In our lives, we experience a variety of emotions daily. Contentment, happiness, anger, frustration, grief, indifference, lethargy, tension, and so many more. How do you feel today? Right now I feel tired from coming home from school, hungry after seeing my leftover Spicy Chicken Sandwich in my bag, happy with my parents for their constant moral support, and hurt and embarrassed by an encounter I experienced at school today. Instead of going into detail, I will generally say that in expressing my opinion in a humorous and creative way, someone took offense when none was intended, and not even implied. After talking about it with my parents, I began to think about how the actions of other people influence our emotions. Living among society, it is almost impossible to rely solely on oneself to determine their own mood. Although some people may try to convince you that they don't care what others think about them, the truth is that in all of us, there is an underlying sensitivity to the way others perceive us. Call it ego, call it pride, but I think it is simply human nature. Our social interactions with one another can dictate our feelings, and consequently our actions, which may have any type of result. I'm not sure if I'm making sense. Let's take Billy for example. Billy is a 14 year old boy, new to high school and in the early stages of --dare I say it?--puberty. With his raging hormones, Billy has started to notice how Katy from down the street doesn't wear pigtails and beg for popsicles the way she used to. Instead, she's grown into a young woman. So Billy decides to ask her out on a date. Katy, on the other hand, has never noticed how Billy gels his hair now, and wears clean shirts. Taken off guard, she turns Billy down with a quick explanation about how she she sees him as Billy from down the street, and not someone she would consider dating. In his rejection, Billy then insists on people calling him William, and begins to wear a tie to school and carry a briefcase instead of a backpack. Every decision Billy makes is based on whether or not he will seem immature and consequently, he has completely altered his true personality. Okay, maybe this example was too drawn out and a little dramatic, but do you see what I mean? A few simple words completely crushed Billy's confidence, just like a simple misunderstanding on someone's part made me question my abilities. As teenagers with plenty of outside pressures and influences (you know the list: college, parents, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends, etc.) we can become very fragile and almost dependent on the approval of others. So as a resolution, I will try to be more careful about what I say, including the jokes I make that may be hurtful towards others. If I take this small step of thinking about what I will say before I let the words off my tongue, I may save someone's mood from being ruined, or their self-esteem lowered. I might even change someone's sadness or annoyance into pleasure or enthusiasm. To me, by affecting one's emotions, I am capable of changing their life. That's the way I see it.
Today I went to the Farmer's Market at UCI for the first time. I'm in the process of turning over a new leaf in my life, finally putting the stresses (and sometimes depressions) of school behind me and living my life more spontaneously. Some of my lifestyle changes include my health and fitness. So, I decided to go to the Farmer's Market to get fresh, organic fruit instead of pasteurized and genetically engineered food from the store. My experience was extremely unique. Walking the lanes of the Market reminded me of swap meets from my childhood. There were plenty of places to sample people's fruits and vegetables. You could skip lunch and fill up on those samples! My favorite was the array of hummus, with small squares of pita bread for customers to eat and try out different types of hummus. One of these pictures shows a man selling his handiwork (Gobama!). Other vendors sell artwork, homemade jewelry, scarves and even clothes. There was also a hispanic band playing there, and several guitar-playing sensations on stools, trying to get a little extra cash. If you ever have a free Saturday morning and are willing to try something new, take some cash and head over to the Famer's Market in the University Town Center at UCI. Take a camera with you, and tell me about your experience. If the culture shock isn't enough to excite you, the roasted corn will!
