Riley WilliamsWhat I Can’t Ignore

What are you so passionate about that you can’t ignore? Well, what does being passionate about something even mean? To me, it means having something or someone in your life that you cannot go a day without thinking about or doing. Having a passion is essential because it makes you feel like you’re doing something meaningful and it allows you to have that escape from the real world when your day isn’t going as planned. Mine happen to be music and Spanish. Passions can also be negative in the sense that you dislike something more than your frivolous everyday pet peeves and for me that is flaky people and the government.

MusicMusic is one thing I am extremely passionate about and simply could not live without. I listen to music every day because it makes every task I do better, even when it’s something I don’t want to do. After being told to do something I dislike, my initial thought is that I at least have music to get me through it. Music is there for me when I have to drive, do homework, go to the dentist, when I am bored out of my mind and several other situations. Music is also there for me during the good times when I want to dance, work out, and clear my head. The genres that I am most passionate about would be hip-hop and dub step music. The reason I gravitate towards these genres is because it helps me take my anger out when I am mad and at the same time it can make me get excited about doing something and even make me laugh. Every song makes me feel and think about different things. Some songs I associate with a certain day/event or a particular person. For example, any songs by the artist Gucci Mane remind me of my best friend because we would always listen to him on the way to school senior year, which brings back

the happy times when I could spend as much time as I wanted to with her. The time when I am really grateful for music is when I am in a hard point in my life because it always helps me get through it. My favorite line is from a song by Future called 56 Nights when he says, “power of money is my motivation” because I feel the same way as him and it reminds me to keep shooting for my goals.

Music can distract my mind from those feelings simply by playing a song that reminds of something happy and positive. One song that I can always rely on to cheer me up is called Sun Models by ODESZA. This is an upbeat dub step song that will always put a smile on my face and a song that I cannot resist dancing to. To me, music is a very powerful tool and necessary to life.

All three of the pictures above are perfect examples of when and how I use music in my everyday life. The first picture demonstrates how I used music to pass time on a long plane ride. The second picture I was at a Fall Out Boy and Paramore concert and we were all having a good time dancing and singing our hearts out. The third picture portrays how music can help me get through a long tiring workout and motivates me to keep going. Music is universal and can connect one culture to another, which I greatly appreciate.

SpanishSpanish is a huge passion in my life that I encountered sophomore year of high school. After my first Spanish class I realized that I wanted to do everything in my power to become fluent in it. The teacher I had played a big role in creating my goal because she herself was so passionate about the language and wanted to teach it well to all of her students. I am now entering my fifth year of Spanish and couldn’t be more content. Spanish is one of the only classes I actually WANT to go to because I just can’t wait to obtain more knowledge. Knowing that every class I attend makes me one step closer to my ultimate goal is what allows me to have that drive to learn and succeed. I know that reaching my goal of being bilingual will ultimately lead me to happiness. Spanish is the second most common language spoken here in the United States. 38.3 million people speak Spanish as their primary language at home. That is a great deal of people and permits a plethora of opportunities to speak with someone that you wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to. Being able to speak the language allows the unique opportunity that many miss out on. To me, knowing two languages in general is very important because it expands your horizons by allowing you to communicate with others. You may even meet your best friend that you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to converse with before.

Esta fotografía muestra una pared que mi español de cuatro maestro tenía en su salon de clases. Cuando usted hizo una "A" en una prueba de su nombre sería puesto en una cinta y se coloca en la pared. Estaba tan extasiado que finalmente lo hizo a la pared porque yo había estado luchando ese año y este refuerzo positivo mantuve mi cabeza fuera del agua . Envié esta fotografía a todo aquel que sabía lo mucho que realmente me importa para el español.

Translated in English:This photo shows a wall that my Spanish IV teacher had in her classroom. When you made an “A” on a test your name would be put on a ribbon and placed on the wall. I was so ecstatic that I finally made it to the wall because I had been struggling that year and this positive

reinforcement kept my head above water. I sent this photograph to everyone who knew how much I truly care for Spanish.

Flaky PeopleIn my experience, I have learned that there are two sides to every story, and every action has a reaction. Even though I am highly passionate about music and Spanish, there are negative things people can be just as passionate about. Personally, I feverishly hate flaky people. Those people who aren’t true to their word, are constantly late, and cancel plans at the last minute are people I can’t stand to be surrounded by. It is such a nuisance to get excited about plans with someone only to have them cancel on you. When I say being late bothers me, I don’t mean 5-10 minutes late, I mean when people are hours late. Many of my friends have a hard time being on time and it is just annoying when you’re expecting someone to come over or pick you up and you’re just sitting there waiting for hours. I am a pretty busy person so there are a million other things I could be doing instead of wasting my time receiving your “I am seriously almost there” text messages. I once had a friend who would take 20 minutes to come out to my car when I arrived to pick her up. This was back before I had my license, so my mom suffered from this rude behavior as well. I would literally have to text her as I was pulling out of my driveway and say “here” so she would be waiting outside (the way I personally think it should be). Even then, there were times we would have to wait and it was just ridiculous to me. Flaky people to me are unjust and unfair and they don’t have qualities that I care to obtain.

GovernmentGovernment is another thing that I passionately hate. Now I understand that without government this country wouldn’t function but there are just some smaller things within the government that bother me to my wits end. My most passionate dislike is the idea from a Democrat’s standpoint that people who have more money should owe more in taxes. I personally hate taxes because being only 17 and basically being forced to make minimum wage, I essentially make no money. My paychecks are already not the finest and then viewing the amount of money the government took from me makes my blood boil. I worked hard for that money and I believe I deserve every last penny of it! With that being said, I love volunteering and helping people who truly are in need of assistance, so I don’t mind giving those people money, food, or whatever it may be. It is the people who just sit at home not even trying to work or begging for money that I absolutely hate giving my money to. How is it fair that I am a full time student and working and they just get to sit there doing nothing all day and get to take my hard earned money? The idea that the more money you have, the more you should owe in taxes is nonsense to me. That person who is making all that money I can promise you worked very strenuously to end up in that situation. In many cases, people who make millions of dollars end up donating their money to charities and volunteering anyways. I know that not everyone does that but that’s okay to me because again they made that money themselves and they have the right to do what they want with it; they just might receive some bad karma.

All of my passions are very important to me and have made me who I am today. Music and Spanish help take my mind off of everyday thoughts and allow me to express who I am. I believe that my passionate dislikes of flaky people and the government demonstrate my character and what I believe in. Passions are very powerful and there isn’t a more moving sight then seeing someone’s face light up while talking about their own.