if i could change one thing in my past, I would have changed......

If I could change one thing in my past, I would have changed the time I caused myself to rip my lip open and had to get three stitches because I didn’t listen to my mom. Everyone knows that bad things happen when you do not listen to your parents.

When I was about three, my dad was still working as a judge, so family was still living at our old house on Capitol Hill that we lived in until I was ten after my dad retired. It was day time and my mom and our old housekeeper were scrubbing the carpets outside of the house on a place where there was just cement that was really smooth. My mom was scrubbing the carpets with soap and water and, since I was just three, I was dancing around on the carpets and in the soap and water. My mom, of course, told me to stop dancing because I would slip and fall. But, being three and having so much fun dancing around in the soap and water, I did not listen to my mom and continued to dance.

My mom kept telling me I would slip and fall but I was sure I was safe. And sure enough, I slipped and fell. My mom had buckets full of water that she was using to clean the carpets and when I slipped, I fell and my upper lip landed on the part of the part of the plastic bucked where the handle met the bucket, which was very sharp. I ended up ripping my lip open.

While the ambulance came to take me to the emergency room, I was crying and crying and my mom told me if I cried I would get in bigger trouble. So while she covered my mouth to stop the bleeding, I was trying not to cry. But of course I couldn’t help it. I was taken put in the ambulance with my arms strapped down so I would not move.

When I got the emergency room, I ended up getting three stitches on my lip. I have a scar on my mouth that I now have to live with forever. Sometimes I am asked why I have a scar on my mouth, and I tell the story. But sometimes I just laugh. That is what I got for not listening to my mom. We all get punished for not listening to what our parents tell us to do, even if it is not a punishment from our parents directly. Like mine-slipping and falling to rip my lip open on a bucket handle. Now I regret it. But yet again, I was only three. So it was understandable. But it was my fault for not listening to my mom.

do we spend too much time pleasing others instead of spending time with ourselves?

Do we spend too much time pleasing others instead of spending time with ourselves? I don’t think that anyone could ever spend too much time trying to please others. But it depends mainly on the person. If someone is a kind person and it gives them pleasure trying to please other people, I don’t think that person would worry too much about spending time with them self. But if a person is kind but wants to set time away to keep to her/himself, it’s not a bad thing.
Pleasing others gives you a good “look.” When you help other people and make other people happy, you will be known as a kind and gracious person and will probably end up having time to yourself. When you lend a helping hand and people recognize you for that, they will know that sometimes you might actually need a break and might actually need some time to rest.
Personally, I don’t think I spend too much time pleasing others. I love to help other people with their struggles, problems, or worries and I know quite a few people that need that kind of comfort. But sometimes I really do need some time to myself. Although sometimes I really do need time to myself, I still want to help other people. But it doesn’t mean I spend too much time pleasing others.
I have to say I do spend more time on myself than others, but it’s natural. But, I do know people that spend almost all of their time pleasing others. I try and help; some people like to have someone help them out, but some people just like to help others all on their own. So if people want to please others and do not want help doing it, they are pleasing themselves as well. People feel somewhat rewarded when they spend most of their time pleasing others. Again, it all depends on the person.

Today's pro athletes are overpaid....

The average salary of today’s professional athletes in the United States is between $24,162 and $36,375 yearly. I play all kinds of sports and I watch all kinds of sports on TV. I see pro athletes play their sports and just by watching I can tell that they work and train really well to get to do what they love to do. Considering how much work pro athletes do and how much time they spend training, I do not think they are overpaid.

But I do believe there is one exception. I think pro skateboarders are overpaid. Pro skateboarders do not make money just by being good at skateboarding; they make money through popularity and advertisement. Pro skateboarders do not make their own advertisements such as designing shoes clothes and lines, selling cool skateboarders and toys, or making their own commercials. All of that stuff is done for them and all they have to do is skateboard. They often do get hurt, but they just become famous because of the popularity. I do not just say this because I do not care for skateboarding, but because I believe it is true.

But for pro athletes that play “real” sports, I think they deserve what they get paid. They do not just get the money they are paid, they earn it; with training and good spirit. I look at my favorite tennis players and see that they have been playing tennis for a long time, and when they actually became real pros, they kept on playing their best. They do play their best. I see some of them loose, but they do not quit. They continue on with the game, earning their money.

Is Billiards a sport? What about Chess….

Hmmm…..are billiards and chess sports? Or are they just “hobbies”? First of all, it depends on what the definition of the word “sport” means; what a sport is. In my opinion, a sport is something that is fun that you have to try, both physically and mentally, to do or play. And sometimes a sport is a competition. People do not just do sports, but they play sports. People play games, but not all games are sports.
What is billiards? It is a game-a game where you have to try, physically and mentally, to get the balls into the holes. You have to focus on where to place the billiards stick, where to hit the ball, and estimate how much strength you need to use to hit the ball to put it where you want to. And you also have to hit the balls with the stick using your strength and power. “Action” is a part of sports as well. So billiards is a sport-physical movement, action, and the use of the mind.
Then there is chess. With chess you have to use your mind. That is the most important part and strategy to chess-focus and concentration. Although you do use your hands to move the pieces, but that are not really what chess is about. In a way chess is a competition, which many sports are. But moving the pieces around on a chess board would not really count as physical work. The only body part you use during chess is your hands. I would call billiards a sport, but chess doesn’t quite make it.