The Beauty of Friendship

   In our world today, all the craze is about how popular you are and how many "friends" you have.  Not many people who have Facebook know every single one of the "friends" who they have friended.  A lot of people say that they have lots and lots of friends whether it be at school, sports teams, etc.  But how many of them can you say that you would tell a deep secret too?  It all comes down to that.  You probably have only a select few of people that you would be willing to tell a secret to.  You may have thousands of "friends" out there, but deep inside you know that you have that select few that are your real friends that you would not let anything happen to.  That is the true beauty of friendship.  True friends are always going to be there for you when you need it.  They do not judge you, they make fun of you in a way that only you understand, they are the ones laughing when you fall or say something stupid.  Friends do not lie to one another, they do not spread rumors about each other, they are the first ones to stand up for you.  Friendship is something to be treasured, and you would be willing to die for them, and hope that they are willing to die for you.  This is what the true beauty of friendship is.

The Wonders of Color

       Color may seem like it is not necessary in life, but lying beneath the beautiful color lies deep importance to many people.  Since I was about 10 years old, my favorite color has always been blue. Light blue to be specific.  Ever since my uncle died of cancer and I was going through many rough times after another, blue has always been the color that seems the most forgiving.  Yes, blue is a color and cannot talk or move to make you feel better, but it does give emotional support when it is needed the most.  Blue is known to give off a feeling of trustworthiness and a want for peace, which is exactly what I find inside the depths of blue.  Colors do not judge and you can cry to your hearts content and they will not laugh, mock, or yell at you.  It may seem ridiculous, but the color blue has indeed been the color that I feel will not make me even more sad than I already am, which is how black makes me feel.  Something about the subtleness, the calmness of light blue always calms me down and I do not know what it is.  Blue reminds me of the blue sky above us, and it reminds me of beauty and magnificence that is life.  It is shown that the color blue tends to clam the human person, and instantly cool them down.  Colors remind me everyday of what a gift it is to be able to see all the beautiful colors that make up the world, green trees, blue sky, red flowers, etc.  People tend to take for granted the ability to see and absorb all the beautiful colors that are apart and that make up nature.  Colors are so amazing that they can change a persons mood as soon as they walk into a room or if they even eat off of a plate that is a certain color.  The color red, as it is most known for is at traffic light, and red means stop, green means go.  Color also has a deeper influence on us, for example it has been shown that pink will tend to make a person feel warm and comfortable, and the most known of course that the color pink is associated with are girls.  A girl's first favorite color is generally pink, because it is usually a really pretty color, and it is also a sign of sensitivity and delicacy.  It is truly amazing what a seemingly simple concept of color can actually do.  From looking and being absolutely beautiful, to calming the human person, color is most definitely not a simple concept, but instead, can be a successful place of solitude, comfort, and trust.  





Sources:
http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-blue-4322#.UmCY1DbnYdU
http://colormatters.com/
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-pink.html

Stop this Fatness!

    In our world today, especially the United States, there is a huge problem with children and teenagers being overweight, obese, and even morbidly obese.  It is shown that on average 20% of all children aged 2-19 years of age are obese.  This is very sad to see, because when a child is as young as 2 years of age, they have virtually no control over their weight, because they are not old enough to play any sports or do any activities that can help reduce their weight or control it.  When they are that young, it is on the parents to keep their children healthy, and if their child is overweight, especially obese, that is the parents' fault and it is very important that they change their lifestyles in order to keep their children in shape.  Sometimes, the children of poorer families tend to be the ones that are overweight.  This happens mostly because healthy food is typically more expensive than junk food is.  A 12 pack of Root Beer is on average costs between $6-$12 whereas a 12 pack of water can cost anywhere between $15-$20.  This range in price shows that healthy food and beverages cost more, because is takes more to prepare the healthy foods and beverages and therefore making it more expensive to buy.  This is why lower income families will tend to be overweight, because healthier foods and beverages tend to cost more.  Another factor into the obesity in children is that when the child becomes a teenager, it starts to be their choice on what they do to keep themselves healthy.  Teenagers that are overweight usually tend to be lazier and as their bodies are growing they also eat a lot more in order to keep their body strong so as to keep up with the growing that they are going through.  Young children and teens who are overweight sometimes do not know what they are doing to their bodies when they are overweight.  When a person is overweight it puts them at a greater risk of having a heart attack or developing type 2 diabetes.  This is also critical when a child is overweight, because if a child is overweight as a kid, they are most likely to stay overweight into their adulthood and have a harder time losing that excess weight.  All of this can be prevented through a few changes in the child or teen's diet and exercising habits.  It has been shown that when a family eats together at HOME, they tend to eat healthier, because home-made meals have more effort into them, and more thought put into them that they will end up having less fat and calories in them.  It is also shown that if a child exercises for at least 60 minutes a day, it will help them to burn calories and fat, and help the child to remain healthy.  Cutting out fast food takes a load of fat, cholesterol, and calories out of a person's diet.  An average meal at a fast food restaurant tends to be within 1000-1500 calories, while an average teen should be taking in only about 1500-2500 calories a DAY, so eating ONE meal at a fast food restaurant covers the TOTAL calorie intake of the whole day, so when a child eats over 2 meals at a fast food place, they are already overeating what they should and if they do not then exercise after, the calories will then add up, which will then add weight to the child or teen's body.  In conclusion, childhood and teenage obesity continues to rise as the years go on, and there are many health problems that come along with it such as a heart attack or type 2 diabetes, etc.  There are many ways to fix this problem.  Simply by eating home-cooked meals and staying away from fast food restaurants, and exercising daily in order to keep in shape.  If a child or teen keeps to this healthier lifestyle, there will be no problem keeping a healthy weight.




Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
http://www.overweightteen.com/statistics.html
http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/8534/145207/childhood-obesity?ic=506048
http://www.livestrong.com/article/256927-how-many-calories-should-a-child-be-eating/

Eating with the Family

   Most everyday, my family and I have VERY long days, and we hardly see each other.  This is what makes dinner time the best part of the day.  For our family, dinner time is not just for scarfing down our food as if we are vacuum cleaners, but instead we use this time to catch up on life events.

   During the day, the Wilhoite kids have school, usually followed by some sport, and dad has long days at work, and mom is either subbing or filing paperwork.  With these hectic schedules, there is generally no time to settle down and get together as a family and do something.  We instead have a nice family dinner where we can take a breathe and take loads off our shoulders as we describe our day at school, work, or sports.  This time is always treasured, because not only does mom make amazing food, but we get to know our lives just a little bit better, just by talking to each other for 30-45 minutes every night.  On days that are not so hectic, we might get an extra 15 minutes to talk to one another, and my dad makes extra efforts to hear about our day, or if it is Friday, he wants to hear about our week as a whole, while all of us kids just want to go to bed.  The brothers usually gobble up their food within 10 minutes, in order to get to enjoy watching the full football game, or relax and watch a baseball game.  I am usually the one that yells at my brothers to chew with their mouths closed, because I cannot stand the sound of chewing.  For me, I really like to have this family time, and I treasure it every time it occurs, but like almost every high school student, I am loaded with homework every night to last a life time, and I will try and eat my dinner as fast as I possibly can.  Family dinners are very important, because it is shown that if a family eats at least 3-5 meals together a week, the children will be less likely to get into trouble.

   Family dinners in my house are not just eat and leave, they are instead a time where the family can sit down, and relax every once in a while and talk about our days and our lives.  These moments will always be treasured, because when a family can connect over a meal, it will build the bond between the family, making us closer and help everyone to know that they are important and loved, and that everyone around the table will always be there for them when they are feeling sad, angry, or alone.