It Withers Quicker Than the Rose

To An Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before the echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

I read this poem as an assignment for my British Literature class, and it has been resonating in my thoughts ever since.

The speaker says how lucky an athlete is who dies young, he can go out with a bang and people will remember him/her for decades to come. This poem is not supposed to be taken literally; he does not want great athletes to die. But the message he is trying to portray states that an athlete who dies young does not have to worry about fading away and living a life that may be full of disappointment and hardship. Rather, they leave this world when they have achieved great success and are at the peak of their abilities.

With the rodeo season coming to an end, this poem really hit home. After the season is over, I’ve decided to give up my rodeo career for a while to focus more on school and other important aspects in my life. This semester, I’ve been successful at the college rodeos and hope to continue that streak with the remaining rodeo. It has been a tough decision to give up a sport that I've been passionate about for so long, but as strange as it sounds, this poem helped give me peace of mind about it. I could pursue rodeo and spend more and more money trying to better myself, and there’s a possibility that I wouldn’t improve. Not saying that I wouldn’t try, but I would much rather go out with a bang. The last rodeo of the season is next weekend in Stephenville, TX. I plan to make it my best rodeo yet and give the performance of my lifetime.

So for now, I’m giving it all I’ve got because that is all I have to give.

Reminiscing

I've been thinking about Russia a lot lately and how much I miss it. This video brings back some fun memories while abroad. Hope you all enjoy!



That's all!

Katie

All You Need Is Love.

After reflecting on some verses in 1 Corinthians this past week, I felt the need to post about love. All kinds of love.

1 Corinthians 13:2-3 states: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

We, as humans, can have the best of intentions, but if we do not have love in our hearts, then we have nothing. Many times, love is mistaken for lust or infatuation. Lust and infatuation give you a temporary high, but in the end leave you hurt and/or broken. I don’t know of anyone who likes either of those things. The kind of love that is represented in the verses above is agape love. Agape love comes from God and is non-partial, sacrificial, and unconditional. This kind of love is rare in the world today, which is a sad but true statement. Many people today, including myself, have loved or love one another conditionally. But this is not how God intended us to love one another. Conditional love expects something in return and is based on how we act towards each other. Unconditional love is the complete opposite; it sacrifices much and does not expect anything in return.

In all my relationships, whether that is with friends, family, mentors, enemies, etc, I strive to love them all unconditionally just as God loves us. True love is how God loves his children, not the butterfly feeling you get from a boyfriend/girlfriend. My hope is that we all can love each other just the way God loves us. It would save us from some serious disappointment.

One Day Without Shoes 2011

Tuesday was One Day Without Shoes led by Toms Shoes. This is how Howard College participated:







Many went barefoot, then later that evening we held an event called Shoeless Sonnets. People were invited to read poetry, whether that be original, one of their favorites, or even singing a song was welcomed. We showed the Toms documentary and the response was awesome. The turn out was much better than we had anticipated and the audience was spectacular. I am so appreciative for all who came out and supported.

The semester is rapidly coming to an end and graduation is roughly five weeks away! My time at Howard College has gone by quicker than I ever imagined. I think I'm going to miss this place.. but I'll follow up with that in another post.

Hope everyone has a magnificent weekend!

Shoeless.

Tomorrow, April 5th, 2011, I am going One Day Without Shoes so that a child in need doesn’t have to.

What does barefoot mean to me?
On a regular day, it represents the freedom to go without shoes if I choose to do so. It means embracing the Katie that existed years ago as a child. I love to feel the earth beneath my feet even if that means stepping on a rock or two.

What about being barefoot on April 5th?
I am going barefoot to raise awareness because not everyone has the luxury to choose to go barefoot. In many countries around the world, people cannot afford to buy shoes, and therefore just go without. Without shoes, children cannot go to school and in turn, have a greater chance of repeating the poverty cycle.

Doesn’t sound like a big deal, right?
Wrong. Not wearing shoes can lead to serious disease and infection, such a Podoconiosis. Podoconiosis is a debilitating disease that causes extreme swelling, repeated ulcers and deformities, especially in the legs.

The best part?
The disease is 100% preventable just by wearing shoes. The people affected by this disease constantly walk barefoot in silica-heavy volcanic soil, but not by choice.

What can you do to help?
Join the efforts worldwide and go One Day Without Shoes.

Go to: www.onedaywithoutshoes.com for more information.

Will you step up and help raise awareness?