Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Leia's Beautiful 9th Grade Picture & Excerpt from Her Portfolio


A Day in Leia’s Life
Leia woke up. … It was still dark, of course.  It was stupid “Daylight Savings”!  Why don’t you save her sleep instead!  Oh man!  She thought, “Why is it so cold in the morning, don’t we have heaters for that reason!?!”  But ever since she left one on all day, she is not allowed to use heaters in the morning.  That’s why she rarely ever dresses nicely for school.  She is cold and tired and just wants to be warm and comfortable without having to think yet. 
Thinking is for school, not mornings. 
Leia is almost ready.  Her sister and mom are already in the car waiting.  The horn honks twice.  Of course, Annie is the first one ready.  Leia thinks Annie is always the fastest.  “Someday I’ll beat her,” Leia thought.  Then her BRAIN wakes up and she remembers that she is in high school for goodness sake!  Leia is more mature than this. 
Finally, the best (and only good) part of the morning arrives, … the car ride to school.  It could be to anywhere, for all she cared, but she doesn’t think she could keep her sanity without it.  It may not sound like much, but Leia thinks best when she is moving, especially in a car. 
Most mornings Leia’s mind doesn’t dwell on any particular universe or story, so with “epic” playlist in hand, her consciousness drifts throughout the universe with each song going somewhere new.  Sometimes she’s flying through the skies of Berk on a dragon.   Sometimes she is shooting down tie fighters for the Rebellion, but most often she’s running, … not running from anything in fear, but running with freedom:  free from asthma, which keeps her from running in reality; free from assignments and due dates. 
Just running. 
Running through every land from Hyrule to the Shire, but not, of course, the car pulls into school and the race is over, in a manner of speaking, because the battle for the day has just begun.
The school day starts as monotonous as ever, with Leia trying to push the sleep and distractions away.  Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that Leia loathes school.  In fact, even if she could leave, she wouldn’t.  She wants to learn, to better herself, and someday have a good career.  She even enjoys some classes, but no one is immune to boredom and daydreaming. 
Least of all someone with a creative mind and an obsessive thought problem. 
Leia focuses as hard as she can, but by third period Civics class, she is off wandering the Lost Woods and making character sketches in her notebook. 
Then lunch. 
No matter how bad cafeteria food is, it is still food (except for the pizza that might as well be plastic).  “At least lunch is better with friends,” she thinks, as she sits down with Becky, Jared, Luke and a few other misfits. 
I know what you are thinking:  Luke, Leia, both Star Wars fans, both close friends, some have even said that they look alike enough to be brother and sister.  Funny world, isn’t it?  But anyway, no matter how much of a loner she is, you always need friends.  After lunch comes the most dreaded part of the day.  
Leia’s daily “Boss Battle” if you will:  WORLD HISTORY (dun, dun, DUUN)! (Cue dramatic music.) 
Leia used to love History, but no matter how fascinating the event is, this online class manages to make it as boring, long, … and the weekly ridiculous due dates, good glory, this is a tough one.  Sometimes she wonders how she has managed to get good grades through middle school and last semester. 
Leia is such a procrastinator, after all she is in her personality type:  INFP.
Maybe Leia works best under pressure or something.  As the class is nearing its end, she can practically feel the pointless and annoying chatter of the computer lab filling her head like fog, and the room seems to be casting a dreary spell that just tries to squeeze her brain with ultimate boredom.  But she checks the clock on her computer and sees that, thank goodness, it is finally 2:30! 
Time to go! 
She quickly packs her bag and turns on her headphones … not giving a second thought.  Her playlist begins to play, and finally she is back where she longs to be: 
Running. …
Running through games, stories, myths, and legends. …
Running.
Running through dragons’ nests, mystic woods, ancient temples, and sunlit fields.  
Running. …
Running, through life’s great adventure without a care, not knowing what she will discover along the way.

No comments: