The Perceptual Process

We all can be fooled by appearance. Some people really do judge a book by it's cover (metaphorically speaking of course). I for one am not one to judge. I believe we all have a lot on our plate and some of us may show it and some of us may not. But for those that do show it, automatically in our heads we are quick to judge. We assume what their story is, even though we have never talked to them. We go off of stereotypes and what we know.

And as I hate to admit it but I have done this and I believe we all have once in our life. It was when I was moving into a new apartment because me and my roommate just couldn't find the right fit. My roommate, that I shared the same room with, her name was Darian and we have been life long friends for a while now. We lived at this apartment complex on campus that fits six girls. Two to a room. So when we first moved in in August, we were living with the goalkeeper on my team, and two tennis girls. Long story short, Darian and I didn't get along with the tennis girls and one night in December, we got into an altercation with them and cops were called and all that jazz. So we moved apartments after that. The apartment we moved into was just us two and another older women. She had her own room and when we first walked in, the apartment was a total mess. We talked to her for a little bit, but that little bit was all we needed to figure out that we didn't want to live there anymore. Turned out she was on parol and been arrested numerous times. Well Christmas break was around the corner and we both went back home for that break. When we came back, all the food we had left for us was gone and the apartment looked like a earthquake had hit it. So we went to the office demanding for a different room. They granted our wish and we were put into an apartment with two other girls. Which brings me to theory of implicit personality. One of my new roommates, wore baggy clothes and I had noticed that she would wear the same clothes often than usual. Her room smelled bad, she never did her hair, she would go as long as three days to take a shower. The music she listened to, I was not a fan of. But she actually turned out to be the most selfless, nice, sweet, kind hearted person you will EVER meet. I was totally wrong about her. Even her tone of voice was a kind of voice that you just could never get mad at. I wish I had the heart she has. You could disappoint her but she will always still be there for you. You could walk all over her and still treat you with respect. Now I didn't do this to her but I noticed it as we became friends. When I went back home for the summer, we wrote letters to each other. We didn't live with each other this past year but we would go out to eat and catch up. She always puts a smile on my face and there's always good vibes when I'm with her. After meeting her, I've never thought once about being quick to assume someones background. Because you'll never know till you actually get to know them.

the authentic self

Where do I even begin? One interesting fact about me, is when I see a penny on the ground, if it's heads, I will always pick it up, but if its tails, then I flip it over for someone else to pick up. Hopefully making ones day. I like to think of the ones with heads up as lucky. But then I eventually almost always just forget about it because surprisingly I come across them a lot. There is this one that means the most to me and is currently in my locker inside the locker room. I found it on the soccer field thinking it was sign that I should pick it up and that it really was worth something. Thats another thing I tend to catch myself doing, is paying attention to the little signs around. Now I don't know whether these signs are actually telling me something but I am strong believer that everything happens for a reason and wherever I may go, that is where I am supposed to be. When I look at my phone and see "11:11" I always make a wish then too. I like to seek all the luck I can find and just hope they come true. I give advice to my friends about their relationship but when my boyfriend and I come across a similar situation, I don't always take my own advice. I am not one to ask for something, I always wait and hope that I get offered whatever it may be. I'm not a taker, I'm a giver. For example, when I was struggling with money, my friend knew I was but I was not about to ask her for money, but the kind person that she is, saw me in need and helped me.

I also care too much. And that probably gets me in trouble sometimes. I do care what people think of me, for example, Utah is full of mormons, and when I moved here from Tucson Az, I had no clue what a "mormon" even was or what they do, or practice, but as most of us should know, most active mormons don't believe in getting tattoos. So whenever I know that I will be present around a mormon, I try to be respectful and cover up my tattoos which one of them being on my right shoulder, because I hate being talked about in a negative way, and I hate being looked at as a fool.

When it comes to me and my flaws, I am insecure about them. As of right now, I plan on changing some things in the future about myself. And its so true that the media has influenced our society. If i'm laying with my boyfriend or someone, and I am in an uncomfortable position, but they look like they couldn't be more comfortable, I don't move. I just wait till they want to move. I hate to admit but I am a follower and not a leader.

When I say that everything happens for a reason, I mean god has a plan for all of us, and whoever steps foot into your life, that they have a reason for being there. Whether its a blessing or a lesson. I can name off a lot of people that I thought was going to be a blessing but which turned out to be a lesson. 

I have been knocked down and got myself up numerous of times. Im sure we all can say that. But even with all the bad that happens, I like to believe that something good is going to come out of it. For example, I've received 3 ACL tears, all in my left knee, in the matter of 3 1/2 years in my high school career. Not a lot of people can say that. It was a downfall in my life because I found myself getting into a lot of trouble at that time. I was depressed but didn't want to admit it. But I kept hope and received a full scholarship to play here at dixie. It was a miracle. I knew that that was the turning point in my life. It was huge to me. The movie soul surfer was my inspiration at that time. She encountered a huge impact on her body but she didn't quit no matter how hard it was to get back into the water. 

I would just like to end on this Lokai bracelet. For those that don't know what it is or what it looks like, its this beaded looking bracelet that I wear everyday, and its a constant reminder of balancing out the good and bad that come across in your life. This bracelet holds the highest point and lowest points on earth. One bead is white, and holds water from the highest point on earth which is from Mt. Everest. The black bead on the total opposite side of the bracelet holds mud from the dead sea which is the lowest point of earth. Its something I live by everyday and remind myself that even when I'm at a low point in my life, to stay hopeful. And when I'm at my highest point, where I think Ive got it all, is to stay humble.  

Hey Ya'll, my name is Alexis Torres and I am from Tucson AZ, I am currently a Sophomore at Dixie. If your wondering why I decided to come here, well to answer that I play on the women's soccer team here. My favorite food would have to be sushi and my favorite color is definitely pink. An interesting fact about me is if I see a penny on the ground and its heads up then I have to pick it up, but if its tails then I have to flip it over for someone else to pick up. I have one sister who is older than me and lives back home. Im not to sure about what I want to be when I grow up. I have choices I just dont know which one for sure yet.