What would you look for if you could take a peek of the next four years of your life? What would you ask the people walking alongside you? What would you ask yourself? How do you know what you will want when you’re who you are then?
4 basic things I looked for in a college: (not the only starting lines)
Things I tried to focus on my college tours:
The stuff to Google
Lastly, there’s the thing that everyone told me about, but I didn’t believe them until I felt it, myself.
What will the next four years of my life hold? If you had told me when I was 13 what was coming I would have laughed and said, “no way”- and maybe run screaming. No matter how much you plan or how much you think you know- you don’t. You don’t get to know your future. And, in this case, that’s a beautiful thing.
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I don’t have time to write a long post, here, but an official attempt to impeach the president from the U.S. House of Representatives is not to be ignored. If you are interested in reading more, I get daily emails from Vox with a list of articles (and synopsis) covering major news and think it will give you a good start. 9/24/19
I highly recommend reading the last one. It’s titled: “The Ukraine scandal makes a stronger case for impeachment than the Mueller probe did" and is very well done. I found it extremely informative; I was on the fence, too. An important related article: "To beat Trump, try running an outsider - A veteran like Joe Biden risks letting Trump off the hook for corruption" by Matthew Yglesias More information. 9/25/19
Quote (Vox), If we allow the president to abuse his or her power, then our society will rot from top to bottom. We will turn into a banana republic, where people in positions of power — from the president all the way down to the traffic cop — will feel it’s O.K. to abuse their power with no consequences "Tulsi Gabbard, Last 2020 Holdout, Supports Impeachment Inquiry," subtitle: "Ms. Gabbard had opposed the inquiry as recently as Wednesday. With her shift, the 19 Democratic presidential candidates are unanimous in their support." [NYT / Maggie Astor] My community college emailed all the students this video along with a link to sign up text updates in case of inclement weather, something about “crime awareness and prevention,” and a note about a substance abuse program they (are required to) offer.
I understand why the school shared the video, hell, maybe it was mandated by the state. I didn't have to, but I watched it because I wanted to know what they (whoever) thought students should know. Sadly, the information was nothing new. I’ve been hearing these “tips” since kindergarten. “Get out. Hide. Fight.” Now, I'm a high school senior and I don’t have any arguments left. I’m tired of explaining why people’s lives matter, why we should protect children over guns (that guns aren't “in danger” to begin with), why I’m crying. This isn’t begin with the boogie monster. This is real. I know school shootings aren’t as common as other killers, but they shouldn’t be happening at all. Children die from illnesses every day, it’s inevitable. Doctors never stop trying to find cures. But, kids dying from getting shot by a white supremacist in math class is not inevitable. And yet, they are people fighting the cure. Fighting thorough, logical, and plausible solutions. It feels like, each time it happens, instead of trying to stop it from happening again, there are people at every level of the U.S. government who are making it even easier to achieve. F*ck the NRA. “There have been more mass shootings than days this year,” as a CBS article (9/1/19) by Jason Silverstein details: “As of September 1, which was the 244th day of the year, there have been 283 mass shootings in the U.S., according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which tracks every mass shooting in the country. The GVA defines a mass shooting as any incident in which at least four people were shot, excluding the shooter.” I have so much feeling, but no words. I thought that when I got to community college, I wouldn’t worry about a shooting happening. Except, of course I do because, really, nothing's changed. Except, now, I couldn’t even run. I've heard people worry about the trauma school shootings have on survivors, but not so much about kids who have never lived through one experience, but go to school feeling like it's only a matter of time. Learning to fight for their life is not what kids should have to focus on in school or anywhere. It only takes one drill to make you check the door every five minutes until you graduate. It only takes one scare for you to run through your list of defense tactics automatically as you walk into school, trying to remember what will make you most likely to survive. More News and Information on Gun Control
Update! I made a collage for her new album :D I had so much fun making these digital collages. I wanted to capture the aesthetic of each of Taylor's albums. If you have any questions, feel free to comment and/or shoot me a message. I love to talk about Taylor Swift. All the time. She is amazing. This is a list of the albums and the song.
All of the photos were taken from Google Images. I don't own any copyright.
In this short TedEd video, Alex Gendler will teach you wonderful things about elephants, such as that they are more than their “impressive memory.” Apparently, it “is only one aspect of an incredible intelligence that makes them some of the most social, creative, and benevolent creatures on Earth” (video summary by TED-Ed).
I truly don't know what else I can say besides “watch this video.” This talk changed my perspective on animals and all life, in general. It’s interesting, informative, and kind of mind-blowing. I’m not quite ready to write about everything concerning my leg braces devices. For me, the story includes the reason I got hurt, all of those months in the hospital, the first year (plus some) of physical therapy, learning about the ExoSyms, being told I was a candidate, the fundraiser, the planning and anticipation, traveling, Seattle, training, and, and, and… I keep forgetting that it has only been 84 days since I got them (2 month 23 days). They are helping me for than I could have ever imagined. I will have to go a few days without them next week and I’m scared. They changed my life. I legitimately forgot what it was not like to be in constant pain. So much so that when my mother used ask if I was hurting, I would have to think about it. I’d ask myself, is this an unusual amount of pain? My internal pain meter was starting to lose accuracy. When I put on the devices and walk, it is like I am flying. There are things I have to work on, sure. For instance, I’m jogging (which is crazy), but only after warming up, I can’t do it spontaneously, yet. When I walk, I have to make sure I’ve adjusted my body correctly (eg. I have to remember to bend my knees), but after that, I barely have to think about anything at all. It’s pure magic. It’s not that I never hurt anymore, let’s be clear, but now my pain usually has a reason. It is because I walked around a lot or went to PT. I’d say my pain has decreased overall (aside from anomalies) 80%, if I’m being generous. That has given me more energy and time, every day. The fact that I will be wearing the ExoSyms indefinitely has only recently started to hit me. Sure, technology will advance, and maybe something new that could help me will come along twenty years from now. But, at this moment, this is my forever. I kick myself when I think about this because I’m lucky. Before my forever looked a hell of a lot worse. At the same time, I’ve already found myself getting annoyed because it feels like it takes a long time to get ready, now; or because it is hot; or that I have not found a way to convince myself I can ever look sexy again (as if I ever did before, lol). Maybe that is why I didn’t fully let myself realize this permanentness before getting them. Sometimes, it feels like there is so much to think about [these braces], but, other times, it feels natural, so that's that. This is just how it is, and it’s my new normal. I wanted to write this, partially, as a thank you to everyone who helped me get to where I am today, that is, mobile and wearing Calvin and Hobbes,* and me saying that the trouble was worth it. These devices have absoluetly changed my life. A Timeline
I could go on and on and on. Some achievements I’ve written down next to the date and a lot of exclamation marks, and others happen over a longer period of time. One thing that has happened many, many times since the beginning is that I’ve fallen down. And I’ve gotten myself back up, every time. |
Who Am I?Hi there! I'm Whit, my pronouns are they/them, and I write a lot.
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Painting by Whit Acrylics on masonite April 20th, 2019 Words are a Quaker saying. George Fox? |