Finding purpose in life can be difficult. There are endless opportunities we can take and decisions we can make to change the direction of our lives. A few years ago, I was feeling bored with my life. Everything felt monotonous and I needed a change. People always say that volunteering and serving in your community helps not only the recipients but also those doing the service. And I've found that to be true. I started volunteering at my local food pantry, delivering groceries to homebound individuals in my community. Many times, the interactions with the patrons were quick and strictly what was necessary to complete the delivery. But over the months and years, I've come to know many of the regular patrons as dear friends. Whenever possible, I would complete the deliveries in an order that allowed me to stay and talk with the patrons for a while. Being homebound means leaving the house only when strictly necessary, and in today's day and age, most everything can be delivered straight to your doorstep. So many of these individuals don't have the opportunity to socialize very many times during the week. Taking a few extra minutes to talk with them about their day and how they're doing can really make a difference for them. On days when I'm stressed or very caught up in my own life, volunteering helps ground me and remember how temporary many of my stressors are. High school and everything that comes with graduation can be stressful and scary and upsettingly jarring. But reminding myself that within just a single calendar year from now, most of those stresses will not be a part of my life anymore helps keep them from becoming too overwhelming. As I continue to try and better myself, I'd like to continue to give back to the communities that helped raise me. Food banks will probably always hold a special place in my heart because of how important I've seen them be in my community. But really there are endless service opportunities every day. Everyone needs help with something and the joy of volunteering is learning how to best help people. I'm passionate about continuing to help those in need of essentials like groceries and paper products. Getting involved with cleaning up the environment is something I'd like to explore in the future, as well as programs that help struggling families get back on their feet financially. Coming together to better our communities is at the heart of volunteer work and I'm excited to see how I can help in the future.

I've always loved Disney movies; they're so magical and happy! One of my favorite memories of my childhood is laying my favorite blanket out in front of my couch, and eating a sandwich picnic in front of my television. I would watch all kinds of cartoons and movies, many of them on VHS tapes before DVDs had quite entered my home. Rewinding the tape to the beginning, getting excited to see my favorite characters and scenes play out before me again; there was always an excited energy when indoor picnic time came around again. And one of my favorites was (and still is) 'The Emperor's New Groove.' While every character in that movie is hilarious and memorable in their own way, my favorite by far is Kronk. I've always wanted to see a ride at Disneyland based off of this movie, especially so I can see Kronk and Yzma in their evil scientist outfits. Kronk's entire character is everything you see in 'funny uncle' characters. He has a silly accent, his jokes are terrible, he never fully knows what's going on with the other characters, but he goes along with it anyway. I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to Kronk is because of his desire to make people around him happy. Every interaction he has with Pacha's children shows him playing games with them and helping them have fun. When he's working for Yzma, he does his best to do what she asks of him, tweaking certain directions, so he doesn't hurt anyone too badly. He's technically a 'bad guy' because of who he works for, but it's clear from the beginning that he isn't truly a bad person. Audiences love Kronk because of everything he adds to the movie. He brings so much to the table and makes the movie so much more fun to watch. Even over and over again like I do! Kronk makes 'The Emperor's New Groove' one of the most underrated Disney movies out there.

When's the last time you watched a sunrise? What about a sunset? These daily occurrences go unnoticed so often we sometimes forget they happen every day, whether we remember them or not. And they bring such beauty and light to our world; watching them brings relaxation and reminds us to be a little happier, if just for one day. Water. Water is such a vital part of our lives. We drink it. We bathe in it. We clean our clothes, our dishes, our cars with it. But when's the last time you stopped to sit by a lake, a stream, a waterfall just to watch and listen? Flowing water brings the sense of consistency, reliability, and peace. Happiness can be found in each of these characteristics. Shouldn't we each try and emulate water a little more each day? Doing good is something we all strive for each day, but the task of service for others can be daunting. In reality, small simple acts are the most impactful. Smile at that stranger on the bus. Wave at the girl from your math class in the hall. Remind your siblings you love them, regardless of how much they annoy you. I've found that the true key to happiness is remembering the little things and not taking things for granted. Life is so fragile and temporary we cannot afford to live in unhappiness while the world passes us by.

Life is heavy. It begins as a nearly empty fish bowl, just enough water to allow a single, tiny fish to swim around. As we grow up, we add more and more responsibilities, hobbies, stresses, and time commitments, filling up the fish bowl with an abundance of water. While the water is good for the fish, too much of anything can be toxic; and when the bowl overflows, the fish can fatally and accidentally slip out of the bowl. To avoid this situation in our own lives, we have to learn to balance the many things that demand our attention every day. But a true balance of everything means regular and scheduled break time. For some people, the answer is physical movement. They go to the gym during their 'me-time' and exercise to relax. I've never been particularly athletic, but a 15 minute bike ride always helps me unwind without fail. Others turn to books or news articles in their free time. I find that news today makes life more stressful and hectic, but a good book has always been my go-to for relaxation. Reading by a window opened just a crack with a mug of hot cocoa as a light rain falls outside is the perfect afternoon for me. I guess in general, I recharge when given time alone to do the things I love. Mental health is such a personal topic and such a personal struggle at times that it can be hard to understand how to handle it. But once I figured out what worked for me, I made sure that I took care of my mental health, and gave myself the breaks I needed to ensure things could continue to run smoothly.

When I was younger, I loved to read. And I still love to read, but books truly were my world in elementary and junior high school. It sounds cliché, but books allowed me to escape my life. I only had a few friends, and even then we only got together every once in a while. In my frequent bouts of down time, I read and immersed myself in book after book. When I got a bit older, I started playing in the school band. Many girls chose the flute, the violin, maybe a clarinet; not me. I chose the bassoon. On its own, the bassoon is not a very common instrument, especially in a junior high band. But the fact that I'm a girl makes me even more unheard of. I've played for 5 years now and I've adored every second of it. During one of the roughest patches of my life, I took up water coloring painting. It became a new kind of escape for me. I was able to paint my feelings and my perspective on things. Since then, water colors have continued to help me express my emotions and learn to appreciate the detail in every day objects. Although my hobbies have changed with time, they remain the things I turn to when life feels heavy. They allow me to take a break from life, if even just for a few minutes, and immerse myself in easier-to-handle things. Regardless of what hobbies I may take up in the future, I hope I'll always remember the ones that got me through my hardest times.

If life's taught me one thing, it's that nothing lasts forever. I've learned to appreciate the little things in life, because sometimes it seems they're the only good things around us. There are so many reasons we could find to cry or mope around or give up. But just the same, there are so, so many reasons to smile and laugh and be grateful. I keep a daily gratitude journal where I write down one thing from the day that stuck out to me. Sometimes it's something bigger; but most of the time, I end up writing down small, seemingly insignificant things that made me smile or breathe a sigh of relief. June 11th, 2021 - I found a lucky penny today. That truly was all I needed that day to smile. I'd been at work and was having a long, hard day. Finding that penny wasn't anything incredible or amazing, but it made my day better. It gave me something to be grateful for that day, even though it was worth quite literally 1 cent. July 16th, 2021 - I went for a bike ride today. Another hard day where the best part was the simple 10 minutes I found to get outside and appreciate nature. Nature is especially easy to forget to be grateful for if we're not careful. It's always right outside our windows, but we take it for granted sometimes. In short, find your penny today. Find 10 minutes to appreciate the people around you. Verbalizing your gratitude will brighten their day, as well as yours. :)

"Dare to be a Mormon, dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known." -President Thomas S. Monson, October 2011 This quote is very dear to my heart as it represents not only my church's late prophet's testimony of the gospel, it also gives me courage to be strong and unwavering in my faith. It helps me to remember that I don't have to compromise my morals or beliefs to be a part of this world. When I think of this quote, I remember the story that goes along with it. President Monson was in the army and on his first Sunday there, when the soldiers were being dismissed by their separate churches, he believed that he was the only one left standing there. But he stood firm nonetheless and when his sergant asked what religion he was, he replied, "Mormon sir!" Behind him stood several other young men of his same faith, crying out with him. He was reminded that day that even when it seems you are alone in your faith, in your cause, in your beliefs, you are never alone. We must be brave enough to stand up for what we believe in even when it feels like we have been abandoned by everyone and everything we know. I have been inspired to stand up for my beliefs and defend my morals when it seems all the world is against me. I know that I can achieve amazing things if I only remember that we are never alone in our efforts to be better and to do better.