! Which brings us back to today's topic, the lovely Taylor Swift. I can't imagine a more impactful person. We all know that celebrities impact our lives. They're a part of our society; we can't change that. But we can choose which celebrities to follow and which to disregard. Taylor Swift has made her impact a positive one. She dresses appropriately, for one. Yeah, she shows some skin at times. But guess what? She's in her mid-twenties at this point. She's allowed to wear things she couldn't wear when she started her career at fourteen years old. And the best part is, she didn't wear those things then. She only started wearing them when she was old enough to do so. Also, she's pretty admirable in her care for people in general, but especially her fans. For example, she sent a care package to a fan who was struggling with moving out of her childhood home. (The care package included a sweater, a blanket, candles, tea, and personal notes along with a journal. No Taylor Swift endorsement material included, I might add. It wasn't a marketing tool, people. It was a genuine CARE package.) She also showed up at a fan's home with presents for said fan's little boy, all because, five years ago, Taylor met this fan who was struggling with the fact that she apparently couldn't become pregnant. Taylor later learned that she had, in fact, eventually become pregnant and had a little boy. So Naturally Taylor showed up at their house, just to drop by and say hello. Because she's Taylor Swift, and she can do that. The remarkable part is that she wants to.
This is no small-time celebrity we're talking about here. This girl has broken records nobody could break. She beat the Beatles in record sales. That's not easy to do. The fact that she is staying humble and, even more importantly, true to herself, is even more remarkable considering her earthly success. She's a pretty remarkable person. I don't know what Taylor Swift believes. I don't know if she's a Christian. But I do know that she demonstrates some very Christian traits. (Forgive me for saying this, but sometimes I think she demonstrates them a lot more than some other celebrities who do profess to be Christian.) Regardless of what she believes, Taylor Swift makes a very positive impact. She gives back in a personal way, rather than just being the face for some charity. Don't get me wrong, that's good too. And I know the children Angelina Jolie adopted from various countries are grateful for that. But sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, the smaller things in life, like a toy truck for the little boy of a fan who thought she would never get pregnant, or a blanket and a journal for a struggling young woman who was having to deal with a massive uprooting, might mean more than any amount of money. It makes my reflective mind think. What kind of impact can one care package have? What kind of impact can one person have? A pretty big one, apparently! So, maybe you don't like Taylor Swift. Maybe you think she can't sing, maybe you think she can't dance. But don't tell me she doesn't care. Don't tell me she doesn't make a difference. I would so much rather tell you that I'm a fan of a girl who can't dance, but who sends care packages and makes home visits and takes selfies with excited fans at Starbucks, than tell you I'm a fan of a lunatic who swings through the air on a wrecking ball or who makes a fool of herself on national television by being disgustingly grotesque on stage and calling it art.
If Taylor Swift can't dance, so be it. Haters gonna hate.
Always, Cassie