Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Created January 6, 2020
Community? Engagements? Arts? Well, for starters this is a class taught at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY by professors Kremena Todorova and Kurt Gohde. The goal of this class is to form a relationship with the community by engaging in artistic projects with the community. The outcome of this will manifest itself in many ways, some recognizable and others not so much.
CETA 2020: Our first 2 emojis (of hundreds)
Created January 6, 2020
Individual Tasks
Collect addresses, make & write thank-you cards, design pronoun buttons--Anna Davis
Blog Manager--Paige Wessling
Recorder/archivist for This I Believe essays--Sarah Metcalfe
Social Media--Lydia Baggett & Garrett LeVan
Photographic Inventory (3 people)--Yousef Alsdudi, Sarah Bennett, & Faith Boles
Space, raw material, & tool inventory manager AND order enforcer--Emily Neat
Quality Control & Class Ethicist--Alex Toney
Software Design Team (3 people)--Shelby Barker, Emily Cecil, & Abby Pearson
Fabrication Team (3 people)--Brooklyn Greer, Will Hemingway, & Marissa Price
Finishing Team (4 people)--Nannie Baze, Emon Daneshmand, Ally Frederick, & Madison Phillips
Additional photographic documentation--Kremena and Kurt
Working with production design at Kre8Now Makerspace--Kurt and Kremena
Publicity for the class--Kremena and Kurt
Securing materials needed--Kurt and Kremena
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my dad's parents. Every other weekend plus much of the summers, I spent in Northern Kentucky outside the small town of Flemingsburg. My Papaw had worked in a factory his entire life, leaving at five am with the lunch my Mamaw had packed him the night before and returning at four pm to enjoy a can of beer and watch a televised sporting event. My Mamaw, worked at the local court house and although she retired when I was very young, never ceased to be at least a part time employee. In her spare time she tediously laundered everyone's clothes, made every meal, nurtured her immaculate gardens, and tended to the needs of the family. Needless to say, she never stopped.
ReplyDeleteI spent most of my time there with her, learning her peculiar characteristics and quirks. How she always wore socks with colorful flip flops around the house, her “inside shoes”; her obsession with cleanliness but lack of tidiness; the clorox wipes she kept in the car to sanitize us after every encounter; the Wriggleys Juicy Fruit Gum that she was constantly popping. I grew accustomed to these habits, this constancy with her that became so comforting.
As happens to many of us, with age and the complications of life, these details drifted further and further out of my consciousness. This parcel of joy from my adolescence hidden away as my visits became fewer and farther apart.
But this week I bought a pack of Wriggleys Juicy Fruit gum; due to the pandemic, I now have clorox wipes in my car to sanitize with after every encounter; around the house I have begun wearing my socks beneath a colorful pair of flip flops for ease and comfort. Once again I am brought back to all of my Mamaws quirks and habits. Now more than ever I am drawn to these small details from childhood that unite me with my family, especially my grandparents. I believe in the taste of Juicy Fruit and the smell of clorox. They bring me back to the embrace of my mamaw, a feeling I long for in these trying times.
I love this. I had a similar feeling when I was doing my embroidery piece for the senior exhibition that's in memory of my grandma-- when I finished it, it really did remind me of the quilts she made
DeleteAnd Juicy Fruit and Clorox are such contrasting objects! It's funny how even things that aren't considered traditionally warm and cozy (like clorox) can be made that way by associations with people
This is so beautifully written, Ally. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteYou tell vivid stories and your ending is quite unexpected! I really enjoyed reading this essay, Ally.
DeleteI love this!
DeleteThis was so good Ally! It makes me think about all of the "crazy" things about my grandparents that I can remember too!
DeleteI love hanging on to those precious memories associated with a smell like this!!
DeleteIt’s so crazy to think that we remember little details like this. I love this!
DeleteI love remembering small things about my past. It makes me happy!
DeleteI love this so much. Your associations of clorox remind me of my own with windex, as my avo had an obsession with sparkling clean windows and mirrors. The smell is so comforting to me.
DeleteI believe in weaving.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved to Kentucky in the eighth grade, I took my very first real, bonafide art class. It was one of the shortest classes of the day because of our block scheduling, but it was my favorite. Most of the things we did in class I had seen or done before, such as painting or using pastels, but toward the end of the semester, my teacher decided to teach us to weave.
Everybody hated it. The class complained about how long it took and how boring it was, but for some reason, I just fell in love with it.
I took my little weaving everywhere I went and worked constantly. My fingers would be sore from all the repetitive motions of weaving over and under the warp threads again and again, but I enjoyed the repetition and mindlessness of it. I tried new things each time I began a weaving, teaching myself how to make organic shapes and new textures and techniques.
Weaving was my thing, and it still is. I don’t get to weave as much as I used to because of all the work I do for school, but most summers are dedicated to weaving huge pieces for my collection. Weaving has functioned as an escape for me, a way to lose myself in thoughtless repetition while I listen to music or just think about the deeper things of life. I think about how the goddess of weaving is also the goddess of wisdom and civilization, and it makes me believe I have some sort of greater, divinely influenced purpose. I remember that the Incas believed a woman who was a talented weaver was blessed and holy. I like to believe they were right, that everything will turn out okay for me because the gods and goddesses of this ancient art have deemed me worthy of their graces.
I love this! Especially the last paragraph. I think I made a small weaving when I was a kid but haven't done any since. I embroider, though, and I've definitely gotten a lot of reactions from people who either have tried it and disliked it or people who I assume haven't tried it and believe they would dislike it if they did. Because of its repetitive, time-consuming, and sometimes tedious nature, I think embroidery is in a similar camp
DeleteThis is so neat! I would love to see some of your weavings.
DeleteLike Lydia, I wish you would share a piture or two of things you have woven!
DeleteI had a weaving class in high school and was terrible. Glad you love it!
DeleteI have never done weaving before but it is so cool to hear that you have found a passion in something you love!
DeleteI have never weaved before however i often feel this way about knitting! I love the way you connected it to mythology and history!
DeleteThis is awesome. I used to make string bracelets all of the time and it was almost like therapy. maybe, I should take up weaving like you.
DeleteThat's such a cool talent!
DeleteAs I sit in ‘my’ bedroom in ‘my’ house I picked my brain as to what I wanted to write about this week. As I looked around I noticed how different everything was at ‘my’ house. How it didn’t feel like it was MY house at all anymore.
ReplyDeleteSince I came to college I have slept in 3 different beds and the couch when I came home. The bedrooms have all been switched around. The house has been completely remodeled. Starting last year I lived out of two rooms, meaning all my belongings in one where my grandparents stayed which was actually ‘my’ room and the other where I just slept. I have only slept in ‘my’ room 3 times since I started college. My siblings each have their own room which they do not have to give up for other people. They do not have to bed surf throughout the house like I do.
Nothing in the house is like I remember it. I walk in the house and feel like I don’t belong. Like it’s a foreign land. All the cabinets have been rearranged. There are no decorations on the walls. The furniture is all different or in different places. It doesn’t feel like home. It feels stiff and forced.
I put some of my school decorations up but they just look misplaced. Like they don’t belong there just like me. I don’t believe the house you grew up in will always feel like your home. But you have to make it as homey as possible.
I cannot walk into my room at home for the amount of "storage" space it has become. My parents' home is most certainly not "home" to me either...
DeleteI lived with my dad throughout high school, and after my first year at Transy, I moved in with my mom, who then moved to a different, but very close, town several months later, after I was back living on campus. For as long as I've considered that my permanent address, I've never been there long enough to establish a space, so I get the same feeling when I go home
DeleteI agree that the house you grow up in doesn't always feel like home. I get these same feelings sometimes. Hang in there!
DeleteThinking of you, Paige. How hard not to even have a "home" at home. I feel the same way after all these years away from the apartment in which I spent my growing-up years.
DeleteI've felt this way about my parent's house for a long time. They built it while I was away at school so I never have any idea where things are or how to follow their routines. Like you said, you have to try and make it homey, but it can be difficult when everything feels so out of place.
DeleteI am constantly missing my apartment in Lexington. I love my family and being home with them, but it is so hard to give up the place that you turned into your very own.
DeleteMy home still looks very much the same as when I left but I cant help but feel this sometimes. Im sorry you aren't able to be in your own space right now.
DeleteMy room is pretty cluttered from moving back in, but it still kinda feels the same. I feel like I’m back in high school really.
DeleteThis reminded me of The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert. She sings about the memories that were made in the house while at the same time how much the house has changed. Sometimes, it is the memories that feel like home.
DeleteEvery year for my first three years here, I always came into school from summer break wondering how to get through college. Going into sophomore and junior years, I knew I’d been getting through just fine, but I always returned nervous about how the year would go-- whether I would finally find a project that I couldn’t do-- whether I would succumb to the stress.
ReplyDeleteEvery year until the fourth, that is. This year was the first year that I wasn’t really that nervous about going into, and I soon realized why. Every year prior, I had unconsciously been thinking of my education as a “me vs. college” situation, as though it was just me on my own. I knew I had help, I just didn’t think that much about it.
By my fourth year, I was confident enough in my support network that I realized my senior year would not just be me vs. college. It would be me and my team of really incredible people vs. college. And I realized that because I realized it also always had been. Even if it felt like it at times, I was never truly on my own.
. . .
Every day since the national emergency was declared and cancelations began, I think I’ve spent at least a few moments thinking of the effort people are putting in each day to make this better. While all this has been in place, the following have happened:
Three friends have explicitly said for me to let them know when I need groceries because they each know that I can’t drive and lack other options. And each of them has taken me grocery shopping (individually, at different points in time.)
One of those same friends also sent me a few instagram posts when he saw ones he thought I’d like, attempting to add more connection to both our lives while we were still on spring break.
Another of those friends videocalled with me for three hours after my mood had been less than great all day. When things had finally started to feel okay again, all I wanted to do was talk to someone and relax, and so we did.
Three more friends-- in this class-- have videocalled with me a few times, catching up in ways that we used to do in class and in the studio.
Three professors have listened to me express concerns about this situation and my life post-grad, two of which may be reading this.
I live alone, but I don’t feel alone.
I believe in people-- in the power of community. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
I love that you have shared examples of your community stepping up in this hard time. This convinces me that community is valuable and the things that I do might possibly brighten someone else's day, too. It is so easy to feel alone in the academic struggle these days, but we are definitely in this together! Also, I'm still in my apartment and whenever you need groceries or laundry, just let me know!
DeleteThank you, Emily!
DeleteI'm so glad you have friends that will help and support you during this time!
DeleteI am indeed reading this :). And I am here to help in any way I can ~ including a text message here and there :)
DeleteSo happy that you have support like this!
DeleteAlways down for a video call
DeleteI have done multiple Zoom meetings just so I could see all of my friends in one place again and laugh like we use to!
DeleteIm so glad you have such an amazing and tight knit community around you. Hope to chat soon!
DeleteI’m glad I can be there for you Marissa, just let me know if you ever wanna chat.
DeleteCommunity is definitely what's going to help everyone through this crisis. I'm glad you've found yours :)
DeleteThe apples I get from Farmer Ed are the best apples I have ever eaten. Let me reveal to you the gravity of this statement by telling you that I am an apple CONNOISSEUR. I eat an apple practically every day, and I relish the opportunity to try a new variety.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, my mother only bought gala apples, but by middle school, I got sick of those and decided I wanted the “other kind”...meaning red delicious. How sad it was that my sphere of apple exposure was only two varieties in radius? The fact that it was a constant STRUGGLE to convince my mother to buy even a couple of red delicious apples was probably a good indicator that my breadth of knowledge would be lacking. Somehow in high school I found out about fuji apples and became enamored with their sweetness, never looking back on the unpredictably mushy, water-flavored red delicious I once considered superior. I also remember trying a honeycrisp and being unimpressed...I was in search of flavor.
My love of apples was never deterred by this winding pursuit. I was content at nearly every stage. But now that I’ve worked with Farmer Ed and tasted practically every apple that he sells, I know what a good apple is. They are in such stark contrast with one another, differing flavor and texture profiles, and the mind-boggling number of varieties! I hadn’t even heard of many of them. What really astounds me, however, is when I come across an apple I HAVE previously known. A gala, a honeycrisp, apples I had discounted...they taste so incredibly different coming from Farmer Ed. Granted, Ed does not grow these himself; he buys them off of Reed’s or Evan’s Orchard and brings them to market since they do not come themselves anymore. There are even more varieties at the orchards than Ed sells. But I believe the source of the apples makes the difference. Even coming out of cold storage after the winter, their apples have more flavor than those found at the grocery store. I do not fully understand whatever science goes into making an apple taste better than all the rest, but for this reason and my need for good apples, I believe in farmer’s markets as essential businesses.
I've had good apples in the past, usually when my parents kept them stocked in the house, but if I were to buy them for myself I wouldn't have a clue which to buy because some of them are just not good at all. I do, however, keep applesauce stocked as much as possible haha
DeleteI love apples too! My grandparents used to take me to the apple orchard as a kid, and it is still one of my favorite memories.
DeleteI love the farmer's market
DeleteReed's Orchard is by far one of my favorite places in Owensboro. Everything is better there!
DeleteAnytime I eat an apple, I think of my grandmother always cutting mine up into perfect slives without the peel. She just always had the most delicious apples and it's a memory I will forever cherish.
DeleteI’m not a really big fan of eat apples that aren’t cooked, but I appreciate your love for apples!
DeleteI love apples! I can't eat the skin though, gotta cut it off
Deleteyummm I love apples. Personally, I'm a granny smith kinda gal. The tang, the crunch, it is *chef's kiss*
DeleteI was six years old. My brother cut a window in the front, and I painted an accidentally intermittent red line around it. Lowered over us this refrigerator box became our Never Land, and we spun tales that were no doubt incomprehensible to everyone including our closest friends and our own mother who naively told us to upend a hat outside the theatre walls for charitable contributions. She created our entire audience through her own commitment to community by starting a little league baseball team. My father leveled the field, cut the grass, built a backstop and maintained the grounds. In the winter, he would build the only ice-skating rink in our county atop this same patch of grass rich with dandelion and broad-leaf weeds. The ice-skaters were there to watch our puppet show seven months before he would first stoke the fire and prepare hot chocolate to warm them from the inside after their eyelashes froze together in the moisture of trapped breath—caught between their raised scarves and lowered hats all crocheted by grandmothers who used yarn to express unconditional love. The baseball players were there with their parents, and we heard their laughter from the edge of a long driveway that led to the one-room schoolhouse my father escaped from to fish with his best friend Bert Griffith.
ReplyDeleteJed Hubbell and I would swing into the river from rope hung on branches not selected by my father for makeshift fishing poles. The years were kind to the trees and I found “Louie loves Carrie” carved into the bark fifteen feet up nearly fifty years after little Louie Snyder was forced to sweep the schoolhouse as punishment for his indiscretion. Louie prepared the stage for our puppet theatre by sweeping the street beneath it, and he continued sweeping both of streets that were blacktopped until the day he died. Carrie is held forever in my mind, rocking in a chair that Louie made for her on the front porch of her house just four doors from the school house where they first met. I once tried to sell her candles for a fund-raiser and still hear her reply as if it were yesterday, "Candles? Damn no, child we have electricity here but wait are they moving away over there (gesturing wildly across the street)? Is that a U-Hell truck I see?" and then with the dexterity of a cat Carrie snatched one of the sample candles, darted into her house and lit it before I had a chance to think. After a few painful moments of taunting that nearly brought me to tears Carrie came out with money for five candles. To pay for hers and one for anyone of her neighbors to damn cheap to help a "cute little Gohde girl"--she found unending joy in addressing boys as "little girl".
My father will die within ten miles of his childhood home and the one room schoolhouse which became an oddity and museum the day he left. I have lived away more than I have lived near this—my ancestral home—dating back to my great, great, great uncle Dorr Webb, a traveling salesman with a penchant for postcards and flowery language, but I know there is a place for me in the graveyard less than half a mile from that hat my brother and I turned upside down for charitable contributions. There was not a single coin in the hat when we finished our grueling back to back performances inside the poorly ventilated puppet theatre. We had received payment long before either of us was born.
As I read this, I couldn't help but to imagine it as one of the short animated flicks that Disney does. I am not sure why other than the heart and sentiment within it but I loved it!
DeleteThere were so many different images and story lines in this essay, and I am amazed by how masterfully you put each of them and wove them together. The content is beautiful, but I'd argue the way you utilized language is more awe-inspiring
DeleteThis was a beautiful essay, you really brought the memories to life.
DeleteThis was a really great essay Kurt! I could picture everything you wrote, simply wonderful:)
DeleteI love this, Kurt. So beautifully written
DeleteI agree with all the comments above. This was a very beautifully written essay and I could picture every little detail
DeleteAs I have spent the last couple weeks inside like everyone else (I hope), I realized I could use a breath of fresh air when I returned home to Muhlenberg County yesterday. The past week I sat on the back porch of my home in Lexington to do homework with my housemates, but this short time outside each day wasn’t fulfilling. As I drove down the Bluegrass Parkway yesterday, I began to notice the colors of spring; there were yellow wildflowers and trees with bright purple blooms sprinkled throughout the drive. I was tempted to crack my windows in order to take in the beauty, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea as I was zooming down the interstate. Instead, I decided that I would do something...anything outside whenever I made it home. When I finally pulled in my driveway and got out of the car, I took a deep breath. I really think the air is different here than it is in Lexington, and somehow it makes me feel more free. As I sat down on the couch to take in the excitement of my dogs, my phone rang. It was a friend that I have not seen since high school, and he wanted to take me fishing! How strange and coincidental that I was wanting to do something outside just before he called. Of course I said yes. I changed into some old clothes and my chacos, and I began to feel jittery as I anticipated my afternoon outdoors. We loaded up some kayaks, took them down to a big pond, and after a few trials and errors with my fishing pole, I finally got my cast down pat. As I paddled around the pond, I noticed the moss on the banks was very thick despite the rest of the pond being clear, and occasionally a little bit of the brownish gray moss would find itself in my kayak. I didn’t mind though because I was finally connecting with nature. I didn’t catch any fish, which is okay because I’m always afraid they will suffer consequences of the hook even after throwing them back; in a way, not catching one was a relief because I don’t know if there would have been enough room in the kayak for me, the moss, AND the fish. I came home last night with dirt and mud on my legs and my cheeks were red from being in the sun. I believe in going outside and reconnecting with nature.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great essay! I have been spending hours outside every day (I think I would wither and die if I couldn't)-walking & listening to podcasts, walking with my family, walking some more.
DeleteYes to going outside (even if, as I imagine, "nature" is different in Lexington than where you live)!
I think going outside right now is what is keeping me sane
DeleteI've been sitting by the pond and watching the turtles surface or going into the woods and listening to the squirrels. I think being cooped up indoors has finally made me an outdoorswoman.
DeleteI love this! I also have been feeling that draw to being outside and just feelings the freedom of it.
DeleteMy daily walks are definitely what keeps me sane, and it is amazing how many more people I meet on the street during this time of being cooped up!
DeleteWe are lucky to be having such nice weather right now. Your outing on the water sounds magnificent, something I should definitely get out and do!
DeleteI have a balcony with my apartment. I love it. Like faith, being able to go outside even if it is just a breath of fresh air is keeping me sane. I am happy that nature hasnt been taken away from us.
DeleteLove this! I've been trying to spend as much time outside as possible, going on walks, gardening with my cats, or just laying out in my yard. Nature gives us so much
DeleteThe first time my eyes swelled with water last weekend was after I forgot the potted plant I had bought for my friend’s wedding.
ReplyDeleteRachel and I haven’t been friends that long. We met last September when we went for a walk at the UK Arboretum. We have since gone for a walk there at least once a month.
At the time I met Rachel, she had already been planning her Philadelphia wedding. It was going to be small and intimate. Lots of dancing. And Kentucky derby pie. As a quite-new friend, I didn’t make the guest list.
COVID-19 messed up Rachel’s plans, too. Like so many other gatherings, the wedding ceremony was moved to Zoom. The bride and groom remained in Lexington, their guests sheltering all over the country. No dancing. But I could at least bring my friend a gift to her Lexington home. Because of instructions to quarantine anything you are given for at least 7 days, I settled on a plant that could live outside for a week, if necessary.
Except, I forgot the plant. I showed up at my friend’s house empty-handed, unable to offer even a hug. That was when I felt water gathering in the corners of my eyes for the first time last weekend.
It also happened when I was re-reading The Laramie Project, a play I have read many times. Something about the loss of life, something about the loss of a town’s humanity, something about my memories of going to Laramie, back when my son was a newborn and Americans were able to travel without restrictions.
And it kept happening: my eyes swelling with liquid heartache on a weekend so beautiful, it felt like magic.
I believe grief is part of life during COVID-19. I believe my tears after forgetting a potted plant were tears for my friend and her diminished wedding.
I believe it’s ok to feel both gratitude for being alive and deep sadness for things lost during a pandemic without an end in sight.
Absolutely, Kremena!
DeleteYES! It is okay to feel the sad moments while also being thankful for our health. Sending you a virtual hug!
DeleteI needed this. I've felt guilty for crying the past few days over missing my anniversary today. I do feel like I'm grieving what I've lost, and I feel it's a necessary step to getting through in tact.
DeleteCouldn't agree more
DeleteMy mom always tells me its okay to be sad and I think right now it is definitely okay to be sad.
DeleteI almost cried when the nurse told me I should not go home to my parents after being tested for coronavirus. While I am sad and subdued, I haven't felt much urge to cry. Perhaps I need to
DeleteI have found myself brought to tears often during this pandemic. I agree that grief is just built into our every day life at the moment. I am going too have to read the Laramie Project despite the difficult subject.
DeleteI love you TIB, Kremena. I could not agree more. At first I was thinking of myself and my life changes, but now I am thinking about others losses. My cousin also may have to cancel her wedding. I hate it for her. But, I am happy that I am alive. I am greiving for myself and others.
DeleteI believe in giving homes to stray dogs.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was just a baby, my family decided they wanted to adopt a dog. My mom and dad went to the local animal shelter and of course my older siblings made a break for all the tiny adorable puppies. But as they looked at the really cute fluffy ones, my dad was drawn over to a slightly older puppy. He was very skinny and definitely not as cute as the others. No one that worked there had any idea of what kind of breed he was and they all said he was very shy. That skinny puppy was randomly dropped off in a box one day at the shelter. My dad asked if he could hold him and despite the warnings from the workers that the puppy wouldn’t let him, he insisted upon it. When my dad reached his hand towards him, my mom told me she was amazed. That little puppy bolted up to my dad and practically jumped into his arms. That puppy became our dog Buddy that day, we had him until I was 14. I used to hold onto his tail while he walked around in circles with me as he learned how to walk. He used to go on runs with me as I got older. He was protective of us kids and obsessed with my dad. He was an amazing dog.
When I was in 4th grade on the 4th of July, my sister and I were outside shooting confetti bombs into the air. We watched as a random car came half way up our drive, pulled behind our barn where we couldn’t see it, and then left back down the driveway. We all assumed they were just turning around. About 30 minutes later, I was outside again to take the trash out and I looked down to the barn and saw a tiny white head stick out from the door. I walked down the hill to get a closer look. Out ran a white puppy covered in dirt and a tiks. She followed me up to my house and let me feed her. My siblings and I begged our parents to let us keep her. She became Ellie that day. We had her until just last summer. She used to chase us all around the fields and jump into the driver seats of our cars. She would take naps while curled up on the couch with me and literally cry whenever my brother left the house. She was an amazing dog.
I believe in giving a home to stray dogs because they end up making the best family.
YES. SAY IT louder for the people in the BACK
DeleteThis is so sweet
DeleteWhat a sweet reflection--I really enjoyed reading it, Faith.
DeleteWe took in my brother's dog when he was unable to care for it despite my mother being adamantly against a pet...when Duke died, I think she was surprised how much she had come to love him
DeleteI love this. I'm planning on getting a shelter pup when I move out!
DeleteRescuing a dog is such a wonderful feeling, for both you and the animal. I agree that they do in fact always make the best family. If it were up to me my family would keep every stray we encountered.
DeleteMy dog was found as a puppy at my Nana’s house on thanksgiving day 5 years ago. Benny is my best friend and I’m so glad we adopted him.
DeleteYes! Adopt don't Shop!!! I adopted my sweet kitty from the humane society this January!
DeleteI like this so much! LOVE dogs. I always look out for them if they look lost
DeleteLove this, Faith.
DeleteYes!! All my pets have been from shelters, except my newest cat, Tofu, who was abandoned by one of my sister's coworkers. There are so many shelter animals that need homes, so #adoptdontshop
DeleteYou would think with all of this free time I have I would have tons of ideas for essays. That is not the case. For this week's essay I had a hard time coming up with something to write about. I decided to write about a change I have found in myself.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who really knows me they know that I love to drink soda. Coca Cola is my favorite drink, but I am very partial to ginger ale as well. I have realized while being home I don’t really crave soda as much. I have instead started to drink water. This is something very new for me. In the past I would always reach for a soda over a glass of water, but now it's the opposite.
I now drink glasses of water each day and really enjoy it. I am still a firm believer that tap water tastes gross, so I go for that good ol filtered fridge water. I think growing up the reason I didn’t like water was because all we had was tap water. Now that I am able to go and get a glass of cold, filtered water my life has been changed.
This is a bizarre tale about my relationship with water and I hope you all have at least learned something about me. Stay hydrated Y’all.
I believe in Water
I honestly love this. I use to drink coke allll the time and one year I gave it up as a New Year's resolution and discovered I love water too!
DeleteI am constantly drinking water now
DeleteI would die without water. My favorite is Brita filter or spring water
DeleteGreat essay. My parents have always been adamant water drinkers, but I do enjoy the daily ginger ale or Ale8.
DeleteMy Brita was a game changer for my water drinking.
DeleteAs someone who has witnessed your addiction to Coca-Cola, (same here with Dr. Pepper), I'm very proud of you! Maybe I should start drinking more water soon...
DeleteWater will make you feel more energized!!! I love water. I am glad you are enjoying it now.
DeleteI usually only keep juice and/or lemonade and water for drinks in my fridge. I love orange juice and will drink it any time of day and I've definitely been noticing lately that I stopped drinking as much water in favor of drinking orange juice haha. I should probably drink more water. Glad you're enjoying water more now!
DeleteI went home yesterday for one of the first times since all this had happened to surprise my parents and eat dinner with them. When I got there, I realized I had made a horrible mistake. When I stepped out of the car, my parents were cutting limbs down from all of the trees in the backyard. My dad said that my mom decided that morning that all the tree limbs were hanging too low and that she wanted them trimmed. I tried to back away without them seeing, but my dog decided to bark for 30 seconds straight so I knew that there was no escape. It was a nice day outside, but I would rather do anything than cut tree limbs and walk them to where we can burn them. After we finished (which took like 2 and a half hours) my mom brought my dad and I ice-cream, and we sat outside and just hung out as a family. I was a little upset at first that I had to do a bunch of work all afternoon instead of just being with them, but I realized that anything I do with my parents is spending quality time with them, and that’s what I wanted to do. I am thankful for them both, and I think we should look at some of the positives that we have in front of us. I would not have been able to see my mom if this didn’t happen, and there is nothing better than eating my mom’s food.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I come home by dad has a new project for us to do whether its building a porch or painting the garage. But it is still family time!!
DeleteHow nice that your mother rewarded your hard work with ice cream :)
DeleteI have also struggled to do certain things with my parents during quarantine, but when I make myself it tends to be rewarding.
DeleteThere is nothing better than a good meal after doing work you didn't want to do!
DeleteI'm sure they appreciated your help, and at least you got some ice cream out of the deal!
DeleteI always am my dads helper. We have laid all the floor in my house together and painted each room. It’s really nice to bond through manual labor
DeleteI swear my mom's mashed potatoes are the best. But, literally everyone thinks their mashed potatoes are the best.
DeleteI love this and some of the stories people are telling in the comments above me. Bonding through shared projects is a thing I'm a big fan of and that my art major involves a lot of
DeleteI believe my mother is wrong.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up mom was ALWAYS right… even when she wasn’t. I love my mother to death. She is my best friend, but she believes I do not need another pair of Vans for my birthday. Which is completely false. My birthday is Easter Sunday, and I want a pair of all white or grey Eras, they’re my favorite Vans style and I haven’t bought a new pair of Eras in 6 years. Mine are way past worn out and I honestly shouldn’t even wear them anymore, but I still do because I love them so much. I am not even a huge shoe person, but I got a pair of slip ons for Christmas and now she thinks thats enough?? WRONG, they have very different personalities, they are not interchangeable. I will get them for my birthday even if I buy them myself. I have a coupon anyways. I love coupons. PLUS, she is one to talk, that lady own 18,000 pairs of shoes and wears the same two. SHE EVEN owns multiple of the same pair. AND I’M THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO STOP BUYING SHOES?? False. Bears beets Battlestar Galactica.
My parents tell me to stop buying vans because I have so many but they fail to realize that they are all very different
DeleteI support you buying yourself shoes if you think they are so necessary, especially since you have a coupon
DeleteI'm having the opposite issue. My mom wants me to get new Vans when I'm too emotionally attached to my nasty ones with the hole in them.
DeleteMy mom also says I don't need anymore shoes...I hope you get your Vans!
DeleteThis is so funny, but also SO relatable!
DeleteLove the office reference!!
DeleteTrigger Warnings! Mentions of sexual violence and sucide
ReplyDeleteThroughout the ongoing pandemic, I have had to isolate myself in my dorm. Soon, I will be able to go back to work, but in a different manner. The quarantine has caused my nightmares to come back. I have had nightmares since I was a child, they are incredibly vivid and sometimes I can’t remember reality from fantasy. Sometimes, my nightmares stem from reality. When I was 15, I was sexually assaulted by a man at my church. It has deeply affected me for a really long time, and it will continue because it’s changed me forever. That man decided to kill himself three months afterward. This caused me to become insanely ill. Whether from grief, feelings of guilt, or whatever, it caused me to stay home from school for three days. I became very depressed and developed suicidal thoughts.
I am not sharing this information for anyone to feel sorry for me or to tell me I’m not guilty of anything, I know this! Originally, I wanted to relate this to not believing in scary things, but I also wanted to share just in case anyone else ever feels the need to talk about anything. They know I’ve been there and I’m willing to talk more about it - this quarantine can be very lonely and hard on anyone! I don’t get many opportunities to share this, but also sometimes it’s really scary to talk about it, but I believe in us. We all can share our grief and our emotions without fear. I believe we will get through this, we can do it!
Thank you for sharing
DeleteI hope your nightmares stop soon, Sarah. How scary that must be.
DeleteThinking of you...
I appreciate you being so open about what you go through. I agree that makes for more fruitful and healthy conversations. I also try to be an open book
DeleteYou are so brave for being open about what happened and willing to help others. I hope your nightmares go away again.
DeleteI am so proud of you, Sarah. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteThank you for sharing Sarah. I admire your strength, It can be really hard to share these difficult feelings.
DeleteThanks for sharing, and for reaching out. Being stuck at home makes me think of things in my past ,too.
DeleteI appreciate your sharing this and your important message. Sending love, I hope your nightmares stop!
DeleteThank you for sharing your story. I'm thinking of you <3
DeleteA friend needed this today, so i'm gonna share this with everyone to remind y'all that some days are emotionally exhausting. some days are for overthinking. some days thoughts are rushing. some days life wants you to climb the other part of the mountain. some days you have so much thoughts and life would make you pause, think, and question every chances and possibilities of your every tomorrow. some days you'd go back and forth, trying to figure things out and make simple decisions. and sometimes, some days, you just don't know what's happening. some days you just don't have the answers. and that's okay.
ReplyDelete"some" days may be bad. but there are still days to come that would make you feel better. some days things will get lighter and you'd realize how the sun managed to shine for you. and that the world revolves for you. and even though there are billions of people around the world, some days would make you feel like everything is about you, and for you only. because things may not be at its best state always, but eventually things will get better. you'll be better.
I really like the rhythm of this reflection, Yousef. It works--and I believe you that some day, things will get better.
DeleteI try to accept this and let myself have some of the less positive days with grace. I think acceptance and grace make your words most potent
DeleteI agree sometimes you must indulge in the bad days in order to get to the good ones. Beautiful essay Yousef.
DeleteI love the way you wrote this! I always struggle to keep remember this message on my bad days.
DeleteI also really enjoyed the rhythm of this essay. Things will get better!!
DeleteI overthink so much.. its annoying but with times like this sometimes thats all I do
DeleteThanks, Yousef. You are right!!!! :)
DeleteThis is most definitely needed right now. And your essays are always so beautifully written!
DeleteTwo summers ago, I went on a backpacking trip across Europe with two of my best friends. I have so many cherished memories from that trip, but there’s one in particular that I think of especially fondly. We were in Paris and the French national team had just won the World Cup semi-finals. With France’s long history of celebratory riots, we hit the town. Armed with a bottle of champagne each, my friends, some lovely Italians we met at our hostel, and I headed for the Champs-Elysees. On the metro, people were singing the French national anthem, dancing, kissing, embracing, yelling for their victory. When we arrived at the avenue, thousands of people were already there. People were on top of cars, climbing up light poles, throwing rocks, bottles, smoke grenades, and more. You could feel the energy in the air; it was electric. We let the energy (and the champagne) overtake us. I may or may not have thrown a rock or two. On the six mile walk back after discovering the metro shut down, people got out of their cars to dance with us in the street. It was chaotic and exhilarating, and I think of it often.
ReplyDeleteToday, I want to riot for a different reason. With Bernie Sanders suspending his campaign, it becomes increasingly clear that in November, our choices will be two sexist, racist, war-mongering r*pists. The democratic establishment is so afraid of systematic change that they blocked the one man fighting for us. We don’t need any more status quo, we need a revolution. And they denied us that. I’m trying to stay hopeful, to not give into the despair that I’m feeling. So, I will fight. I will fight for what will be lost in November. I will fight for the millions in this country whose survival depended upon a Sanders presidency. I will fight for change, real, revolutionary change. I will riot against the system, rage against the machine. I believe in riots.
I believe we should riot at this! We as women, or just plain human beings cannot stand for this kind of behavior any longer...
DeleteYes to protesting, resisting, and rioting! Well said, Sarah!
DeleteI believe 10
ReplyDeleteI believe in respect. To those of you that read my last week’s I believe essay you know that I wanted a dog. Well, I got him! :) He is so cute and cuddley. I named him Malibu. The day I got him I took him to see my friend. I told my friend that his dog could not play with his dog because Malibu did not have all of his shots yet. So, as I arrived at his house he started playing with Malibu. Not even 10 minutes go by and he brings out his dog. I tell him that I do not want Malibu around other dogs because it could put both dogs in danger. I picked up his dog and put him inside. Disrespectfully, he goes in the house and brings out his dog again. I sternly tell him again that Malibu can’t be around other dogs.
Every time I think of this, it makes me mad. First he put my dog in danger, then he put his dog in danger. It is not okay to disregard what someone says, especially because it is MY dog, and what I say, goes because Malibu is MY dog. Unfortunately, the same day he tried telling me that you should spank a dog for peeing in the house. Now, some people use this method for their dogs, but I do not want to use that method for training my dog. I believe that people should value your opinion even if it is not their own. I believe that my friend should have respected me and not have brought his dog outside.
These past couple weeks of quarantine have been weird. All the sudden I’m living with my family again. I had gotten used to living in the dorm on my own sleep schedule, so now that I’m home my parents are asleep by midnight… at the latest and I stay awake much later than them, so I am forced to be constantly aware of how loud I am or if there are too many lights on that wake them. I believe in family because as much as they get on my nerves without them my life would be less interesting. My mother is my confidant in which I can share anything with her and gives great advice. My brother keeps me grounded. He is three years younger than me and very honest without me to a fault. My father while we aren’t as close always makes the effort to connect with me which I appreciate. This I believe in family for standing by my side no matter what.
Delete