Just Keep Swimming

“No one has the right to sit down and feel hopeless. There’s too much work to do.”

The words of Dorothy Day are what I consider a large struggle for many people. At times it takes all we have to keep going instead of sit down and wallow in self-pity when everything seems to be going wrong. The fact is if we do not overcome that overwhelming feeling, nothing will ever get accomplished. If everyone constantly gave in to that urge to give up our world would be a very different place. We would not have leaders. That is why in our upcoming generation it is so important to realize our place in the world and what we want and need to contribute.

The work to be done for our generation is not a small task. We have grown up in the new age of a technology boom. Things that were new when our parents were our age were quickly replaced by the newer and better. In turn, much of the technology that is common in our everyday lives is even younger than we are. Our generation is often blamed for being too dependent on technology, which may very well be true. The undertaking we are left with is finding a balance between useful technology and useless technology. The difficulty is figuring out when it passes the point of being a beneficial tool and into the realm of a crutch for the lazy to lean on.

Our work is not only in navigating the technology that bombards us day in and day out. It is also our job to find a unique contribution. We all add to the people and tasks we are presented with in a different way. I think our generation struggles with finding their purpose in life. Once we find what we love to do and what we are meant to do we should be using that to make a positive impact. Sometimes, all the work there is to do is get through the day. If it comes to the point where we are so hopeless we cannot even do that, the larger problems that face us will not even begin to be solved.

Do we have the right to feel hopeless? When I think about this, I agree with Dorothy Day. There is too much in this world to explore, learn, and uncover for us to lie down and feel there is nothing of worth for us. The problem with that thought is that we are all weak. We can tell ourselves all we want that there is too much good in life for us to be sad, but that will not stop us from feeling empty anyway. There are times in life when we break. When that happens I think it is okay to take a second and feel broken, as long as it does not last. We cannot stay in that mindset forever. We have to regroup and stand back up, and finish the work to which Day is referring.

 

I Don't Even Know What I See Myself Eating for Dinner Tonight

I would be lying if I said I never thought about the future. We have all done it since we were little kids. We thought about what our house would look like, our career, and what we would name our children. Lately though, I find myself so wrapped up in the present and my plans for the next year that thinking about ten years down the road is on the back burner. Can I really picture myself ten years from now? If I do it won’t be accurate. No matter how clear the picture I have in my head of my life when I’m almost thirty is, I know when it arrives the picture will be different.

I know in the next ten years I will continue my education. God willing, I will love the medical field as much as I anticipate and continue to medical school after I receive my bachelor’s degree. In ten years, I will be finished with medical school and doing a residency either in pediatrics or oncology. I hope to have found someone to spend the rest of my life with whether we are married yet or not. I know I want to wait until later to have kids because of my job, but life has a way of twisting our plans and I could be married and have three kids by that point for all I know. I see myself happy with whatever I am pursuing in life. I also see myself still trying to figure everything out, I’m not going to fool myself by thinking I will have my life tied up in a neat little bow before I’m thirty. I don’t have the floor plan for my custom built house or an idea of the city I want to end up in.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in the last few years, it’s that the things I want now may not be the same as what I want ten years or even ten months from now. Honestly, I love the idea of not knowing how my life will be in ten years. There is no way I can predict the obstacles and opportunities that will come my way and the possibilities are endless. In ten years, the only thing I can see with confidence is contentment.

This is Why You Answer Your Phone!

“In a moment of crisis whom do you call?”

This question was actually a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. If I could only call one person, I guess my choice would depend on the situation I was in. Since a fickle post is something no one wants to read I guess I will have to choose just one person. I would call my cousin, Brett. I don’t have any brothers but he has always been like an older brother to me. We have become very close in the past year. Whenever I need it he always gives me the best advice and pep talks. I can tell him things without being afraid of what he’ll think of me and he always tells me the truth. I know if I was in a situation where I needed him I know he would be there for me. He also has a really level head and would know exactly what to do. Besides, if anyone was trying to hurt me his big brother instincts would kick in and he would come kick some butt anyway. I wouldn’t have to worry about being afraid to tell my parents something or calling a friend who has no idea how to help me. I know my Bretty boy will always have my back!

All Alone in a Crowded Room

Is this post supposed to be about aliens? My brain didn’t get the memo. Call me sentimental, but the first thing I think about when I hear the question “Are we alone?” is not the possibility of life somewhere other than our planet, but the fact that no matter how many people we are surrounded by, we sometimes feel very alone. Sometimes we all have the feeling that we’re misunderstood, that even though we have tons of friends and loved ones, we will always have to fend for ourselves. When I’m upset it doesn’t matter how many times someone says, “I know just how you feel”, I still will not believe them. Though we may have those days were we feel all to ourselves in a world of billions of people we are never truly alone. Everyone has someone that loves them even if they don’t realize or feel it. I grew up knowing I was never alone because I was raised in a Christian household, always having my guardian angel with me as a kid. So when I am having a bad day where I just want to strangle anyone who attempts to talk to me I remind myself that, even though we have all felt alone, we never actually are.

"Summertime and the Livin' is Easy"

 

 

 

The problem with summer is that it’s never long enough. No matter how much I try to squeeze into my summer schedule, some things always get left out. One thing I’ve always wanted to do is go on a road trip across the U.S. before college. I would pack up a Jeep with my closest friends and start traveling with no final destination in mind. Part of the reason I hate going on trips is because there is so much planning and stress about money. We wouldn’t bring any kind of technological navigation, just old-fashioned roadmaps to help us find amazing places we never knew existed. On the trip I would want to climb a mountain in the Rockies because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. We would leave right after graduation and just wake up every day with no game plan. When family or friends had a few days free I would fly them out to wherever we were to enjoy it with us. On the trip, we would watch an MLB game in every stadium in America.

Every other summer my dad’s side of the family has a family reunion. Our family from all over the country comes to Branson and we spend the week together. If I had unlimited funds, I would pay for all of us to go to an island and spend the week there instead. We would rent yachts and spend time on the ocean. We all look forward to the family event because it is the only time we get to see our relatives from far away. We have always wanted to go somewhere farther away but never had the money so I would definitely take the opportunity to treat my family.

After our family reunion I would have to take few weeks to go to Camp Re-New-All, where I am a counselor. With all my money, I would make sure everyone came to camp for free.

Here, Let Me Show You

I think the principle responsibility of an educated person is to educate others. People can be educated in many different ways. A person can receive what we call a “formal” education, they could only go to elementary school, or continue all the way through college. A person who earns a college degree is not better than one who doesn’t continue past the fourth grade, but most would agree there are significant differences between the two levels. We learn and become educated in many other ways outside of a formal education and that type of learning is just as useful and important in everyday life.

I think no matter what kind of education someone receives, whether someone learns all there is to know about the depression era or they learn to farm the family land, they should use their education to positively impact the world and share their knowledge with those around them. If someone is educated, but keeps it to themselves and neither utilizes their knowledge or passes it on to others, it is useless. I can go through school to become a doctor, but if I never see a patient for as long as I live, it serves no purpose. An education does not just consist of the things we memorize in school about geometric shapes and photosynthesis, though that is an important part. The education we receive through school, our upbringing, and our surroundings is unique to us and is meant to serve each individual in a different way; and is meant to allow us to serve others in our own way as well.

Eye used spell Czech four this art tickle.

Many things come to mind when trying to think of what this world would be better off without, but once I start thinking I realize that although many inventions may have shortcomings, they have still improved our quality of life. I finally came to an invention I realize our world can, and probably should, live without.

The spell check function found in the Microsoft Office programs has dramatically changed the way we think and write. I can think of multiple times I have tried to remember how to spell a word and someone has said, “Just type it into word, it’ll correct it for you.” I will not deny this invention is useful, I utilize it all the time. It is simple and we use it without even thinking. I think that is where the problem lies. In a world where technology and text-lingo are becoming more common, our critical thinking and willingness to actually use our brain is depleting. Instead going through the process of finding out how to spell a word, and increasing the chance of actually ingraining it in our memory, we type it into Word without a second thought knowing we can do the same thing when we can’t remember it later. Though it may be a time saver, I think it is costing us more in the long run. Will students who grow up using spell check from a young age ever learn how to proofread something they have to hand write without the power of this technology? I think spell check, when used properly, is a useful tool to catch the occasional mistake we may miss when proofreading; however it has become a lazy tool that reduces our ability to function without it. For example, I spelled ‘occasional’ with two ‘s’ when I wrote it in the previous sentence and spell check corrected it automatically. If I hadn’t noticed, I would still be spelling it ‘occassional’.

All It Takes is a Little Courage

Courage comes to a person when there may be an easy way out, but the right thing to do is choose the difficult alternative. It is doing the things that do not come easily to us. Courage is not always public, in movies we see and stories we hear an act of courage takes place in a very public arena; shouting to the girl getting on the plane that you love her or finally standing up to the boss who took you for granted all those years. For the student who is afraid to ask for help because they grew up doing things on their own, asking that question in class took courage. For the kid who couldn’t hit the baseball on his first day of little league, going back that next practice and taking another swing took courage. Acts of courage happen every day that no one even notices. Courage doesn’t have to save someone’s life or be an act of heroism. I think the most courageous people are those that do what they know is right, and do not let the fear of what other people think of them stop them.

Sometimes, all it takes is that split second of pure clarity, not thinking of who or what stands in your way and doing what terrifies you. To me, courage is taking that deep fear inside of us and showing it we’re not afraid anymore.

If I Ever Write Down My Story, Here's Page 217

217

I had always like being around my sister and her friends. Kayla took me with her when I begged her enough. Her friend Jacque had a baby in the beginning of November 2006. I went to the baby shower, and along to the hospital when Landyn was born. I had always loved being around babies, but I was the youngest in our house so I didn’t get the opportunity very often. I remember multiple Christmases I had asked for a baby brother or sister with no success.

For some reason Jacq loved when I came over to see Landyn, I imagine I was a pretty annoying eleven-year old. She still brings up how I would come over and just hold Landyn for hours. When she and Kayla went Black Friday shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I lay on the couch all day with three week-old Landyn while he slept curled up on my chest. Kayla and I spent time over there the whole winter; making gingerbread houses, teaching Landyn to make his “surprise face”, and getting stuck there the first night of the big ice storm we had in early 2007.

I felt cool spending so much time with my older sister and her friends, like a grown-up. Now that I am more grown-up, Landyn and I are still best buds. He has two younger siblings now but we have to take adventures by ourselves every once in a while. One day I picked him up after school. He had only been in kindergarten for a couple of months so I was asking him all kinds of questions about it. When I asked him who his best friend at school was he promptly replied, “You!” He wouldn’t budge when I clarified that I wanted to know who his best friend was in kindergarten.

I think back to when I was eleven and had a tiny little baby in my arms and can’t believe how big he is getting. He’ll always be my little Lando.

Go For It

The best word to describe me would be “ambitious”. To me, ambition is not just wanting to have a successful career or make a lot of money. An ambitious person does not settle for the bare minimum, and neither do I. I aim to extract the most I can out of life, whether it is a small project or deciding on a career. I do not take the easy way out because I know the payoff of hard work and dedication. I want to make an impact with my life and give it meaning in the things I achieve. I love challenges because they make me better. I work best when something is at stake so I go after the things I want, even though I may not get them. Throughout high school, I knew I wanted to be first in my class so I put in the hard work needed to achieve my goal. When I started applying for colleges, I applied for my dream schools knowing I could not get into them if I never tried. I never want to settle in life. I could be perfectly happy living in my hometown my whole life, but if I have the opportunity to explore the world and make a better life for myself, I’m going to take it. I have the ambition to be successful in life, whether it be in my career or the things I am passionate about.

One Medium Suitcase

Here’s what’s going down. I’m being taken away from my home, family, and friends and only have one hour to pack the items I want to take in a medium size suitcase. I can’t take any electronics or technology driven items. These are the things I would grab:

First, I would take my great grandfather’s wedding ring. I never got to meet that set of great grandparents because they died before I was born. It is engraved From Anna to Edwin 1929 and makes me feel close to my family, even the family I never met.

I would take my fuzzy pink blanket my dad got me for my birthday when I was younger. That particular birthday I told my dad he had to pick out a present all by himself and he got me the blanket. I sleep with it all the time and it would remind me of my dad when I started to miss him.

I would bring the Bible I got for Christmas two years ago because it is very special to me. Being away from my family and friends would be very difficult and reading scripture would be comforting and help me keep faith.

I would bring my scarf I received from my sister Amanda. She got it on a trip to Europe and I think of her every time I wear it. It would remind me of all the time I got to spend with her and all the places she has been able to see.

Although I already have a blanket, I would also bring the small St. Louis Cardinals blanket my family gave me. One of my favorite things is spending time with my dad at Cardinals games. Our family loves the Cardinals so it would also remind me of the times I spent with my cousins cuddled up under the blankets watching games at their house.

My giraffe pillow pet would have to be stuffed into the suitcase as well. My sister bought it for me on a late night trip to Wal-Mart when our power was out at home. I had wanted one for a long time and it always reminds me of her and all the random things we do together. I always bring it when I stay with my cousins because my little cousin loves to snuggle with it so it would remind me of all the sleepovers I’ve had with them.

I would bring A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I stole the book from my sister when she was reading it. I was young at the time and it was the first novel I had ever read. I would think of my sister and reading it would give me optimism for whatever situation I was in because of the theme of hope in the book.

A “Keepsake Box” full of letters, family pictures, and keepsakes would also be stuffed into my bag. It has notes from sweet customers, letters from far away friends, keepsakes from my summer camp, and many things from throughout my childhood. I would be able to reminisce on the great childhood I had and remember all the sweet people that are most important to me in my life.

I would have to pack at least one Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. My mom and I are connoisseurs of random knowledge and I’ve grown up learning random knowledge from this series of books. It would remind me of my mother and give me something to keep myself occupied.

Lastly, I would pack the pictures I have in frames around my room. I have pictures of me with my dad, childhood photos, photos from big events like prom, and pictures of my best friends in frames they have made for me. These pictures are of the people close to my heart and I would be able to look at them every day.