What if? by John Sevey

What if looks didn’t matter, and popularity was a myth? What if people could just be nice to one another without the drama? What if life was that simple? Where people could be friends with everyone that they meet. Where war was a word that was never spoken of. A place where violence wasn’t heard of. Where people didn’t make fun of each other for being different. Where people didn’t have to live up to looks that are impossible to reach. A simple place. A happy place. A place that the world today will never reach because standards have already been set to high. But if everybody could ask the simple question of what if, could the world possibly change?

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Norm by Tanner Eastlick

Have you ever ridden in an elevator while facing the back wall? Try it some time and just see what people think or say. A lot of the time they will simply let the elevator go by and catch the next one. Why is this? Are we humans really so socially inept that we are afraid of things that are socially out of the norm?            

The next person that you talk to, try looking about a foot higher than their head while you talk. Notice their reaction. Do they look where you are looking? Or are they so socially correct that they just carry on with you, in your conversation?
    

Just think about the things that you do without thinking. When you are occupied in a public restroom and someone walks in, Why not just let it rip? It’s not like that person’s ever going to see you again. And if he dose take notice of your embarrassing bodily functions, just explain to him that when food digests, it creates gasses inside of your intestines.
   

Sure, some of you might be thinking that my logic might be somehow skewed, but if you really think about it, courtesy is only lying, and lying is a sin. 

I know that some things are socially intolerable, I just don’t see why. 

If a man walks down the street wearing a bikini, everyone is going to stare at him and crack jokes. But if you see a woman wearing the same bikini on a beach, then it’s just a way to catch some rays. Well, the man may have had the same intentions. It could have been hot, and he might not have had a beach to go to. So, why not catch some good old fashioned Vitamin D  on the way to the office?
    

I just can’t seem to figure out what is so wrong with being abnormal in public. Walking through Wal-Mart can be a hassle. Why not make it fun for everyone? Skip down the hallways singing to the music on your iPod. Make motor noises as you steer the shopping cart through the produce section. Ask people how their day has been, and if they like the color of your hat. Why not be random, love at random, and live randomly? After all, life is short and the best way to pass the time is through laughter.

Whether it is your own, or someone else’s.

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Cow Wrangling by Hayley Kau

It was a nice summer day that I was going to enjoy by just laying out in the sun, but I heard the four words I hate most: the cows are out.

It seems like every summer, at least one day out of every month, the cows break through the fence and go to our neighbor’s field.

This time, we had to go and saddle up the horses because the stupid cows were to far out to rescue on foot. I went out to the barn and got the horse I was going to ride. That horse's name was Rafeen. First, I had to haul the saddle and the saddle blanket from the truck all the way to the horses. The only person who was on foot was my dad. He brought a lasso. 

When we reached the heard there was this one cow who just keep running away. When my dad finally got that lasso around its neck, it took off–with my dad trying to hang on for dear life. It seemed like my dad was on water skis. I was laughing so hard I almost fell off my horse.  It took us a while, after that, to catch that cow.

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Brussels Sprouts by Nephi Jentzsch

I hate Brussels sprouts. They are my most eschewed vegetable. First off they are a greenish, puckish color and they look like regurgitated Rocky Mountain Oysters. The stench of them when they are being cooked makes me gag like the smell of an unflushed toilet. If you don’t cook them right they get about as slimy and snotty as the inside of a nose with a cold. I have but one piece of advice for farmers: trade out that lovely patch of Brussels sprouts with some carrots.

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The Day by Kaitlin Hogate

It was the day I couldn’t wait for. The drive seemed like it took hours. We were on our way to Oakridge to look at a new horse. We had found him on craigslist. He was a beautiful dark brown with a black mane and tail. 

When we finally arrived I could hardly sit still. He was even more amazing then in the pictures. He was a Quarter Horse, Spanish Mustang cross. He had the muscular build of a Quarter Horse, with the elegance and beauty of a Spanish Mustang. His mane was full and pure black. He had only one white sock, which was located on his left back leg. With the soft touch of his muzzle against my hand, it was meant to be. His eyes were nervous, but also so curious. He had the build of a stallion, with wondrous posture and a look of great speed. He was labeled as a trail horse, but I saw more. 

The owners leased him to us for a few weeks. As we cantered around the arena with the sun shining down, all you could hear was the beat of his hooves pounding into the arena dirt. The sound was almost like a heart beat. He was a part of me, and I was a part of him. As we became closer, we were able to gain trust. All summer long we were together, under the hot sun working barrels, flags, and poles. In the year-end show, together, we won sixteen ribbons total.

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