Julia Jones' Diary - Boxed Set - Books 2 to 6

by Kahler, Katrina

  “You need to focus on your school work, Julia! Stop that daydreaming and get your homework done!” That’s the most important thing in my mother’s mind. Well as far as I’m concerned, there’s definitely more to life than schoolwork! There’s dancing and playing guitar and Harry Robinson and…

  I rolled over for what seemed like the hundredth time and told myself to stop thinking about things I can’t have.

  “You’re such a dreamer, Julia!” Mom had said while sitting at the dinner table earlier in the evening. “You need to learn to be realistic and accept that there are things you can have and things you can’t. Now finish eating and go upstairs so you can get your homework done!”

  She hadn’t been at all interested in hearing about Millie’s guitar or the fact that we have a really cool new guitar teacher at school that everyone seems to be going to for lessons…all the cool kids, anyway.

  Apparently Mr. Casey is even talking about forming a band with some of his students. That would be so awesome!

  I lay there, visions floating through my head of being on stage, playing guitar and singing, while Harry Robinson stood in the crowd, his adoring eyes following my every move.

  Maybe I do need to be realistic, but my dreams are mine and no one can take that away from me! That was my final thought as I eventually drifted off to sleep.

  Stop daydreaming, Julia…

  At school the next day, everyone was talking about learning guitar. A few of the kids in our class have already had lessons and have been raving about how good they are.

  Apparently Mr. Casey teaches the songs that his students want to learn, including all the iTunes hits that everyone loves. We used to have a different guitar teacher but he wasn’t very popular because he taught heaps of classical and old school stuff that no one knew. And that would have been pretty boring I guess. But the new teacher is really different. Now, heaps of people are keen to sign up for lessons. Mr. Casey teaches other instruments as well and several kids are hoping to form a band.

  Millie goes for her first lesson tomorrow and she’s really excited about it. I’m excited for her too, but I still feel jealous. If only there was a way that I could get a guitar. It was all I could think about (apart from Harry Robinson) and I found it really hard to concentrate in class.

  “Julia Jones!” screeched Mrs. Jackson, our teacher. “Can you please answer my question?” I quickly turned towards her, turning bright red.

  “Umm!” was all I could reply. I had no idea what she was talking about or even what her question was. Everyone stared at me and laughed.

  “She’s day dreaming again,” called out Zane Woodford, a loud-mouthed kid who sits at the back and thinks he’s really good. That comment just made everyone laugh even harder. I looked at Millie who was staring at me sympathetically, but there was obviously nothing that she could do.

  “See me after class, Julia!” demanded Mrs. Jackson. “I think we need to have a talk. And perhaps I also need to call your parents.”

  “Great!” I thought to myself. “That’s all I need! As if Mom isn’t nagging me enough about school work already.”

  I decided then to make a bigger effort and try to concentrate more. I certainly didn’t want Mrs. Jackson calling Mom or Dad. Thankfully, this tactic seemed to pay off because when I stayed to see Mrs. Jackson after school, she commented on how much better my concentration level had been during the afternoon. She then simply told me to make sure that it continued.

  On the bus ride home after school, I sat with my friend, Blake Jansen, who I used to have a crush on. Millie was always saying that he liked me and tried to convince me to start going out with him. But I think he was too shy for that and besides, it was nice just hanging out with him as a friend. And then Harry Robinson arrived at our school. That changed everything!

  Some of the girls and boys in our class are going out together and Millie is always saying that she wants a boyfriend too. Yesterday, she even mentioned Harry. I can’t believe that she likes him as well! So typical – it’s as if everything I want Millie also seems to want, but the trouble is that she often gets it!

  As the bus headed along the route towards my house, I chatted with Blake and told him about wanting to learn how to play guitar. He thought that was really cool. Blake is actually a drummer and has been learning since he was pretty young. His dad is a drummer and taught him how to play. His whole family is really musical and they even have a special sound-proof room where Blake can practice. He’s so lucky.

  We talked about music and our favorite bands and it made me realize how much Blake and I have in common. Since the last holidays, I had hardly seen Blake and it was really nice to hang out with him again.

  We were so busy chatting that I almost missed my stop. When I hopped off the bus, for the first time since he arrived at our school, Harry Robinson was the furthest thing from my mind. And for some reason, I suddenly felt happier than I had in ages. With a smile on my face, I opened my front door, thinking that maybe things weren’t so bad after all!

  The Book…

  The first thing that caught my eye as I entered the house was an unusual looking book. It had been left on the hallway stand next to the front door. This was where Mom and Dad usually put their car keys and the mail as they walked inside. And we all hung our coats on the brass hooks that were attached to the framework.

  Usually, I headed straight for the kitchen when I arrived home in the afternoons, as I was always desperately hungry and wanted something to eat. But something about the unfamiliar book made me stop and pick it up.

  The gold swirly letters of the title seemed to jump right out at me but it was the actual name of the book that made me gasp. “How to Make Your Dreams Come True.” It seemed as if this book had been left there especially for me and that I was definitely meant to read it.

  Almost trance like, I headed for the stairs and the quiet solitude of my bedroom. Completely forgetting how hungry I was, I dropped my school bag on the floor and sat down excitedly on my bed. I usually do enjoy reading but within minutes, I was totally absorbed and before I knew it, several hours had passed and Mom was calling me downstairs for dinner.

  Reluctantly, I left the book open on my bed and raced to the dinner table hoping to finish dinner quickly so that I could get back to reading where I had left off, as soon as possible.

  “I haven’t seen you all afternoon, Julia. Do you have lots of homework?” Mom asked.

  “Yes, I do have a bit,” I replied, “but I found a really interesting book on the hallway stand. Where did it come from?”

  I looked at my mother waiting curiously for her answer. “An old friend turned up on our doorstep this morning,” answered Mom. “It was completely unexpected. She was lucky to catch me at home.”

  “Who was it?” I asked.

  “Mary Johnson, an old friend from way back. You’ve never met her before, but she’s visiting the area and thought she’d drop in to see me.”

  “I remember her!” said Dad. “She was always a bit weird, a bit hippy like, into alternative types of thinking.”

  “Yes, she was and she hasn’t changed a bit,” said Mom. “She left that book for me. She said that she thought I should read it.”

  “Well, do you mind if I read it? It looks really interesting.” I commented. I didn’t dare tell her that I had been reading it all afternoon and was almost finished. That would just be inviting trouble!

  As I expected, she replied, “As long as you get your homework done first.”

  “Okay,” I replied, smiling inside. “I’d better get moving then, so I can get it all done.”

  “I’ll do the dishes tonight, Julia,” said Dad. “You go up and get stuck into your school work.” He winked discreetly at me and then continued eating his meal.

  “Thanks so much, Dad. You’re the best!” I replied gratefully. And before Mom could argue, I quickly excused myself from the table and raced back upstairs.

  With my brother away on school camp, it was up
to me to get all the chores done. I was so happy that Dad had offered to help me out and I couldn’t get back to my room quickly enough.

  The book was like nothing I’d ever read before and a couple of hours later I had finished it. I felt so disappointed that it had come to an end.

  As I got ready for bed, my head was filled with ideas and thoughts that had never occurred to me before. What if I really can make my dreams come true? What if the ideas in this book really do work?

  My mind was racing as I hopped under the covers, way too alert to even think about sleeping yet. I lay there restlessly, my head spinning with visions of guitars, singing on stage, and Harry Robinson’s handsome face.

  How to Make Your Dreams Come True, it’s the most inspiring book I think I’ve ever read! Smiling, I rolled over and closed my eyes, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

  A change in thinking…

  During the bus ride to school, I thought about the mysterious book. I was convinced that I had found it for a reason and was determined to take on board all the ideas that I had read about.

  I recalled the main messages that the book described so clearly. It was all about being positive and having a positive mindset. Rather than constantly having negative thoughts and worrying about things all the time, which just makes you more upset and more worried, it’s much better to focus on good things happening.

  There were lots of stories in the book of people actually making their dreams come true by having positive thoughts. And suddenly, it all seemed to make sense. If I started really believing that I can have the things I dream about, then maybe my dreams will come true. Rather than being negative and constantly thinking bad thoughts, if I change my thoughts to positive ones, who knows what I could create? I decided that it was definitely worth a try and that I had absolutely nothing to lose!

  “What are you looking so happy about?” Millie asked as I stepped off the bus. “You have a huge smile on your face! What’s going on? Tell me!” she urged as we walked to class together.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “I read this really interesting book last night and it’s all about having a positive attitude and making your dreams come true. So I thought I’d give it a try. And do you know what? Just deciding to be positive about things instantly makes me feel happy.”

  “You’re weird sometimes, Julia,” Millie sighed. “Sometimes, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  I ignored her comment and opened my Math book, ready to start work. When Mrs. Jackson gave us our homework assignment later that morning, familiar groans could be heard throughout the classroom. But rather than complaining along with everyone else, the way I usually did, I smiled. Then I pictured myself with my homework assignment completed and a beautiful big A written in the top right hand corner.

  Grinning, I walked out of the room with Millie and headed downstairs for morning recess.

  Envy…

  “Oh my gosh, that was amazing!” Millie beamed as she literally skipped down the hallway after her first guitar lesson that afternoon. I had been waiting outside for her to finish, as we’d planned to go back to her house after school.

  “I could hear you playing,” I commented. “It sounded like you did really well for your first lesson!”

  “Mr. Casey is so nice! He showed me how to play some basic chords and soon I’ll be able to start playing songs. I told him who my favorite singers are and he’s going to work out an easy version of their songs so I’ll be able to play them.”

  “That will be so much fun,” I replied. “You’ll have to show me what you’ve learnt when we get to your house.”

  Millie’s mom was waiting in her car just outside the school gates and was very pleased to hear that Millie had enjoyed her lesson so much.

  “I was a bit apprehensive, Julia,” she said to me as we drove along. “Millie has a bad habit of starting things but not following through. I hope that she wants to keep these lessons going. It’ll mean lots of practice, Millie.”

  Millie rolled her eyes at her mother and then said adamantly, “Of course I’ll practice Mom. That was the deal, remember? And besides, this is really fun, so of course I’ll want to practice!”

  Millie’s mom didn’t look convinced but then a thought seemed to occur to her. “You should learn guitar too, Julia. Then you girls could practice together.”

  “I’d love to learn, Mrs. Spencer,” I replied, “but I don’t have a guitar.”

  “Why don’t you ask your parents if they’ll buy you one?” Mrs. Spencer seemed to think that’s all there was to it. But then she added, “When’s your birthday? You never know what might show up!”

  “My mother isn’t keen on me learning,” I said. “She thinks that my dancing is enough.”

  “Well, you just don’t know what the future holds, Julia. If you really want something, just focus on it happening, and you never know.”

  Mrs. Spencer’s comment struck me with a thud. Millie ignored her and rolled her eyes once more, then started prattling on about a new dress that she wanted. But all I could think about was what Mrs. Spencer had said. Out of the blue, an idea started to form in my mind and I quietly filed it away to concentrate on later, when I was on my own and had time to think.

  We spent the afternoon in Millie’s room. It seemed to me that Millie chose to see her guitar as if it were a new toy that she wanted to show off and after a few minutes of trying to play what she had learnt, she put it down.

  “This is boring,” she said, “Let’s do something else.”

  “Can I have a quick go?” I asked, hopefully.

  The sight of that beautiful gleaming new guitar was just too much. I had to have a turn. The afternoon sun glinted on the shiny blue lacquer. It was such a pretty color and I couldn’t help but feel envious. Millie was so lucky!

  Mr. Casey had convinced Millie’s mom that she should buy her an electric guitar as it’s so much easier to learn on than an acoustic. And she even had a small amplifier to go with it. Millie was more than happy with this choice as she thought the other kids would think it was cool. I turned the knob to adjust the volume and my strumming gave off a crisp clear sound.

  “Please teach me what you learnt today,” I begged.

  “Oh, alright!” she complained and abruptly took the guitar from me to demonstrate what she had been taught.

  “I can’t really remember but I think it goes like this,” Millie wasn’t completely sure and the sound that emanated was quite distorted and off key. After handing the guitar back to me, it was only a matter of minutes before I had figured out what she’d been attempting to play. And I strummed the chords with little difficulty whatsoever.

  “That’s enough,” she said crossly, quickly taking the guitar from me. “Let’s do something else. I know, I’ll show you the new dress Mom bought for me yesterday.”

  So we spent the remainder of the afternoon looking through Millie’s wardrobe and I ended up going home with some things that Millie never wore any more.

  “You may as well have these,” she said. “They just sit in my wardrobe and they’re practically brand new. It’s such a waste if they’re not worn.”

  I gratefully accepted the clothes. She really was very generous sometimes and I felt glad to have something new to wear.

  When my dad came to pick me up later, I couldn’t help but tell him all about Millie’s new guitar. I knew that he would at least listen to what I had to say and not just interrogate me about my progress at school, the way Mom always did.

  He listened quietly and commented that yes, Millie was a very lucky girl. Then switched the subject to dancing and asked me how that was going. I do love dancing and I would never want to give it up but I now seem to be more and more obsessed with the thought of having my own guitar and learning how to play.

  As I climbed the stairs to my bedroom, I thought about the Dreams book sitting on my bedside table and reminded myself of my vow to remain positive.

  Then Mrs. Spencer’s words suddenly
came into my head…“If you really want something, just focus on it happening.”

  So I stretched out on my bed, closed my eyes, and for the next ten minutes I created images in my mind of myself as a great guitarist. The best part was that I could feel the joy inside me absolutely bubbling over.

  My brother…

  I spent Saturday morning at my dance class, something I always looked forward to. Then that afternoon, I decided that I had better complete my homework assignment that was due on Monday. This particular project was all Math, something I don’t really enjoy because I find it hard.

  But I had already decided that I was going to have a positive attitude. So once more, I focused on creating a picture in my head of being given back my homework assignment with a big red A written in bold letters in the top right hand corner.

  I always have to work really hard in Math, but this time I’d love to do well. So before attempting to begin, I sat for a few minutes thinking about what I wanted to happen and felt really good about it. I pictured myself with a massive smile on my face, showing my mom my result. It was amazing, because just doing that one thing made me keen to get started. Normally I put complicated things off until the last minute, but I could feel that having the right attitude was going to make my assignment much easier to complete.

  To my huge surprise when I looked at the clock a little later, 2 hours had passed but I had barely noticed the time. By this stage, I was almost finished and feeling very pleased. It was quite strange, but I was convinced that the positive attitude that I had taken on board was really helping me to get through my homework. Then I read the last question, the question that would get me an A if I were able to complete it.