December 21, 2019 Ballads and Boys “Abbie, are you coming or not?” I peeked my head out of my bedroom, peering down the hallway. Izzy, my roommate, stood next to the door with her arms crossed, clutching her cell phone tightly in one hand and her dorm keys in the other. Checking my watch, I widened my eyes.
December 14, 2019 In Over My Head If my mother knew where I was at this very instant, she would have me by the ear, dragging me back into our little apartment complex. But she was at work. Adam and I had parted ways, and I hurried back to the pier, as if I didn’t know any better. Except I did.
November 30, 2019 Sparks Fly Coming up the front steps after my parents, Sam and Luke were both tugging away at a black Guns N Roses t-shirt. Both of their eyes shone gold, brighter than the lights above them. They both turned to us, dropping the t-shirt to the ground. Mom glared at them and crossed their arms.
November 23, 2019 Growing Pains As it comes to the end of yet another exciting, transformative year, I find myself reflecting. Sometimes, I cringe thinking of some of the things that I did or said this year (don’t we all have some of those moments?), and other times, I find myself smiling with pride, thinking “yeah, I totally got through that”. Truthfully, I love New Years.
November 2, 2019 In Seconds The slam of my locker was a blessing. It was finally the end of the school day and I could gladly spend my free time tonight with my best friend, Anna.
October 28, 2019 Gratification or Gimmick? Our world is far too instantaneous. We have cell phones that allow us to access information in mere seconds, social media platforms that allow us to send messages to friends around the world in no time, and the climbing total for the MegaMillion lotto is displayed all around the country. Our society, whether we like it or not, thrives off the idea that somehow, some way, and somewhere, whatever we want is going to come to us right away, when we want it, and by total chance. That, unfortunately, is a giant lie.
October 5, 2019 Redefining What Homesick Means A year ago, I sat in my apartment in Taiwan, staring out at the concrete jungle. Part of me felt completely at ease eating my Bento boxes, writing every morning before work, teaching kids English, but another part of me felt this pull back to America. Like I knew I needed to come back for my next chapter. Truthfully, I was homesick.
September 28, 2019 From I to We Dressed in a pair of nude heels and a $.99 dress from Goodwill that remarkably looked super business professional, I sat in the middle of a room of a thousand people, recorder running and pen in hand. I was mentally present, but before the meeting had started at all, I was having my own personal dialogue going back and forth in my head.
September 21, 2019 Work Now, Play Later As a twenty-five year old single woman living in America, I’ll admit: the struggle, unfortunately, is very real sometimes. Life gets us down and we have to get back up, but that’s how it is, isn’t it? There are challenges, ups and downs, but we prevail in the end. Something I have never understood, however, is when we make deliberate, pleasure-based decisions and purchases that keep us down when all we want to do is get out of whatever rut we got stuck in.
September 14, 2019 How to Prepare for Hurricanes Now that winter has arrived and many Floridians are putting on their sweaters, jeans, and other long articles of clothing, so, too, has hurricane season come and gone. The word “hurricane” to anyone outside of Florida or new Florida residents sparks a bit of fear and worry. People google it, see the terrifying images of storms like Katrina or Irma and they begin to assume the worst. But I’m here to tell you that despite hurricanes being incredibly terrifying, unless you have a direct hit or you are close to the center of the storm, it’s more likely that you will experience intense winds, lots of rain, and if you’re a surfer, some gnarly waves leading up to the hurricane’s arrival.
