This world is full of chances for you to follow your passions, but most people are so afraid of being judged that they chose not to take risks. I am sad to say that sometimes I am one of these people. You would think that people do what they think is right and don't let anything stand in their way, but from what I've seen, this has been proven to be wrong. 
          The kids that you always see in the classroom that never put their hand up don't because they are afraid that their answer will be wrong. They're afraid that they will be judged. I used to be one of those people, but now I raise my hand, even when I'm just taking a shot in the dark. It feels amazing just to know that I WILL NOT be judged in my classroom. You don't see that very often.
          You see people afraid to take on challenges, or going to auditions, or even trying to follow their passion because they are afraid that they will fail. But let me tell you something. When you put your heart into your work, and do the BEST you can do, you will NEVER, and I mean NEVER fail. I think of fail as an unnecessary word. If people weren't afraid of being judged then no one would ever fail. Let's take me for example. I never would have thought that I would be good at writing, but here I am, writing myself little poems before I go to sleep, writing blogs for school, writing short stories, and you know what? I feel great.
          Perseverance is a word that you don't hear being said very often, but in my classroom, it's our motto. Without darkness, there is never sun. Without trying, there is never success. Without rain, there is no dancing in the rain on that one day you felt like it. Without good people in your life, there will always be fear of judgement. Without perseverance there is never passion. 
         A few weeks ago, one of my classmates who I trusted told me that I suck at writing, which is my passion. I felt heartbroken just thinking that if this person thinks I'm bad, then I must be. But after a few days, I started writing again. I couldn't help myself, writing is my passion and I couldn't stop just because someone told me to. So I wrote, and I wrote and I didn't stop. But not only do I enjoy writing, but it helps me through anything that I am going through. On the days that I felt lonely, writing made me feel like I was in a room full of people who appreciated me. When I felt overwhelmed, writing took me to the most calm place I could imagine. On the days I was angry, I wrote down all my thoughts and they flew away like a bird from a tree. If you have a passion, follow it because it won't let you down. It will stay with you and just remember that it only takes 7 seconds for someone to quit something. If you last longer then that, then I bet you will be happy that you didn't quit.
          

          Before you think that this is about the movie "Haatchi," it's not and don't worry because that's what I thought as well. If you would like to watch the video it will be left below all of my writing. 
          Owen was only 2 years old when he was diagnosed with schwartz-jampel syndrome. Only about 35 or 40 people on Earth have this. Schwartz-jampel syndrome is where your muscles are always contracting, meaning that you always look like you are flexing them. Owen is 9 years old now, and he is in love with his best friend, Haatchi. This anatolia shepherd dog was left to die at a train station. From what I understood, Haatchi was 5 months old and was tied up near a train track while the train was operating. A train ran over one of Haatchi's hind legs and he also lost his tail along with his leg. People that saw the incident thought Haatchi was dead, but 1 of the workers could see that this dog was special. 
          When Owen was 6 years old, he woke up one day to someone licking his face. When he sees Haatchi, you can just see his face lighting up. 
          This video did not get me as inspired as any of the other videos, but it did remind me of something. My mom and Haatchi have some similarities. I'm not saying that my mom is like a dog or anything, but that both of them have lost a limb. Haatchi lost one of his legs, and my mom one of her arms. Both individuals do everything as though they had never lost any limbs. My mom cooks, cleans, drives and is a teacher and that is something that not many people would think is too easy, one of them being me. She is my hero and even though sometimes she gets angry and yells at me, it's not like we all don't get mad sometimes.
          Survival, acceptance, judgement and friends are the 4 key words to sum up this video. Owen said himself that to survive, you need to be accepting, be aware of the possibility of judgement, and have a friend who understands what you are going through; Owen and Haatchi. He didn't say these exact words but, this is what I mainly understood from this video.
And that's why Mr. D showed us this video.
          3 emotions I felt watching this video were:
1. Happy
2. Sad
3. Joyful

          This video is about the time we have in our lives. The jellybeans that are used, represent each day. On average, each person gets about 28,835 days. 8,477 of those days will be spent sleeping, and 1,635 will be spent eating, drinking or preparing a meal. You will spend 3,202 days at work, hopefully doing something you love :) Watching any form of television takes up 2,676 days. Household activities like chores, and shopping will be 1,576 days worth. Caring for family and friends has 564 days worth of pure love <3 (<--- this is a heart). Taking showers/baths, brushing your hair of teeth and other bathroom related things takes 671 days of your life. Community events such as going to religious places, charity and taking classes is 720 days. Once we subtract all the days from 28,835 we have 2,740 days left. 2,740 days to do things that we love like swimming, laughing, reading, spending time with family, going on a hike, checking a text, playing a sport, dancing, checking social media, listening to music, writing a blog ;) playing lego, playing tag or hide and seek, getting your nails done and so much more. 
          We watched this video to show us how much time we have to pursue our passions and do things that we love. So many people don't do what they love because they are afraid. Afraid of getting judged, being picked on because of what they are doing, failure, financial distress, etc. We need to know how much extra time we have and we need to know to use every bit of it as efficiently as we can. Days are more valuable than we think they are, and no one realizes it. But when you are doing something that you love and want to be doing, you appreciate everything much more. Everything is happier and brighter, and you feel like your life has meaning and you want to continue doing what you are doing for the rest of your life. Once you feel like that, you have found your passion. I love writing very much and I love blogging and for my Genius Hour project, which is coming up, I think I am going to be writing a book which will be published in my genius hour section, so I will be writing another blog before I post it. 
          This video made me remember all the good times I have had so far with those 2,740 days. I remember when I first started to blog and to write little stories and when I would read them to my dollies and teddy bears. I remember all the times I have been swimming and all the fun things I did. I remember when I was little and I read my favourite book ever for the first time (The Giving Tree). I remember on my 9th birthday when I got a pink ipod nano and my mom returned to the store a few days after because she thought I was to young for one. I remembered the games we have played in volleyball. So many memories created because I am doing something that I love. When you do something that you are not interested in, you don't remember it as much as the things that you do love. 
          This video relates to me because when they were talking about those 2,740 days, they were talking to me; they were speaking directly to me and they made me realize that I need to make the most out of everyday. It is amazing what one video can do to you and your brain. If you would like to check out the video, I'll put it up at the bottom of the page. 
          Some emotions this video made me feel was:

• amazed
• happy
• worried
• excited
• AMAZED

Here is the video,

         Today, we watched a video about a girl named Kayla Montgomery. She is in grade 9, and plays soccer. After a while, Kayla noticed a tingling in her toes whenever her body temperature rose. She went to the doctor, and he ordered an MRI. When the diagnosis came back, it turned out that Kayla had multiplesclerosis (M.S.). This is a disease that slowly takes over your body. Depending on what type of M.S. you have, the "takeover" can happen very slowly or very fast. For Kayla, it was the slow type and it was mostly in her legs. Your immune system basically takes over your body and attacks your nerve cells. Kayla had to stop playing soccer and had to take up running. 
          Mr. Dorland showed us this video because Kayla shows a great deal of perseverance, and although the other runners said she had an advantage because she couldn't feel the pain in her legs, she still had other things to deal with. She had pains in her side from running, she can't pace herself because she doesn't feel how fast she is going. She also has to be caught by her coach, (Patrick Cronwell) whenever she crosses the finish line because she can't stop herself. Also, after she finishes the race, her coach and some others have to put ice on her legs so that her body temperature goes back to normal as soon as possible. She also needs to drink as much water as possible. 
          This video made me remember my grandma, because she had multiple sclerosis. She had it for about twenty years. She spent about ten with regular pains now and then, and then she spent ten years in bed unable to do anything for herself. My dad was fourteen when she passed away and although my mother, sister and I never met her, we still feel a strong connection to her. Whenever I look at pictures of her, I feel very sad and I feel like crying because I would've loved to meet her. Also, in February, my grandfather passed away as well, and even though he went to a better place, I still miss him and I love him and I just wish I could have one more phone call with him, even though I can't.
          This video relates to me because, like I said above, my grandma died from M.S. and although Kayla didn't die, she reminds me of her.
          3 emotions I felt when I watched this video were sad because it reminded me of my grandma, I felt happy because she was following her passion and I also felt angry because, the worst things happen to the best and most amazing people. 
          If you want to watch the video, click below.