A Beautiful V iew with No Meaning

1. A Beautiful View with No Meaning Author: Cassandra Montani

2. A Beautiful View with No Meaning Life is full of amazing views, yet it’s up to us to put them to use. It’s up to us to recognize and embrace their essence of true beauty. I live on Imperial. I’ve lived on Imperial for about six years. I am on the top of the highest hill in El Segundo. I live in an apartment, not a house and not a home, an apartment. This apartment is in one of the nicest cities. On the top of that hill is where I live. The beautiful view of the ocean and its horizon is seen every single day. The view of the beach is as spectacular as the harbor of California Adventure with the Screamin’ California rollercoaster. However, my rollercoaster is never ending. It only stops when it is truly necessary. I have lived here for so long; yet have not gotten any meaning from anything I have seen. It is all like a blank stare as if it were space. The same rollercoaster reiterating itself waiting for me to understand its true purpose. Everyday I wake up to the same view not knowing its true colors. I can feel that this simplistic lifestyle will come to an end. I will be apart of the world whether I am being joined or alone on this journey. There is the beautiful view with no meaning. Someday I will discover it.

3. Hands Matthew is my youngest baby brother. His hands are always soft. They are so small and have not experienced or touched as many things as teenage or adult hands. My mothers hand are ethereal with every move she makes. My mothers hands are quite soft and barely rough around the edges. When time is taken to comfort my hands they are soft but when put through actions they become rough. The hands of my family differ greatly. My fathers are rough around the majority of the hand. However, at the very center is that soft spot that can be quite sensitive at times. My oldest younger brother is named Jorge just like my dad. His hands are quite unique to him. The way they get dirty in the most awkward area. Although they can be filthy they are always very soft. His hands have the funny shapes and curvy lines going through them.

4. Training Wheels are Off Riding a bike is simple the problem is when the training wheels come off. Children are in love with that moment that their parent takes them in and escorts them on their first day of school. Every child probably has that until they start maturing. I loved this feeling of showing others kids that my parents cared enough to walk me into school. However, it was not all about them. The major reason for doing that was to protect us. My parents started doing this on my first day of school. I was heading off to the big dogs, to pre- school. I had my parents walk me into school, until the sixth grade. Once I was in seventh and above I started to mature and even get a little embarrassed of my parents with me. Maturing was good at some points; however, it did have its dropping areas. I did not have my parents with me no longer. Once I got into high school, it was a whole new kind of ocean. There were no parent excuses or late homework assignments because of parent notes. All of that slack was gone. Now it was time to get down to business. I didn’t know that high school would be this hard. Once I was in high school it was a big BOOM! The training wheels came off and all you could do was go forward and not look back. Not look back one bit, because if u did you would go flying off that bike of yours. All you could say was Keep Moving Forward. Keep Moving Forward. Keep Moving Forward.

5. My Name My name is of Greek origin. In English it means “one who shines upon man.” I am proud of my name. I am proud to tell others yes that is I. Cassandra Dominique Montani. In any language it flows. It’s a matter of how it is said. My name is confident and strong just like my mother. Dominique was her middle name and now it has been passed on to me. My last name, Montani, is my father. It is my family; the diversity shown through just seven meaningless letters but when they come together unity is shown among us. The Hispanic portion of me is from my father whereas my white part of me is from my mother. Two completely opposite worlds, or cultures came together and made me who I am today. My name defines me. It is a way of finding my true identity. My name is a way of showing my mother and father as one through me. It describes me, that is why whoever knows me, knows my personality. Friends create their version of my name. The version is me no matter what it is. For example most of my friends call me Cass, Cassie, Cassy, but when it comes to my mom she is the one who calls me mamas. Soothing me with the voice of soft waves slowly floating across the shore little by little. The way something as simple as a name can mean so many things is strange, in a good way.

6. Therapeutic Sessions I do not understand. I do not understand. I do not understand. Therapy is great especially when life can be a rollercoaster; accumulating many many problems. So much focus is needed to follow through with all the actions. Without focus, every idea or concentration is puzzled. It has no purpose if there is no focus behind it. If there is no focus within my session every idea, aspect, and action will be out of bounds or shanked. A ready position is needed for each and every goal whether short term or long term. If that goal is very important than there is reason behind it in order to fulfill it. It is the base of each concept and understanding for life. Therapy clarifies your identity and life crisis’. It is a way to calm yourself and rethink strategies for life and the many problems that come with it. A therapist will always be that word of wisdom… or a coach.

7. Not So Much Fun The awkward moments between a decision of good and bad. The kinds of friends you hang around can really rub off on you. I could become in a way just like my friends. Depending on who I hang out with would depict the kind of mannerisms and habits that I would have or develop. I was waiting for my friends. They never came. They were not going to come. They came. They came later than they said. They dragged me along with them. They dragged me along to do bad things in the bathroom. All the stuff smelled weird in the plastic bags. There was nothing cool about brownies anymore. I thought brownies were supposed to taste good. These did not at all. I knew it was wrong. I left. I walked home all alone at night. The next day I was the one healthy and not in trouble. They were the ones unhealthy, sick, and getting in trouble by every adult. Everything from what they said looked like a carousel spinning around and round. Watching all of the rides as each loop and turn of the nearest rollercoaster went on and on. The stuff they said was fun, was not so much fun for me. I felt more mature than those whose age was older. But then again age is just a number.

8. Teenage Talk Teenage is a foreign language especially to children and adults. LOL. BRB. TTYL. WTF! And OMG mom you are so unfair! All of these words and phrases are teenage talk. No one really understands it, the teens themselves barely understand it amongst each other. But freedom right about now is the major injustice among parents and their teenage children. They always talk back when; parents are correcting them or speaking to them. ATTITUDE is among one of the key words when describing teenage girls, even boys. Girls express it much more than the boys do because of our maturing. Whereas boys are like wine they take forever to mature. Teenagers feel that freedom this early is well deserved. I even feel like that. I do not understand why parents are so protective and doubtful with their children. My parents should trust me and trust themselves that they raised me well enough to know right from wrong. They should expect me to follow through in making the right decision no matter how difficult it may seem. Changing a social status is never as life risking as it seems, because teens always grow up into adult and escape into the real world amongst others. Teenage talk may be okay right now, but will be matured out of sooner than later.  

9. Invisible Ink Sometimes your judgment can be shaky too. Mood swings are not the best. They are not like actual swings where you feel free and almost ready to fly. In fact, it almost feels the exact opposite. It feels as if you are being held captive and ready to be released from your cage. Being invisible on cue would be great. I would be able to hide the part of myself that demonstrate much diffidence. But there would also be times when I would not want to be invisible. Being able to differ between each and every single moment would be a power with a price. Sometimes I wish certain things could be invisible.   Sometimes I wish certain things could be invisible. I would be able to dictate what can be seen and what could not be seen. Imagine, an author creating and in the process of writing a story and in each section of the book there are secretly hidden things that would make the actual story that much better. However, all of these secrets were written in invisible ink. The actual thing you did not know would make you actually enjoy the story in a whole new perspective. Some things about growing up may change the way you see yourself and the way you see others. The major difference is the way that people see you. Teenage years are where everything is unbalanced. Right about now nothing in my body is balanced, physically or mentally.

10. The On-going Rollercoaster Has Come To A Stop My apartment has been on top of a hill with me for six years. With that Disneyland like view not knowing what the significance of the rollercoaster Screamin’ California. All of the many loops and twists and turns and drops. Al of the problems were being depicted. I was not learning from each mistake. I never actually knew if my rollercoaster would ever come to a stop. Although there were many loops, twists, and turns they were all apart of the adventurous ride. The journey every single time that it restarts is the same journey, yet something new is discovered every time. It is all upon the rider to identify the new ideas and aspects of this ongoing journey. I know what the lonely apartment on the hill meant now. Although it was lonely there were many people within it. The view was a great one. It embarked my journey into the real world that was waiting for me. The voyage was going to be a great one. The rollercoaster has always reiterated itself. I never knew or understood why it did not stop. But now I do. I have learned from each and every mistake. Because it is my rollercoaster. It is my rollercoaster. But my rollercoaster has come to a stop and is ready to pick me up. Ready to begin a new expedition.

11. “Great creative piece of literature. The rollercoaster motif was beautifully used” -Alexandra Wyatt9th grade English 9 Honors“A unique style of writing using many real life experiences within each and almost every metaphor.”- Catherine Meneses9th grade English 9 Honors Cassandra Montani Age: 14 ½ Date published: January 24, 2012