Best Thoughts Of Spring

Even if you're not wildly observant, you probably noticed that I changed the title of this little blog. I decided it was time for some blog revamping and refreshment. I chose this name first and foremost because I like the meaning of the word sage. According to the dictionary, a sage is a profoundly wise person, someone who is respected for their wealth of knowledge and experience. I know I am not wise, I am far from it and you don't need to remind me, but it's what I want to be, and it's what I strive for. I made it to say "sagebrush," because while the desire to acquire wisdom speaks to where I am going in life, I wanted something in the name to tie me to where I am from. I love the smell of sagebrush so much that when I was younger, and we would go on family hikes to anywhere where it grew, I would pick it by the handful and cram it into my pockets, so that I could still smell it after we went home. To me, it smells like Montana, and I like that very much. I like the new name, and I hope you do too. Anyway, yesterday was my birthday, and it was absolutely grand. My parents gave me a pair of Birkenstocks, and I don't care how ugly you think Birkenstocks might be, they are some darn comfortable shoes. My brother gave me books, which I am absolutely sure I will enjoy. We hiked up a mountain (or a very large hill), cooked a Mediterranean feast, ate far too much, and at the end of a blissful day, I was a whole new age. Fantastic. April has been a month of joy for me. The arrival of spring always makes my heart ecstatic, never mind that it snowed today and will snow many more times before summer. It's springtime, and that means hope, and joy, and the knowledge that in just over a month and a half, I will be done with high school. There are many other things on my mind that are making life joyous, such as the fact that I leave the United States for Morocco in around five months. I've also been thinking about what I want to do with myself after this year, and tentative wisps of possibility and plans are beginning to take shape. However, it's top-secret for awhile. Spring is here, and my enormous adventure is getting slowly closer, and I am finding new friends in unlikely places. I am peaceful, and happy, and now, I'm also seventeen.

Somebady Has To

Who loves Shel Silverstein? I do. He is a incredibly wise soul, and if you've read his volumes of children's poetry, you may agree that there is usually at least one deep thought that can be extracted and put to practical use. A few days ago I was sitting in Junior English, and as happens more often than it should, I was ignoring the project in front of me. The moment I had set foot in the classroom, my eyes glued themselves to A Light In The Attic, one of Silverstein's most well known collections of poetry. I spent the class period perusing his genius that had been stuck to paper, and thoroughly enjoying myself along the way. Many poems held my thoughts for a good many minutes, but one in particular stood out; it's a wonderful little poem that you too can enjoy, because here it is right below this sentence:

Somebody Has To

By Shel Silverstein

Somebody has to go polish the stars,
They're looking a little bit dull.
Somebody has to go polish the stars,
For the eagles and starlings and gulls
Have all been complaining they're tarnished and worn,
They say they want new ones we cannot afford.
So please get your rags
And your polishing jars,
Somebody has to go polish the stars.

How excellent is that poem?! When I read this, I loved it, because to me, it carries a deeper meaning than stars or a kick-butt rhyme scheme. I dislike poetry analyses as much as the next teenager, but in my opinion, this poem is a reminder to work towards a bright life, and illustrated in simple phrases a thought I have been thinking for awhile. Lately, I've noticed a lot of discontent in the people that surround me, and it saddens me. They are unhappy with their current lives, but, for lack of knowledge of motivation or something unknown, they sit in their discontent, hoping that the greatest of times will simply "come along." Forgive me if I'm being too frank, but the greatest of times and adventures and relationships have rarely come to the passive. My personal belief is that if you want a full life, you must be the one to fill it. You must work your tail end off for what makes your heart thrive. I am sharing this because I am trying to live my life this way, and it is hard. I have failures almost daily, and I am weak. But, I know without a doubt that it will be worth it when I can look back at my life and know that I made something beautiful out of these planet days. So, as Silverstein so wisely put it, "Please get your rags and you polishing jars, somebody has to go polish the stars."

-mads