November 29, 2013

One

I've recently been getting into writing poetry again, and so wrote this with two very important people in mind. One of them is no longer with us on earth, but his memory remains in my heart. The other is someone who has been an incredible friend and inspiration this last year, and give thanks to God for both of them. 



One

There are a lot of people in the world that you’ll come to know
Mostly through the age of the internet and cyberspace
But nothing beats the beauty of meeting for the first time
In a classroom, on the street, or in middle of the cafeteria line
You might not think anything of them at first
Or you’re so taken that you don’t know what to say
Either or, there’s something that’s intriguing
Perhaps even captivating
You keep them in your mind
Not knowing that they've already left a footprint on your heart

Time passes as you go from strangers to friends
Little moments jumping out like bold colors on a blackboard
You only talk in passing, or perhaps every couple of days
They might make you laugh or blush with their bold sense of humor
Or they motivate you to clean up your act
Their personalities are admirable
Simply because they never fail to be themselves

But then there’s that one moment
Where you connect as human beings
Identifying on the same level
Recognizing that everyone has struggles
And needs a little help every once in a while

When he got you back safely after a night downtown
And the others were scattered about in different directions
Laughing hysterically after too much whiskey, rum, and cold pizza
Serenading you to country music the following morning
Never even bothering to think
That this would be the last time you would see him alive

He listened without flinching
As you recounted your painful history and battles with depression
None of it fazes him
As he dodges traffic between a busy road to stop the bus
So that you don’t have to walk back on that cold winter night
Reminding you to hug him a little tighter
Even when you've had a little too much liquor

As it happens, it might not be a particularly huge deal
When a person demonstrates love, kindness, and compassion
But life is finite and goes quickly
And what gets taken for granted
Is what I tend to remember the most 


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November 25, 2013

Music Lovin' Monday



We Were Us-Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert

-Probably one of the most upbeat break-up songs I've ever heard!




Timber-Pitbull and Kesha

-I heard this one over the weekend and the harmonics make it unbelievably catchy


Demons-Imagine Dragons

-I've just recently started listening to them and they're actually pretty good!


Drink You Away-Justin Timberlake

-For anyone that didn't see him on the American Music Awards last night, his performance of this song was incredible!! 



That's My Kinda Night-Luke Bryan

-Every year there is always one song that reminds me of or defines football season, and this one is it!




Have a great Thanksgiving week!!!

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November 22, 2013

Friday Finds






Here are some AMAZING things that I found this past week! Enjoy!

The trick that turned complete strangers into friends (via FaithIt)
-All I can say is WOW! People should do this more often!


What do I know about marriage?  (via Nish Weiseth)
-When I read the now-viral post Marriage Isn't For You, I appreciated the overall message but thought there were a few key points missing. Nish definitely hit them on the head.


When a pitbull puppy wants to use a treadmill  (via Paw Bonito)
-I only have two words for this: so cute!!


Recovering from cynicism (via Redemption Pictures)
-This one is honestly hard to describe, but still worth the read! Right afterward, I came across How I Became A Jesus Feminist and found myself nodding in agreement for much of the piece. 


What My Mother Taught Me (via Shauna Niequist)
-These past couple of weeks I've come to adore her book Bread And Wine, and am now just discovering her blog! Now only is she an incredible writer, but this post in itself is beautiful!

Have a great weekend!!

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November 19, 2013

Life Lately: Digging Deep



Life has been busy, and my reasons for not blogging these last couple of weeks don't necessarily only relate to it being it that time of year again; the remaining weeks before the semester's end, where everything starts to pile up and suddenly you can't see beyond the multiple essays and projects that are due by the time winter break rolls around. A lot of it has been for emotional reasons as well; I'm starting to realize that whenever I allow myself to be genuinely honest and vulnerable in any work that I do, I start feeling somewhat depressed, drained, and even angry. I kind of seeing it as being similar to when an actor gets really deep into the character role that they're playing, and when the cameras are off it can be difficult to separate the fictional world from real life. 

But what I'm writing isn't fiction, it is real life. My life, and a big part of my personal history. I always imagined that one day I would write my whole story down, but in bits and pieces. I think this is the beginning of it. For now I will write essays, but I can definitely imagine one day writing and sharing a memoir with the world. I just don't feel that twenty one years is enough of experience to write a full autobiographical book. 

In any case, that has been the main reason that blogging has been sparse for a lot of this month; I have so much to write about and discuss, but it's all very deep and in combination with the essays, I'm nervous about it spilling out of my brain like a pile of goop.

When I do get those feelings, it's mostly because I get stuck thinking about the past. I'm currently writing an essay (one that as of right now is at twenty pages) about how going to college and living in Iowa City has provided me a way to heal, mostly through the people that I've met, the relationships that I've had, and how I've grown through all of it. For my other final project, I'm writing about a few monumental experiences that I've had in the downtown area, specifically as a woman and a college student. For that particular class we have often discussed the whole virgin/whore binary, and how there is no language to discuss the in-between. I'm basically going to write about what it's like to be smack dab in the middle. Don't get me wrong, I have talked about it before, but never in terms of how I've honestly felt about it. It will be good and hopefully lift a lot of the shame off of my shoulders, but it's still daunting.

I'm finding that the hardest part about writing, specifically personal essays, is doing so without hurting anybody. However, it seems that the whole concept of "airing dirty laundry" tends to be simultaneous with malicious intent.  I think as long as you make it clear that you're not holding some of grudge against them and that you're taking steps to move forward, the reaction shouldn't be that negative. In my case, I am not out to purposefully harm anyone, but simply give my perspective on the situation. Above all, I'm learning that you can only do so much when it comes to talking about something in a way that everyone can understand it. I've spent years tip-toeing around stuff because I've been terrified of the general reaction, but I'm starting to realize that perhaps that is my biggest problem. I focus so much on how to say it that it never actually happens. 

Tell me, dear writers, how do you deal with this sort of thing? How do you let your brain decompress, particularly when you have a deadline to meet? How do you tell the truth without hurting those involved?

In lighter news, I'm changing my career path a little bit; initially I wanted to work for a publishing company and still write on the side, which in a way is still true. But after doing some networking and talking with people who've been in the business, I see now that doing something social media related may be the better way to go. There aren't any solid prospects just yet, but I'm getting there. 

The main thing right now is just to gain experience, which I do have and continue to get. I am both a writer and copy-editor for a new lifestyle and culture magazine, which will mostly likely launch at the start of next semester.

This week will be a busy one, and I'm all too excited to be able to go home and spend some time with my family for Thanksgiving. Granted, I'll still have work to do, but at least I won't have meetings and other stuff to deal with. 

Life is busy, but also incredibly wonderful!


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November 04, 2013

Music Lovin' Monday


This is going to be a busy and somewhat stressful week, so I thought I might include some some tunes for anyone in the same boat!

Counting Stars-OneRepublic  
-The desire of any aspiring artist (or person, for that matter); that they may go to sleep one day not having to worry about paying the bills or putting food on the table. 






I'd Rather Be With You-Josh Radin
-Oh, the wonders of Pandora!




Why Don't We Just Dance-Josh Turner
-When life is overwhelming or tough to deal with, sometimes you just have to put the bad stuff aside and make the most of it!




Loves Gonna Make It Alright-George Strait 
-An oldie-but-goodie; one of those songs that will automatically make you start dancing around like it's nobody's business, particularly if you're cooking in the kitchen! (Again, thank you, Pandora!)





Eric Church-Drink In My Hand
-Let's be honest, sometimes a good beer or a glass of wine comes before a good night's sleep by the time Friday rolls around!




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November 01, 2013

Friday Finds







Silent but funny "Star Wars" bloopers (via The Huffington Post) 

-I wish there had been more sound included in this, but it was still entertaining!


Nurses and their patients sing along to "Brave"  (via People Magazine) 

-It might be wise to grab the tissues for this one; very moving and spot on when the nurse said that dealing with cancer shouldn't always have to involve sadness and pain. You have to laugh and find happy moments too.


To the man on the bus (a response)  (via Upworthy) 

-All I can say is WOW! This person hit the nail on the head perfectly.


Marching band's amazing movie tribute  (via The Huffington Post) 

-Granted, I am a Hawkeye so I kind of have to not like Ohio State by default. However, their marching band is amazing!


How "Nice" doesn't always mean what we think it means (via Storyline) 

This is an article that I can relate to in so many different ways, and it really shed light on how much of a difference there is between being kind and being nice. 

Have a great weekend and God Bless!


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