I just had one of the hardest, yet most worthwhile weeks of my life. It was spent in the desert of Cataract Canyons in Utah. I had never been in 120 degree weather before and I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it. We were woken everyday at precisely 6:15 everyday and met for "stretch circle" at 6:30, except the day we woke up at 4:00 am to take an hour long hike up a huge cliff. So not only did we have to paddle all day--on mostly flatwater-- we had to wake up fifteen minutes early to do push-ups. We drank water that was as hot as our surroundings and were pushed to our limits in many ways. On a positive note, we were in the most beautiful surroundings I have ever seen and we all grew very close in the weeks time. Through this trip I not only had to push myself, but I learned that the harder the fighter, the greater the triumph. At the end of the week I not only felt accomplished, but looking back it didn't seem as hard as I thought at the time. From now on, in life I plan to look past the negatives and see the good, not the struggle.  
        The best night of the trip was Thursday. We were given water and ground to sleep on (the sand was soft,  but the rocks and thistles made it quite uncomfortable). We all saw this as the worst thing that could happen to us but after a few hours we started to let loose and enjoy our time to bond away from our instructors. Despite our lack of sleep, it ended up being the funnest night together.

Part of me would like to go back to my first day of high school and give my younger self some tips to get along better, but the other part of me would rather stay in this time and let life take it's course. I believe everything happens for a reason, good or bad. I do have several regrets from my time in high school, but without those times I wouldn't be the person I am today, and I'm very happy with who that person is. I've just began to realize, I have great friends and a family who, whether or not they show it all the time, does love me. If I were to change time, I may be an entirely different person. This is where I was supposed to end up, so why would I change it?

   

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What makes a relationship real in today's world? Many older men date young girls and many older woman date young guys. Can it work? Can it really last? What does it take to make a relationship work? Are feelings enough or will they be lost in the battle? Sometimes love happens at the wrong time in our lives with the wrong people, but what are we to do? We have no control who we fall for. Recent experience has shown me that we often fall for the person we least expect and when we do, its one of the biggest, most amazing struggles we could ever imagine. But there is nothing we can do...we are destined for heartbreak. Is it really better "to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all" or should we skip the opportunity so that we don't have to deal with the pain?