Riley Williams

What I Cant Ignore

What are you so passionate about that you cant ignore? Well, what
does being passionate about something even mean? To me, it means
having something or someone in your life that you cannot go a day
without thinking about or doing. Having a passion is essential because
it makes you feel like youre doing something meaningful and it allows
you to have that escape from the real world when your day isnt going
as planned. Mine happen to be music and Spanish. Passions can also
be negative in the sense that you dislike something more than your
frivolous everyday pet peeves and for me that is flaky people and the
government.

Music
Music is one thing I am extremely passionate about and simply could
not live without. I listen to music every day because it makes every
task I do better, even when its something I dont want to do. After
being told to do something I dislike, my initial thought is that I at least
have music to get me through it. Music is there for me when I have to
drive, do homework, go to the dentist, when I am bored out of my mind
and several other situations. Music is also there for me during the good
times when I want to dance, work out, and clear my head. The genres
that I am most passionate about would be hip-hop and dub step music.
The reason I gravitate towards these genres is because it helps me
take my anger out when I am mad and at the same time it can make
me get excited about doing something and even make me laugh. Every
song makes me feel and think about different things. Some songs I
associate with a certain
day/event or a
particular person.
For example, any
songs by the artist
Gucci Mane
remind me of my
best friend
because we would
always listen to
him on the way to
school senior year,
which brings back
the happy times
when I could
spend as much
time as I wanted to with her. The time when I am really grateful for
music is when I am in a hard point in my life because it always helps
me get through it. My favorite line is from a song by Future called 56

Nights when he says, power of money is my motivation because I

feel the same way as him and it reminds me to keep shooting for my
goals. Music can distract my mind from those feelings simply by
playing a song that reminds of something happy and positive. One
song that I can always rely on to cheer me up is called Sun Models by
ODESZA. This is an upbeat dub step song that will always put a smile
on my face and a song that I cannot resist dancing to. To me, music is
a very powerful tool and necessary to life.
All three of the pictures above are perfect examples of when and how I
use music in my everyday life. The first picture demonstrates how I
used music to pass time on a long plane ride. The second picture I was
at a Fall Out Boy and Paramore concert and we were all having a good
time dancing and singing our hearts out. The third picture portrays how
music can help me get through a long tiring workout and motivates me
to keep going. Music is universal and can connect one culture to
another, which I greatly appreciate.

Spanish
Spanish is a huge passion in my life that I encountered sophomore year
of high school. After my first Spanish class I realized that I wanted to do
everything in my power to become fluent in it. The teacher I had
played a big role in creating my goal because she herself was so
passionate about the language and wanted to teach it well to all of her
students. I am now entering my fifth year of Spanish and couldnt be
more content. Spanish is one of the only classes I actually WANT to go
to because I just cant wait to obtain more knowledge. Knowing that
every class I attend makes me one step closer to my ultimate goal is
what allows me to have that drive to learn and succeed. I know that
reaching my goal of being bilingual will ultimately lead me to
happiness. Spanish is the second most common language spoken here
in the United States. 38.3 million people speak Spanish as their
primary language at home. That is a great deal of people and permits a
plethora of opportunities to speak with someone that you wouldnt
ordinarily have the opportunity to. Being able to speak the language
allows the unique opportunity that many miss out on. To me, knowing
two languages in general is very important because it expands your
horizons by allowing you to communicate with others. You may even
meet your best friend that you wouldnt have otherwise been able to
converse with before.
Esta fotografa muestra una pared que mi espaol de cuatro
maestro tena en su salon de clases. Cuando usted hizo una "A" en una
prueba de su nombre sera puesto en una cinta y se coloca en la pared.
Estaba tan extasiado que finalmente lo hizo a la pared porque yo haba
estado luchando ese ao y este refuerzo positivo mantuve mi cabeza
fuera del agua . Envi esta fotografa a todo aquel que saba lo mucho
que realmente me importa para el espaol.

Translated in English:
This photo shows a wall that my
Spanish IV teacher had in her
classroom. When you made an A
on a test your name would be put
on a ribbon and placed on the
wall. I was so ecstatic that I finally
made it to the wall because I had
been struggling that year and this positive reinforcement
kept my head above water. I sent this
photograph to everyone who knew
how much I truly care for Spanish.

Flaky People
In my experience, I have learned
that there are two sides to every
story, and every action has a
reaction. Even though I am highly
passionate about music and
Spanish, there are negative things
people can be just as passionate
about. Personally, I feverishly hate flaky people. Those people who
arent true to their word, are constantly late, and cancel plans at the
last minute are people I cant stand to be surrounded by. It is such a
nuisance to get excited about plans with someone only to have them
cancel on you. When I say being late bothers me, I dont mean 5-10
minutes late, I mean when people are hours late. Many of my friends
have a hard time being on time and it is just annoying when youre
expecting someone to come over or pick you up and youre just sitting
there waiting for hours. I am a pretty busy person so there are a million
other things I could be doing instead of wasting my time receiving your
I am seriously almost there text messages. I once had a friend who
would take 20 minutes to come out to my car when I arrived to pick
her up. This was back before I had my license, so my mom suffered
from this rude behavior as well. I would literally have to text her as I
was pulling out of my driveway and say here so she would be waiting
outside (the way I personally think it should be). Even then, there were
times we would have to wait and it was just ridiculous to me. Flaky
people to me are unjust and unfair and they dont have qualities that I
care to obtain.

Government
Government is another thing that I passionately hate. Now I
understand that without government this country wouldnt function but
there are just some smaller things within the government that bother
me to my wits end. My most passionate dislike is the idea from a
Democrats standpoint that people who have more money should owe

more in taxes. I personally hate taxes because being only 17 and

basically being forced to make minimum wage, I essentially make no
money. My paychecks are already not the finest and then viewing the
amount of money the government took from me makes my blood boil. I
worked hard for that money and I believe I deserve every last penny of
it! With that being said, I love volunteering and helping people who
truly are in need of assistance, so I dont mind giving those people
money, food, or whatever it may be. It is the people who just sit at
home not even trying to work or begging for money that I absolutely
hate giving my money to. How is it fair that I am a full time student
and working and they just get to sit there doing nothing all day and get
to take my hard earned money? The idea that the more money you
have, the more you should owe in taxes is nonsense to me. That
person who is making all that money I can promise you worked very
strenuously to end up in that situation. In many cases, people who
make millions of dollars end up donating their money to charities and
volunteering anyways. I know that not everyone does that but thats
okay to me because again they made that money themselves and they
have the right to do what they want with it; they just might receive
some bad karma.
All of my passions are very important to me and have made me who I
am today. Music and Spanish help take my mind off of everyday
thoughts and allow me to express who I am. I believe that my
passionate dislikes of flaky people and the government demonstrate
my character and what I believe in. Passions are very powerful and
there isnt a more moving sight then seeing someones face light up
while talking about their own.