In the current events that we are facing, not much happened this week. I had school, I went to work, and I worked on my writing. I had a few highlights through those events, however. The week at school was our first week back (in-person) from Christmas break, at work I was able to talk to a few friends I hadn’t seen in a while, and I received more inspiration to write!

At school, I had my first voice lesson in a long time, which was lovely. As some may know, I enjoy singing and acting, and my voice lessons really help me improve my voice and act out the emotions of a song. During class, a classmate brought up the idea that, instead of going to war in real life, the countries hop onto Call of Duty or some other related game and battle it out there. It was an interesting concept. Instead of spending millions on war weaponry and killing folks, the military (which already has an expansive budget) could just buy some good old gaming set-ups and have the soldiers battle it on there. Like, I said, it was an interesting concept.

At work, I’ve got a few good friends, and during all the tasks I was assigned to, I got to talk with them. The work I do can be quite unbearable sometimes (customer service, am I right? *cue exasperated sigh*) and having any kind of company there with you can make it slightly more bearable. One of my friends calls me ‘The Cripple/Crippled’ (long story short: I messed up my shoulder during a volleyball game and had to wear a sling), and these were my first few shifts without my sling. Sadly, my arm is not healed, but the sling has begun hurting my other shoulder. How fun. Anyway, a few of my co-workers asked about my shoulder, and it was heartwarming to feel cared for and feel like folks actually care about how I’m feeling. Another reason I believe it’s essential to check in on those you love, no matter how you think they’re faring, everyone loves to feel known and appreciated.

The week before this one, I took part in an online writing challenge called ‘Crazy Writing Week’ where I connected with hundreds of other teenage writers like me. It warmed my heart in so many ways. This past week, after the competition, we were given a little class to reflect on the week, and it was a fantastic way to sit back and think about my writing journey. I thought about where I am in my journey and hope about my future. On a few of my posts, other writers commented and left their takes/opinions on what I had written, which I cherished. “I know He (God) has an awesome plan for you, and I’m not saying that because that’s the ‘Christian’ thing to say. He does.” How amazing is that? When I joined that community, I felt the lowest I had ever felt in my writing, and little did I know, I would receive so much encouragement and help in just a week!

Now, before I bore you all with my pretty uneventful week, I’m going to sign off. I wish you all a good night’s sleep (Or good morning, or good afternoon, it’s nighttime as I’m writing this). I wish you a beautiful day and a wonderful week to come. Keep on inspiring folks and loving yourself!