Carpe Diem

Death is something which will touch us all at some point in our lives. Death at any age is a difficult concept to grasp and is the most terrifying thing in the world for the majority of us. Life is precious and many of us take it for granted. However, when a tragic event such as the death of a young person occurs we are instantly hurled into a whirlwind of feelings and thoughts. 

When we hear about the death of a young person or we lose a young person close to us it seems to provide us with a thirst for life, to enjoy the many experience which life holds, to see all the wonders this earth has to offer, to be the best we can achieve and to somehow live life to the fullest. I have come to find that death has this effect on us for two reasons; the first is that we desperately want to experience everything because the death of a young person makes us realise that nobody is beyond the cold, hard grasp of death's hand, the second is that we feel a sort of responsibility to live all of the experiences that our fellow  young adult has been denied because of the ominous death. 

Death also makes us appreciate our family and friends so much more also. We can often take them for granted and do not realise how important they are until we see another family cry for a loved one who has passed away, This feeling is never more terrifying than when you are a young person because you are still so close to your parents, often when a young person dies they are still living with their parents and seeing a mother cry for her lost child is a feeling which we instantly project onto our own mothers further intensifying our sensitivity to this tragic event. 

I did not write this to be morbid or indeed to point out all the sadness which goes hand in hand with death but merely to express the feelings of many many young hearts in my home town where two young lives were taken far before their time this weekend. 

Life is beautiful and we should enjoy to the full as much as we can, the sadness and other such emotions when will accompany us on our path through life will try to taint this beauty but in its attempt will further fuel us to make the most of everyday, every experience, and most importantly our family and friends.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

D.M

'When true simplicity is gained...'

"My Mama told me, 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get.'"

This quote is from a movie, which I can say with confidence, is one of the best I have ever seen. 

Forrest Gump is the tale of a boy who growing up was rather unfortunate. Below average academically, Forrest was rejected and bullied by the other children, all except one, a beautiful little girl named Jenny. Forrest goes through life being jeered at for being stupid, being ridiculed against for his innocent and simplicity and loses the majority of the people that he loves due to tragic circumstances. Despite all of this Forrest maintains his beautifully innocent outlook regarding love and never lets the people who discriminate against him break his confidence. The tragic events which occur in Forrest's life are just that, tragic, but also he is surrounded by beauty. He witnesses some of the most prestigious moments in history and performs extremely admirable acts and maintains his humility, saved by the buffer zone which is his innocence. 

 Watching this movie I felt inspired, since the beginning of time the foundation of brilliance and discovery has been based in thought. 

The age of the roman empire saw the emergence of some of the most incredible minds, followed by the age of enlightenment, the renaissance, the age of exploration, the era of shakespear, byron, keats and shelley, when intelligence was a sign on power and the deeper you were and the more you thought the higher your status within society.

However seeing how the character of Forrest, in the movie, dealt with grief, with loss, with the tragic and the euphoric I began to wonder if we have just been kidding ourselves all along, perhaps the true beauty of life lies within the things which require no thought at all. 

Things as simple as feeling the summer breeze brush against your skin, seeing the leaves of the trees change from season to season, falling in love, sharing your life with the people whom you care for most, enjoying the simplest things in life and never taking anything for granted, and above all, never thinking about where these miracles of life come from. 

Many of us study in university and spend three or four or five years of our lives, in my case, analysing our history and trying to understand it, or theorising the poetry, drama and texts of the greatest literary minds which ever lived. What if Shakespeare just wrote for the sake of writing, what if history is a complete falsification of events and the world has always been just as it is, what if?

The complexity of life can be damaging, we take many things far to seriously and much of the pain, both emotional and physical, which we experience is caused by ourselves and our over developed ability to think. Would life be simpler if we were like Forrest Gump and just took life as it came? 

Has innocence become a thing of the past? 

Has it been replaced by over thinking and cynicism?

I hope not because I am of the opinion that the true beauty of life lies within the simplicity and beauty of an innocent mind. 

"I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex." 

Oscar Wild in 'A picture of Dorian Gray'

Forrest and Jenny.

Forrest Gump Trailor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvhzyRWOlx8

Forrest Gump Novel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Gump_(novel)

Dani M

Decisions.

Sometimes in our lives we are faced with difficult decisions one which have the potential to be truly devastating, many of us avoid these situations completely, become emu like and bury our heads in the sand.
so what happens when you can no longer bury your head in the sand? Then you must make the decision.
the most common fear we feel whilst making a decision is whether or not we are making the right decision and guess what...we will never now if we have made the right or wrong decisions as we only get to make one and the other options which we debate never come to fruition they remain forever the other option, never more.
how do we over come this fear of making decisions?
Can we ever over come it?
Would losing the fear make the decision making process easier?
Hind sight is a fantastic thing and so is decision making, if you make the right decision.

D.Mount

Together Again

After three months of waiting, we are finally back together. The happiness I felt when I saw you at the airport was immense and my heart skipped a beat.
This weekend was amazing, even if I was exhausted, to be able to look you in the eyes and tell you I love you, to sleep next to you, to have you right there beside me to talk to, hold hands with, share every minute with, was amazing and now we are home and I have officially moved in, which is beyond amazing!!
I am soo happy and delighted to be here and the move was completely worth it, this happiness is worth more than anything else in the world and being with you everyday is amazing!!!
I love you so much!
thank you for the support and for being so amazing.

D. Mount

Making HIstory!!

What a crazy yet amazing last day in Ireland!
First waving at the Queen and getting a perfect view of her from so near,
Then and excellent lunch with my family and Shaz,
Then a bonding moment between my relatives and I.

I have finally finished packing and I am sure there are so many things I have forgotten but I can get my mom to send the things I really need which I think is nothing!

I cannot wait to see you tomorrow!! my sunshine!!!
I love you bby so much!!

Peek ah Boo!!

WHO ARE YOU!!!!??????????????????????/
I'M your bestest dingilly do!!!

Hahaha :D tired and death brain :P

I love you amor!! one day!

J.Mount

History in the Making.

This evening I watched as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England began her key note speech in Dublin castle in Irish. She began with the line, 'Uachtarán agus a cairde', in English, President and friends, she followed this bold and historic statement with a speech which was hopeful, inspiring and an honor to watch, as was the speech given by our own President.
To watch as the Queen makes are journey around Dublin City and tomorrow comes to my home town I am proud to be Irish and I am proud to see how far we have come and the progress we , as a country have made. Both the Queen and the President in their speeches spoke about cultural and economic unity between Ireland and the Untied Kingdom but above all both of these powerful female figures stressed the point of equality between the two states, something which would have been unheard of so many years ago.
the Queen extended her sympathies to the families of those who fought for England in the first world war and also to those who died fighting for independence this showed a recognition of the significance of this visit and also an understanding of how much we sacrificed for our country.
Today I watched as history was made right in front of my eyes as the Queen spoke words of friendship in a language which was once condemned by our English colonizers, these past few days are a turning point in relations between Ireland and Great Britain. I know it will not solve the problems of the conflict between north and south but the first step of Queen Elizabeth on Irish soil yesterday was a step forward into the future where perhaps the troubles could be solved and Ireland could be a peaceful nation once again.

D. Mount