OMG I Got 112 Likes On My Photo

Facebook and social media has become a daily ritual for many Americans. What does it say about us though? Does it show that we really are that insecure about our lives that we have to tell everyone and anyone on social media every little detail of our lives just to get a "like" or "favorite". Have you noticed people will post about all the nice "random acts of kindness" they do on social media, but why are they doing these things? Are they doing it to be able to post about how amazing and nice they are? Or are they doing it because they felt in their heart that it was important to share their wealth. If it was something they did out of the kindness of their heart they wouldn't feel the need to ask for praise. What about when people spend tons of money on these extravagant vacations to just sit behind their phones and take pictures the entire time not soaking up the culture or relaxing and enjoying the view. People need to ask themselves who cares if people like your pictures, or status'? Are you enjoying your time or just trying to look better. People aren't friends with you because "OH my gosh Jill did you see Sarah's photos of her vacation?". No, nobody says these things honestly because everyone else is consumed with making their life seem so amazing and cool to talk about your facebook page.
The world doesn't revolve around you or your social media. Take your head out of your phone/social media and do amazing things for other people without begging for praise on Facebook. Go on your vacations and enjoy your time off with your family or friends without trying to make people jealous of your life. Be who you want to be and do what you want to do without caring what you will be able to brag about on social media.

Don't be a "Psycho Ex-Girlfriend"

Lately I've been noticing how crazy some break ups are since usually the drama is all over social media. Dealing with a break up can definitely be a challenge, especially if you saw yourself spending the rest of your life with that person, but some reactions are more harmful than helpful. When break ups occur it is usually because someone is unhappy or needs a break. So when you stalk their social media, post things about them, or call/text them 24/7 you are showing them that you cannot be your own person and only smothering them and making them want out even more. Doing this they are now seeing that you are obsessive and crazy, which nobody (well nobody I know) wants to spend the rest of their life with. I understand that you will want to know what they are doing or how they are handling it, but I guarantee that they will wonder the same about you.

Girls get dressed up and have a fun girls night, by this I do NOT mean have a random hook up or dress like you're trying to hook up with someone, continue being the girl that he fell in love with. Hooking up with random people isn't cute and usually triggers revenge("If she is gonna do that I will hook up with so and so"). Even if you aren't hooking up with anyone looking like you're going to will lead to him making assumptions. Also think about the guys perspective if you look easy guys are just going to use you for what they want. Guys want girls they can show off to their friends not one that has already been with all of their friends. You can look hot without looking easy! Don't let a break up change your morals!

Stay off of social media! Don't worry what he is doing, because it will just drive you crazy or make you constantly think about him. Don't post negative things about him,  because undermining the person you were in a relationship with only decreases the value of your character. Think about it trying to make him sound like a horrible person makes you look dumb for staying with him or even dating him.  Posting about him constantly will not only drive your friends crazy, but make everyone think that you are obsessed and a "Psycho Girlfriend". If he sees that you can't live without him he will think that he can go off and do whatever he wants and walk all over you until he gets bored with it then take you will take him back because you "need" him. You're not a doormat do not let him treat you like one!

Don't threaten/fight his new girl. Yes it's okay to be jealous, its perfectly normal in fact, but threatening/fighting her is only going to make you look crazy and from what I've seen it only drives him closer to that girl. Think about it who would he rather be with? Someone who is attacking/fighting or the person who is getting attacked? Who would you want to comfort the victim or the attacker? You might drive this girl away but I can tell you he won't want to be with you either.

Break ups are hard on both sides, but its important to not let it change you. The key is act like the girl he first fell in love with obviously he fell in love with that person the first time. Remember it's okay to miss him and be sad and it's even okay show it, because you definitely don't want to seem happy he broke up with you, because then he will think you never cared. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" if you are smothering him their is no distance, and if you aren't acting like the woman you are he won't miss you. If it was meant to be it will work out, but in the case that it doesn't keep your head up you will find someone who appreciates the woman you are especially if you don't seem like an obsessive psycho girlfriend.

Dealing with Emotions

Dealing with emotions is all up to ones preference. People deal with their emotions differently some people like to "vent" and share every negative aspect in their lives and some people, like me, would rather move forward and not dwell on the negativity. Some say avoiding your feelings is bad for your health, but I personally don't see how talking about all the bad things that you're going through or have gone through is good for you mental health. Why are people expected to share every painful detail about a negative experience that happened? Dwelling on the negative only brings out more negative and it begins to consume you're every thought. Dwelling on these experiences personally makes me have anxiety thinking about how horrible a situation like a tornado is and how I could've died, how I lost everything I ever owned, how everyone around me almost died, or how if something little would have been different it could've changed everything only makes me fear another storm constantly verses looking at the positives of the situation like we all got to safety, yes I lost all of my stuff but items are replaceable, yes I lost all my special items that  can't be replaced because they represented memories, but we are all here and I'd rather make new memories with them verses having items to remember them by, or the fact that everything happened the way it did for a reason God was looking out for me therefore I'm alive and blessed. These positives make me realize that negative things happen, but I made it out and now I have to move forward and come out stronger than before. If I just thought about all the things I experienced and lost I would be depressed and anxious 24/7. Even if it wasn't as traumatic as a tornado thinking about and talking about all the bad things in life will make you think your life is horrible, but when you think about all the things that are going great in your life and how blessed you are you see that life isn't all that bad. For some people talking out their feelings or reliving their experience is a way for them to get through it, but saying someone is harming their health by dealing with their emotions a certain way is absurd to me. Everyone is unique and different so it makes sense that everybody deals with their emotions differently, and everyone knows what makes them feel better and should embrace it not feel obligated to talk about it if they don't want to.

Do what makes you happy and feel better.

It's Not Hard to Be Nice.

When I look at society I get very angry with how people treat one another and try to understand the impossible.
Why do people think their image is more important then reaching out to someone who is lonely?
Why are people so close-minded?
Why is it so hard to compliment someone instead of put them down?

It really bothers me that because someone is different society thinks being seen talking to that person will ruin their "image". When in all reality reaching out to someone who is alone and looks like they need a friend should boost your image. Society can't get it through their head that nobody is better than anyone just because of their sexual preference or because of the amount of money their family has. What has to happen for this thought process to change? Do teens need to start committing suicide because they can't handle the bullying? Oh wait, that is happening and still everyone only worries about how to fit in. Even if you're doing something simple like starting a conversation with someone who looks like they are having a bad day, smiling at someone and saying hi, or complimenting them you could save a life. But instead to look "cool" people decide to gang up on someone. Bonding with someone because they can be rude and judgmental and you can do that too won't make you any "real" friends. Is being nice to people really that hard? "think before you speak" "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all" "Treat others how you would like to be treated" Why can't we all just keep our negative opinions to ourselves? We need to not be so worried about fitting in and consider what kind of person we want to be remembered as. When I die I want people to say yeah she wasn't perfect and she made mistakes, but she was there for anyone who needed a friend and always tried to cheer people up. Because when you die it won't matter if you were friends with the "cool kids" all that will matter is if you made a positive difference in someone's life. So next time you think about talking bad about someone think "Is this what I want to be remembered for?"

College Tuition

I am a college student and I find it ridiculous that each year college tuition is continually increased. Remember when we wanted to be the smartest, richest, and most successful country? Well our country is failing this goal as a college education is out of reach for many Americans. An education is a luxury many parents hope their child take advantage of. For lower income families the dream of their children going off to college is distant unless they can receive scholarships but even just a partial scholarship won’t even scratch into the surface of the outrageous costs. The income bracket of your family does not define the intelligence you have. There is a quote by an unknown author that asks a scary question which is “What if the cure for cancer is trapped inside the mind of someone who cannot afford an education?” This question is scary to think about it because it is so relevant to our tuition expenses. Why are we expected to pay an outrageous amount for an education that could help us save lives? We are paying for an education to earn a title so people listen to what we have to say. Many people don’t even consider going to college for the fact that they will live the rest of their life working to pay off their debt. With the expenses of college those who do plan on attending are working while attending high school to begin paying for these classes, but having to spread themselves so thin they are not achieving as much as they could. In my eyes in order for our country to achieve the goals we want, we need to make a college education more realistic by lowering tuition expenses.

Is Society Too Fast Pace?

Our fast pace society in America has many benefits for our country in the sense we get everything right away, but this fast pace world also has many negative effects that I have been noticing more and more lately. The fact that we as society are so used to getting what we want when we want it we act like selfish children when things don’t go our way. In this fast pace world we all love getting where we are going on time and fast. We all get upset with delays while traveling, which is very common for public transportation, but while I was on an Amtrak train this weekend I saw people’s selfishness at its peak. This is my experience on the train this weekend, the train arrived early, meaning 2 minutes, but for Amtrak this is very impressive since the trains usually are late. So we all got boarded the train and settled into our seats. The first stop after I got on comes along and the girl who was sitting next to me had her bag accidentally hanging out in the isle. As this stop is boarding, a passenger walks toward us and rudely says “Move your shit before I run over it” as he continued walking instead of waiting for her to move her bag. Everyone around us stated how rude he was and how they couldn’t believe someone would be so impatient. Right before our stop in Pontiac our train stopped and one of the train crew members announced that we had hit something and they had to get off and check it out. Everyone on the train groaned and sighed angry at the fact we had to stop. About 45 minutes later the crew member came back on the intercom and confirmed we had indeed hit a person and we would be delayed another 30-45 minutes while we wait for the cops to do the paperwork and everything. As I sit in my seat I hear many passengers around complain loudly and rudely about how they are going to be getting home so late and they have to work in the morning and this is so inconvenient and oh my gosh I have things I have to do. I sit hear and wonder did they not hear what the crew member said? She said we hit a PERSON not an animal a person! Someone’s brother, father, son, or friend just died. That person will not just be late, but they will never arrive where they were trying to go. They will never make it home to see their family. Their families and friends will lose countless nights of sleep from crying over the fact that the person they love is now dead, hit by a train, and thank god they didn’t hear about how many of the passengers on the train were so self-centered that they didn’t care about that person’s life at all. At what point did this fast pace world make so many people so self-centered? The train ended up being 4 hours delayed, which I realize can be a bit irritating, because I’m definitely not saying that I am perfect I mean I am a product of the now generation, but I still have feelings for other people. Don’t let the fast pace world cause you to turn into a fast pace selfish person. So, next time something is an inconvenience to you please just remind yourself worse things are happening around you, and be thankful for what you have.

America Owes Nothing to Illegal Immigrants

In response to “What America Owes Its ‘Illegals’” written by Barbara Ehrenreich in her blog entry I strongly disagree with her statement that we should not fine illegal immigrants for coming into our country illegally. She thinks we should give them a bonus since they are the ones cleaning our offices and doing our lawn work. In times like these where American unemployment rates are extremely high I believe that Americans should not have to fight illegal immigrants for these jobs. I agree the jobs that these aliens are receiving are “dirty work” jobs, but paychecks are paychecks and for someone who has to support their family they would take any job they could and if they lost a job opportunity to someone who is here illegally earning money and sending it to foreign countries I’m confident that they would be quite upset. Being a U.S. citizen is an honor that I am proud to have; my ancestors had to deal with getting into this country legally so they could provide better lives for my family. So if I was losing out to a job that I should be considered for, because someone who is here illegally will work for cheaper wages I would be irate and think that they should be fined for taking the money I could have earned but now I have to collect unemployment which is costing the government and tax payers unnecessary money. A $5000 dollar fine would be to compensate the money the government lost handing out unemployment for an unnecessary reason. She states in her blog entry that she believes that “if someone breaks into her house and steals she would be hell-bent on restitution. But if they break in for the purpose of cleaning it then, in my way of thinking anyway, the debt goes in the other direction.” So she obviously isn’t seeing that these illegal immigrants are breaking into our country and stealing jobs. The ways she is seeing it is that illegal immigrants are doing jobs that wouldn't get done if they were not here. Many Americans work as nannies, construction workers, landscapers, and dish washers which are the jobs she states wouldn’t get done. I’m confident that if America didn't have illegal immigrants all of these jobs would still be filled and completed by the Americans who cannot find work. I am all for immigrants coming to this country to better their lives, but there are steps that are necessary to take to become a legal citizen. After all America is a melting pot of culture.

The Cycle of Welfare

The Cycle of Welfare

                I am all for helping people out, but I do have a problem with taking money from people who are working hard to earn money to support their family and giving it to someone who is just unwilling to work. Welfare is abused daily by many. Welfare should be meant for short time use to help people get back on their feet and support themselves and their families. Not to have people grown up on welfare and raised their children on welfare and their children will raise their children on welfare and it becoming a never ending chain costing tax payers millions. It becomes a problem when people see food stamps and other government aid as ‘free’ when in reality it is being paid by the tax payers and it is meant to be there for the people who cannot afford food and other necessities for their families. I was always told as a kid that a cell phone and the internet was a privilege not a necessity. So why are we paying for people who aren’t working for their own money and living off of tax payers dollars to have cell phones and internet? If I was a kid and I saw my parents doing nothing, but talking on the phone and sitting on Facebook earning ‘free’ money from the government I know I wouldn’t want to go to school and work 40 hours a week my whole life when I can do nothing and still get everything handed to me. Nobody is teaching these kids that abusing this system is morally wrong. We need to teach the upcoming generations that they have to work for what they want and not just sit around and have everything handed to them. I am not saying that public aid should be taken away from everyone I am just saying it should be made to be only a temporary program for people so they cannot live off of it their whole lives.

Gay Rights Have Come a Long Way

            Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender rights have dramatically changed over the years in the 1950s and 1960s thousands of men and women were discharged or forced to resign from civilian positions in the federal government because they were suspected of being gay or lesbian. In 1975 the ban on gay federal employees was lifted, and not until the late 1990s discrimination in federal hiring was prohibited. Now we wouldn’t bother asking a post office worker if they were gay or straight. Just as women serving their country was banned then lifted, being gay and serving your country was not allowed at one point, then they had a policy of ‘don’t ask don’t tell’, and now all of that is in the past and gays and lesbians serve our country proudly. Gay rights being taken away is just like saying you will not hire someone because of their race or ethnicity. Gay clubs and parades never would have happened in the 80s and now they have clubs and parades all over the country and many straights even attend these festivities. Gay rights are as important as civil rights. As time goes on we learn our ways are not always right and its time they be corrected. If we kept blacks from getting married or if interracial marriages were illegal we would be appalled by our actions. They are just the same as me and you. Slowly but surely our country is correcting our ways and now they are legalizing same sex marriage in many states. Soon judging someone because of their sexuality will be as frowned upon as judging someone based on their race.

Abby Lee's Teaching Style

Dance Moms

            Everyone thinks that Abby Lee is way too strict on her young students and that the parents are crazy for allowing their children to be apart of her company. I would be honored to be a student at the Abby Lee Dance Company or in the future have my children dance there. The way i look at it is these kids are paying to learn how to dance as a career this isn't just a hobby to them. Abby Lee is teaching them to dance the best they can and teach them that age is not an excuse for being lazy or unsuccessful.She is producing stars and has so in the past that's her job if she wasn't strict or harsh she wouldn't be as successful as she is now. Abby is not in the best shape and most people critic her for her size and being so strict on the girls size and effort, but most people do not realize that Abby started this company when she was 14. She watched her mom as she ran several studios and learned her passion. The mom’s are judged for allowing her to yell at her kids and put them down, but that’s what these moms pay her to do. They want to see their children go far and be successful. Even if they do not decide to pursue a career in dance they have already put their faces out in the public and have learned many important life skills throughout their dance career. Abby Lee is teaching using tough love and the fact that her students are sticking through her “madness” shows that they will succeed in anything they choose to do. “Madness is genius”.  

Schools Incoporating Social Media

Schools Incorporating Social Media

                With social media taking over children’s’ time and attention it would only make sense to incorporate it into their education. In A New Face for Schools by Laura Lefkowits she states that 96 percent of students with online access spend nearly 9 and 10 hours on social networks each week. If children are spending that many hours on social networks we might as well have educational purposes behind it. Students, parents, and teachers must join together to teach children not only with social networks, but about them also. Schools should be teaching about the inappropriate behaviors that are occurring online like cyber bullying and sexting. Schools should teach children how to appropriately blog about their feelings in an educated manner. Kids need to learn about verifying sources before believing everything online, because that is one way rumors begin. Children need to be taught how connecting to people online can be used to benefit their education by talking to friends about important social issues, instead of talking to people about rumors and pointless drama. Kids also can connect to their friends to promote school activities, like sporting events or fundraisers. Teaching kids to express themselves online will show them they are not the only ones going through these issues they are having. They can connect to kids who are also facing divorces or other adversities and talk about how they feel verses cutting themselves off from society and committing suicide. Instead of pointing out all the negative aspects of social networking if teachers and parents taught teens how to use them in a positive light and set positive examples for them then they would begin using social media in positive ways.

 

Immediate Tornado Chaos

As Washington Illinois was hit by a tornado on November 17, 2013 immediate chaos broke out. Chaos is expected in a natural disaster of course because nobody expected that “it would ever happen to our community”. When something bad occurs we are taught to call 911 at a young age and it sticks with us throughout our lives. Immediately after the tornado struck my first instinct was call 911 as we were trapped in the basement of our now leveled home, of course the lines were down or busy as to be expected if you are thinking clearly which I was not. As my family of five and only dog found at the time climb out of our broken storm window my first thought was “where am I? Where are my neighbors?” as my mind “cleared” I hoped my neighbors were alive as I heard crying and hysterical screams coming from there house, as one neighbor climbed out. All you heard was screaming, tornado sirens, and emergency response vehicles. Washington Police immediately got together teams and rescue groups to search houses/basements and vehicles the teams were informed if they found spray paint on the ground or yarn to pick it up, and use the spray paint to put an “X” on buildings and cars after they had made sure everyone was out of them, and the string was to be used as a tunicate if there was somebody bleeding profusely.  This organization was chaotic but was the best they could do with the situation. They were also informed to avoid the gas leaks (which were everywhere). After they had cleared most of the victims out they closed off the area to fix gas and water leaks. The next day you could only get into your neighborhood by having your drivers license to prove you were a resident of the effected neighborhood to keep people who were just trying to see what had happened, which would have worked well but many had lost licenses’ in the tornado. The secretary of state, Jesse White, then decided that replacement drivers licenses’ would be replaced free of charge for the victims of the tornado. Washington also put a curfew on the town to keep the thieves out of the area. It’s sad that was a concern and it definitely caused more issues for the residents, but was a good decision made by the Washington authorities. They also thought ahead about the first Tuesday of the month, and they decided that the sirens would not go off since the sound was so traumatizing. Many people complained how Washington reacted to the natural disaster, but with the problems that had occurred Washington handled the chaos well in my eyes. No town is going to handle every situation perfectly especially one that nobody had expected, but Washington did an amazing job organizing the selfless people who offered to help with the search and rescue, and clean-up efforts. Washington is still dealing with the tornado disaster daily, but as a community we all have come together to support and help each other.

We are Washington and we are Washington STRONG.