Special Olympics

As you may have seen from my many Facebook posts, I was blessed enough to be a volunteer this weekend at Special Olympics at UT Arlington .  Four years ago I volunteered for the first time and absolutely fell completely head over heels in love with the program - the athletes, the coaches, the other volunteers... just everything about it.  It is such a wonderful and eye-opening experience seeing so many talented people come together to compete in sports that they have trained months on end for and I was SO excited to be a part of it this year.

Last time I volunteered at Special Olympics, I learned that everyone has some form of a disability.  For the competitors at Special Olympics, their disabilities are physically seen with handicapped bodies.  However for everyone else (esp. me), our disabilities are indistinguishable from the outside.  I could write a big, long list about all the problems I have but that would be a complete waste of your time, so instead I would rather focus on the lesson that I learned this year as a volunteer...

Loretta Claiborne, a former participant of Special Olympics, gave the Opening Ceremonies speech on Friday night.  She gave an incredible account about how Special Olympics was created by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in the 1960's because she was sick and tired of hearing everyone tell these "special" people that they could not compete in sports.  So to prove them all wrong, Shriver organized the first Special Olympics in Chicago, Illinois in 1968 where physically and mentally handicapped people competed in several sporting events.  42 years ago, Loretta Claiborne competed for her first time in Special Olympics despite being told all her life that she could not and that she was not good enough to compete.

I cannot personally imagine nor comprehend how it must feel to have someones, especially someone close to you, tell you that you cannot do something.  In all my life I have never had someone tell me that I could not do something - I was always told and taught that I could do ANYTHING I wanted so long as put my mind to it and worked hard enough for it.  I don't want to brag, but look where I am today - at an amazing college, getting a world class education and about to apply for medical school. I literally have the brightest future anyone could ever ask for and the world at my feet.  Of course it took ALOT of hard work that was not fun at all, but was it worth it? Oh yes, yes it was.

I just want to say that I am SO PROUD of all the amazing athletes I met at Special Olympics this weekend. They are truly the purest and sweetest spirits I have ever met and I need to be more like them.  I know that people, maybe even family members, told these athletes that they couldn't compete because they were not good enough but despite all odds these athletes still chose to compete and you know what? They proved those disbelievers wrong!  I want to encourage everyone who takes the time to read this post to please not listen to your friends, siblings, or maybe even parents who tell you you cannot do something. They are wrong! And most importantly, stop telling yourself that you cannot do something.  You can be your own worst enemy at times, but I KNOW that you can do anything you want so long as you get down on your knees, ask Heavenly Father for help, and put in the effort that is required. Please don't give up and please do not listen to your criticizers.  You can do it - go for the gold and prove to the world that you can.  I'll see ya at the finish line. :)

Good Girl

Hey, good girl 

With your head in the clouds 

I bet you I can tell you 

What you're thinkin' about 

You'll see a good boy 

Gonna give you the world 

But he's gonna leave you cryin' 

With your heart in the dirt 

His lips are dripping honey 

But he'll sting you like a bee 

So lock up all your love and 

Go and throw away the key 

Hey good girl 

Get out while you can 

I know you think you got a good man 

One of my favorite country artists, Carrie Underwood, just came out with a new song called "Good Girl". In the song, Carrie sings to a girl who is dating a boy she thinks the world of, however when Carrie looks at the boy, she sees someone completely different that she predicts will just end up hurting the girl. How many times do we see this and hear about this in real life? I mean, not only is this the plot to majority of movies and books, but just go to the gym or the store and I guarantee you'll find a girl complaining to her best friend about a "good" boy that broke her heart. Girls - if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

Why, why you gotta be so blind? 

Won’t you open up your eyes? 

It’s just a matter of time 'til you find 

He’s no good, girl 

No good for you 

You better get to getting on your goodbye shoes and go, go, go... 

Better listen to me 

He’s low, low, low... 

I'm not calling every guy on the planet a jerk but majority of the guys that I have dated have hurt me on some level. And I know that I am not totally faultless at every failed relationship I've had but I do wish that I would have had the maturity to look the situation from an outside view instead of being blinded by how handsome he was or what an amazing kisser he was and seen his true colors. Carrie is just looking out for her fellow girls - can you blame her? As tough as I make myself look on the outside, I am a helpless romantic on the inside. One of the blessings that was given to me was unconditional love, meaning no matter how badly someone has hurt me, I will always love them whether it be friendship or romantic love. On the other side though, one of my tragic flaws is that I fall in love too easily... and always with the wrong boy. All my life I've been trying to write the perfect love story but each time I was trying to force a happy ending on a story that it didn’t belong on. This is really personal and not a lot of people know about this but I was falling in love with a boy I've known for years this past year at college. No he doesn't go to BYU but he's been the one constant in my life that I knew I could always talk to and confide in. He's been such an amazing friend (even sending me birthday cards each year) but I had to go and mess it up being the complete idiot I am. Long story short, I tried pushing things too far too quickly and now our friendship (or what's left of it) is hanging by a thread and my heart is broken in the dirt.

Oh, He’s no good, girl

Why can’t you see?

He’ll take your heart and break it

Listen to me, yeah

Just like my parents and friends told me, this boy was not good for me. He was a perfect friend, but nothing more and I never should have tried to make it more. The only thing I regret is not telling him I was falling in love with him and just how much he meant to me. So what exactly have I learned from this experience?  I'm a good girl that deserves a good boy that will treat me right, linger on my every word, and love me unconditionally for just being me.  Heed the words of your parents and friends- they offer a completely unbiased third party opinion that is usually correct. I wish I coudld've had Carrie here to help me out this last time, but that's what life is about - making mistakes, falling in love, learning lessons and becoming a stronger person.

Right now, if I could just have one wish, it would be to rid myself of all emotion and replace my heart with one of stone. I'm tired of falling for the jerk and getting hurt. Where are all the prince charmings?!? I still believe in love, but just very frustrated with how all of my relationships turn out. Maybe someday a cowboy will sweep me off my feet, but until then I agree with Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice when she says "I am determined that nothing but the deepest of love could ever induce me into matrimony." Girls- if you are dating a guy, please take a minute to evaluate the situation. If you don't see it going in a good direction, then get out now! It's better to just be friends then lose him completely.