My Happy Place

When I think about a "happy place", I think about where I would go to let out emotions, feel comfortable being who I am and just release all inhibitions. For me, that would be a dance studio. Maybe not even that specific, it could just be a big empty room with decent floors to dance on. My entire life, dancing has been the one thing that I have had a consistent passion for. The one thing that I consider a partial definition of me. When I'm upset, angry, irritated, confused or even ecstatic, this is where I go. I get this feeling inside of me that just wants to open up, feel the music and free my mind of whatever is happening outside of that room. My life as a student, Young Life leader, employee, girlfriend, friend, daughter, sister, etc. tends to get out of hand, ridiculous and crazy, but when I'm in that room with music, all of it disappears and I am free. I am me.

An order of happiness with a side of joy...

I am one of those college students that tends to think about everything in advance, plan way ahead and just get ahead of myself. I wish I could spend a little more time living in the moment, but that's just not realistic for my personality. So, where do I see myself in 20 years? As a 41 year old, I see myself happily married for at least 15 years, two to three kids, decent job or stay at home mom, living somewhere close to Oak Ridge or Knoxville and just loving all the little things about life and love. If you couldn't tell, I've thought about it. I also aspire to be successful and get my degree in the process, but, to me, measuring success is always asking to be let down. There are ways to be positive and optimistic about your life without constantly pushing for the best of the best in this world. There are ways to keep yourself full of joy and love without faking it and making a ton of money. Bitterness, greed and pride are not where I strive to be. If I can be my best self with a family that loves me for my best self then I'd say I have all that I need. That's where I see myself in 20 years. Happy. Full of joy for the life I've been given.

Da. Capital.

I love to travel but I have not had the privilege of traveling internationally. As much as I would love to, the expense is too much for my college bank account and my parent's wallets. However, I do travel as much as I can within the United States. My favorite educational trip was to Washington D.C. just two years ago over fall break. My mother, sister, grandma and I decided to up and go to D.C. One of our best ideas yet! Naturally, you learn a little bit of everything while touring through the many museums and monuments, but I loved The National Archives Museum the most. Standing right in front of documents of such importance such as the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence was fascinating. They had educational signs posted throughout the tour guide with all the known and unknown facts about the documents. I plan to return soon to be able to walk through each one again to pick up on anything that I am sure I missed before, and attempt to tour the White House. I recommend a trip to Washington D.C. to anybody!

The Non Existent Filter

You know that saying, "Think before you speak"? That is something I have been working on ever since one of the most embarrassing moments I have ever encountered happened. Jeffrey and I were eating dinner at his house when Jose and Lenzi came over to hang out. Lenzi hadn't been in school the entire year up to this point and May was quickly approaching. Word had gotten out that she and Jose had a child that year and Lenzi's parents kept her out of school for the duration of the pregnancy. As we all sat around the table catching up, the topic of "things that annoy us" came up. Once everyone had answered, I said, without hesitation, "Teen pregnancy really annoys me!" The room got silent, Jeffrey kicked my leg under the table and it hit me. I definitely should not have said that! 

Your Opinion or Mine?

It is hard to find a news channel these days that is not obviously bias towards one political side or the other. As news broadcasters, they should be reporting each political story fairly and objectively meaning without their own bias. News was not created as a persuasive tool to sway the public one way or the other, rather it was created to provide the facts and share local stories, but it is transforming quickly. The anchormen and women and their celebrity guest speakers provide a powerful opinion that they know will catch their fan's attention and they hope will either change their minds or keep them on the same page. Because of this transforming way of sharing the news, it has become a controversial topic among those that just want to hear the news, the facts, the honest stories. When we anything but neutral commentary, the viewers feel as though the entire story was not reported thoroughly or fairly. The news should only be used to get the facts so that we can form our own opinions. 

The Evolution of News

The news has many forms and I have grown up in a household that takes in the news via television. News broadcasts provide the nation and local regions with all the necessary information and stories about their community, government and nation in order to keep the public up to date. In many ways, that is beneficial. When the United States government is having issues or one's local region is hosting a festival for a charity, the public needs to know. The facts are something to be shared so people can form their own opinions and live the way they choose to live. What I don't think is so beneficial about the news broadcasting any story they want is that they are also allowed to twist the facts in any direction. Sometimes what is said to be the "true story" can also have bias opinions whether they're political, racial, feminist, etc unfortunately making them feel more persuasive than genuine. I have always had a hard time focusing on the news via television because of those reasons. Therefore, as a young adult, I pay attention to news via social media because they tend to be just articles and facts that allow me to form my own opinion.