“I have not always chosen the safest path. I’ve made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I’ve learned something important along the way: I’ve learned to heed the call of my heart. I’ve learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I’ve learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted.”

― Steve Goodier

My Personal response

I think Goodier’s quote was about stepping out of your comfort zone. I was so nervous to start playing for the first time last year. I didn’t know anyone and no one really knew me. The first few weeks of playing were difficult yet later on after hard work I am in the A team this year. I remember on one particular day it was pouring and I was freezing but our team preserved and we won the match. 

I believe that the universal message is that you should never give up and always persevere. If everyone stays in their comfort zone, the world would just stand still. Someone who could be a great engineer would not even try it because they are too afraid to come out of their comfort zone. From all these challenges I have learned that. when there is a challenge and you do accept you have to be committed and you must be dedicated. I think everyone is more than capable of facing a challenge. If you don’t master something at first, keep trying until you master it. Self talk is also very important. When you deal with a challenge it is a good idea to breathe and think about the issue ahead. Never give up and never back down.

The Beach Cookout

Hot fire burns brightly 

Returns to dusty ashes 

Beautiful tomatoes 

What was once beautiful in someone’s mouth 

Perfectly cut sausages 

elegantly burnt.

Pristine avocados

devoured and unheard.

Rocky rocks don’t speak 

Sandy seas are only heard 

A fumesome fire is flickering

I can smell desert 

Weirdly wanted chocolate

Gone in a blink! 

It’s as if we forgot we were kind and caring humans 

When it was time for us to eat.

 A flaming fire is not put out yet 

And I wonder 

if someone’s quietly burning? 

A figment of my imagination

troubling and very concerning. 

We cook slowly 

We eat quickly 

How fast golden sand flies 

how milk containers lie 

how time sighs.

They are lying about wonderful delicious strawberries 

Cause there are none left! 

Someone better go water 

Or no one’s head will be spared.    

Excitement dies

time to leave

I mix grey ashes 

everyone’s leaving

 I leave this beach

As it was

The next person to come by our pile of rocks

Will wonder what it was?

I walk back to school

With a heavy heart

And a basket exploding with happy memories

In my heart of hearts.

                                                                                                     -Shalom

‘Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle’ is a fiction novel about the Greek god Apollo, who is stripped of his godly powers after angering his father and is thrown from Olympus into a Manhattan rubbish bin, where he now serves as a slave to a 12-year-old girl named Meg. Apollo is the Greek god of music, poetry, prophecy, healing, the sun, archery, and knowledge. He is the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. His mission in the book is to restore the oracles, which have fallen into the hands of Roman emperors, who do not intend to use the oracles for the greater good. These emperors form the Triumvirate, who are the main villains in the story. Only when Apollo has restored all the oracles can he regain his godly powers again. Percy Jackson makes an appearance in the Hidden Oracle and gives some crucial advice. Many other old names make appearances, too! We meet Leo and Jason again from “Heroes of Olympus” and Grover, who happens to be Percy Jackson’s lifelong best friend. “The Hidden Oracle” has huge emotional ups and downs that make it such an interesting book to read. The flow of the book is consistent and stable which also makes the story line amazingly easy to follow. 

This book has twists and turns that I would recommend to the fullest. Overflowing with creativity and uniqueness, this book can absolutely captivate any and every reader. The characters are unique and excellently written. It also happens to be an amazing introduction to Greek mythology. Teaching you basic gods and heroes! The best character in the book has to be Meg. She is fun, sassy, and quite special. Apollo, however, undergoes a serious change of heart. In “The Hidden Oracle,” he goes from being a self-centered god to actually caring about the people around him. Meg learns how to be kind and resilient through all circumstances. You can tell so much love and thought have been put into this book, from the first page to the acknowledgements. It even has an overall 4.13 on Goodreads and when you have finished reading “The Hidden” there are 4 more books in the series just waiting to be read because after all  “No story ever ends, does it? It just leads into others.”- Rick Riordan.

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“I have not always chosen the safest path. I’ve made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I’ve learned something important along the way: I’ve learned to heed the call of my heart. I’ve learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I’ve learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted.”

― Steve Goodier

I think Goodier’s quote was about stepping out of your comfort zone. I was so nervous to start playing for the first time last year. I didn’t know anyone and no one really knew me. The first few weeks of playing were difficult yet later on after hard work I am in the A team this year. I remember on one particular day it was pouring and I was freezing but our team preserved and we won the match. 

I believe that the universal message is that you should never give up and always persevere. If everyone stays in their comfort zone, the world would just stand still. Someone who could be a great engineer would not even try it because they are too afraid to come out of their comfort zone. From all these challenges I have learned that. when there is a challenge and you do accept you have to be committed and you must be dedicated. I think everyone is more than capable of facing a challenge. If you don’t master something at first, keep trying until you master it. Self talk is also very important. When you deal with a challenge it is a good idea to breathe and think about the issue ahead. Never give up and never back down.