Change and Happiness

      I have read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks one time before and I have seen the movie but it still moves me every time.  This time though, I read it with a different eye and I noticed more this time change, in Ronnie from the beginning of the book to the end and it was mainly because of her boyfriend Will who she met while she was with her dad for the summer which at first she hated but by the end she realized it wasn’t that bad.  I found a poem on change that I thought would represent this book very well.  I did not write this, I found it on a website (link at bottom) and I broke it up into parts and will write about each part. 

Life is Changing and Through It all I Have Learned

1.   I've learned that no matter what happens,
or how bad it seems today, life does go on,
and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel. 

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person
 by the way he or she handles these three things:a rainy day, lost luggage,
and tangled Christmas tree lights.
2. I've learned that regardless of the differences
you have with the people in your life,
you'll miss them when they're gone.

I've learned that making a "living" 
is not the same thing as making a "life."

I've learned that life sometimes
gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life
with a catcher's mitt on both hands. 
You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness,
it will elude you.
3. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can,
happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something
with an open heart,
  I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains,
I don't have to be one.
4. I've learned that every day you should
reach out and touch someone.
People love that human touch --holding hands, a warm hug,  or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that you should
pass this on to someone you care about.
Sometimes they just need a little something
to make them smile.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

1.       This first section reminds me of Ronnie because she kept complaining about going to her Dad’s because basically she doesn’t like him and does not want to waste her summer at her dad’s.  But like it says, no matter how bad it was one day, it did get better for Ronnie because then she met Will.  Ronnie treated her dad bad and he tried to forget it and just soak in the moment when she was being nice to him because he really had no choice because he knew he was going to die.  But he still will have a sore spot because it most definitely hurt him a lot that his own daughter and only daughter did not like him.  The next part of the poem talks about things that you can tell about someone when they do one of those things.  These are just examples from their experience though but it this book you can learn about someone when they do certain things and for both Ronnie and her dad, it was playing the piano and they were both able to learn who they both were through that.

2.       When Ronnie’s dad died, it hurt really bad.  Even though most of the differences were behind them, she still felt bad that she treated him that way.  Even if they were still fighting, judging how Ronnie really was on the inside, she still would have felt terrible but I’m glad she was able to spend some real time with her dad before he died.  When is says making a living is different than a life in the poem, it means that just doing whatever and being there in life but not doing anything fun or interesting is different that saying you’re actually living life because that is not what living means.  Ronnie changed and when she was with Will she would take more chances and do things.  Also, life did give her a second chance because even when she treated her dad really bad, he still forgave her.  Ronnie was sort of selfish at first and full of hate and always took things and never gave anything in return which relates to the catcher’s mitt metaphor in the poem.  Ronnie pursued happiness and everything in her life suddenly became better, including her.

3.       Ronnie started to care about other people and helping them (her family, Blaze, Will) and she became a happier person and things were good to her (well for a little while).  When Ronnie let Will in and her dad with an open heart, she learned things, had fun and experienced things that she never experienced before.  Because she did this, she didn’t have to be alone anymore.  When she felt pain, she didn’t have to be one and alone because people were there for her because she was there for them at the end. 

4.       The last section was about other people.  It is trying to send out a message to the audience, just like the book was.  It is saying to care about the people around you and give them a little sign of love because they won’t be there forever and when they’re gone it’ll hurt like hell  but at least you’d know that you made every single moment with them worth it.  In the last moths with her father, Ronnie did this because she changed and she was happy. Also, caring for others means helping them and giving them a smile because that one smile can make a world’s difference and it’ll just let them know you’re there and that everything is going to be okay.  Ronnie did this in the last few days she had with her dad but don’t wait start now.  Ronnie is still far from perfect though, she will still continue to learn and to change and to learn to be happy.

I felt that this poem connected perfectly with the book because it pulled out all of the deep things about it and interpreted everything the book wanted to say and I wanted to say.  It showed change, learning and happiness which I was able to connect with Ronnie. 

http://www.lovethissite.com/changing/