MR. SALSICH'S POST

I have especially enjoyed all the comments on this week's forum.  You are brave young people to be so honest. I was particularly struck, just now, by Olivia's post. It takes courage to be so honest and open with classmates and a teacher. When I was her age, I would never have been able to do that. I applaud Olivia, and all of you. 

Olivia's post

I feel confined mostly all the time, but when I fell really confined is when I think that no one cares and my mom and dad are mad at me and when my sister picks on me. I usually go to my room when I feel like this and listen to music and finish my homework if I have any. Sometimes I will stay in my room and not go down stairs until dinner time because I am afraid of what they will say. I think I put it on myself, because in my mind I think everyone is out to get me and I'm afraid to face my fears. No matter how hard I try to face them I can't, and it goes in a big circle, over and over again. The situation gets better than worse, better than worse. It gets annoying after a while, and that's when I feel even more confined.

Zack's Post

To me everything is confining. Physical, abstract, important, superfluous, everything has limitations. In school I have do the work and meet the expectations. On the sports field I follow the rules and play for the team. Hiking I fatigue or meet shear walls of granite. Sitting hear I have 107 buttons to push and if I don't look at the screen I won't know what I typed. Even gravity and brick walls can make me feel cramped and claustrophobic. Even infinity has finite possibilities: it is always infinity and whatever you add or subtract to it the status qou remains.

My problem is I don't want limitations. I want boundlessness. I want to push the limits and find that were never really there. James Cook said, "Do just once what other say you can't do, and you will never again pay attention to their limitations again." I don's care if you have limits but I don't want to ever find mine. I want to just go and go and go and never have to stop going; be it math, soccer, or seeing how many flights of stairs I can jump I never want to have to turn around. I guess that's way space and rockets and the stars or mabye even death appear in my writing so much, I dream of a place where all these limits are gone. I'm hoping for a place with no gravity or brick wall, where I can take the square root of a negative number, write a fifty-two sentence paragraph, even write jubberish and have it be intelligable. I hate to be told, "No, that just can't be done", not when there are more than an infinite number of planets and stars to explore, not until we find a Higgins particle, find the universal equation for everything, and still haven't made "jkaionqegioasdfoiqawewqfei-jgasdoaew" mean something like "the squishy noise of a yellow snowball hitting you in the back of the head and then dropping onto the turtle shell ate your feet". Not until all of that is true will I stop feeling atleast a little confined.

Tristan's Post!

I have rarely been confined in my life. I am happy to say that I am generally around people who want me to spread my proverbial wings, and fly away to wherever I want. This was not the case last year. I must say that since I moved down to Durham, North Carolina, I haven't been in any way the same person that I was before. I was confined. I not only had to bottle up my emotions as a result of having to live with a stepmother who had very different ideals as me. The whole year, I spent my time surrounded by mental walls at home, and social barriers at the schools, where the stress was put mainly on being cool. I started having trouble getting work done, I rarely had friends over, and I walked away with what most would think of as nothing. I know I walked away with new life experience that would change me forever.

Julie's Post

The time when I felt most confined was when I was at the Leadership conference in Boston for 4 days. We were not able to go outside and for four straight days, we had to be under strict supervision. After four days of not being able to go outside or stay anywhere alone, it felt a little overwhelming. On the other hand, we were very busy so we did not think about it too much. I have to admit that at times, I felt trapped in this bubble of people and it felt like it was endless.

Lydias post

Sometimes I feel as though I am confined to my own home. In the summer or on break when it seems like nobody is home, it can get boring hanging out at your house all the time. Doing nothing is great at first, but after a few days, you start to crave some sort of activity. Luckily, I have not had to endure this for long periods of time. However, even in small doses this kind of solitude can be extremely confining. It is very fortunate that there are easy fixes to this confinement, because if I was not able to go to the beach with a friend or do something with my brother to break the monotony, it would be very difficult to make it through the summer.

Kate's Post

Some nights when I have a lot of homework I start to feel confined. The stress that is put on me to finish all my homework starts to worry me and I feel like I have to finish all of it right away. I get so trapped that it starts to effect my work because all I can think about it what happens if I don't finish it all. I always seem to get my homework done and I feel stress free.

Hannah's Post

A time when I felt confined was when I was taking the SSAT's. Once I enter that room, there is no leaving and it's time to give it my all. Usually, the SSAT's dont intimidate me, but this time I knew it would essentially be determining what route I am going to take for the rest of my high school years.

Sarah's Post=]/

Whenever I'm with my best  friends, I feel confined, but in a good way. I can never stop laughing, and I feel like I'm trapped in a bubble of happiness. This bubble pops and pops a little bit more every time my friend makes me laugh, and once it bursts, I really feel trapped and sometimes cannot even catch my breath. This kind of confinement comes at rare times, and when it does, I feel on top of the world.

Wendell's Post

A time when I have felt confined is when I was on a Double Black Diamond trail at Killington Ski Resort. It was taking me a while to make my way down the trail because of the steepness. As went to make a turn I caught my edge and went flipping down the trail, gaining speed every second. This was a terrifying moment of confined. There was no way that I could get out of the flips. It felt like a sense of claustrophobia that I couldn't escape from. Luckily, my brother had been waiting at the bottom of the trail and was able to stop me from going off a cliff. 

Gabe's Post

The time I feel most confined is when I am taking a standardized test. Knowing that I am not allowed to get up and move makes me feel claustrophobic. My mind races and I suddenly feel unable to concentrate. 

Caroline's post

One of the most recent times where I felt confined was the week of exams. The entire day was spent in my room studying. I was allowed out of my room, but when I left, I felt as if I should go back. Somehow, I felt as if I had to study all day with no breaks. Also, during the exams, I was scared to move. I was so stressed and tired that I just wanted the tests to be done with. Next time, I will plan my time better, and hopefully be more relaxed.

Kyle's Post

There is a re-occurrence of times when I feel confined.  These are influenced by my stress with schoolwork, family issues, or my social life.  I feel that when I am stressed I am enclosed by strong bars of invisible worry that laugh and mock me when I try to break free of them.  When I am stressed its usually not because of something someone said or did, its not caused by some event from the past.  My stress usually comes from an event that will take place, something in the future.  That event is kind of like an unknown force that watches me until I get close enough for it to jump in front of me and block my path.  But I usually gain my freedom by keeping in mind that no matter what happens I will still be moving ahead and the problem will be solved.

Scarlet

I must agree with Ceilie that last week I did feel very restricted. But I feel this way most of the time. School, to me, seems very pointless when stuck in classrooms, sitting, writing and trying to obtain information that will likely exit our memories in the next month. In a song by Bright Eyes, he sings, " Well, my teachers, they built this retaining wall of memory, all of those multiple choices I answered so quickly. And got my grades back and forgot just as easily, but at least I got an A." I feel that a lot of us could relate to this. We study to get the grade that will impress our parents and the people around us.  But once we achieve a grade we can be proud of we forget the information. So are we really learning anything in the confinement of our classrooms? Or should we be set free to see the world and learn ourselves from the mistakes we make? I often feel confined when going to school because to me the more rational choice for education would be to let us explore and learn from the world before our years of childhood slip through our ever-changing hands like the flies that buzz around these dull classrooms.

Ceilie's Post

This past week I especially felt confined and restricted. During Exam Week I had to stay absolutely focused on my schoolwork, trapped in a bubble of painstaking effort and solitude as I studied for my final exams. I couldn't waste time dawdling with unimportant things and had to work solely on my studies. I also felt trapped as we were in the classrooms taking the tests. We were all in our own worlds, trying to answer each of these questions correctly with no way to get out of it. Two hours were spent sitting, typing, writing, thinking and all we could do was work to pass the time. 

Kimo's Post

I'd like to think that I would be able to survive without any of my unappreciated abilities. Without sight, I could still survive, though it would be painful to live without seeing all the wonders of the world. Without my arms or legs, I could still function "normally." But I'd never be able to play music, or to dance to m favorite song. My smell, My hearing, my tastes, all bring me back to childhood memories only remembered through these nostalgic experiences. Without an of these, a part of my childhood would die. I simply do not want to be crippled. I do not want to feel the jealousy at everyone I meet, to think why don't I have what they have. But life is unpredictable, and I never know if the next turn around the bend can bring devastation to my life. Sure, I could function without any of these, but do live like that would be to live without a soul.

Sarah's Post=]

If I were to lose any of the abilities I use day in, and day out, I'm not sure what I'd do. To smell my mothers cooking in the morning, to hear the loud, chaotic music that soothes my pains, to play sports, looking at the beautiful snow that has frosted the ground and the trees, and to be able to hug a person; living without these neccessities would be very hard. If I had to choose one to live without, I would choose my sight. I've seen many magnificent things throughout my life, and if I could give a blind person my eyes, I would.

Ty's post

If I was to have any physical handicap, I would mainly dislike being blind. Being blind would be the worse handicap for me because I rely on vision too much to not have it. I cant see friends because i wouldn't know what people look like. I would also not be able to do everyday necessities and that would make my life very difficult for me.

Gabe's Post

The handicap i would dread most would be paralysis. In a situation such as Stephen Hawkings, he is paralyzed from the eyes down. If i were in that situation, it would be torture. Not being able to talk to my friends, not being able to play sports, and not being able walk. Every day i am thankful for the ability to be a mobile person.

Kyle's Post

The worst disability for me would be deafness. You wouldn't be able to listen to music, you wouldn't be able to hear emotion in some one's voice. It would be torture to be able to see people laughing, but not be able to hear the joyous sounds. The delightful sound of the birds, the soft chuckling of a babbling brook, the whispers of the wind as it passes, you wouldn't be able to hear any of those wonderful sounds. I could live without a limb, I could be blind, but I could never be def and try to live a happy life.

Olivia's post

I know a lot of people with handicaps. Some of them blind, deaf, in a wheel chair, on crutches and others, who are mentally challenged. All of them are things that are hard to live with out. It's hard to live with out seeing things, hearing things, walking like a regular person and even thinking differently then another. If I were blind, like Tristan and Julie, I wouldn't be able to see what I or other people looked like and the world, but on the contrary there is always touch and and people could explain things to you, but it is not the same. If I were deaf I wouldn't be able to hear my favorite song and what it really sounded like, all I would be able to hear are the vibrations. If I were in a wheelchair or crutches, I think I would prefer this out of all of them. Today they have all kinds of things for people who are in wheelchairs, crutches, who are blind and deaf. They can play a bunch of sports including horseback riding, snowboarding, skiing, basketball, all kinds of things, that society has worked on to get the impaired included. If I were mentally challenged, I wouldn't think of it as a challenge, just a different, and new way to figure out and try to get around things, that for other people are easy. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen was a blind girl jumping on a horse. I have closed my eyes while jumping, only a few times, but she must have to have immense trust in her horse and herself to do something incredible like that.

Tristan's Post!!

I concur with Julie, I would probably be able to survive fine without my eyes, but the world is so beautiful, and so full of things to explore. I can't appreciate the beauty of an Orchid if I can only feel it, I can't feel the vibrant colors of a spectacular sunset, and most of all, I can't truly appreciate people without seeing them. I would not be able to stand not knowing what people look like. So many people spend so much of their life trying to make themselves pleasant to look at, and this would be a waste of time if I couldn't see them. I have an imagination, and I would be able to use it if I couldn't see, but I can still imagine, almost better if there are things to base those thoughts off of.

Julie's Post

Our lives are made up of discoveries. We explore the world with our eyes. We learn with our eyes and we touch with our eyes. I could never imagine life without eyes. I would rather be deaf or paralyzed, but blindness would be the worst thing that could happen. I feel like our entire life revolves around what we can see, what we can do. I think that the worst physical disability that I fear the most is blindness.

Anna's post

I have an immense respect for people with physical handicaps. As I think about the opinions of my classmates, I look down at my legs and glance at the keyboard, watching my fingers fly across the keys. I can move and dance and run. I can see. I sit quietly and pay attention to Bob Marley's voice as it protrudes from my speakers. I can hear. I can laugh. I can feel and smell and speak. My mind skims over each of these beautiful capabilities. They are natural elements of life as humans, and I simply don't know which one I could bare to loose. I could give up my eyes, but a morning sunrise is magnificent. I could give up my ears, but I love to hear the voice of a friend. I could give up my legs, but when drums and bass course through the contours of a room, reaching the corners and pulling at my mind, I just want to dance. I truly admire those who lack one of these "necessities" of life, one of these capabilities that to me seem to be essential for happiness. I can not choose what I would be able to loose, for each seems more terrible to live without than the last. I respect the handicapped, who live their lives with more grace and strength that I could ever hope to posses.

Timmy's Post

I also agree with Wendell that being paraplegic would be one of the worst handicaps. I am also a very active person and find it hard to sit around for many hours at a time unless my mind is being energized. Sports would be impossible for me with this handicap, so I would not be able to ski or play lacrosse - two of my favorite hobbies. I would also feel like a burden to everyone around me because at some point someone might have to push me around. Also, I would be treated in another way, I and everyone with me would be treated as "different" because of my disability. 

Ceilie's Post

I think one of the most painful handicaps for me to have would be to be deaf. I am quite a vocal person and love using my voice for many different things such as singing, expressing my opinion and in the end, just putting to use the naturally loud vocal chords I was given. I would also hate to not be able to hear the world around me. Not being able to listen to something as simple as the ocean humming on a summer morning, to something as personal as my mother's voice wishing me "Goodnight", is something that just seems some unbelievably painful. Even though being blind would also bring just as much pain, it also comes with one benefit that isn't typically thought of, and that is when you are blind, you can't be capable of judging someone by their appearance. Without being able to see, getting to know someone is the only way to be able to judge whether you like them or not. When sight isn’t a factor in your life, neither are prejudice critiques that are given to people that you don’t even know. With blindness, you can contact the world around you, but just not be able to see it as it happens. With deafness, you can experience the world but not be able to take part in it, just watch as the everyone around you interacts while you stand by, unable to join the lively conversations.

Kate's Posts

There is two disabilities that Would be the worst for me.  On is blindness.  I read all the time and would not know what I would do if I could not sit down and relax with a good book in my hand.  The other disability I would not like having is not being able to hear.  Listening to my friends and family talk and laugh would make me so sad.  In the morning when I get ready for school I look forward to seeing what my friends have to say every day. 

Lydia's Post

I agree with Scarlet, the worst disability would be blindness. I think those of us who can see take it for granted and don't realize what a hindrance it would be to lose this privilege. If everything was dark, we wouldn't know what anything looked like: our house, our family, our best friend. We wouldn't be able to look out the window and see the trees or the sky or the snow.

Eleanor's Post

The worst disability for me would be if I wasn't able to laugh. I spend half of my time laughing. and if I couldn't I would feel like a part of me was missing. Whether it's about some English joke, me running around sillily with my friends, or even just some-one saying some thing strangely I can't help but crack up. I also feel that when I laugh I also sort of express myself, just as when some-one explains something in a talk they make hand movements. Depending on how I feel, who I'm with, and how funny the joke is, I laugh differently.

Eleanor's Post

(sorry it's late I had some posting troubles)

An island I would go to would be my room. I usually just lie on my bed and think, but sometimes I listen to music. Staring up at my white walls and ceiling always clears my mind of any troubles or problems I have had that day, or anything that is coming up in the future.

Hannah's Post

A physical handicap I could not deal with is being blind. The thought of not being able to see my surroundings, family and friends is unbearable to me. Also, not being able to see where your going could get quite frustrating at times. Lucky for us, we all have our vision and sometimes fell we take advantage of that and don't think of the ones less fortunate than us

Scarlet's Post

I agree with Wendell that not being able move my legs wold be really awful. But the worst disability for me would be if I couldn't see. Not being able to see would mean not being able to get books to read as easily, which would be hard for me because reading is a big part of my life. Also it would really bother me not being able to see the beautiful world around me. Not to see the trees and the sky would somehow make me feel claustrophobic. If I was blind I don't know if I would easily be able to carry on.

Caroline's Post

For me, blindness would be the worst possible disability. Sometimes we don’t take the time to notice and look at the things around us, and we would hate ourselves for this if our sight was taken away. I would much rather not be able to hear my friends than not be able to see them. I know that I don’t notice or pay attention to what I see, and I wish that I did. Without sight, I wouldn’t know what my family, my friends, my house, or my school looks like. I don’t know if I could handle this.

Wendell's Post

I think that the worst physical handicap that I could posses would be not able to move my legs. I am involved in multiple sports, and I like to run around and go snowboarding. If my legs were not operational then I don't know what I would do. I would feel like my life had ended right there, and I don't know if I would be able to survive the mental effects of losing my legs.

Kimo's post

In the unparalleled continuum that is our mind, there are many figurative Islands for which us to recede to into our own quite paradise; there are also those literal islands, the results of chaotic plates in the ground that has resulted in our “Ultimate Relaxation Experiences.” For me, playing along with my former thought, one world in which I immerse myself is television. I love TV. Any of my friends can tell you that. But it is not the mindless culture knowledge that I am interested in, but rather the complicity of a program; when I sit down and watch a show, often I will watch one that I already have, studying the angles, alerting my ears to the subtle music, empathize with the character’s pain, frustration, yearning, integrity, deceits, nobleness, sacrifices. Every time I watch an episode of my favorite show, “Lost”, which coincidentally takes place on an island, I am drawn, not by the “cool things” like the occasional violence, but rather by the beauty of each episode, like a piece preformed by an orchestra, an orchestra that knows how to thrill, to deceive, to give, and to take away, to make you laugh, to make you cry, to make you honor that which doesn’t exist. Like a never-ending novel, these programs like “Lost” are one of my most revered islands, and the best part is that it’s not mine, but rather a journey shared by millions across the globe, who all share in the timeless stories that will be seen generations to come.

Zack's Post

Kate stole all my thunder about books. I use them as a way to remove myself from everything around me. I can enter fantastic new worlds where there is no homework or school applications or recurring thigh injuries. There are days where I can only keep going because at home Frodo and the ring of power, Paul Muad'Dib and the planet Dune, and Guy Montag with his burning books wait for me at home. My books are not a places to calm down or feel better; they are little "islands" to run away to, a place to gain fresh perspective, to push out the old tired mind with a new one and come back to the "mainland" two or three times the person I felt I was.

Ty's Island

My Island is my computer because it has several factors that help me whind down and get away from everything. Firstly, my friends are always available to strike a chat with and to help keep my mind off things. Secondly, I have strategy games and puzzle games installed on my computer and they help me escape the surrounding world. Lastly, there is the many music files that I have that can calm me and almost put me into a different dimmension.

Kate's Post

My "island" is books.  Whenever I need to wind down and relax I can pick up a good book and all my troubles and stress disappear.  Whenever I start to read a book I get engrossed in the story. The authors words transports me to a place were I can forget about my own worries and concentrate on the characters in the stories. 

Timmy's Post

Technically, I live on an island, and it is quite peaceful here with most of the residents being elderly. The island I go to unwind in is the very place I live. Of course, if there is just to much going on, I can go to my island inside my island - my room. While I'm there, I can sleep, listen to music, read, or just do nothing to help myself relax. 

Wendell's Post

The place that makes me calm and happy is being anywhere with snow and my snowboard. When I go down a trail at a ski resort, all my worries and restless feelings are washed away, and replaced with complete serenity. But most of all, I love to go snowboarding in powder. Powder (in my mind) is the essence of getting up early and driving to your favorite mountain just to get first tracks. When I ride in powder, it is like I am floating on a cloud. If I somehow fall while riding in powder, it is actually fun, because you just go whoomph.

Parker's Post

I agree with Gabe, music helps me relax in the most stressful of times. Music is my "Island" because whenever I can't sleep or just need some time to myself, I can just let go of my worries, and lose myself in my favorite song. Also, besides listening to music I can play music, either by myself or with my band, and do the exact same thing. It's hard to explain, but playing or listening to music makes me live in the moment, forget about my worries, and love every minute of it.

Hannah's Second Post

Another literal island I go to is Block Island. Block Island is one of my favorite places to go in the summer because you can only get there by boat so it's not really overpopulated. Also, when I want to be by myself I can just take off and go shopping for a while or take a walk yet feel really comfortable and calm.

Gabe's Post

The  "island" i go to when i need to escape is the theoretical island of music. After a bad day of any sort, i always turn to music to clear my head. For example, when i got home today and thought about how our class has to study for five exams that we'll take in the next two weeks, i was a little stressed so i listened to a couple songs a felt a little bit better.

Julie's Post

The place where I hold the most beautiful and unforgettable memories is a little island off the coast of Croatia. This island is completely cut off from the rest of the world, leaving nothing but sand between my feet when I came home. Life for once felt so simple and uncomplicated. It gave me a chance to forget about everything. It was the most magical twenty one days of my life. Picture yourself swimming in warm clear blue water with a beach, palm trees, a chair, and good food! That's what life was all about for twenty one days!

Tristan's Post!

I have one place where I enjoy myself more than anywhere else. This place is my camp, Winona. I don't like to call it a camp, because this word implies that it is just a camp. Winona is not just a camp, it is also a family, a home, and a school that teaches me things far more important to me than knowledge. I can never convey to people how great Winona is, because the more I try to convey my feelings to people, the farther I am from explaining how important it is to me, the more people think, "Oh, it's just a summer camp." Right now, I am once again failing to say what is conveyed so simply by a smile on a face, a summer breeze, and the smell of pines. Regardless of how bad I am at convincing people that Moose Pond and Pleasant Mountain are better than any heaven supplied by any religion, the fact remains that I enjoy myself a whole lot every summer. I can isolate myself on an island of completely different friends and mentors, combined with clear water to swim in, mountains to be hiked, wood to be chopped, canoes to be crashed, rifles to be shot, and a heck of a lot of memories to share.

Ceilie's Post

The place that first comes to mind when we talked about this theoretical "island", was an actual island, Culebra. My family first vacationed there on spring break when I was about six or seven, and from the moment I stepped onto the lush, sandy beaches and wandered into the quaint, colorful town, I knew I had fallen in love with it. In Culebra, the people are so untroubled and easygoing. There, there is a feeling in the air that just sets the mood for relaxation. It's also the idea of total isolation that attracts me. The island isn't overpopulated and not very well known, giving it this mysterious aura that no one can ever find you. 

Scarlet's Island

A place where I can always relax and forget about anything and everything is a lighthouse. This certain lighthouse, also known as the East Chop lighthouse, is located on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. From Camp Runamuck you can walk or ride your bike to the lighthouse in one minute or less. The lighthouse is on probably the highest point on the island and it looks over the deep blue Atlantic. When I am on Martha's Vineyard I can find myself at least once a day near my lighthouse. Whether I'm watching the sunset, sunrise, the waves crashing on the rocks below or running around the lighthouse chasing my younger sister my mind is clear of any worries. The drama and annoyances float into the endless blue sky above and I am 100%, completely and utterly free.

Caroline's post

Every summer throughout the past 15 years I have summered in Maine. We go to a small island called North Haven. This island is completely unknown, and free from worries, drama, and stress. While on North Haven, we spend our days boating, tubing, picnicking, waterskiing, sailing, playing tennis, and with our friends and family. My mom spent all her summers on this island as a child, just like me. The entire family thinks of this island as an escape, except for my dad who thinks of it as a month with the in-laws. I cannot imagine my life without this island.

Kyle's Post

A place where I can really relax and forget about all the stress in my life is at my parents beach house a.k.a. "The BH." This is one of my treasured places because every summer we have all of the family come and stay for a week in the many rooms in the house. This may seem a little bit hectic, but whats better than a huge family reunion during summer when you don't have to worry about school. I can have a great time with all of my family and after they leave I can mull over the good memories with some lemonade and a good book while sitting out on the balcony watching the waves. Even long after my relatives have left I don't get bored, I enjoy the peace and quiet that being solitary can grant you. Usually I'm very jumpy and hate to stay in one place for long, but its nice to know that I have one place in my life where I can take it slow and just enjoy life as it passes me by.

Olivia's post

This is some what remarkable, because the island in "The Tempest" that Shakespeare talks about is the one I'm going to talk about, too. For about seven years now I have been visiting a little island of the coast of New Bedford, Massachusetts, called Cuttyhunk. I'm sure this isn't what Shakespeare called it, but I know that we have the same opinion. This island isn't like the main land at all, in-fact it's peaceful, mostly quiet, filled with friendly people and preserves the islands beauty with its sanctuaries. One of my favorite places to be is on Tower Hill. You literally get a whole view of the island, and you get to hear the wind blow through the tall grass, the birds chirp and the waves crash. Another favorite place of mine is South End Pond. To get there, you have to take a dirt trail, through the animal sanctuaries, and as soon as you reach the top of the hill you get the most magnificent view of the tower, the keeping house and the ocean. When you finally get to the tower you've literally walked about a mile from the hill, where you saw it once. This huge tower made out of bricks stands before you and the ocean so vast, never ending is right in front of you. When the tide comes I like to float with the fast current, as it takes me into the pond.

Anna's post

In a way I agree with Sarah and Hannah. There is a certain loveliness to ones bedroom. It is a quiet home base, but while I find peace in solitude, being alone with my thoughts does not allow me to escape the frustrations and troubles of life. One place where I am able to truly unwind lies half a mile away in a small and simple space above the garage of a friend. It holds the fond memories of the past as well as the promise of smiles to come. I am not a regular visitor of this place, maybe seeing it once every couple of weeks, but perhaps that makes it all the more beautiful. When I walk up the stairs, greeted by the laughter and a pouch of capri-sun, the rest of the world floats away. The room is an island, and my troubles are lost in a sea of happiness.

Hannah's Post

When I am feeling down or just need to think and be on my own, I go to my room. My room is the only place in the house that I can rightfully call mine and nobody else can bother me. In my room, I also have my ipod dock. My ipod really helps me simmer down and regain my focus. A literal island I escape to is Sunset Key. Sunset Key is a tiny island off of the Florida Keys that has small houses and is full of wonderful people. Also, on Sunset Key there are wonderful beaches that I can walk to and just relax and take it all in :)

Sarah's Post=]

Whenever I want to get away from everything and just sit down and relax, I always subside to my bed. On my bed I listen to music (which helps me vent out certain feelings), go on the internet and talk on the phone with friends. All of these activities help calm myself and keep me centered. A literal island that I enjoy going to would be Jamaica. Jamaica is so warm and is filled with kind and loving people. It's a wonderful place to "chill" and a place to get away from all of the stressing events back at home.