LifeBoard Project

[FlameMaster5]

This is a project for my Massage Therapy program, and more specially will have to be turned into my massage class itself with Instructor Amy on Jan 11th.

The LifeBoard is centered around me, my life, and divided into 9 categories that will help my instructor to know what kind of life I have currently, as a contrast to how my life will change through being a massage therapist. She also said that how we present our LifeBoards will determine how we will present ourselves later to clients and in interviews. More-or-less, this will give her a better picture(or pictures, quite literally) of just who is Bree W.

With that said...

I have the LifeBoard itself complete. But I have to write basically an essay on each of the 9 categories with details on the pictures I chose, and more importantly why I chose them. So before I start jotting down in pencil, I thought here would be a great place for me to try expressing myself without fear of 'messing up' or having to erase a lot.
I like to collect my thoughts a little first.

(I'll apologize that there isn't any pics I can post here really, but I'll just describe in a list and go from there in case you're curious and following along.)


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- LifeBoard Categories-

1). True Love - What I think True Love is.
2). Favorite Color(s) - What your fav color(s) is/are.
3). Inspire Me - Who/What inspires me. Why?

4). What Others Think Of Me.
5). You @ Your Happiest - Pictures of me @ my happiest. Why was I happy?
6). Massage Therapy - What do I think of massage. (Then and Now.)

7). Define Wealth - What is wealth mean to me?
8). Happy & Healthy - What makes me happy and healthy?
9). Centers You - What centers me? What do I think centers me? Why?



Above are the 9 categories. They are split into groups here because they are placed from top to bottom in columns across the board, so it makes sense to right about each left to right, top to bottom. 
And they will be hard to write about. Even harder to talk about in class.
But here goes.


1). True Love - What is True Love? To me, True Love is exactly what my two featured pictures say in the simplest of ways. (True Love is finding someone with whom you can be your truest goofiest self with. And True Love is friendship set on fire.) I believe that whoever is going to be your life partner, they have to be your best friend at the same time. They have to be the one person you want to be constantly with, and feel happy in their presence whether you are doing something or simply doing nothing. Together.
I was, and admittedly still am, in love with my best friend, and although we can't be together... He showed me what I was looking for in a good man. Because of him, I know what True Love looks like, feels like, and should be between two people.
True Love is patient, it is kind and generous, can be trusted completely, wants to protect, and keeps no record of wrongs. It is real and it is strong.
True Love is not selfish. When you can't be together, but still you smile and say, "I'm happy for you", and mean it. 
True Love is unconditional.

But I am trying my best to look to the future in hope of finding someone else that is perfect just for me.
All in due time. Good things come to those who wait, so the saying goes. 


2). Favorite Color(s) - I chose Black as my favorite color. As the picture says: (Classic, stylish, and dark, it's easy to love black. It's luxurious, bold, powerful, and tinged with danger. It's the color of success and it's the color of mourning. And it looks great on anyone.) It concludes with a quote, "I wear black on the outside 'cause black is how I feel on the inside." I myself wear black more than any other color.
However, this is not to say that I don't enjoy other colors, because I most certainly do. In fact, black helps bring out all the other colors that I love, such examples as: crimson red, teal blue, forest green, lavender, fuscia, and even gold and silver. There is plenty more I could list, but then it would go on and on.
So just to reach a happy medium, I went with black.
It gives anything and anyone just an extra touch of class in my opinion.

[FlameMaster5]

3). Who/What Inspires Me - Before starting on this LifeBoard, I never really thought about who or what inspired me. There were never any celebrities I looked up to while growing up, and there were only a handful of role models (if that) in my own life that I either wanted to be or respected. In truth, most of the following pictures you will see here or hear me talk about are fictional characters that I have found truly inspiring after much given thought.
 
But I think I'd like to start with the few people in my life that have directly influenced me.
 
The top middle picture displayed is of my mother Tracy(on the right) and my grandmother Margaret(on the left), or 'Mimi' as we call her.
My mom has inspired me in a lot of ways - showing me examples of both what to do and what not to do for my own life, whether she meant to guide me or through her mistakes. I have watched her well since I was a little girl and admire her confidence, generosity, ambitiousness, her faith in God, and the fact that she always supports me in whatever I desire to do, and her encouragement is genuine. My mother is a nurse, she has always worked hard for whatever she wants in life, and her potential to be independent financially has always inspired me and given me the desire for that freedom myself. 
She is a [major] reason why I am taking this massage program because I wish to build my own life apart from her and finally feel like I am taking control of my circumstances.  It's because I love her that I don't want to worry her, or burden her, or make life complicated by depending on her. Not that she has ever once thought of me living with her as an issue, but there will one day come a time where I will need to take care of her and I want the means to do so.
I just want to make both her and myself proud in the end.

And let's not forget about my Mimi, whom I have always had a close connection to despite long gaps(sometimes years) of not seeing her in my life. But when we do get together or we find a moment to chat on the phone, we pick right up where we left off with heart-to-heart talks. She is a truly loving individual, always greets you with warmth and a smile, and I swear she must know more than half the people in the state of FL because she's just that social.
She is most definitely where my sister and I get our sensitivity to the energies of others, passed down from her to us. And she is one excited grandma to know that I am doing well so far in this program, constantly telling me in her texts that she knows I have special talents and that I will be great as a therapist.
But Mimi inspires me to be more like her as I grow older myself. She is the epitome of what it means to be a grandmother. Like this quote, 'a grandma has ears that truly listen, arms that always hold, love that's never ending, and a heart that's made of gold'. Add in that she is like my guardian angel and that sums her up in a nutshell. I have always been in awe of her gentle way about her and I only hope to be the same way when I am her age.   


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The top right picture you see here is of my sister Shelley and me. Out of all the pictures shown, I can easily say that my sister hands-down inspires me the most in my immediate life.
Shelley is not just any sister. She's special. She's the one person who has been where I have been, who I can call on when things aren't going right. She has taught me more than my own mother ever could because she always passed down what she learned to me and then some. She has always looked out for me, protects me, and wants what is best for us both.
As a duo, we compliment and help each other. If we have a squabble(a rarity for us), it is short and settled quickly, with a friendly reminder that we will always stay united through thick and thin. We are partners in crime, if you will.
I have lived with my sister, I have been apart from my sister, and I have even worked alongside my sister. I have watched her my whole life give her 110% to everything she does, even despite of or because of her many ailments. She inspires me because she never gives up, never gives in. She spends every day maximizing her efforts to the fullest before she hits hard burnouts where her body just can't take anymore. And even then, she keeps moving forward. I stand in complete awe of her, and I honestly don't know how she does it. Especially when I know that no one else could do what she has had to do throughout her life, or face what she struggles with. I know I couldn't. God gave her some amazing courage and strength, and she wastes none of it.
Shelley is also why I am even enrolled here in this massage program. As mentioned, we've worked together in a retail setting, and so she knows the ins and outs of the retail game as a previous manager and it always ends the same - you get laid off eventually, with nothing to show for for all your hard work. I have been working at Ross for a year and half now and there have been plenty times where I have wondered when the axe will drop on me simply due to outside variables I have no control over. On top of that, there is the circumstances of where my mother wants to move further away or possibly back to FL, and I myself have no intention of leaving and have had no prior means to support myself. So with all of this said, when my sister investigated programs for greater education to lead us to stabilizing careers and happier futures...
Shelley lead us here to CMI. Without her encouragement, her go-getter attitude, and suggestion to do this together, I know I would have never come upon this awesome opportunity on my own. And now that I am here, I know this is the right path for me.


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[FlameMaster5]

Now onto the fictional characters who inspire me most.
There's quite a few, so I'll try to touch on each one just a little and explain why I chose them.


Hop over next to the top left image displayed where we have a classic Star Wars movie scene of the young Jedi Luke Skywalker facing off against the villainous Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker was my first ever hero established while growing up, something I share very much in common with my big sister.
Luke was a farmboy who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest Jedi Knights the galaxy has ever known. Along with his sister Leia and friend Han Solo, Luke battled the evil Empire, discovered the truth of his parentage, and ended the tyranny of the Sith(the dark counterparts to the Jedi).
This character inspires me with his courage, his faith, his love for his family and friends, and his willingness to seek guidance and wisdom from those more experienced than himself. Luke will always be a favorite of mine throughout the years, and I continue to enjoy today new developments in the Star Wars universe.

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Jump down from here and we fall to the video game concept art of Tales of Symphonia's main protagonist Lloyd Irving.
The story takes place in a world known as Sylvarant. Lloyd Irving accompanies his childhood friend, Colette, who is chosen by the angels to travel and unseal Sylvarant's temples to restore mana, a necessary energy to sustain life, to the world. They are accompanied by other friends from their village, and a mercenary as well. During their journey, they learn about the existence of a parallel world called Tethe'alla and how their quest redirects Tethe'alla's flow of mana towards Sylvarant. The party then discover that their religion and mana system are a facade created by an organization called Cruxis. The party then travel to Tethe'alla where more join them in their cause to save the two worlds.
Although Lloyd himself plays no part in the prophecy involved here, he is still a strong optimist, idealist, and a fair leader. He is a young warrior who stands by his companions to guide and protect them.
I admire this character's diplomatic approaches throughout the story most of all.
Quite a feat to bring two opposing worlds together in harmony!


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Directly below we have the image of Shulk, hero of the video game Xenoblade Chronicles.
Shulk is a youth with strong qualities. He is determined, organized, strong-hearted, smart, and quick to the bone. He likes to think things through and is very methodical in his approach to most situations. His kindness has been noted by several characters in the story, most notably young Fiora, who states that this is the main reason she fell in love with him. 
Shulk was one of the only known survivors on a previous expedition to retrieve the Monado(the blade he carries), and as a young man has become a budding researcher set on unlocking the sword's secrets. He first wields the sacred weapon when his home, Colony 9, is attacked by Mechon(intelligent, flesh-eating machines). His kindness mentioned earlier has its limits, and he shows a very vengeful side when he witnesses Fiora's death at the hands of the evil Metal Face, after which he vows to kill him and all other Mechon to avenge her.
Through the power of the Monado, Shulk later sees visions of the future and he quickly acts to save as many people around him as he can from the Mechon, hoping to change the terrible things shown to him.
I just love this character and his drive to set things right.
Even when he can't win all the battles he faces.


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Beneath Shulk we have a final battle scene from the video game series Legend of Zelda, with the legendary hero Link confronting his main adversary Ganon. This is yet another character that my sister and I happen to both be inspired by!
Link is usually depicted as a courageous young boy or teenager in green clothing who leaves his home and any relatives to pursue his destiny in each game installment: fighting the evil forces threatening the land. Over the course of his adventure(s), Link defeats legions of evil monsters, explores vasts lands, helps anyone he meets struggling, navigates deadly dungeons, and collects mythical items while pursuing his quest for justice and peace. In the end, he gains the power needed to thwart his enemies and becomes the stuff of legends.
Since Link is not usually shown to speak, his personality is mainly determined by his actions or others' comments about him. It is shown that Link possesses basic characteristics found in a heroic character; bravery, selflessness, compassion, wisdom, and kindness. He would even go as far as to save others that were his former enemies. These characteristics, along with his purity, allow him to wield the full Triforce(the power of the gods) in some of the games without a problem.
He is also loyal towards the ones close to him. This is frequently shown in each series, as he protects Princess Zelda and others from any evil that threatens them without hesitation.
I enjoy playing as Link in every game I've experienced and respect his character. In fact, he is just one of those characters you hope to take a page from and face each new challenge with his kind of fearless courage.


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[FlameMaster5]

To the immediate right and placed in the center bottom tile is the Pokémon Trainer Red and a team of six monster companions from the Pokémon game series. This character is the main protagonist of the first generation of Pokémon games that started 20yrs ago, this year being the 20th anniversary of Pokémon.
The player controls the protagonist Red from an overhead perspective and navigates him throughout the fictional region of Kanto in a quest to master Pokémon battling. The goal of the games is to become the Champion of the Pokémon League by defeating the eight Gym Leaders and then the top four Pokémon trainers in the land, the Elite Four. Another objective is to complete the Pokédex, an in-game encyclopedia, by obtaining the 150 available Pokémon. Also, throughout the game the player will have to battle against the forces of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that abuses Pokémon. They devise numerous plans for stealing rare Pokémon, which the player must foil.
Like the character Link, Red is never shown to speak throughout the entirety of the series as a whole, and so you must rely on his actions or the comments of others to determine what kind of person he is. During your journey, you come to the conclusion that Red is a very serious individual, especially when he battles. But he is also not a domineering sort, training and guiding his monster allies with love and compassion to surpass any obstacle they face together as a team. And when confronting an enemy organization that abuses Pokémon, you see this bold boy face criminals to make a stand for the creatures of the world he cares for.
I've been pretty impressed with Red ever since I was 7yrs old when the franchise began. He is quiet, but has a lot of spunk and genuinely cares for his animals, or Pokémon in this case. It's no wonder that even as a young boy he rises to the top to become Pokémon League Champion, the strongest Trainer in the region.


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Next we have a group of characters huddled in the bottom right corner, all hailing from the hit TV show Game of Thrones: Daenerys Targaryen, Sansa Stark, and Tirion Lannister. The TV show was inspired by American author George R. R. Martin's award-winning A Song of Ice and Fire series. And since all three of these characters share the same and vast universe, I will try to summarize who they are and their personalities to my best ability.

Let's start with Daenerys.
Daenerys is a young woman that begins knowing no other life than one of exile, and she remains dependent on her abusive older brother, Viserys. The timid and meek girl finds herself betrothed to Dothraki horse lord Khal Drogo, to ensure Viserys an army for his return to Westeros and recapture of the Iron Throne. Despite this, her brother loses the ability to control her as Daenerys finds herself adapting to life with the Khalasar and emerges as a strong, confident and courageous woman. She becomes the heir of the Targaryen dynasty after her brother's death and plans to reclaim the Iron Throne herself, seeing it as her birthright. A pregnant Daenerys loses her husband and child, but soon helps hatch three dragons from their eggs, which regard her as their mother, providing her with a tactical advantage and prestige. Over time, she struggles to maintain control of her dragons, which grow dangerous. She also acquires an army with which she conquers the cities of Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen, determined to end slavery and injustice there. Despite her strong moral compass, she is capable of dealing ruthlessly with her enemies, particularly the slave masters of Meereen.

Then we have Sansa.
Sansa is the second child and eldest daughter of lord Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark of Winterfell. She was born and raised in Winterfell, until leaving with her father and younger sister Arya at the beginning of the series. She has also two younger brothers Rickon and Bran, as well as an older brother Robb, and an older illegitimate half-brother, Jon Snow.
Raised as a lady, Sansa is traditionally feminine. Her interests are music, poetry, singing, and also sewing. She strives to become like the heroines of romantic tales by attempting to find a prince, knight, or gentleman to fall in love with, seeing her destiny as a lady or a queen.
Arguably the most naive of the Stark children at the start of the series, Sansa often finds herself used as a pawn in the schemes of the other characters. However, as the story progresses, she matures and becomes more of a player of the game rather than a pawn for other characters.

Last of this list is Tirion.
Tyrion is a dwarf and member of House Lannister, one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the fictional kingdom of Westeros. He uses his status as a Lannister to mitigate the impact of the marginalization and derision he has received all of his life - even from his own family. Knowing that no one will ever take him seriously, he soothes his inadequacies with wine, wit and self-indulgence.
But as the peaceful rule of King Robert Baratheon begins to come apart, Tyrion sees how ill-equipped his family are to hold everything together. He first saves his own neck from the vengeful Catelyn Stark and her sister Lysa Arryn, then is tasked by his father to impose order on the capital of King's Landing - as well as his nephew Joffrey, the new king - as civil war is sparked. Tyrion struggles to strengthen and protect the city and family who hate him and refuse to see the peril they are in; when his father returns, Tyrion becomes vulnerable to the wrath and machinations of the self-serving courtiers who surround Joffrey - including Tyrion's own scheming sister Cersei.
Tyrion escapes death again but at great cost, and in fleeing Westeros finds himself in even more danger, but without his Lannister resources. This brings him to join the young Dragon Queen Daenerys across the sea to council and assist her in her campaign to retake the Iron Throne, in hopes of them both returning safely home to rule in a new era of peace.

Each of these characters inspire me with just how much they have changed and grown throughout their individual parts of the story. Whether from starting timid, naive, or just plain ridiculed, they fought for their survival and aim to make circumstances better not only for themselves but for those around them. They are truly strong and upstanding characters and that's why they are my favorites from the show.
What's even more interesting is that their paths either have already crossed or eventually will, and I can't wait to see what the three of them could accomplish together.


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Next up leading away from the Westeros gang is the Chief Surgeon of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit, one Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce portrayed by Alan Alda in the TV series M*A*S*H.
His nickname, "Hawkeye," comes from a character in the novel The Last of the Mohicans, given to him by his father.
Born and raised in Crabapple Cove, Maine, Hawkeye is, according to the TV series, the son of Dr. Daniel Pierce. After his medical residency in Boston, Hawkeye is drafted into the U.S. Army Medical Corps and called to serve at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) during the Korean War. Between long, intense sessions of treating critically wounded patients, he makes the best of his life in an isolated Army camp with heavy drinking, carousing, and pulling pranks on the people around him, especially the unpleasantly stiff and callous Major Frank Burns and Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan.
The television version of Hawkeye proved to be a somewhat different character than that of the books or movie. While his professional and social lives were much the same, he also gradually evolved into a man of conscience trying to maintain some humanity and decency in the crazy world into which he has been thrust, sometimes to the point of trying to force his own sense of moral superiority onto others. This was to a large extent due to actor Alan Alda’s influence, as he infused the character with some of his political ideals and morals.
Since the time of my exposure to M*A*S*H in my early teenage years, I have admired Hawkeye for his ability to crack jokes and have a good laugh even in the midst of war, patching up soldiers that were no more than just children sent to the front lines. He is a committed surgeon and doctor to his patients, even willing to go as far as to bend the rules to ensure their health, recovery, and safety come first. I also love how he develops close bonds with some of his fellow draftees, and he depends on them to help keep him sane in an insane situation.


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Just to the right is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead: Carol. She is my absolute favorite character from the TV show after watching her growth throughout the series. Because this is such a popular show amongst many, I will try to avoid describing anything with potentially major spoilers.
During the initial outbreak, Carol evacuates with her abusive husband, Ed, and her daughter, Sophia, to Atlanta. They eventually join a camp of survivors.
In the events following her daughter's disappearance, Carol forms a close, loving bond with fellow survivor, Daryl Dixon. After discovering that her daughter was bitten and reanimated, Carol, now the last surviving member of her family, gradually builds inner strength, becoming increasingly proficient with weapons. She also gains medical experience through character Hershel Greene's assistance. She later becomes the parental guardian of two young girls Lizzie and Mika after the death of their father, albeit briefly.
Upon her arrival at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Carol becomes an advisor to her leader and friend Rick Grimes after the deaths of many members of their group. Heading into current events, I can see her stepping up once again to lend her allies a hand.
Carol is simply just an amazing and powerful woman. In all of the cast of characters, she proves to be the most resourceful and dangerous(even over the villains), all the while still remaining a protagonist despite being a threat towards both the undead and the living. She perfectly expresses the fierce maternal instincts that females have when protecting those they love. You just don't want to mess with that!
I would certainly want her on my team in the zombie apocalypse, that's for sure!
 
 

[FlameMaster5]

Lastly we come to the very center picture of this category to debut a new face: Redd Prism, the main character from a book I'm writing called 'Almega'. The characters and stories I've loved over the years have definitely inspired me, enough to pursue writing my own book since the time I was 9yrs old. As I have aged, so has my writing; therefore, my characters have also grown with me. I've also branched out to designing and drawing my own fictional characters, as you can see with this displayed picture.
So let me tell you a little about Almega and Redd Prism.

The story takes place in the world known as Almega, a planet inhabited by multi-racial humans, god-like monsters, and manifestations called Reborn that have long divided the land and skies into domains through acts of technological advancements and war. Redd Prism was the youngest of five brothers in a peasant family that rose to answer the call to become a defender of this said broken world. He was chosen by a goddess from his homeland of Lloryncia to be her champion and was given the mysterious sword Mirakon to exact her justice upon the evil race of Reborn called the Meidra, lead by nefarious Royal Master E'vysinn.
Redd discovers that the blade he carries is possessed by the benevolent Reborn spirit named Mirakon, and the two set out on a quest together to strengthen their bonds for battle to be prepared for facing the Meidra invasions spread throughout the land. All the while on their journey, Redd continues to have hauntingly gruesome nightmares he has had since childhood that detail nothing short of mass genocide on other races. He later comes to realize in his adulthood that the dreams he is shown are actually memories of another life.
The life of E'vysinn.  
As the very Heart of the Reborn, taken and carefully shaped into a separate being, born human into a loving family, Redd now desperately seeks to divide his identity from the evil he has come to despise from his nightmares. He must face E'vysinn, both through means of combat and taking responsibility for his past transgressions. 
A lot of the book is Redd discovering and accepting things about himself, and even trying to forgive himself. Takes courage to admit when you were wrong.

That being said, Redd inspires me purely because he begins as a villain and changes to become a savior of Almega. He lives his new life defending his fellow humans from invading Meidra forces because he comes to love being human himself: being surrounded by family and friends, eventually falling in love and fathering a son, and exploring the vastness of his beautiful world while bringing peace wherever he goes.
He is a penitent man and makes it his mission in life to right his wrongs.
Which I find most admirable of all.


[And due to this section being so long, I'll make a summary here for class purposes.
I see a pattern here across the figures that inspire me, and why they do.
 
For the male characters, each one has the characteristics of what it means to be a good man and not just a hero, or at least the potential to be as they grow. They practice patience, faith, wisdom, kindness, bravery, selflessness, compassion, and have commitments to their goals. They put themselves aside to protect those they love, and even extend this care to those they pass by in need.
I admire these characters because I've known very few men in my personal life that could be considered good men. The world could use a lot more of them.

The female characters are just as important. There are few girls/women in the media today that you hear often about that are worth being role models. That's why each of these fictional ladies are on my board because they begin as what society has made stereotypical of women(heavily dependent, timid, meek, naive, and are sometimes targets for verbal or domestic abuse) to transforming them into what women actually are. When put under pressure, no matter the extent of her experiences, a woman is stronger than she may have realized, capable of handling impossible situations, overcoming any obstacle in her way. She has courage, loves and laughs, relentlessly protects those she cares for, exudes confidence in her abilities and seeks better understanding to take control of her limitations.
The fact that these women on TV come to fulfill what it means to be a woman makes me hopeful that the outlook of the world is/will change for us. It's inspiring to see their stories unfold with some womanly realism.

Moving on.] 
 

[FlameMaster5]

4).What Others Think of Me - In this category, I have various pictures of those I truly consider to be my family and friends. I have my sister Shelley, my best friends Ray and Caleb who are like brothers to me, and my dog Kipper to represent all the animals I've loved over my lifetime. These figures are who/what matter to me, so of course I would care what they think of me most of all. But I have a pretty good idea what others think of me even if they aren't as closely bonded to me.
So here's a list I can think of to describe what I believe others think of me, in no particular order.
- Balanced
- Cooperative
- Organized
- Creative
- Artistic
- Adventurous
- Nerdy
- Lover of All Things Beautiful
- Craves Partnership
- Affectionate
- Kind
- Idealistic
- Intellectual
- Passionate
- Protective
- Lover of Animals
- Hard Worker
- Diplomatic
- Romantic
- Charming
- Long-winded
- Indecisive
- Aloof
- Stubborn
- Serious
- Bluntly Honest

These are just to name a few. The list could go on.

But this section was also hard for me to fill out. In my current life, I seem to have a lot more friendly faces surrounding me that have generally good things to tell me, like everyone here at class, or coworkers, or my sister and best friends. Despite all that, I still have trouble wrapping my head around that people care about me.

In the past, I have had plenty negative figures that have lead me more often than not to believe that I was stupid, lazy, ugly, a liar, and just plain not good enough, and they told me so quite openly and frequently. When you hear the same things from different people, especially while growing up, you start to adopt the same feelings toward yourself.

Needless to say, I am still working on changing how I think about myself. Because as I said, when you hear the same things from different people... Well, now I'm hearing that I'm awesome, that I'm smart, that I'm beautiful, that I'm passionate about everything that I do. I'm starting to adopt these thoughts, and beginning to leave things in the past where it belongs. It will take me some more time, but it's getting better.

And I know my loved ones think fondly of me and accept me for all that I am.
And that's all I need really.
 

[FlameMaster5]

5). You At Your Happiest - For this category we have pictures that I think are of me at my happiest.

Most of the pictures here are of pictures I've taken of myself. They are pictures where I've felt most beautiful and confident in different periods of my life. That makes me happy. And for the pictures I haven't taken myself, you can still see that I've made sure my makeup was on - I don't generally show my true identity the way I have here in class.

The two pictures I have on the top left are of me and my best friend Ray: one at his highschool graduation from Silverdale and the other years later after my return from Texas and we were once again united. Any time I'm with Ray is a good time, and I'm always at peak happiest when hanging out with him!

The very bottom picture is when I got my car! I was 21yrs and still attending UTC at the time I got my car. This happened just before an abrupt move to Texas, and my sister and I found ourselves thankful for having it in a very dark time of our lives together. But I was feeling very happy and proud to have my own fully paid way of transportation. A good moment.

The last two pics are of my dogs Pixie(the little sweater girl up top) and Kipper. These two are like my kids, so naturally they make me happy - that is, when they are behaving themselves.
I helped bring Pixie into the world alongside her sister Dottie(who belongs to Shelley) when they were being born and raised her from just a tiny pup. And Kipper was small enough to fit into a coffee cup when he was passed along to me from one of my mom's husbands.
They are my babies and I love them so very much! I'd do anything for them!

 

[FlameMaster5]

6). What Do I Think of Massage Therapy - Next we have images of massage being performed for this category. However, I'd like to add that there is some contrast here between the pictures from what my initial naive perception about massage was and to the now more enlightened.

If you take the bottom left, center top, and bottom right images and make a little triangle you can see massage images that appear like something out of an online advertisement or magazine. The clients appear almost fresh out of the shower, unrealistically relaxed, and in a brightly lit room with towels or some form of product. I see not one of the clients appear stressed or in pain of some sort. The therapists too have long nails that are impractical and seem to only be performing effleurage strokes for that perfect relaxation setting.

While on the other hand, if you take the top left, center bottom, and top right pictures you can see massage therapy being performed in more of 'the moment' - fingers pressing in to warm possible knots in the muscles, or a therapist using her forearm for more pressure, or hands going into the Heart stroke in a dimly lit room for relaxing effleurage. These images, while not all completely realistic, still give more impression that the experiences here are for therapy and not commercialism.

Before I began taking this program at CMI, I was somewhere in-between these two contrasting groups of ideals of what massage therapy in fact really was. There were times were I thought that it was all just about relaxation methods, scented lotions/candles, and warm white towels. And other times I really thought it should be about healing, using strokes to relieve pain and bring balance to the energies within others.

Which brings me to the center image that says, 'Massage Therapy - The oldest form of medicine...'
We learned early on in the first few chapters of our books the many benefits of massage therapy. I had no idea before we began how much massage really could help others, and now I see that we are a part of the actual healthcare community and not just performing a service. I was pleased to learn that I would be helping others with real physical issues too and not just tossed some money maybe every year for a tuneup.

So now that I have been in the process of becoming a massage therapist and having had a few clients myself, I have come to realize that there is several ways to build a massage experience. In fact, I believe I would want to have perfect balance between all these ideals, that there is nothing wrong with creating an ambience while also truly healing.

I've come to have great respect for how much of my own body and energy I have to use to give this healing to others as well. I had no idea how actually strenuous performing massage therapy was until we started, and though I've gotten stronger I still have a long way to go to build real endurance. But I found I really enjoy it, especially since performing the various strokes really helps me as well to bring me into the present moment when I'm naturally a daydreamer.
So I foresee a happy medium with my future career.
I can't explain enough how exciting this is for me!

[FlameMaster5]

7). Define Wealth - What is wealth to me?

Wealth to me is the ability to make an abundant amount of choices in life. When you are stripped of that ability and your hands are tied, you can't do the necessary things you need to for yourself or others. It's not a love for money. Money is just a stepping stone, the currency necessary to exchange for those said choices. And it's heartbreaking when you're forced to make a choice you don't want to make when there's nothing to exchange for another option.

Take the picture on the top right. This is very hard for me to look at, let alone talk about.
This is Rocky, a stray I picked up a little over a year ago that was viciously attacked by three other large dogs nearby my house. I was informed about the attack by my mom's husband Danny, that a little dog was mauled and then left for dead in one of the driveways. He assumed the dog had already passed. I immediately went to go check myself, and I found the dog still alive but badly injured. My mom and I took him to the vet to have his wounds flushed out and be given antibiotics. You can see in the picture still that his injuries were never closed up, that they were left to heal from the inside-out.
I cared for this dog and named him Rocky, and I had him for six days. He had been paralyzed from the attack, and this left him unable to feel his lower extremities. By the time I realized how serious it was, he had already mutilated himself due to not being able to identify parts of his own body. I took him to the vet again where they informed me that he had gone septic from infection from his prior injuries and that he would need reconstructive surgery that would be more than four thousand dollars. They said he had a 10% chance of living.

In a heartbeat, I would have given the money for full treatment if I had it. That 10% was more than enough to me. But those vets stared at me like I was signing his death sentence simply because I hadn't the means. My hands were tied even though I wanted to make a different choice. There was nothing else I could do but euthanize him.
He was the first dog I ever had to bury.

But then I had another burial soon after.
The picture just below Rocky is of my late maltese we called Boogie, the mother of Dottie of Pixie. She lived to be 15yrs old before she passed. It was only a few weeks after Rocky when she had a seizure during her bath, and she went peacefully after in my arms. I buried her next to him.

And even though this makes me sad, there was a big difference between a dog I loved for 15yrs that died of old age and a dog of maybe 7yrs dying from a brutal attack, self-mutilation, and infection.
These two events happening back-to-back were like a catalyst for me. I wanted more. I wanted to be able to do more for myself and the loved ones around me. I didn't want my life to forever be where people would tell me that I couldn't, in whatever situation. It makes me angry. That's why when my sister found CMI, I was already in the right mindset that something had to be done.

I want Wealth. I want a better way of making my income so I can have multiple choices. I want more freedom for myself. I want to be able to take care of me, my family, and my animals if I so decide to. I want to be able to be on medicine for my skin, or go to the dentist, or buy new glasses that I've been complaining about for the past year. How about afford my own apartment and be independent. Maybe help my sister if she needs medicine or doctor visits. Get Kipper to the vet to get his teeth cleaned - it's already too late for Pixie, nearly all of her teeth have fallen out and she can barely eat.
I'm tired of having just one road options ahead of me. Materials are a nice luxury, but none of that really matters when it comes down to the wellness of you or those you care about.

Wealth to me is the ability to make an abundant amount of choices in life.
And I'm all about aiming for the right ones.

[FlameMaster5]

8). What Makes Me Happy & Healthy - Let's head over to a brighter topic, shall we? This next section is about what makes me happy and healthy.

The obvious first: my family and friends. My sister Shelley is always there to make me happy and we always have fun together, whether we're studying for class or just chilling out. And then my friends Ray and Caleb, who are equally important to me and I'm plum happy to be around. Among these guys I'm always welcome and free to be myself, and them vice versa.

The good thing about family and friends is that they generally share the same love for things I do.
So here's a list of those interests that make me happy and healthy.

- Writing my book(s)
- Designing graphic art
- Playing video games
- Listening to music
- Drawing & coloring by computer
- Being creative in general
- Watching movies and/or TV series
- Playing with my pets

I'll share about some pics I have listed in this section.
The one about writing is from Mary Gaitskill that goes like this, '[Writing is] being able to take something whole and fiercely alive that exists inside you in some unknowable combination of thought, feeling, physicality, and spirit, and then to store it like a genie in tense, tiny black symbols on a calm white page.' I love this quote so much that I not only wanted to share it on my LifeBoard, but I also have it readily available to read over before I ever start a session of my own writing. It's just that powerful to me.

Another is a picture I found online that says, 'Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.' I feel this is a good one to review time to time since I'm sometimes caught up trying to be a perfectionist.

I also have a picture of Ray and Caleb together, just the two of them out on a hiking trail near the mountains and waterfalls. And I have Pixie and Kipper just sitting being good buddies as well.

Then I have on the far right some artwork of mine again. There's a copy of the original lineart and the colored final project of a villain of mine from Almega called Gemel. I thought it would be pretty cool to share this particular piece since it turned out very vibrant and with a lot of added detail that surprised even me at first. Took a few color schemes to get right if I recall, but the three months it took me was well worth it in the end. It's not perfect, but I'm proud of it.

Together, all of this makes for a happy and healthy Bree!

[FlameMaster5]

9). What Centers You? - What centers me? What do I think centers me? I have a few pictures for this section to try and help me explain.

Firstly, I think God centers me as my base foundation for all that I am. I've been a Christian since I was 9yrs old, the majority of my life, and I'm happy to say that I stood up and answered the call to become one on my own volition. I've always depended on God throughout my life, and He's been with me through both good times and the bad. Whenever I'm feeling lost, He puts on my heart the peace and grace I need to walk forward with courage into the unknown. And He lead me here to CMI to find a path to a better life, no doubt.
I like this picture on the top left that defines all that God is. And I like even more the other below that says, 'Never forget that God is good even when life is not. God never promised you an easy ride through life. Only that He will be with you every step of the way.'

Something else that centers me is also what I believe to be God-given abilities. Without them, I would certainly have trouble finding my way.
One gift I have is clairvoyant dreams. Clairvoyance means 'clear vision' and refers to the ability to see persons and events that are distant in time or space. I have had throughout my whole life dreams that I simply can't explain until months or even years have passed when I experience them again as real-life events, seeing people and places or even being a part of conversations I never could have imagined all that time ago. All of it accurate, and it can never be stopped. These dreams make me feel connected to God because I never asked for them, and never do anything at all to trigger them. I think they are with me simply just to remind me that I'm special and have a purpose, that God has plans for me.
The other gift I've touched up on a little before. The sensitivity to the energies of others. To be truthful, I believe that all mankind has this gift and only those that choose to acknowledge it will further come to know it and feel it. I believe it can also be learned, or taught even. And believe it comes natural to some while harder to master for others, just like anything you would in school.
These things for certain make up a large part of me on a spiritual level.

I also have a picture here in this section of the Libra symbol. I believe that God made the sun, the stars, the planets, and all of us, so astrology and the affects the astral bodies have on us aren't really in any way contradicting my belief in God. Far from it. I think it goes hand-in-hand, if you ask me. Even science tells us that the moon has gravitational pulls on the ocean, which is water, and humans are made up of 60% of water... So the moon has indirect affects on us as well.
Anyway, I'm a Libra. In the 'What Others Think of Me' category, you'll come to see a lot of Libran personality traits if you were to just Google it. Trust me, I'm a Libra through and through, can't even deny it. And my interactions with other signs are pretty spot on if you read about it.
So I chose being a Libra is something that centers me. Horoscopes, I think, are not measurable and have no factual basis, but the rest I think is scarily accurate if you consider it.
Helps me to understand others when they don't even understand themselves, just saying.

I have a simple picture describing peace, that peace is beautiful. I think have a peaceful environment is a great first step to grounding me and definitely centers me. Which is why I'm looking forward to a future place of my own. And my sister also added to hers that sleep centers her, and I gotta agree here that if I don't have enough sleep I'm just not pleasant myself. I get all whiny and tearful when I haven't gotten enough sleep. So let's add that to the list.

Lastly, I have another joined picture of the pets: Pixie, Boogie, Dottie, and Kipper. I mentioned once before that my animals are like my children. And they really are. They are also my company, the ones that are with me when I'm feeling lonely and they have all been with me through the dark periods of my life. Without them, without something to care for and love, I may have lost my way a long time ago. So they most definitely center and anchor me. They're my family, too.



And that's my Lifeboard!
Here's looking forward to what adventures await me!