tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22684426794309180722024-03-13T04:08:53.473-07:00Angela Ryan Always Authentic, Not Always AppropriateAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-87908286897803882562015-04-03T20:19:00.001-07:002015-04-03T20:19:24.719-07:00What Should She Look Like? - An Open Letter to ABC <div class="MsoNormal">
ABC News: <o:p></o:p></div>
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On Friday, April 3<sup>rd</sup>, I viewed a segment of <i>20/20</i> that discussed the abuse of
emotional service animals (ESA) by individuals who simply wished to fly with
their pets beside them. During this
segment, a woman by the name of Genevieve falsely claimed she had an emotional
illness in order to obtain an ESA. Genevieve stated, “What’s the harm?” To respond to Genevieve’s question, the harm
is that individuals who genuinely need an ESA might lose their rights due to
abuse of the system. Further, it is
completely unethical to feign illness in order to obtain certain privileges. It is grossly insulting and offensive to those
individuals who suffer from mental illness every single day. Your segment addressed these issues, and such
is appreciated. However, just as I was
disgusted with Genevieve’s actions, I was equally disturbed by the comments
made by your correspondent. Genevieve
explained that she located a website that offered a psychological evaluation,
and in answering the questions in a purposeful fashion, she was then diagnosed
with “panic attack disorder.” In
response to this wrongly obtained diagnosis, your employee stated that
Genevieve appeared “very level headed” and that she “didn’t seem like the kind
of person that would suffer from panic attacks.” This leads me to question just what your program,
and representatives of your network, believes a person who suffers from panic
attacks looks like. To answer that
question, I wish to inform you of the
incredible ignorance and insult present in this comment. It should not be shocking or surprising that
a person who suffers from panic attacks or anxiety appear level-headed. Why would they not? Mental illness is an invisible illness, and
it is entirely possible that an individual with mental illness, including panic
or anxiety disorder, lead a very successful life. Not only may a person with mental illness
appear level headed; they may also be intelligent, inspiring, compassionate,
organized, productive, competent, and accomplished individuals. The suggestion that individuals who suffer
from panic attacks would appear somehow disheveled or physically deranged is
insulting, and an apology should be offered.
The comments made during this segment only further the devastating stigma
that currently surrounds all mental illness.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Regards, <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Angela Ryan <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="PHOTO: Genevieve told ABC News "20/20" she doesnt have a need for an emotional support animal and just wanted to fly with her dog Kali." height="180" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/abc_GENEVIEVE_KALI_1_kb_150402_16x9_992.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Link to story below:<br />http://abcnews.go.com/Health/pet-owners-game-emotional-support-animal-system-fly/story?id=30064532</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-65842329752271908162015-03-10T17:37:00.000-07:002015-03-10T17:41:43.081-07:00Shared Desires -- Different Endings <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
There is a power in writing, and there is a greater power in sharing our stories. I'm certain that I have before shared the C.S. Lewis quote, "We read to know we are not alone." The same might be said of writing. Our stories often reveal our souls, and when such stories are shared, the writer is often hoping to be heard, hoping to know that he or she is not alone, hoping to know that he or she might yet be saved. In the same turn, some stories are shared to let others know they are not alone, their pain has been felt, and survived by others. Our stories can give others strength. I am truly astounded by the strength of the young writer who composed the following guest post. She leaves us with an important lesson to be alert, be involved, and be gentle for everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. Further, we have the power to shape our own stories and we can be the hero instead of drafting a horror tale. Finally, I would like to thank the anonymous author of this story for inspiring me to write and share once again, as it has surely been one of my struggles. Thank you, dear girl with a beautiful smile and strong spirit. -- Angela </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b>Shared Desires -- Different Endings </b></div>
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I have fantasized about killing my
stepfather. Several times, actually, and those fantasies were always deeply
satisfying. There was freedom in that
fantasy. That fantasy almost became
reality on one occasion. After another day of repeatedly labeling his family as
worthless and stupid individuals, my stepfather wrapped his hands around my
mother’s throat so tightly that he nearly killed her. Witness to this terrible
and violent encounter, I refused to remain silent and I pounded my clenched fists
against his back until he stopped. After releasing his grip on my exhausted,
despondent mother, he turned to me and wickedly laughed in my face. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“What the fuck are you going to do
about it, you stupid piece of shit?” he asked me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I didn’t know how to respond, or
what to do next, but I was so angry I was shaking uncontrollably and felt
enraged into possibly vengeful actions. In a mocking motion, my stepfather
shook his head at me while proceeding to the kitchen, while my mom lay on the
floor temporarily unconscious. I looked at her helpless, limp body on the floor
and I was overcome with indignation and a desire for some justice or peace. He returned
from the kitchen and handed me a knife, with an air of arrogant authority. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://s1.hubimg.com/u/1989520_f520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s1.hubimg.com/u/1989520_f520.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>He whispered in my ear, “Go ahead.
Show me you aren’t just a scared little bitch. I dare you to use this,” he
further taunted, “Really, I’d love for you to try.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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I kept such severe scenes of abuse
a well-guarded secret from nearly everyone in my life. I internalized my pain
and, after years of guilting and shaming myself, the pain manifested itself in
the form of self-injurious behavior. I would
have horrific nightmares every night and my incessant thoughts were often dark.
Eventually, I channeled this negativity into writing. I composed haunting short
stories about rape, abuse, and murder. I often scared my own self with how twisted and troubled the dark
recesses of my mind could be – those spots where I hid my secrets and protected
the same wicked man I had often wished to kill. At times, I felt so depressed
and dejected that I wanted to end my life; other times I was so incensed that I
sought to end my torment by taking my stepfather’s life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Such memories – and such dark
desires – returned hastily to me as the news of a local homicide shocked our
small town. The images of a troubled young female named Ashlee flashed across
television screens and dominated news feeds. Ashlee, a seventeen year old
junior, was attending the very same high school from which I graduated when she
allowed her own dark desires to control her actions, leading to inconceivable loss.
Ashlee shot and killed her stepfather this
past weekend, and she also stabbed her mother to death after falsely imprisoning
her three younger siblings behind locked and tied bedroom doors. She then fled to Indiana, where she was promptly
located by authorities. Many are aware that Ashlee published horrific short
stories and poems on a personal blog titled “Nightmare.” Such tales and
tributes clearly demonstrate the degree to which Ashlee’s mind was troubled. It
is further common knowledge among her peers that Ashlee even shared aloud, in
her high school English course, one of her stories about stabbing someone to
death and delighting in such destruction. I believe such public sharing was her
way of asking for help. Obviously, and quite regrettably, her cries for help
fell upon deaf ears. The result is the loss of life for two individuals and the
loss of innocence for three more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My story could have been all too
similar to Ashlee’s ghastly fictional tales and real life appalling horror. Fortunately for me, I had friends who
recognized the times when I was troubled and reached out to me. They would ask
me to stay over at their house or tell me how much they cared about me. Such
simple acts helped to save my life, and the life of the man who tormented our
family. I also had teachers who sensed something was amiss with my home life
and pulled me out of class to ask about my bruises and work toward securing my
physical safety and emotional well-being. I had people who genuinely, truly
cared about me and my welfare. I had people in my life who saw the warning
signs and didn’t simply turn a blind eye; they helped me through my struggles
and helped me find my inner strength. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So when my stepfather handed me
that knife that day, I gripped it so god-damn hard that my knuckles ached and
my teeth clenched so that my jaw throbbed. I stared intently at that bastard for
a while, thinking about what would happen if I did actually proceed to plunge
the knife into his chest. I knew no one would miss him. I knew my life would be
a hell of a lot better without him in it. But then I thought about all the
people who loved me. There were suddenly so many people I could think of with
fondness and gratitude. It actually brought tears to my eyes to consider how much
I was cared for, despite my stepfather’s disregard, and before I could change
my mind, I told him, “No. Because if I did that, I’d be no better than you. And
I am so much better.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.veganrunnereats.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/PLATO1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.veganrunnereats.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/PLATO1.jpg" /></a></div>
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That is how the story ended that
day. I put down the knife, and worked
fervently to set aside all my anger as well. But imagine how differently I
might have reacted if I hadn’t been able to bear in mind all those people who consistently
reached out to me in my time of need. What if I had been bullied at school?
What if I felt none of my peers cared about me? What if my teachers and mentors
had ignored the bruises and ignored my need to heal? You might have seen my
name in the headlines for homicide too. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am in no way stating that Ashlee’s
actions are acceptable, and she must be held accountable for her crimes.
Further, I am truly sorry for this family’s immense loss. I don’t personally
know Ashlee, so I cannot ascertain if emotional or physical abuse drove Ashlee’s
regrettable decisions. However, I do know that by failing to see Ashlee’s
warning signs, we have failed her as a community. It is crucial that we as
individuals each take the time to reach out to those whom we see are hurting. I
pray that we can take this as a lesson to extend care, compassion, and
consideration to everyone we meet. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-40834456792966684972014-09-30T14:15:00.000-07:002014-09-30T16:47:52.522-07:00Boys Don't Like Whores <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I showed her the bruises on my arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She shrugged and said, “Well, boys don’t like
whores.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it my fault that I drank too
much?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it my fault that my shirt was
low cut?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe, but I didn’t want
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She shook her head and said, “They
don’t want women to be in control,” as though it were just a fact of life that
boys can fuck around, but a woman who does the same is a slut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The woman who expects control of her own body
and sexual relationships is in the wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Women shouldn’t expect gratification; women should only seek “soul mates.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man has needs, but a woman is a
sinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her desires are an admonishment
and she should be shamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ptBswSsJ9ik/VCs_6M1w8JI/AAAAAAAAAtM/NphZk6cEz98/s1600/slut-shaming-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ptBswSsJ9ik/VCs_6M1w8JI/AAAAAAAAAtM/NphZk6cEz98/s1600/slut-shaming-2.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wonder if I was really ever in control though, and if I
was ever getting what I wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I
wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted him, but he had
rejected me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to show him that I
was desirable, so I let myself be had by any man who told me I had a pretty
face or a hot ass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he said he was
hurt and didn’t want me anymore, I accepted another offer, foolishly believing
I could incite his jealousy and alter his mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That offer was more than I had bargained for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should be ashamed for trying to play these
games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had just been honest and
said I’m sorry, I wonder if I wouldn’t have this surplus, gigantic grief now
riding around on my back.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So maybe I was wrong then.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No, I know I was wrong, but that still doesn’t justify what happened
next.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Boys don’t like whores,” she said
and that’s precisely why he was rejecting me.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wasn’t his, and he wasn’t mine, but he didn’t want me to belong,
however temporarily, to anyone else either.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t belong to them though; it was just my skin and I was still my
own woman.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He was allowed his freedom,
but I was denied mine.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I couldn’t have
my cake and eat it too.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why can’t a woman have casual relationships? Why are women
denied noncommittal pleasure? It’s not safe for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good girls can’t afford to play the same
games the big boys do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wouldn’t have
to be so damn afraid if society changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we stopped building up boys while berating women maybe there wouldn’t
be such a perverse imbalance and abuse of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boys couldn’t get away with it and claim
we wanted it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Girls can’t tease and
girls can’t change their minds because such misdirection and indecision is worthy
of retribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I showed her the bruises, and even she blamed me.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“You should never have gone home with him,”
she chastised, “You barely even knew him.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Her warning then could not possibly alter the past, shake this fucking
beast off my back, so what good was that? Women don’t need to condemn women
even further.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Women don’t need to excuse
men who don’t listen when a woman says no.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why are we still making excuses?</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe I made him angry because I was a woman who wanted the
upper hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I made him angry
because I wasn’t seduced by his power or prowess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I made him angry because I wanted to be
safe even though I was playing these otherwise dangerous games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I made him angry because I wasn’t
falling in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shouldn’t have
expected me to swoon; this was never about love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This wasn’t even about affection or sexual
attraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two intoxicated bodies
momentarily finding each other for mutual satisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wish it were nothing more, but his lust turned to hate and I suffered
for his ire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pYiiAl_efJw/VCtA6yDJVRI/AAAAAAAAAtc/VDXEyVz-PH8/s1600/slut%2Bshaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pYiiAl_efJw/VCtA6yDJVRI/AAAAAAAAAtc/VDXEyVz-PH8/s1600/slut%2Bshaming.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can still hear my own weak voice in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No. No.
No.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I was already revealed to him and indeed
his lips and limbs had already touched private parts of me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The play became too rough and I didn’t expect
another player on this field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whore
doesn’t get to make the calls; she doesn’t coach this game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She should sit silent and willing on the sidelines,
and I didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good girls keep their
mouths shut; good girls don’t speak up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bad girls get their due punishment; don’t take it easy on bad
girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And big girls, who recklessly
believed they were in control, do cry when their bodies are being violated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stop crying, silly girl; I thought you wanted no emotion
here.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want love and emotion
removed from the equation, how can you be surprised when they are replaced with
violence or perversion?</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You shouldn’t be
so irresponsible with things like your body if you don’t expect bruises.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Girls who make hasty decisions get hurt.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You should have just said you were sorry and
went back home instead of into the arms of another.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You don’t have the skill to play this game with
all the big boys.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’re no contest,
little girl.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Girls like you are easily
taken.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Girls like you are whores, and
boys don’t like whores.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That oughtta
show you.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I showed her the bruises and she showed me the standards of
our society: “Boys don’t like whores.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Men and women are still expected to behave to certain gender standards,
and our society justifies any harm to the deviants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to end these archaic
expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to equalize the
playing field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to stop excusing
bad behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to stop making the
victimized feel guilty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to stop
condoning violence through acquiescence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need to stop admiring “big boys” and branding “bad girls.” Even bad girls
feel the sting of the bruises, and an even greater ache from the agonies unseen.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-81565932296954266992014-09-26T10:06:00.000-07:002014-09-26T10:06:06.603-07:00Just Speak The following post is the result of ten minutes of typing. This is a free write with no edits (beyond spelling corrections from misplaced fingers while rapidly typing) and no pauses -- just ten minutes directly from my mind. This is not normally something that I would share here. Despite sharing very personal stories about mental illness, rape, attempted suicide, and the like, this becomes even more personal because it exposes someone other than my own self. I am always cautious to do so, and this piece probably belongs in a private journal rather than as a blog post, but I really want to get back into the practice of writing. This art has been absent from my life too long, as is evident through my rare, intermittent postings here. The voice lends us power when we feel weak and worthless, and hence I share. I share not only to gain back my personal strength and power, but in the greater hope that some of that power can be shared and gained by readers. I'm sure I'm not the only one who hears that wicked, self-loathing voice of doubt and shame and it's important to share our struggles. We need to speak up. Please speak up. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I thought it was all over between us because when I cried,
you just sat there … numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tears gushing
forth from my eyes like a dam breaking, rolling on tumultuous waves, ever
unceasing and frightfully dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What smarted the most is that I wasn’t ready and I didn’t want this to
end; you were still my best friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
you know that I need to be in control, and so it hurts like hell when I can’t
make you love me? I can’t illicit the response I want, and I don’t know what to
try because every fucking thing seems to fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Should I put on a little more lip gloss? What if I try thick eyeliner
and smoky eyes? Can I tempt you then? Will you be my willing victim? Do I need
to lose ten more pounds? Or twenty? Or go back to skin and bones so you feel
that you’re in control because you can lift me and toss me around like a light
paper sack?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can fold me up and tuck
me in the back of an untidy kitchen drawer until you have some need for me.
Would you like that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To keep me out of
the way until I’m convenient for you; I won’t be making unsightly messes all of
the god-damn time, mucking up the image of this perfect little family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I just keep my big mouth shut? Say
only please and thank you, and obediently shake hands?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I swallow ten more pills? Or twenty?
Erase this stain on the otherwise lovely little canvas you effortlessly painted.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all effortless – not easy – but effortless
because you’re too tired to try anymore. No effort. None. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My heart is breaking and you just sit there …
numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t try to fix it, to
bandage it, to heal it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please put on a
fucking dressing; strap, compress, and bind me if need be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do anything but sit there silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is not a comfortable silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every second that you keep your mouth shut is
like another cut of the knife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your abrasive
blade shines and casts wicked shadows, speaking for you though your tongue is
still mute. Why won’t you whisper even one word? What kind of cold, uncaring
soul can just sit there and not offer a hand or one single word of
condolence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You must have no feeling for
me because you just sit there … numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
your silence, I am berating myself with those words unspoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No apologies and no admissions so I speak for
you and that wicked voice says, “I don’t love you anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re an inconvenience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re worthless. Worthless bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fat, worthless bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fat, obnoxious, worthless bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fat, obnoxious, demanding, worthless
bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fat, obnoxious, demanding,
untalented, worthless bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fat,
obnoxious, demanding, untalented, wasteful, worthless bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worthless. Worthless. Worthless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worthless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’re not worth fighting for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not worth fighting for.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
told you this too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the silence, that
is what I hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know this, and yet you do not deny
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is there no counter to my
self-hatred?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lack of a counter is a
confirmation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your silence is
acquiescence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your silence says you have
given up on us because I am trying, scratching, clawing, screaming, crawling,
and you just sit there … numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What if I buy a push up bra?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I put my cleavage right under your nose, make your eyes rest upon my
ample breasts, will you want me then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will you touch me, kiss me, show some tenderness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hurts to not be desired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hurts to not be in control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hurts to be screaming and kicking for your
fucking attention and have you just sit there … numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t you see how much I love you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t you see how much I need you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t you see how much I want you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just want to be wanted too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Without that, I hear those forsaken, biting voices whose evil, piercing
whispers are like tattoos upon my skin, marks upon my brow, scars upon my
wrist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worthless. Worthless. Worthless.
Bitch. Inked on me in some fancy script.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You see the words and don’t try to scrub them off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why won’t you help me come clean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do you let me fester amongst such putrid
filth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just want to be your good girl;
I just want you to love me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need you
to love me because if even you can’t find some love for me, what’s the hope for
me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You were the rock; you were my constant
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You were the one I could always
trust. The one I could always turn to, and now you just sit there … numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, is this over?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
it even me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I believe the wicked
words that repeat on that obnoxious internal soundtrack?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or do you hear those words too and that’s
why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fuck up. Fuck up. Fuck up.
Failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have no love to offer me
because you have no love for yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fuck up. Fuck up. Failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
why you have become so numb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
believe them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s promise each other
this: If you don’t believe them, I won’t believe them either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s learn to love ourselves and one another
again because I need your love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need
you – all of you – in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Please speak. Just speak. Speak to me tonight. </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-81869421163709860712014-09-25T14:21:00.000-07:002014-09-25T16:33:38.176-07:00Unadulterated <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps this fall season is more vivid and stunning than
those past, or perhaps it is my child’s excitement that allows me to more
rapidly recognize the beauty surrounding me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Look at that red, Momma!” she points and calls from the
back seat of the car, “It’s soooo pretty!” I can’t see her beautiful face, her
nose and cheeks patterned with delicate little angel kisses, but I can hear the
genuine excitement in her youthful voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XXI1sqPRAPI/VCSmGytDNZI/AAAAAAAAAs8/4UauSwjoT20/s1600/IMG_2115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XXI1sqPRAPI/VCSmGytDNZI/AAAAAAAAAs8/4UauSwjoT20/s1600/IMG_2115.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because I have been commanded to do so, I now call my own
attention to the picturesque trees along the side of the road, changing colors
and catching my daughter’s eye with sincere, unadulterated delight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unadulterated</b>. Adjective. 1. Not diluted or made impure by
adulterating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2. Utter; absolute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though the dictionary would
provide a somewhat different definition, I consider that word now. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unadulterated</b>. Un – adult: free of
adult perspectives. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To see the world as
we did when children. To recognize beauty and joy without the challenges and
contests of adulthood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To take authentic
delight in daily occurrences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all need to more often be
unadulterated – to remove the fouled filters of age and see the world through
fresh, fledgling eyes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To see that all the
splendor and happiness in the entire world is evident in one single newly altered,
radiant red leaf. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We allow beauty to
fall before our very eyes and go unnoticed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worse yet, we complain about the cold weather
to come or the chores to be done. We need to stop and watch the world with an
unadulterated lens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to smile and
call out to others, “Look! Look at all the magnificence that surrounds you! Do
you even see? Do you even realize?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unadulterated. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>To allow
happiness into your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To examine the
world with a vista of joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To truly
live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-8892631830695571522014-09-16T14:15:00.001-07:002014-09-16T14:15:45.165-07:00The Price of Stability
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have rarely suffered this sensation before of staring at a
blinking curser immobilized and incapable of finding the right words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words were never elusive before, even when
emotions like happiness and contentment were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, now I sit here erect and feeling empty, wondering where all the
words have gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where are the emotions
that would fall insistently forth upon the empty screen or blank page? Where
are the feelings incapable of being contained, bursting seams and breaking
barriers? Where are the voices ceaselessly petitioning for an outlet? Now I
prayerfully implore them to come out and play, to reveal themselves and vacate
their secret hiding places. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I admit I have been dishonest, yet, for constant creative words
were absent for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
unaware of their absence, though, or I didn’t miss them as I was then assisting
others to spark their individual imaginations or kindle their creativity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know that my own voice was being
hushed and quieted until I was left completely alone. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I finally spoke up again, with my own,
most authentic voice, however soft or shushed, I yearned to be surrounded with
wonderful words again – to write, invent, express, emote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I further realized that in addition to damning voices of a
fearful and agitated authority, my medications were muting me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That immense creativity and passion that had
once been present had become absent in my lethargy, but I accepted this as a
component of my necessary stability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
a change of medication, I had regained a voice I didn’t know how critically I
had needed and missed. No more mood stabilizers and just anti-depressants. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, though the drugs tormented me with
nightmares and missed doses led to staggering migraines and shocking anxiety, I
feared change and I dreaded a return to complacency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was willing to endure the atrocious side
effects and instability to keep the creative portion of my mind active. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then I could no longer endure and the anti-depressants, at
any dosage, were ineffective, so I tried another combination – another prescription
– another shot-in-the-dark at some kind of healing and normalcy. And now I here
I am – sitting, staring at a blinking cursor, unsure what to write next and
losing the words that once flowed so freely from my fingertips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I have lost a part of
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this the price of
stability?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please let this not be the
price of stability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-63678235969478561862014-08-20T10:20:00.001-07:002014-08-20T10:35:36.452-07:00Why I Didn't Write About Robin Williams<div class="MsoNormal">
Most surely you’re aware that beloved comedian and actor
Robin Williams was recently found dead in his northern Californian home, having
lost his battle against major depressive disorder. It has been nearly impossible to escape reports
of this tragedy, and the abundance of subsequent tributes and responses. Admittedly, upon hearing of William’s death,
I was filled with immense hope that maybe – just maybe – this tragedy would
result in less stigmatization and more understanding of mental illness. If an individual such as Williams, who
brought humor and joy into hearts and homes across the nation, could suffer
from mental illness, then most surely society would come to understand that
major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and similar ailments are not a
choice. Such outcomes have largely been
my goal when sharing my own stories and struggles with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic
stress disorder. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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" 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Subsequently, it occurred to me that I should create a post
addressing the issue. After all, wasn’t
this an opportunity to further my mission and raise more awareness of mental
illness? However, I had second thoughts:
Was it selfish to view a family’s tragedy as an opportunity? How vital was it that I put up a new post
while William’s suicide was still “trending” in social media? These considerations gave me pause, and in
this interval, the internet had already been flooded with responses that
sounded as if they had been pulled directly from my internal thoughts. I would like to tell you that this post ends
here; I have provided you with the reason for my failure to respond to this
actor’s death. It had all already been
said and done, so it was that simple, but that’s not the real reason I failed
to respond to the loss of this comedic legend. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was within 24 hours of Williams’ body being discovered that I was sitting on my kitchen floor sobbing and swallowing down
pills, completely convinced that I was nothing but an inconvenience to my
family and friends, and therefore the world would be a far better place without
me. I was exhausted and overwhelmed –
exhausted from trying my hardest to remain positive despite the challenges my
illnesses (and life) continue to present.
I felt unloved and underappreciated, and my illness had effectively
convinced me that such feelings were my own damn fault because I was, in fact,
unlovable. I was a worthless, miserable
failure who only presented problems for those I most loved. Even my two beautiful children, who have been
nothing but incredible blessings in my life, would be so much better off without
me. They would have a father who could commit
fully to their happiness and well-being if he were no longer totally tapped out
trying to fix me and all my fuck-ups. I
needed to die. I deserved to die. My death would ultimately be a favor to the
world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There was just the smallest part of my pure heart and
rational head that remained and tried to speak, but I found that voice was
muted. That voice was unable to say I
want to live because I would never abandon these children. I want to live because I have friends that
really do love me. I want to live
because there is yet light and promise in this world. Those thoughts went unheard and instead a
voice told me to grab a bottle of pills. Ironically, though not uncommonly, I
thus swallowed down anti-depressant after anti-depressant. Failing to do their job in the prescribed
form, I suppose they may have been ultimately successful as I would no longer
feel crushed by this heavy depression in death.
But death was just one more goal I would fail to reach as my husband
woke from his slumber and halted my progress. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Consequently, I ended up in the emergency room and then in a
locked behavioral health unit. When I
might have been home typing a brilliant post in response to Robin Williams’
struggles in an effort to end the stigmatization toward mental illness, instead
I was being admitted to a small white room and having my belongings inspected
for safety. Although I did not write
that post in a timely fashion, here is what I want you to know now: Robin
Williams did NOT kill himself.
Depression killed Robin Williams.
Had I actually been successful in my attempt, I can only imagine how much
it would have pained me to then be blamed for my own death. I was not in my right mind when I believed I
needed to die and that suicide would actually be a favor to my family. That was not me; it was the major depression. My illness was responsible for my
actions. If I were fully in charge, I
wouldn’t struggle with feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing in the first
place. If I were fully in charge, I
would never take my life and leave my two young children behind. I wasn’t in charge; it was the illness. You need to know this, so I repeat that Robin
Williams did NOT kill himself.
Depression killed Robin Williams, just like it has formerly made me cut
myself and it more recently made me swallow those damn pills. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.ramblingmorons.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/P1-suicide-hotline-200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ramblingmorons.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/P1-suicide-hotline-200.jpg" height="320" width="304" /></a>While on the unit, another patient asked about my
family. I showed her a photo of my
children and she expressed how beautiful they were. She then asked about my home and my career. After sharing a bit of my life with her, she
then said, “Well, look at you. You have
a strong education, a beautiful home, and two amazing children. Your life sounds pretty damn good. How can
you possibly be depressed? Why are you here?”
My reply to her was very basic as I simply stated, “Because I have a
mental illness.” This, too, is what I had
hoped society would recognize from Robin Williams. It does not matter how many external
blessings you have in your life. You can
have a wonderful, loving family. You can
have a strong education and a promising career opportunity. You can even have fame, fortune, and
admiration. None of that matters if you
have a mental illness. Mental illness
does not discriminate and no amount of wealth or wisdom can cure it. It is; it just is. Yet this question came
from a woman who was sharing a behavioral unit with me. Even she didn’t get it. If she didn’t understand, how could I expect
the world to understand although it earlier appeared to me that it had all “already
been said and done”? We need to keep on
saying. We need to keep on doing. It’s going to take a lot more than 48 hours
of trending articles in reaction to an actor’s death in order to change the
misconceptions that exist about mental illness.
Mental illness is an ugly, ugly beast and we better start paying
attention to it as I assure you it refuses to be ignored for those who are
suffering. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Despite my earlier considerations, I have decided it is not
selfish to talk about mental illness in the wake of Robin Williams’ death. It is necessary, just as it is every single
day, to continue to educate society about mental illness and suicide. In addition, the act of suicide itself is not
a selfish one. It is indeed tragic and devastating,
but we must hold major depressive disorder and mental illness responsible
rather than the ailing individual. Approximately 38,000 people die from suicide
annually, and 107 other individuals lost their lives to suicide on August 11<sup>th</sup>,
the day the world lost Robin Williams.
We can’t ignore those numbers. We can’t continue to ignore mental
illness and expect that individuals just “snap out of it” because they have
good things in their lives. The illness
can speak louder and then one only sees a distorted view of the world – a view
in which the world is far better off if he or she were just dead. Trust me.
Please trust me because I know, and I know our attitudes and beliefs about
mental illness MUST change. Every moment
should be an opportunity to make a difference and end the stigmatization of
mental illness. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-56888462062705965372014-05-30T15:26:00.001-07:002014-05-30T15:26:21.194-07:00Things We Don't Want to Say (But Need To)<br />
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I showered today.
Trust me that this is sincerely an achievement worthy of mention here. I
took a shower, and it’s a really big deal.
I know that most of you probably won’t understand this at all, but I
think it’s about damn time that society as a whole start trying a slight bit
harder to comprehend this struggle.
These are the confessions most individuals who suffer from mental
illness don’t want to make, and the very same announcements the rest of the
world would almost gladly not hear. You
may not want to know that my showering today was truly a triumph as I spent the
last three days mostly confined to bed, wearing the same dirty underwear, matted
hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, teeth not brushed and face not washed. You may not want to know that my
uncleanliness was of no concern because I had no will to live. I didn’t feel like a human being of worth and
value; I was just a lump of tissue and meaningless mass. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You may not want to know that nothing could bring me joy;
even the smiling, fresh young faces of my two loving toddler children could not
break through this thick depression – this impenetrable suffering. You may not want to know that while it was a
sunny 85 degrees outside, I just hid under my covers and tried to shrink away
from the world and all its accompanying labors.
I would rather be asleep than awake for only in sleep could I truly hinder
my self-hatred, anxiety, worthlessness, anger, and fear. <o:p></o:p></div>
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These are the things I often don’t want to say, and don’t
want others to see. I don’t allow many
people to observe my suffering as I fear they will falsely judge and label me –
crazy and incompetent. My illness is not
all I am; I am so much more than this bipolar disorder, anxiety, and
post-traumatic stress disorder. Such a
large portion of society fails to perceive my illness as akin to any other
medical condition and simply cannot comprehend that I too am capable of being
intelligent, creative, dedicated, and valuable.
Thus, I am taught to be silent and to keep secrets because the whole of
society will all too readily diminish an individual’s worth if mental illness
is discovered. My mental illness is a
massive black smudge on an otherwise brilliant resume. <i>This is
not as it should be, but such is the reality.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Although doctors did recently discover a pre-malignant
tubular adenoma and thus remove it from my person, (fingers crossed) I have
never suffered from cancer. However, I
would never say to the individual who is suffering from this illness, “Why don’t
you get out of bed? You can’t really be
that exhausted. You know, I don’t have
cancer and I’ve never felt that way, so I just don’t get it.” I certainly hope you all agree that such
statements are demonstrative of immense cruelty and ignorance. If agreed, perhaps then you can tell me why
it’s acceptable to tell me, “I’ve never been depressed. I guess I just don’t
get it.” You don’t have to experience my
illness to show some kindness and understanding. Why does it seem acceptable to propose that I
“just snap out of it?” Just like the
cancer patient can’t miraculously cure his or her illness of sheer will alone,
neither can I just brighten my mood by changing my attitude or being more
appreciative of my blessings. Mental
illness is not a choice; it is a legitimate medical disorder and <b>must</b> be recognized as such. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are things we don’t speak about because too many individuals
continue to believe that depression and anxiety are chosen and desired. I, myself, cannot think of one single reason
why I would choose to spend three straight days in bed when I could be out gardening,
playing with my children, enjoying the sunshine, doing these things I love to
do when I am well. But I am not
well. Episodes of great depression can
overtake me so suddenly, just like an unexpected fever or infection that keeps
the mentally well person somewhat restricted for a period of time. This individual has the knowledge, though,
that the fever will pass and they will be wholly well again. During my severe bouts of depression, I am
filled with an all-encompassing distress and anxiety that I will never again
recover and I will never again be valued or loved by another. I don’t
normally speak about such apprehension though, for if others knew of such
fears, would they then accept my alarm as reality and thus be even more
dismissive of my abilities? (I will get better, and I am capable of abundant achievements.)
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mental illness alone gives me much reason for concern. I worry that a bout of illness will occur at
a most opportune time. I worry that my
illness will be obstructive and prevent me from achieving my goals, hopes, and
dreams. I worry that my illness will
affect my children and they might hate a mother who brought them into this
world while fully aware she might not always be physically and psychologically
available to them. I worry that I will
lose loved ones who have grown too exhausted and frustrated with this miserable
beast of an illness. I worry that my
past manic behaviors might return and I could destroy my marriage or my
finances. I have all these worries, and
so many more. I don’t need the
additional worries of being misunderstood and misjudged due to the stigma of
mental illness. <i>This is not as it should be, but such is the reality. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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I want to believe that perhaps – just perhaps – we can alter
the reality if we break the silence and agree to speak out, to not be shamed,
to not be victimized by stigma. Yet, I
fear that I can scream as loud as I want, that I can try every single outlet to
educate others properly about mental illness, and it all won’t make a damn bit
of difference until others are also willing to listen and identify with these
struggles. You may not want to hear
about this hopeless, heavy depression, but you <b>need</b> to. I’m here saying the
things nobody wants to say, so now it’s your turn to listen. Please listen; it’s time to start trying. When we rid the world of this dreadful,
damaging stigma, this too will most certainly be an achievement truly worthy of
mention. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-40689543331836978692014-05-29T12:00:00.000-07:002014-05-29T12:46:10.547-07:00Alone Amid Ashes <div class="MsoNormal">
I hate how this anger still consumes me – blocks me – breaks
me down. I feel like I have just been
standing still – or falling down – for the past two years. My fists are at the ready, but I strike out
at all the wrong people. I am the one
left with the most bruises and scars; my own two hands are still pummeling me,
ensuring I am wounded and defeated. I
need to shriek and shout this fury out into the open air and allow it to escape
my offended body, where it continues to literally rip apart my insides with
these fucking ulcers and abdominal pain. I can’t though; I stand here nearly
mute, my voice now barely a whisper after all the wasted breath and determined declarations
of the past. It didn’t make a fucking
difference to them then, yet it’s still hurting me now. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I shake, tremble, sob with a rage that remembers like it was
just seconds ago when their lies were accepted as truths and the life I loved,
a life I struggled to build against countless obstacles, was unjustly taken
away from me. More doors closed –
slamming in my face – and no open windows to be found. Fear lingers in the heavy air and it stifles
me – completely immobilizes. I will
never, ever be ready to make nice. I
sure as hell hope I can forgive for my own sake though or this anxiety, this
relentless anger and fear, will crush me like a pile of bricks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t mean to burn all these bridges. If anything, I’m the one who is out there
collecting lumber late into the night, hammering away to reconstruct boards and
rails that have been ripped out from beneath my feet. I don’t mean to burn all these bridges, but
they know I’m a girl on fire and nonetheless they pour the kerosene all about
under my footing, mocking and affronting me until I stand alone amid bitter,
blackened ashes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Are you out there somewhere, hiding behind a cloak hemmed of
deceit and vanity, watching me with a smug smile and delighting in all the
damage you have done? Your gratification
could mean my destruction, you arrogant piece of shit. Instead of laying this anger to rest, I personify
my resentment and permit this beastly, colossal creature authority over me – cleaving
at my heart with sharp claws and gnawing at my strength with pointed teeth resting
on the edge of baited, vulgar breath. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is not what I want, so why have I given this anger so
much power? I don’t want to cry
anymore. I don’t want to hide under bed
covers. I don’t want to be so fragmented
and faulty that I nearly consent to your defamations and thus confess lack of
worth. I don’t want this, but here I am –
frozen, full of fear, faint, frail. I
want control; I want to stand victorious after all is said and done. I need vindication. I need release. I need strength. Instead, I crawl back into bed and weep with trepidation
and trembling. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-76689663627101175342014-05-27T16:43:00.000-07:002014-05-27T16:45:32.233-07:00The Greatest Guest Post Ever<div class="MsoNormal">
I feel immensely blessed to
introduce today's guest post. This post comes from a former student who
wrote this piece in response to criticism that I received regarding this blog
and my profession. I am so grateful to Maggie for her kind and inspiring
words. I hope that the following post inspires and moves all readers the
way it encouraged me. Maggie's words make me want to be a better person,
and I thank her exceedingly for seeing me as I believe I am. This post
brought tears to my eyes, and filled me with both deep hurt and vast
happiness. I feel hurt that we live in a world that persistently and painfully
insists I am incapable of being both an individual with bipolar disorder and a
highly competent, inspiring educator. I feel happiness I know otherwise, and
Maggie’s words contradict such ignorance and judgment so articulately. I hope that Maggie will continue to write her
own hurt and share her stories, as I truly believe words offer such help and
healing, which Maggie also brilliantly attests to here. So, thank you yet again, Maggie, and thanks
to all of my continued readers. I appreciate
your support! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> -----</o:p></div>
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From the very first day of my sophomore English class, Mrs. -----
left an impression on me. Most of what was in her syllabus was the same as
other classes: respect your teacher, come on time, and make up your missed
work. But for the first time in a classroom I was in, Mrs. ---- clearly stated
that the words “gay” or “retarded” were not acceptable. As a young teen,
susceptible to peer-pressure, I had used these words without giving them a
thought to their damage because I heard everyone else say them. I was surprised
initially when I read that on her syllabus, mostly because no one in that
school had ever corrected me or my fellow students when using them. I thought <i>what’s the big deal? These words don’t hurt
anyone; they are just words. </i>(Yes, my mom did teach me better than that,
but I guess I was still naive.) Another student had the same thoughts as I and
questioned Mrs. ---- in a rude manner. I will never forget what she said to
him: “Using those words for a synonym for stupid is unacceptable. Whether intended or not, there’s an
implication there that is painful. I don’t care if it doesn’t offend you; it
may offend someone in this room. This is a safe place for all of you and I
intend to keep it that way. I will not tolerate abusive language in my
classroom.” And that’s when it clicked for me that I was guilty of this, that
it was hurting someone, and so I stopped. (Thank you, Mrs. ----!)</div>
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Every day I went to her class, I learned something new and
had a few laughs. She was always honest with us and pushed us to be our best.
The worst comment I ever got on a paper from her was “I know you can do better
than this.” She was right, of course, because I wrote it the night before. She
was the kind of teacher that inspired you to do better work because she
believed in her students, and she helped us to recognize our own talents, and
not because of recognition or the effects to one’s GPA. I enjoyed her so much that I took two advanced
debate classes when I was not quite confident in my abilities as a speaker or
writer. I was nervous and unsure of myself constantly, but I tried. I was far
from great at debate, but Mrs. ---- showed me how to have some fun with it when
it actually scared me to death. At the end of the class, I even got “The Best
Listener Award.” When she gave it to me, she announced, “This girl hears
everything, even when it seems like she’s not paying attention at all. You guys (my classmates) think she goofs
around a lot, but you underestimate her.” She had figured me out in those three
years of being her student, and I am still very proud of that award! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I graduated that year and lost contact with Mrs. ----, whom
I now know as Angela. Sometime last year, I found her blog online and was a
little bit startled by the content because I was so used to seeing her as this
incredibly professional teacher. When
reading her blog, I was first taken off guard when I read the word “fuck,” and
her writing also shook me out of my comfort zone, and discussed a lot of darker
content. However, it was hard not to love her words. She spoke of many traumatic things I had faced
in my life with a fresh, humorous perspective. In each post, I found deeper
themes of strength, individuality, hope, passion, and compassion. She was so
real -- so unapologetically herself -- that I couldn’t wait for her to post
another story every week. I never felt
she was encouraging her readers to use foul language or act irresponsibly. Rather, she was encouraging us to be true to
ourselves and stay strong, to stand up for what we believe in, and to find
happiness and joy in a world that is often unfair. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://blogs.rockingham.k12.va.us/tahs/files/2013/05/stack-on-books-and-notebooks.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blogs.rockingham.k12.va.us/tahs/files/2013/05/stack-on-books-and-notebooks.jpeg" height="226" width="320" /></a>What she didn’t know until after I became one of her biggest
fans, was that I grew up in an abusive home. I watched my mother be humiliated
and beaten in front of me since I was nine, and I got verbal abuse every day
after school. I had low self-esteem and was very depressed. As a high school
student, Mrs. ---‘s classes gave me something to look forward to every day when
I got up for school. Now, years later, reading her stories of mental illness
and the multitude of struggles she has overcome, Mrs. --- continues to inspire me
so much. I said to myself, <i>if she can
beat this, so can I</i>. She followed her dreams; she didn’t let anyone tell
her she couldn’t do something. She became who she wanted, not who others told
her she had to be. Her honest and hopeful words have opened up an entirely new
world of possibilities for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So thank you, Angela, for showing us who you are completely.
You are an inspiration to me and I’m sure plenty of others out there. Thank you
for having the strength and courage to show yourself when the world tells you
to stop. You amaze me in many ways.<o:p></o:p><br />
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And to all you former or current students of hers out there
reading this: there will come a time in your life when someone else will try to
diminish your flame, like some people have tried to do here. They will try to
force you or ask you to give up that thing that makes you different, that thing
that makes you feel alive. Whether it’s because they don’t understand it, they
wish they had it, or purely out of animosity and don’t want you to be happy,
they are going to try to change you. Don’t let them. Everybody is somebody
special. <i>Yes, even you. You are special.
You are someone no one else is, and that’s important to the world</i>. (Yes, I
still stand by this even if you’ve read this entire post wishing I would shut
up already. You are special too, even though you are a turd.) Please don’t
change who you are because it may be easier, cooler, or more convenient,
because one day you may wake up and not know the person staring back at you in
the mirror. We live in a world where everyone is pressured to fit a certain
mold. I say fuck the mold! It’s okay to be different. And it’s okay to be you!<o:p></o:p></div>
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But with this realization, you also must also recognize that
just like you, others have a right to be different, too. When you see someone
be unfearfully themselves, embrace the shit out of that. Don’t ask someone to
blow out their fire because you don’t get it or it makes you uncomfortable. Do
you even realize how beautiful that is? It is not easy being different. It’s
not easy to stand out in a society that wants everyone to be the same. It’s not
easy to have a voice when the world shouts at you to be silent. It’s not easy
to do the right thing when the wrong thing is considered the norm. It’s not
easy, but it is so worth it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I ask of all of you, please fan that fire, that fire that
warms your soul and makes you feel at home, that fire that screams
individuality, that fire that is only dangerous when it is runs out. Fan the
fire, in others and within yourself. Celebrate it when you see it and love it! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope to celebrate Angela’s fiery spirit, and her words, for
much longer; I hope you will join me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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" 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I would like to thank Maggie yet again for this wonderful post! I would also like to make you all aware that I will be posting infrequently throughout the summer as I will be working on my graduate degree during summer session, as well as (hopefully) devoting more of my writing to one project for possible publication. Therefore, should any of my readers have an interest in guest blogging, please message me via facebook. I would love to host your words. I would be especially interested in hosting more former students, as I know there are many skilled writers among you. I hope to have Maggie returning too with her own stories. Please leave her comments and feedback on this post! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-53156788261333921522014-05-12T19:21:00.002-07:002014-05-12T20:34:30.737-07:00From the Vault: The Peculiar Relationship Between a Mother and a Daughter<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday, mothers across the world
were celebrated. I, too, celebrated my
own mother, mother-in-law, and expressed deep gratitude for my own children –blessed
that I am now called mother as well.
Mother’s Day also caused me to reflect on my ever-evolving relationship
with my mother. On May 11<sup>th</sup>, most
individuals proudly proclaimed that they have “the best mother ever.” In all honesty, my mother probably would never
be awarded such an honor by any typical societal standards, but I also love her
immensely and am grateful for the strength and determination she has passed on
to me, though often unintentionally. The
following piece was written at age nineteen for a Women’s Studies course. It was also included in an anthology that
discussed discrimination and sexism in our nation. Every woman has in her the power to hurt and
the power to heal, and almost every woman I know underestimates her strengths,
or has her talents diminished by society.
I share this personal essay that every woman may know she is loved and
stronger than she believes. I share this
to let every woman know that we are not required to live in shame and fear of
our flaws, for we will be forgiven by those that matter most. I share this to give voice to those mothers
who worry they have failed their children.
Our failures make us human, and they are only temporary; a mother’s love, however, is forever. This essay was written with the deepest of
love for my own flawed, yet incredibly beautiful and brilliant, mother. Thank you for all that you are and everything
you do, Mom. I love you more than you
will ever know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Peculiar
Relationship Between a Mother and a Daughter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I
received a telephone call from my sister today.
She spoke heatedly of hatred for my father and shared her desire for my
parent’s separation. I couldn’t believe
she said these things with such conviction and genuine detestation. As she spoke, I denied the possibility that
my parents would ever seek a divorce. My
sister went on to inform me that my father had been behaving as a jerk, and
that my mother was in agreement with this assessment of his behavior. I also agree.
My father can often be an insufferable jerk.<o:p></o:p></div>
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However,
I went on to defend my patriarchal flesh by advising my young sibling, “Oh,
that’s just normal,” as if it were acceptable for our father to be an asshole
to his children and their mother. I have
somehow convinced myself that it’s okay for our father to treat us like
domestic servants instead of daughters while he sits on the recliner in front
of the television hollering out demands – fetch me this and fetch me that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There
remains within me the idea that my mother and I both need him. Society
certainly affirms that my mother needs him – for both economic stability and
social acceptance. There is a selfish
and culturally obedient child within me that believes my mother should stay and
quietly endure my father’s mistreatment.
Despite my belief, I’ve often remarked, “If I were you, I wouldn’t put
up with his shit.” But I am a liar,
because I will brush off his behavior as acceptable. Society has not been alone in teaching me to
do this. My mother has taught me this
too; I’ve followed her example. I am not
as strong and seemingly insensitive as my mother though. Sometimes when my dad yells, I cry. Other times, I yell back. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My
mother does not yell back at my father.
She takes her anger, her hurt, her pain, out on me instead. I have a clear memory of many times that my
mother verbally shot me down. I look
silently into her face and toil to forget such wounds as we stand together
outside. She stamps out a cigarette with
a pair of worn white tennis shoes that she’s had for as long as I can
remember. I then tell her she should
really stop smoking and she whips back, “If you don’t like it, go away."</div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I often find
myself staring at her features and, more and more, I find myself in her. I don’t always like what I see. That mirrored reflection tends to frighten
me. I find her wiry eyes staring back,
her sloping nose leading to her wicked mouth, her thick eyebrows, and heavy
hair containing a few noticeable strands of gray. Her face looks so wry and troubled – much as
I am. She looks back at me and tells me
to just “leave me alone.”</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">S</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">ometimes I will
wonder why she says this. I am concerned that she might not love me or that she
doesn’t realize how much I truly love her.
My concerns begin to fade away as I understand my mother more. I don’t know why I ever imagined or expected
to find my mother overflowing with sunshine and support all of the goddamn
time, as though she walked off the set of some sitcom. Those women are non-reality based and the
images they represent contribute to my belief, and the belief of women across
our culture, that it is acceptable for men to act as my father does. But if my mother should act similarly – how
shocking and sinful! I realize now that
this is bullshit.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">M</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">y mother has
many reasons to desire no disturbances. My mother works so hard, moves in
accordance with other’s desires, and has little left to truly call her
own. My father works his one full-time
job expecting to be waited upon while he sits righteously on his ass after
arriving home. My mother works two jobs,
cares for her four children, and completes all household tasks. As is the case for most women, much of my
mother’s work goes unnoticed and unpaid.
I would suspect that serving my father is not a high preference for my
mother as this is the employment my mother performs for below minimum
wage. My mother has remained in this
pink-collar occupation since the age of sixteen where she first waitressed at
an A&W.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">W</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">hen my mother
makes her request to be left alone, I no longer take this personally. I am much
more understanding because I have felt the same sexist, societal pressures that
my mother feels. These pressures wear my
mother down, and make her cold and bitter.
I am still young and fighting, but life isn’t sweet, so leave me alone.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> wish I had the
courage to share many things with my mother.
She has built a wall around her heart and is hesitant to let me in. I know she’s really not as tough as she
appears, but I often feel so weak that I need to trust in my mother’s
tautness. Every time I attempt to share
with my mother, she appears to be avoiding me, putting on a front of coolness. I could tell you that this is not fair, but
nothing really is. I have learned this too from my mother. </span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">S</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">ometimes my
mother will use the word ‘bitch’ when referring to me, and sometimes my father
will use the word ‘bitch’ in reference to my mother. When I hear this word, I am filled with
violence untypical of my personality. No
one has ever called my father a ‘bitch.’
I have concluded that this title comes along with the territory of
womanhood. My mother is not a bitch; she’s my mother. I am not a bitch either; I’m her daughter.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> want to escape
all of this unnecessary, gender-based hatred.
My mother and I step into her car together and she remarks, “Those
stupid birds just keep on singing. They
must not know how shitty it is outside.”
It’s black and raining out there, but I know I’ll be safe in here – next
to her. She doesn’t intend to hurt me.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">S</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">he lights a
cigarette and I again ask her to quit.
She ignores me and turns on her country-western radio station. I hear a familiar song playing – </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She don’t
know she’s beautiful – never crossed her mind.
She don’t know she’s beautiful – no, that’s not her style. She don’t know she’s beautiful – though time
and time I’ve told her so. </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">My mother
is so much more beautiful than she’ll ever realize.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">W</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">hen I ride
along with her, it doesn’t matter where we’re going. I don’t need a destination. I just need her. Neither of us needs anyone else; my mom would
survive even without my father. I wish
we’d keep driving forever. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Mommy, let’s run away together. Mommy, promise me that everything is going to
be all right even though I know you would be lying.</i></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">O</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">ne finds it
difficult to describe the peculiar relationship between a mother and a
daughter. We are not what you might
believe. Please just leave us alone. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-2787129179071194552014-04-28T07:22:00.001-07:002014-04-28T07:33:04.656-07:00Advice From Old Alanis Morissette Albums (I Changed My Mind) <br />
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<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=tBge3AKo8VZYOM&tbnid=z8VH2LSqBMs5fM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fomusicologo.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F28%2Foriginais-originados-alanis-morrissete-x-the-police-seal-e-black-eyed-peas%2F&ei=HmNeU_vME6m4yQGH6oDQCA&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNF553LBYQAtpqex0jg9eW8IKSM6vQ&ust=1398781079797888" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" wrc_done="true"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Much of my young adulthood and womanhood was accompanied and
impacted by female musical artists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Alanis Morissette was key among these as I drove around my tiny town aggressively
singing along to “You Oughta Know.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
I walked away from my first marriage, I sat in my friend’s car listening to
Alanis once again and realized how sorry I was that I had lost my identity to
that relationship, relating far too much to the lyrics of “That Particular
Time.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also felt assurance that my
current relationship would endure as he was and is the man Alanis describes in “Everything.”</span></div>
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<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=tBge3AKo8VZYOM&tbnid=z8VH2LSqBMs5fM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fomusicologo.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F28%2Foriginais-originados-alanis-morrissete-x-the-police-seal-e-black-eyed-peas%2F&ei=HmNeU_vME6m4yQGH6oDQCA&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNF553LBYQAtpqex0jg9eW8IKSM6vQ&ust=1398781079797888" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" wrc_done="true"></a><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=tBge3AKo8VZYOM&tbnid=z8VH2LSqBMs5fM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fomusicologo.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F28%2Foriginais-originados-alanis-morrissete-x-the-police-seal-e-black-eyed-peas%2F&ei=AWReU96RL5LiyAGr8IGQAQ&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNEGyZr6j74LuiBB7WP_4sO7TywOOQ&ust=1398781309800858" id="irc_mil" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://omusicologo.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/alanis-morissette.jpg" height="239" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=tBge3AKo8VZYOM&tbnid=z8VH2LSqBMs5fM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fomusicologo.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F28%2Foriginais-originados-alanis-morrissete-x-the-police-seal-e-black-eyed-peas%2F&ei=HmNeU_vME6m4yQGH6oDQCA&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNF553LBYQAtpqex0jg9eW8IKSM6vQ&ust=1398781079797888" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" wrc_done="true"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This past weekend, as I traveled across the state solo, I
first loaded up my disc changer with that identifying music of my youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the children along, I would not be
required to listen to The Fresh Beat Band and I could once again enjoy my favorite
musical women – Alanis, Tori, Fiona, Dar, Aimee, and their kin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to Alanis, I realized that I was
making “Excuses” in regards to my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you are not already aware, I recently decided and announced that I
would be taking a possibly permanent hiatus from this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This decision was made due to the discovery
of, and response to, this blog by an unintended audience of younger viewers
over whom I have some influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want that
influence to be positive, and it was suggested to me by individuals of elevated
position that perhaps some of the content, particularly the cursing, portrayed
me in a negative light, devastatingly disabling my ability to be a positive
influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My desire to be a positive role model is absolutely sincere
and it largely impacted my recent (clearly reversed) decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, that wasn’t the only reason I made
that decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was annoyed, and
frustrated, and scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sick of
listening to the snarky comments made at barely audible levels when my back was
turned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sick of the disapproving looks
by individuals who clearly had not taken the time to read the whole of my work,
and understand all that I truly represent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was worried about my reputation and quitting was easy; it was safe and
soft and I wouldn’t have to be strong and bursting with courage and
conviction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alanis reminded me however,
that while my excuses and my abandonment of my passion might have kept me safe,
it would also keep me stuck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m tired
of being scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m tired of being so
damn good at sabotaging my fantasies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
could teach that skill in fewer than Alanis’ “Eight Easy Steps.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know it’s going to be difficult and sometimes terrifying
to remain exposed through my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know the whispers and glances will remain, but they were likely to persist
regardless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot control how others
will react to my words, and I know this now (thanks, Maggie).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I do know, and have struggled with for
some time (<a href="http://notappropriate4.blogspot.com/2013/11/free-porn-and-cat-videos.html">evidence abounds</a>), is that my blog title has become an absolute misrepresentation
of myself and my work, and it falsely steers folks toward negative
judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This blog will change its
title and appearance, but<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> I will not
change. </b>When friends and followers responded to my announcement, it was with
disappointment and acknowledgment that I have been an inspiration by being
authentic and unapologetic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my mind,
the ability to know one self, and own every success and struggle, is the mark of
an upright role model.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that I
curse on my blog need not necessarily make me a negative influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not promoting rampant foul language; I still
cringe when my husband mumbles “shit” in front of our kids when he trips on the
rug (he does this a lot – why is he so clumsy?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=weEgE7SItHngAM&tbnid=X8Q8uvlCFKiPlM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.zerodean.com%2F2013%2Ftao-of-zero%2Fwhen-you-are-brave-enough-to-be-yourself%2F&ei=rmNeU6LCGIXuyQHE1IG4Bw&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNEHitLyKFyZ-zT2Q_A1pkFAAdNm2g&ust=1398781212034482" id="irc_mil" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://blog.zerodean.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/when-you-are-brave-enough-to-be-yourself.gif" height="398" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="398" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I do promote courage in the face of outstanding struggle, forgiveness
of one’s self for past lapses, the ability to stand up when everyone else
is sitting down, the passion and will to follow your dreams despite failure or
judgment, and the will to rise and be resolute repeatedly. </span></div>
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<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=tBge3AKo8VZYOM&tbnid=z8VH2LSqBMs5fM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fomusicologo.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F28%2Foriginais-originados-alanis-morrissete-x-the-police-seal-e-black-eyed-peas%2F&ei=HmNeU_vME6m4yQGH6oDQCA&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNF553LBYQAtpqex0jg9eW8IKSM6vQ&ust=1398781079797888" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" wrc_done="true"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I led my own classroom, in addition to
knowledge of allusions, iambic pentameter, post-modernism, literary analysis,
and the like, I am certain I also instilled lessons of empowerment and
passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I led my students to be true to
themselves, to stand up for what they believe in, and to be brave in the face
of hardship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I were to silence my own
voice, those lessons would now ring false.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know I am not a perfect role model; I don’t know anyone who meets that
definition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I know myself and I
am going to continue to represent every aspect of that self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a positive inspiration, and I know this
as my truth even if other vistas are in opposition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m cheerful, impassioned, and kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can also be angry, bitter, and
enraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I speak sweet poetry
and sometimes I spew outrageous curses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These elements are not mutually exclusive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most beautiful and fascinating people are
a tapestry of roles and adjectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
a mother, a sister, a best friend, a teacher, a smart-ass, a bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am strong sometimes and I am scared
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also willing to let my
readers see all these sides of me because <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">words
can make a difference.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the
power to inspire and comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want the
world to know that we don’t need to hide our ugly parts and we don’t need to pretend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write to connect and relate, and I strongly
believe that’s why most individuals read this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, in a reversal of my previous
decision, my voice will not be muted and I won’t just walk away from my
writing. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=tBge3AKo8VZYOM&tbnid=z8VH2LSqBMs5fM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fomusicologo.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F28%2Foriginais-originados-alanis-morrissete-x-the-police-seal-e-black-eyed-peas%2F&ei=HmNeU_vME6m4yQGH6oDQCA&bvm=bv.65397613,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNF553LBYQAtpqex0jg9eW8IKSM6vQ&ust=1398781079797888" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" wrc_done="true"></a><br /></div>
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<div style="border-image: none;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Alanis is also correct when she sings “you live you learn;
you love you learn; you cry you learn.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This blog is an expression of that learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may have done as Alanis advised at some
times by “sticking your foot in your mouth at any time,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but I’m not really sorry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alanis also told me “we could just hide our
heads in the sand, just call it quits.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I won’t be that women though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
might become temporarily entangled in struggle and doubt, but I will get back
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mistake is not in the falling
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Failure only comes in the staying
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My head is out of the sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know who I am, and that woman is genuine
and good, so she won’t be silenced and ashamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-33864695175860535922014-04-04T17:40:00.001-07:002014-04-04T17:43:14.399-07:00You Guys Like Me -- And I Have an Award to Prove It! <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you follow me on facebook (which you should do right now
if you haven’t yet – check out that right-hand side bar folks!), you might be
aware that I have been having what is now an annual event to be here out
referred to as “I Feel Bad About Myself Because I Said 'Fuck' on My Blog.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know, it’s kind of a long title, but suck
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That event was yesterday, and I’m
over it already and back to being unapologetically me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the reasons the guilt is gone is the
reminder that you guys like me – you really do like me (and I love you for
that, by the way).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.splatospheric.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sisterhood-award.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-1404" src="http://www.splatospheric.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sisterhood-award.jpg" height="300" title="sisterhood-award" width="290" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To signify the fact that there’s still love for this blog, I
gratefully accept the “Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award” from the ever so
kind, independent, intelligent <a href="https://twitter.com/MizYank">Karen</a> at <a href="http://www.splatospheric.com/page/2/">Splat-ospheric</a> (whose blog you should
totally go check out right now because she too is a strong, sincere,
compassionate individual).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, thank you
Karen! I know it took me ages to actually write my acceptance post, but my
gratitude is no less sincere – winter just sucks the creativity right out of
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you’re not aware, a lot of blogger awards also come with
stipulations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, so, yeah, they are
really more akin to chainmail than any kind of shiny, earnestly fought for,
emblem of achievement (but I still want awards -- give me more awards!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given such, there
are a few rules that accompany this award.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>THE RULES:</strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">1. Provide a link to, and thank, the blogger who nominated you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">2. Answer the ten questions provided.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">3. Nominate ten blogs to receive this award. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">4. Provide links to your nominated blogs, and kindly let these bloggers know they have been nominated (and you think they kick ass!). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">5. Include the award logo within your post. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">P.S. - I added the kick-ass part, and I don't know what this damn green bar is here for and I can't make it go away. Aaargh. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having accepted these rules, I now provide my responses to
the ten questions: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite color?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As it is the color of royalty, and I am the
Queen Bee, purple is naturally my favorite color of all time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Purple coat. Purple purse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Purple jewelry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m like that kid in your elementary class
whose lunchbox, pencil box, tennis shoes, and scrunchy had to totally
coordinate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite animal? </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My favorite animal is easily the dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs are our family and our best
friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cats, on the other hand, are
shady mother-fuckers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry, cat lovers.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who wrote these questions? Seriously, I
want to talk about wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I refuse to
answer this question, but wine is good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you prefer facebook or twitter? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://notappropriate4.blogspot.com/2014/03/fuckitfridays.html">See Example A</a>: I hate twitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/notappropriate4">Reference Example B</a>: I want you to follow me
on facebook. You can even earn an entry to win the <a href="http://babysideburns.com/">Baby Sideburns</a> book by becoming
a new like! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite pattern? </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Uhm, I like swirly things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you prefer getting or giving presents? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I prefer giving presents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to see the happiness on other’s
faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, if the gift is large
sums of cash, I prefer that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please send
me large sums of cash – or bottles of wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wine is good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite number? </span></i><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m going to answer twenty-two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really have a favorite number, but I
still considered this question and thought, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
was so damn hot at age twenty-two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
should be twenty-two again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>I just
really want those abs and ass again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
all lament the loss of my tight body before proceeding to the next
question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for that moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite day of the week? </span></i><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My favorite day of the week is Saturday as
my husband usually lets me sleep in late and then serves me a home-made omelet,
orange juice, and bacon (yum, bacon) upon my awakening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got myself a keeper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your favorite flower? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I adore lilacs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That smell is heaven to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I smell lilacs, I feel such a deep sense
of blessing and I know that life is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know that sounds cheesy as hell, but that fragrance really speaks to
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is your passion? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s right here, folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My passion is writing and communicating. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s books and words – the deep, universal truths
that can be found in fiction – those tales that restore our faith and remind us
we are not alone. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m also deeply
passionate about promoting empathy and education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, yeah, I also like wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wine is good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">--------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And, finally, (and this is the part where
the award resembles a chain letter), I present my list of “Sisterhood of the
World Bloggers” nominees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that you each
choose to proudly participate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have selected
these individuals not only because they are skilled bloggers with great voices
and true talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As this particular
award speaks to sisterhood, I have more specifically selected those women who
have inspired me either through their stories or their comments and support of
my own work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I can be an unintentional
“blog-hole” at times as my life becomes overwhelming and I don’t get to visit
and comment on your work as often as I would hope, but I want each of you to
know that you are admired and appreciated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m sending you each lots of love, and I hope you receive some new
readers who check you out due to your appearance on this list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://whoasusannah.com/">Whoa! Susannah</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://erickaclay.com/">Ericka Clay</a> (and <a href="http://tipsylit.com/">Tipsy Lit</a>) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://doesanyonecarewhatiwrite.blogspot.com/">Does Anyone Care What I Write?<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://disorderlywanderlustblog.blogspot.com/">Disorderly Wanderlust</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.larksnotesthis.com/">Larks Notes This<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.kimulmanis.com/">Kim Ulmanis</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://cynk.wordpress.com/">That Cynking Feeling</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://seekeroffun.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/the-africa-diaries-entry-2-may-20-2010/">Seeker of Fun<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://michiganleftblog.com/">Michigan Left<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://outlawmama.com/">Outlaw Mama</a></span></div>
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</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-26007529448239219512014-04-02T18:22:00.000-07:002014-04-02T18:22:03.242-07:00My Little Lucy Pevensie: A Celebration of International Children's Book Day <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was young, my mother bought me a beautiful leather
bound illustrated edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tales of Mystery and Imagination.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I suppose such works might be considered rather dark for an eight-year-old
girl, but I devoured and adored those tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was probably this book, more than any other, which made me fall in
love with the world of fiction and all its wonderment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, she bought this book for my
brother, and gave me the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Arabian Nights</i>,
but I preferred Poe, just as I too prefer to tell this story slant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of who was truly the recipient of
that book, it remains a treasure of mine, and now sits on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> bookshelves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My brother and I were both avid readers in our youth,
sharing all the childhood classics like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also bought us annotated versions of
classic tales such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moby Dick</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Treasure Island</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Tale of Two Cities</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Pride
and Prejudice,</i> and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
a charming and appropriately age adapted collection that I was so sad to learn
she had donated to Goodwill years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
would have been positively delighted if my children were now able to read those
very same editions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite this one disappointment,
I cannot possibly thank my mother enough for instilling a love of reading in
me. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/s403x403/10001531_2085845181554718_805685679_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="International Children's Book Day is a day to inspire and ignite a love for reading no matter how old or young you may be.
What book from your childhood made you the bookworm you are today?!" border="0" class="_46-i img" height="320" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/s403x403/10001531_2085845181554718_805685679_n.jpg" style="left: -1px; top: 0px;" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What was your favorite childhood book? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe it is incredibly important that we read to our
children, and I have most certainly made this a priority in our household.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As today celebrates <a href="http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=269">International Children’s Book Day</a>, it is an appropriate occasion to reflect upon my own memories with
the written word, as I now continue to build a strong adoration of literature
in my own two children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although she is only age three, I have already introduced
Emily to Tolkien and Lewis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a
very attentive audience as I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Hobbit</i> aloud to her, asking quite insightful questions about the dragon,
and continually requesting, “You let me see that map again, Momma,” turning to
the front of the book and analyzing the illustrated cover pages, “So this where
that dragon live, Momma?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only once did
she bore of the story and wish to retire to bed early, stating, “No more this
Bilbo story!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Currently, Emily and I have been reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?isbn13=9780060244880&displayType=readingGuide">The Chronicles of Narnia</a></i> together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on book five of the seven book
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will race into bed with me
at night and ask, “Can we read some more about Shasta and the horsy, Momma?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During books two and three, this question
was, “Momma, you ready to read to me about Reepicheep?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her excitement and enthusiasm over these
tales gives me immense delight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emily is my little Lucy Pevensie, with a heart and mind full
of the wonder of youth and the wisdom of age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She constantly amazes me, and I wish I could capture her innocent wonder
and trust, just as C.S. Lewis captured the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">valiant
</i>traits of Lucy on the pages of his beloved fictional books. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you are likely aware, the world of Narnia was also
captured on film with the 2005 release of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe,</i> starring Tilda Swinton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was this past weekend that I first viewed
this film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents had a copy of it
among their DVDs and my daughter noticed it and requested to watch “the Aslan
movie.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film has slightly more
exposition than the novel, beginning with scenes of the Second World War, and
the Blitz bombings which led to the children’s evacuation to the
countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the scenes rolled across
the television screen, Emily informed her grandfather, “Grandpa, I think this
the wrong movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is the magic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is Aslan?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We told her to be patient, and her beloved
Aslan did soon appear, much to her great excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It’s Aslan!” she squealed in delight, “There
he is!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the youngest Pevensie first
appeared on screen, she eagerly asked, “Is that Lucy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucy is my favorite!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=j5hkynTIzrNQKM&tbnid=mnYhV8KpWpwiFM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanpop.com%2Fclubs%2Flucy-pevensie%2Fimages%2F18487805%2Ftitle%2Flww-photo&ei=Orc8U6utGvSl2AXYo4CwBQ&bvm=bv.63934634,d.ZGU&psig=AFQjCNFwpnxE9pCpO03VbVkIFvGYf5eiCQ&ust=1396574379742922" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img class="irc_mut" height="206" 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" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy is my favorite too. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the film closed and the credits began to roll, my
daughter looked to my spouse to question, “That’s it, Daddy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want this movie done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is Reepicheep? I want to see
Reepicheep!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reepicheep, the mighty
mouse, does not appear until the tales of Prince Caspian in the second book of
the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I found it extremely
clever and so deeply endearing that my daughter remembered these characters and
made such comments during the film. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While my daughter rules my world and melts my heart on the
daily, I did not compose this post merely to brag about what a kick-ass mommy I
am and what a “totes-adorb” toddler I have (she is so damn cute, though, you
guys). I do not believe or mean to propose that she is a child genius or savant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do strongly believe, however, that reading
has enhanced her imagination, her academic aptitude, and her whole life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i>
reading has imparted unto me such rich rewards. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A beautiful, bold imagination and a curious,
sharp mind are not unattainable skills bestowed only upon the most genetically brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A child need only to be provided with the offering
of reading and he or she can too possess a daring imagination and tireless
thirst for knowledge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, this
post serves as a public service announcement requesting that all parents
bequest onto their children the vision, creativity, and ingenuity that are
yielded from a love of reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Go forth and read, my friends! </div>
<div class="irc_mutc" style="text-align: center;">
<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=UDkdnDZzh1b9gM&tbnid=1NsDpFFiWhzdAM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Freadcd.ala.org%2Fblog%2F&ei=Z7c8U5OaN9Gp7AaDwoDAAQ&bvm=bv.63934634,d.ZGU&psig=AFQjCNFqcZuOYFezZzDH7sp_sWCmKPTZlg&ust=1396574440261315"><img class="irc_mut" height="155" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTADL9RY9OJTFtO23Fa-TKAcCQhx3Ma_Iz604XxhtkVyWYqylbecQ" style="margin-top: 35px;" width="400" /></a></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-24110230621848038102014-03-25T14:20:00.001-07:002014-03-25T14:20:56.589-07:00My Toddler has Mad Talent
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In yesterday’s post, I listed off a number of
responsibilities and difficulties I confronted last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that list, I failed to mention that I have
also been busy helping my three-year-old daughter compose and illustrate her
own books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily loves to tell stories,
so we have been recording them and making them into small books for her friends
and family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s quite demanding with
my time as I serve as her transcriptionist and illustrator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily’s “published” books include such titles
as “Puppy Time with Grandma” and “I Love My Daddy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday, we just finished a book she made
for her cousin called “Dolphin Adventures with Emily and Paris.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I record the contents of that book here: </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PseLpeFhPD4/UzHx5sJ-PWI/AAAAAAAAArU/9HbubFp3LB0/s1600/IMG_0307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PseLpeFhPD4/UzHx5sJ-PWI/AAAAAAAAArU/9HbubFp3LB0/s1600/IMG_0307.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The proud author, Emily Jane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once upon a time,
Emily and Paris went to have many adventures today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They went to see a dolphin at the swimming
pool.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emily and Paris
played with the dolphin and swam with the dolphin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They swam a lot and the dolphin was so big. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emily and Paris met a
baby dolphin and it was so cute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paris
loves just dolphins, and puppies want to swim in the pool too.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then the baby dolphin
swam away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big eagle came by and
troubled everybody in the whole water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another eagle hopped on the raft and drank from a teapot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then a bee buzzed by. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emily and Paris call
the dolphin back and it jumps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then a
big lion comes by and stops everybody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The lion says, “Stop! I need some teapots!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the lion leaves because that’s what I
want.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now there is just one
dolphin and one puppy and the puppy sings, “I love my Mommy!” Paris chases the
eagle and says, “Sing! Sing! Give me the teapot!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the eagle drops the teapot and goes away. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A whale comes
by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whale played with Paris some
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whale had a magic cylinder and
the train went by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The puppy barked at
the train. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emily and Paris went
home in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily told Paris, “I
had fun, my friend.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and Paris
give each other hugs and hop around and that is the end.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-dXCo3UeKo/UzHyNczl3EI/AAAAAAAAArY/V-LXzs2dzTY/s1600/eagle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-dXCo3UeKo/UzHyNczl3EI/AAAAAAAAArY/V-LXzs2dzTY/s1600/eagle.jpeg" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrated artwork "Eagle on Raft with Teapot" by Angela Ryan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I feel fairly certain that Emily will become an accomplished
author far before I ever do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least I’ll
have my kid to take care of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She can
financially support me, change my diapers, wax my mustache, and refill my
wineglass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I never succeed myself, I
figure I’ll be set anyway given the talent of my offspring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would note that the only editorial assistance
I gave Emily in creating the above story was to question, “And then what
happened?” and comment “Do we really need to write about more teapots?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the deal with teapots, kid?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-35693041447497945672014-03-24T19:16:00.002-07:002014-03-24T19:31:51.226-07:00#fuckitfridays<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a confession to make: I hate <a href="https://twitter.com/notapp4">twitter</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, I know it's
beneficial for marketing and networking with other writers, but to me it
honestly just feels like one more damn obligation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to say that connecting with others
feels like a duty too; I enjoy making connections with other bloggers and
like-minded individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there
are other outlets for that, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notappropriate4">facebook </a>is my preferred form of social media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(So, you know, you should totally follow me
there.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite my disdain for twitter, I made myself a very simple
goal last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it was simple
anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, perhaps one should not
make any additional demands upon oneself when she is trying to return to
employment after a two week absence due to severe depression, is currently
taking a new antipsychotic drug to support the antidepressant that isn’t quite
doing the job battling bipolar with the addition of seasonal affective depression,
is raising two toddler children, is battling fibromyalgia, is coaching, and is
also beginning her freelance writing career with several writing assignments due
in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That should have been
enough for me, but I decided that last week was the week I finally play along
with these weekly hashtags I’m sure most of you are familiar with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WHv06BkSqDQ/UzDla6xGhhI/AAAAAAAAAq0/8ZjZOMRLgAw/s1600/kimiko.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WHv06BkSqDQ/UzDla6xGhhI/AAAAAAAAAq0/8ZjZOMRLgAw/s1600/kimiko.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm down for the weird stuff, Franco. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Therefore, I made my goal known on twitter and facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started off my #mancrushmonday with a
lovely photo of James Franco from his guest spot on 30 Rock, announcing I wouldn’t
mind taking on the Liz Lemon role in the Franco/Kimiko threesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must admit I had to google what Tuesday’s
hashtag was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s be honest, I don’t
live in the hippest locale in the world, so I’m not always current on these kinds
of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At any rate, I managed to
follow through with #transformationtuesday, #womancrushwednesday, and
#throwbackthursday, although as an English instructor, I cringe when typing
these words without spaces and proper capitalization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then Friday came, and it was a long fucking week for me, y’all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what the hell kind of hashtagged
(is this a word?) day Friday was supposed to be either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
would have googled that shit had I the energy to meet my goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alas, I could not even follow through with a
week of obnoxious hashtags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Therefore, despite whatever Friday’s formerly popular
hashtag was, I am now declaring Friday #fuckitfriday, for when you just barely
made it through the week, and praise the Lord, but you ain’t got the energy for
any other kind of bullshit, so give me a Miller Lite and a bag of Doritos and
just let me pass out on the couch. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Whatever,
I did enough this week, mother fuckers.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s #fuckitfriday, my friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m22kr4j2WT8/UzDlq9zd-KI/AAAAAAAAAq8/-ttu6puLSq0/s1600/dance.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m22kr4j2WT8/UzDlq9zd-KI/AAAAAAAAAq8/-ttu6puLSq0/s1600/dance.jpeg" height="320" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mac Dad will make ya Jump, Jump </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And as Monday rolls around again, and I’m still struggling,
I petition that Monday no longer be #mancrushmonday and rather become
#mehmonday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>#mehmonday is for those days
you just want to say, “Hey, I showered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You better be fucking happy with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t expect me to change the world today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I showed up to work, didn’t I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So shut your damn trap and just let me
survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids, watch cartoons and don’t
whine to Momma today, it’s #mehmonday.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know you all can feel me on this one, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have time on Monday to think about
whom I might want to fuck, because I wouldn’t have the energy even if James
Franco showed up on my door step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hey,
Franco,” I’d say, “So, I applaud your effort on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As I Lay Dying</i>, but I haven’t shaved my legs (and other
unmentionables) in over a week and I’m kind of tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You want some Doritos?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can share my chips, but I ain’t up
for fucking nobody tonight.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, twitter, quit making more work for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have enough shit on my plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t I just eat Doritos and take naps?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why must I post pictures of me from 1993 when
I was in hip-hop dance class and performing to Kris Kross’ “Jump”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, I’m pretty damn hot for a
fifteen-year-old though, huh, Nabokov? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-40791504205030271692014-03-12T13:28:00.003-07:002014-03-12T14:15:09.033-07:00Time and Freedom to Learn <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday afternoon, a former student posed a question to
all of his friends and family on facebook: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
would you learn if you were given the time and freedom to learn it</i>? There
were a variety of splendid responses to this question, ranging from foreign
language to carpentry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The responses
were enjoyable to read, and created in me a renewed desire to gain more
knowledge and skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZSXJrfEfcA/UyDCMi5sBZI/AAAAAAAAAqc/kUUOjt2gEds/s1600/learn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZSXJrfEfcA/UyDCMi5sBZI/AAAAAAAAAqc/kUUOjt2gEds/s1600/learn.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I, myself, feel I am constantly learning and growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a strong desire for knowledge, which
is one of the primary reasons I am such an avid reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in fiction, there are universal truths
to be learned and much to be discovered of different cultures and
perspectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While most individuals
left one sentence responses to the above question, my response was as follows: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RbokKEhXOqQ/UyDClCB7GpI/AAAAAAAAAqk/_187KYkIXhs/s1600/wine+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RbokKEhXOqQ/UyDClCB7GpI/AAAAAAAAAqk/_187KYkIXhs/s1600/wine+book.png" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Foremost, I would
become a more skilled wine aficionado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
would like to speak a foreign language fluently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would learn to be a better gardener and be
more self-sufficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to
learn to build and craft items – to become more skilled with my hands. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would also like to learn more about
publishing so that I can pursue writing more devotedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would learn more about foreign affairs,
mythology, and philosophy. I would like to finish reading all of Anais Nin’s and
Virginia Woolf’s diaries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would also
like to write a thesis that fully analyzes every author mention and text allusion
in Ray Bradbury’s <u>Fahrenheit 451</u>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, just a few things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m always thirsty for knowledge, and
constantly reading and learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After leaving such a lengthy response, this particular status
update still made me pause to consider life and the lessons I so hope to gain
from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, I wondered what was
truly preventing me from gaining the aforementioned skills and talents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most basic answer is time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another reason is that my list of interests
and knowledge sought is so extensive that other areas have taken priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the other reasons I haven’t learned
all I want from books or manuals is that I have been busy simply living and
loving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would far rather have my arms
wrapped around my son and watch him smile than learn mechanics or carpentry,
although both are valuable skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, another truth is that there are some skills I wish I could
attain without the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really
want to learn reupholstery, for example; I just wish I innately knew how to do it
so I could cover the ugly, old, inherited side chair my husband insists on
keeping in our basement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upon reflection regarding the reasons we hesitate to gain
desired knowledge, I then considered all that I would love to learn, or, more
honestly sometimes, simply know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a
complete list would probably be too extensive, I decided to here list 20 things
(in addition to those above) I would learn given the time and freedom: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn how to sew, so I can hem up every
single pair of jeans that is too long for me rather than still depending on my
mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><a 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" style="height: 193px; margin-top: 0px; width: 129px;" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn to play piano, so I can pass this
skill onto my children</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> who have each expressed a deep interest in music. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn to read music; I’m ashamed that I
don’t possess</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> this skill after four years of senior choir. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn how to drywall, so that I could
complete the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> necessary work in our basement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn how to speak Spanish fluently, as
I have honestly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> learned more from watching Dora the Explorer than I ever did in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
my high school foreign language courses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn to speak Italian, so that I might
enjoy the country </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">more fully when I (hopefully) travel there in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about the saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to understand why each is significant.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about politics so that I can
more soundly support all of my beliefs and opinions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about foreign affairs and
world cultures, as such knowledge creates a more well-rounded, empathetic
individual. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><a 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" style="height: 205px; margin-top: -7px; width: 153px;" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> 10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn pottery, as I so admire the work
of other artists and all they create with their own two hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> 11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn sign language so that I might
communicate more effectively with those with differing abilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> 12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn basic auto mechanics, so that I am
more self-sufficient and less dependent on others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> 13.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about the publishing
industry, so that I feel more comfortable sharing a completed manuscript. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">14.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about Ernest Hemingway, whose
“swagger” fascinates me, thus more enjoying my (hopeful) future travels to Key
West and Paris to visit some of Hemingway’s old haunts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">15.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more of ancient Greece and the early
philosophers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">16.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about social media and
marketing, so that I could better promote my passion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">17.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn about computer programming and
html so that I could create my own blog badge, and other such basic skills that
yet confound me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxScJw1AcHJpbD5tjZNUTPv4zt7NGJPR8nbo5Uax7Of_Idv2nwCw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxScJw1AcHJpbD5tjZNUTPv4zt7NGJPR8nbo5Uax7Of_Idv2nwCw" data-sz="f" name="FUoCXRQCrRqvDM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxScJw1AcHJpbD5tjZNUTPv4zt7NGJPR8nbo5Uax7Of_Idv2nwCw" style="height: 177px; margin-top: 0px; width: 136px;" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">18.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn geography; I honestly can’t even
correctly identify</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> the fifty states on a blank map, and I only know a handful
of state capitols. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">19.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn the dates of all my in-law’s birthdays,
as my </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> husband </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">can’t remember and I have never recorded it, which</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> leads to an
inevitable argument after he has once again</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> forgotten </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">his mother’s birthday and
made us both look bad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">20.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would learn more about birds and flowers, so
that I can </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> correctly identify each species and plant when my young daughter
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> inquires about them with interest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And, now, I present the same question to you:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
would you learn if you were given the time and freedom to learn it</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please comment and then go forth and
accomplish your learning goals! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-10820332610487488632014-03-07T11:50:00.000-08:002014-03-07T12:01:46.764-08:00Brushstrokes of Blue <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t know why they call this the blues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blue speaks calmness and serenity to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It whispers of the ocean waves, crested with white,
rhythmically rocking back and forth and lulling me into a restful slumber in
the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells of the limitless blue
sky that surrounds the world, constantly reminding each and every soul of possibility
and promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blue is the voice I hear
when I look into my daughter’s beautiful, bright eyes and that voice declares, “I
love you and I need you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You make my
heart happy, mother.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The blues, then,
is such an inapt term for what I’m feeling now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://7thw.com/wp-content/uploads/painting-key-west-blue-768.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[pp_gal]" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Blue"><img alt="Lindsay Malboeuf Painting" class="attachment-portfolio_images wp-post-image" height="206" src="http://7thw.com/wp-content/uploads/painting-key-west-blue-768-616x399.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://7thw.com/blue-2/#!prettyPhoto[pp_gal]/0/">Blue - 7th Wave by Lindsay Malboeuf</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are shades of gray perhaps – each dull and poorly
drawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ashen and drab, dreary and leaden
– those are the tints and shades that more accurately portray my somber
mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Calling it a mood, however, is
quite inaccurate as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its proper
names are mental illness, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective depression, and
not those basic blues that most people speak of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah, yes, the blues, a lovely term used to
minimize the true effects of depression – the colors and odors no one wants to
speak of. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Black is the most prominent color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lights out in the bedroom, which I am
terrified to leave, hiding under the covers while my mind races irrationally and
anxiety hovers all around me in steely shadows. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Black as I close my eyes and the voices of
depression wish for them to remain forever closed, to never see again, and for
my heart to stop feeling this god-damn persistent pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Into the black as the debt piles up with more
missed days of work due to illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
there’s any blue in this picture, it’s only in that my being feels beaten,
black and blue and deeply bruised, by this disease. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I rage red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m infuriated with this lying bitch of an illness and my temper squalls
like a wicked, thundering storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m irritated with the stigma that surrounds it,
the sideways glances and condemning whispers behind my back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear your words, your words full of
ignorance and judgment, your words that make me want to crawl back under the
covers and fade into blackness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes I even credit your inane words and then I became wrathful
toward my own person, believing I am worthless and weak to the depression, as
if I had a choice to simply snap out of it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I were a painter, I would add brilliant brush strokes of
radiant color to this dark, depressive world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would add wisps of that blue, calming and inspiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A blue sky overhead as I breathe in the fresh
air and feel glad to be alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would
enhance my canvas with a glowing, brilliant burst of yellows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bright, yellow sun dazzling down upon me,
warming my soul and instilling me with hope and promise, making my whole being
as glowing and resplendent as the sun shining in the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would splatter shades of green and purple,
capturing the blooming of vines and flowers, the lilacs and the lilies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would toil not; I would bloom and grow and
feel whole again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My palette doesn’t currently contain the colors I
desire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No gentle blues, no soft lavenders,
no silky violets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want more
doors painted black; I long for open doors with the saving sunlight flooding
quickly in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I crave color, my entreaty goes
unheard for this illness is a violent screamer that hearkens not to my hopes
and perceives only the black, the red, the ache, the rage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be blessed with color, I needed to be born
into this world as a different girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, I won’t fault you if you put on a smock and pull forth a paint
brush in an attempt to color my world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
may always be an incomplete canvas, but sometimes the most beautiful works of
art come to fruition from the greatest struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://tipsylit.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/prompted-button.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Writing Prompts" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-114" src="http://tipsylit.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/prompted-button.jpg?w=300&h=287" height="287" width="300" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-69210187856102828392014-03-04T18:00:00.000-08:002014-03-04T18:00:33.073-08:00On Unicorns and Rainbows: Things You Shouldn't say to Someone with a Mental Illness
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a terribly misguided attempt to understand my struggle
with mental illness, my husband once inquired about my inability to leave the
house during especially exasperated episodes of my depression or anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He explained, “I just don’t understand why
you can’t get up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what I
can do to help.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then posed the
following question, “I mean, what if I told you they were giving away free
unicorns and rainbows at work, then would you go?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I despised him at that moment.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Free
unicorns and rainbows?</i> I thought to myself. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christ, what kind of ignorant dick did I marry?</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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" 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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The truth, however, is that he’s not a dick at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a kind, considerate man who is
frustrated with a very complicated invisible illness. No one wants to see someone
they love suffer, so those around us often try to offer advice and encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite best intentions, however, there’s
some things we’re sick of hearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
following phrases are not helpful, and should be avoided when attempting to
support someone who suffers from mental illness. </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Just cheer up! Look on the bright side of
life!” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you kidding me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is about the dumbest shit ever you could say to someone who is
suffering from depression or bipolar disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, I have heard this (and similar phrases) too many times to count.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t “just cheer up”; I have a chemical
imbalance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t choose to feel this
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a difference between being
pessimistic and being bipolar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
problem is not that I see the glass as half-empty; I have a problem with nerve
cell communication. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Things could be worse.” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course things
could be worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could be homeless and
on the streets, fighting to survive, badly beaten and malnourished, addicted to
methamphetamines. However, the consideration of hypothetical negative
situations does nothing to improve my current mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not ungrateful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I have a wonderful, supportive family
and many other blessings, but none of this negates the fact that I’m
bipolar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one considers telling a
cancer patient that things could be worse, so why does it seem an acceptable
response to mental illness? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“… but we love you.” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My own spouse has been guilty of this phrase quite
often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He might say something like, “C’mon
Angela, you can get out of bed today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know you’re depressed, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">but </b>we love
you so much.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This makes me feel so
awful and guilty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thinks he is simply
expressing affection, but when I hear that “but,” I hear, “I know you’re
depressed, but if you loved us enough, you would get out of bed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know how to love my family any more
than I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are my everything, and I
love them with my whole heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
depressive episodes are not linked to their love for me or my love for
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After explaining this to him, my
husband now simply says, “I love you … period.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Maybe you should see a therapist.” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To this response, I want to shout, “Why thank you! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm … do you realize that in my over two
decades of living with mental illness I had never before considered that
therapy could be beneficial?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you
so much, you incredible genius.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s
where that sarcasm font becomes necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I already have a therapist, as most people with mental illness probably
do too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The woman I meet with, though,
is a licensed psychotherapist – not a wizard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therapy teaches us how to manage our illness; it cannot cure it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mental illness is a chronic condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Just snap out of it already!” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay, remember when I said above that “just cheer up” is
about the dumbest shit you could say to an individual who suffers from mental
illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I might have lied; this one is
the ultimate ignorant douche-bag response to mental illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, would you tell the man who suffers
from diabetes to “just snap out of it”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you suggest that the blind man just “suck it up” and see
already?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would hope the response to
these questions is negative, as the situations most assuredly seem absurd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, it’s absurd to expect an individual
who suffers from major depressive disorder, or some similar mental illness, to just
snap out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That suggestion implies
that mental illness is not a legitimate, valid health disorder, and that belief
demonstrates brazen ignorance and disregard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=I_FO4rP2RaeaQM&tbnid=UstIrYLeIQC4uM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nami-northernvirginia.org%2Fending-the-silence-description.html&ei=yoMWU-bwF4moyAGunIHoCg&bvm=bv.62286460,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNE6tf8F9bqFMNW6GUDITOI-h3krQg&ust=1394070841504474" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
If even the prospect of unicorns and rainbows can’t “cure”
my mental illness, please trust that none of the above comments is going to be
the answer I’ve been waiting for either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead of offering up misguided advice and ignorant, tired clichés, I
suggest you try education and empathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
make these suggestions not only for myself, but on behalf of your sister, your
best friend, your co-worker, your coach, your aunt, your uncle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too many individuals suffer their mental
illness in silence for fear of receiving judgment and responses like those
above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s make an effort to<a href="data:image/jpeg;base64,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"> break the silence</a> and truly support one another together. </div>
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" 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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-1937363909739466962014-02-21T08:20:00.000-08:002014-02-21T08:22:27.447-08:00Maggie's SmileI've been trying out a lot of new things this week. Yesterday was the first time I posted fiction to my blog. Today, again, I'm sharing a flash fiction piece. I recently found a great writer's hangout, which I'm quite excited about, called <a href="http://tipsylit.com/">Tipsy Lit</a>. Tipsy Lit offers a weekly writing prompt and link-up. This week's challenge was to write about a joke gone wrong, and the following is the result of that prompt. As always, please read, comment, share, and enjoy! I'm trying to push myself outside my typical boundaries, so constructive criticism is most welcome. <br />
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Maggie's Smile </h2>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">She died on
April Fool’s Day, which seemed so profoundly appropriate that I thought God
must share her sense of humor too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remember when I was told the news; my initial reaction was laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just laughed out loud and shook my head, as
though the information was most assuredly false and this was all just another
one of her clever pranks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one pulled
off a better prank or told better jokes than my sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our mother always complained that she needed
to take life more seriously, but I thought why bother?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister always seemed to be having more fun
than anyone in the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who would want
to change that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Mom! Mom!”
I yelled out, running toward the house to retrieve her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Maggie fell off the tree! Maggie fell! I
think she’s really hurt!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother was doing the dishes then, and she
pulled her hands from the water, shook them quickly off, and then dried them on
her faded jeans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What happened?” she
asked, already in motion towards the back yard where we constantly played at
climbing and building forts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“She fell, Mom, she fell,” I faked fear, “I
think she hit a rock at the bottom.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mom and I arrived back at the scene of
the supposed accident, Maggie was lying in the grass with her legs splayed
awkwardly about and her forehead smeared with the fake blood we bought at the Ben
Franklin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Mom, mom … is that you?” she dramatically whimpered
and cried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mother began
crying too and leaned down to assist her eldest daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, Maggie, honey, what happened?” she
began, but then I ruined it when I started snickering and spit out an uproarious
snort I had been trying to hold back. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Dang it,
Tay! You ruined it!” Maggie yelled, and shot up from her position of portrayed
injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wiped the red, sticky substance
from her face with one quick movement and then jerked her hand out toward me,
splattering the green grass red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mom shook
her head and expressed her frustration that this was just another one of Maggie’s
poor jokes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“One of these times you won’t
find this funny anymore, Maggie,” she warned, “You’re going to get yourself in
real trouble.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sent us both to the
house then and made us copy information from our set of Encyclopedia Britannica
for an hour, hoping we would stay occupied and out of trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s what
childhood was like with Maggie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
called me Tay for short, her affectionate version of Taylor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was the only one who used that nickname,
and it made me feel that we had a special connection that would last
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was always her co-conspirator
in our youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’d come up with a plan,
I’d perform my role, Mom would be worried and then angry, and then we would sit
together at the kitchen table trying not to make eye contact, because we knew
we would both end up snickering and Mother would only extend our punishment
then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When she
became an adolescent, the four years between us now became a gap as great as
the Grand Canyon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wasn’t at home
much anymore; she was always out with her friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed like everyone in the whole world
wanted Maggie to be their best friend forever, myself most definitely included.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I was more often excluded now,
I still admired Maggie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her smile and
laughter were a teasing sort of magic to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When Maggie
got her license, she became even more popular. I remember one night when I was
moping around the house, wallowing in my own self-pity because my friend Jamie
was having a sleep-over without me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
got a better grade than her on our spelling test, and this made her upset
because I didn’t even try and she studied so hard; this, she said, made me “suck”
and she didn’t want to spend the weekend with a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“lame, sucky, suck-ass.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maggie noticed my mood and she lobbed an old
Rainbow Brite doll at me from across our shared bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Earth to Tay,” she hollered, as Rainbow grazed
across my shoulder, “What’s eating at you, kid?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Well, come
out with me and my friends tonight then,” she said, after I explained my current
crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so excited as we drove off
in her used Ford Tempo. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We joined four
other girls at Deb’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deb’s mom
was out of town and all the girls, including my sister, arrived with their JanSport
backpacks full of bottles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister pulled
out a bottle of Fleischmann’s and handed it off to me, “Here, Tay, you take the
first swig.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked up at her with
apprehension, but then joined as the other girls too took pulls from their Apple
Pucker and Boone’s Farm bottles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
cringed as I struggled to swallow the liquid, but tried not to let on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Jamie is a dumb little slut anyhow,” Maggie
added, and patted me on the back, apparently proud that her little sister was
hanging with the big girls now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I stuck to
Bartles and Jaymes the rest of the night, slowly sipping the wine coolers as
the other girls played asshole, bullshit, and quarters with the heavier stuff,
all giggling the night away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hey girls,”
Maggie asked after taking another shot upon being called out for bull-shitting
about the cards in her hand, “Why do most guys like big boobs and tight asses?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She paused a moment to ensure she had their
attention, “Because they have big mouths and tiny little dicks,” she announced pantomiming
at length with her thumb and forefinger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maggie was the definition of “life of the party.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maggie told me, “It’s called a hangover, Tay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get up and get over it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drinking from the night before seemed to
barely have an effect on her as she sat at her vanity making up her Maybelline
eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hated the dizziness and nausea,
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I loved my big
sister, I decided I wasn’t up for hanging out with those girls again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Maggie didn’t
change her habits though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would come
home late, trying to be sneaky, but then she would fall down the stairs or trip
in the hallway and just lay on the floor laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laughed too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I didn’t know better, but I think there
was just something contagious in her laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was hard to be mad at Maggie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even Mother, though she yelled at her, didn’t really try hard enough to
stop Maggie’s drinking and partying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
then it was just too late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mother came
into the room and sat down beside me on the bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She then told me she had just gotten off the
phone with the police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maggie was in an accident,
and she didn’t make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then she asked
why I was laughing and said, “Oh, Taylor, don’t be like Maggie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like isn’t always a joke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is precious.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She started bawling then and took my hands in
hers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw all the colors drain out of
her face; she was white except for the black mascara streaks that stained her
cheeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized then I would never
hear Maggie’s beautiful laughter again, no one would ever call me Tay again, no
one would pull pranks on our parents, and no one would try to cheer me up with
dumb, dirty jokes ever again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the weeks
that followed, it seemed everyone just tried to make an example out of my
sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They treated her like she was
just the poster child for some damn drinking and driving campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They forgot about the wonderful human she had
been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about Maggie’s smile?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about her laughter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about her joy and compassion and strength?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t that matter too?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maggie always said yes to life, and now she
was only being used to convince others “just say no.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know my sister made a mistake, but I wish
others remembered her the same way I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ll carry her laughter with me for the rest of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll keep Maggie’s smile forever safe in my
heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-78583425353726017492014-02-20T17:08:00.002-08:002014-02-20T17:12:27.319-08:00Good Girl Gone Up until this point, every post on this blog has been non-fiction. Every story told here has been truth. This post, however, has been written as part of a flash fiction competition with the them "<a href="http://writeonedge.com/">it takes two</a>." To celebrate the third year of their literary anthology <em>Precipice</em>, <a href="http://writeonedge.com/">Write on Edge</a> and <a href="http://bannerwingbooks.com/">Bannerwing Books</a> will be including the winning post in said collection. Please read, enjoy, comment, and share! You guys are great! <br />
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<a border="0" href="http://writeonedge.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://writeonedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WoENewButton-e1363040457539.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #5c5c5c; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">“It takes two to make
an accident.”</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background: white; color: #5c5c5c; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">F. Scott Fitzgerald, <i>The
Great Gatsby</i></span><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I should have known
immediately that there was something evil about him; the way I craved him was
so unnatural and new to me. I grew up a good Christian girl, honoring my
mother and father, and believing strongly in the sanctimony of marriage.
When I accepted communion on Sunday morning, I also believed that I was
consuming the true body and blood of Christ. I never hungered for that
wafer, though, or thirsted for that wine the way I hungered for his body and
thirsted for his kisses. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had watched my
father struggle with addiction. I never would have shamed him before by
spilling this secret, but all my old pretenses about that which was right and
good were abandoned once I first knew longing and felt alive. I knew then
that my father never felt fully alive until the first drink every day.
That trembling in his hands as he precariously poured the bottle of whiskey
over a glass of ice each afternoon was indicative of his own unhealthy desire.
It was the way my own thighs now quivered in anticipation whenever I
thought of that devil’s body hovering over me, hammering inside of me. I
felt I couldn’t survive without his flesh against mine. I knew now what
need was, and I forgave my father the slurring of words and the slamming of
doors. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That new devil
fascinated me. Although a part of me acknowledged he was broken, he still
made me feel whole. I never knew kisses like that before. Kisses
had been sweet with other boys, but they always seemed somehow obligatory.
They were merely a token of appreciation for the evening out. His
kisses tasted like sin. There is no better way to describe the soft, wet
meeting of our mouths than as pure sin -- that knowing that something is so
wrong, but the wickedness makes it all the more delicious. It never ended
with a kiss either, unlike the others who were merely a peck before parting
from the ever obedient, polite girl I was. When his lips first met mine,
and his hands traced every inch of my skin, that good girl was gone. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It felt like release
to let her go; it was a wonderful release as literal and physically felt as the
first time his fingers found their way below my waist and entered the pink,
supple insides of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The former good
girl never could have imagined her body feeling so alive and astounding. The
wetness was overwhelming as I moaned in delighted disbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted this; I wanted him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing else mattered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reputation, morals, and obligations were
immediately forgotten and I was slave to the mastery of his touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I never imagined then
how much I would forget myself; my entire identity became intertwined in him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lips and limbs lustfully entangled one
another, and my soul and mind so, too, became ensnared. I believed every word that
came from his lips, never once questioning his intentions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
ready to be his everything because I didn’t want to let him down as the others
had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His father left him at four years
old to live alone with an alcoholic, manic-depressive mother who too left at
age fifteen, finally succumbing to her illness with an overdose of prescription
medication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guilt-ridden after being
found in the arms of another man, his first girlfriend drank herself to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagined his soul must be riddled with
sorrow, although he never seemed to show it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Despite being a magnet for all things tragic, he had a cool confidence
that also pulled me magnetically toward him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So entrenched in my
deep desire, I couldn’t read all the passages of foreshadowing that were told
through his unreliable narration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
blinded myself completely to any arcane mysteries of his character, and saw
only that which I coveted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I craved the
way the tip of his tongue tickled my chest, my stomach, my inner thighs,
teasing me before entering me – the dripping discharge of liberation felt again
and again. Sightless to his faults, I also ignored all feasible miscalculations
of my addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I failed to predict the
pregnancy as foolishly as I forsook this final outcome. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The warmth of his touch was
drastically altered once he learned of our error.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the way his eyes narrowed viciously upon
me, I knew he deposited all the blame upon me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suddenly felt that he saw me
as the enemy – the enemy I should have seen him for all along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was the good girl and he was the one who
tempted me with his forbidden fruit, yet he now beheld himself as a god ready
to banish me from our Eden. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Banish me he
did indeed, and I became just another tragedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wasn’t just exiled from his touch, his thrust, his tenderness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He went far further to extents only a man with
a devil inside would ever dare. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Everyone who heard the fatal report
believed it was an accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one ever
questioned him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They mourned my death,
but sympathized far more with his loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How
tragic,” they all whispered in the church pews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They would then drop their voices even lower to pass their judgment, “Did
you know she was with child?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would
have been a son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A son had been sent to
us, but the child couldn’t save him from his life of lies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The child couldn’t save me; I was already too
far gone. The accident all started with that first compulsory, criminal kiss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was utterly amiss in my desire, and now
this good girl is genuinely gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-12395585008976220452014-02-18T14:51:00.002-08:002014-02-19T06:13:45.727-08:00In Their Shoes <strong>Author's Precaution: This post discusses sensitive material, and may contain triggers. </strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By age thirty, Julie had experienced
her third miscarriage. When she informed me of her most recent pregnancy, it
was in stark contrast to her enthusiasm at age twenty-four, newly wed and eager.
The fear was so evident, like a shadow that hovered over her wherever she
went. Julie’s courage visibly trembled in fear’s dark presence. I
held her hand and tried desperately to be a harbinger of hope. I smiled
and said, “This time …” This time she would be able to hold that beautiful baby
in her arms, to hear his first cries, to draw his tiny mouth to her breast and
nourish him. This time she wouldn’t awake in the night to blood dripping
down her inner thighs. This time the baby wouldn’t lie motionless inside
of her, and she wouldn’t see the obstetrician shake his head in confirmation
that there was no longer a heartbeat. I assured her that this time she would
know only the pain of labor, not of loss. But, I saw the doubt on her face
and I felt it in my heart. It took less than three weeks for the proof I
was wrong. She had given up on the trying, she said, because she couldn’t
take the pain anymore. She and I both knew, though, that sharp sting
would linger for all her life. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since age twenty, Trina lived with a
secret deep inside of her -- a secret that stirred and scratched about yearning
for release. After being reminded of her loss as we jointly consoled
Julie, Trina told me what she had not even told her own mother then. She
had left him years ago because she was pregnant. She should have left him
before that, but we often make decisions that are not truly in our own best
interest. He was the father by fact, but she couldn’t possibly
imagine the life her own flesh would have should that child be exposed to the
same physical abuse she had endured, always further numbing herself and
foolishly excusing him. There were moments of panic and indecision, and
then there was the morning, which haunts her still, when she stepped into that
clinic. The child that had been growing within her was removed and
replaced with a chilling hollowness that would torment her for all her life.
Guilt, like Julie’s companion fear, is the dark shadow that now slinks
behind Trina and hides in corners of her heart. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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style="height: 158px; margin-top: 0px; width: 318px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://notappropriate4.blogspot.com/2012/11/i-thought-i-lost-you.html">I slipped on Julie’s shoes once</a>, and quickly kicked them off. I hated how they felt. Those
shoes would never grow worn on me, for fear only briefly taunted me as opposed
to becoming a constant companion. I never tried on Trina’s shoes, as
those high heels terrified me. Yet, I somehow understand the way each now
treads for simply knowing their stories. In this knowing, there remains a
confusion regarding why many individuals would be quick to comfort one woman
and condemn the other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I know the pain
is real for both women; my sympathies are not in competition. Who am I to
say one can hold on to hurt while the other doesn’t deserve ownership of her emotions?
Who is any one of us to deny a woman her sorrow and suffering? Perhaps you have
also paced in Julie’s ragged, tattered sneakers; perhaps you too have staggered
in Trina’s strapped platform heels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe you have only known one pair of comfortable loafers your whole
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">both</b> women deserve understanding. It wasn’t easy for either of them
and empathy is a preferred companion to guilt and fear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">**Author's Note: Names have been altered to protect privacy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><img src="http://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/challenge149.png" /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><o:p><a href="<a href="http://yeahwrite.me/challenge-149/%22%3E%3Cimg">http://yeahwrite.me/challenge-149/"><img</a> src="<a href="http://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/challenge149.png%22%3E%3C/a">http://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/challenge149.png"></a</a>></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-18914640383210377722014-02-11T15:26:00.003-08:002014-02-11T15:26:53.097-08:00Momma Dreams
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I woke last night from another one of
my nightmares. I screamed so loudly that I woke my spouse and toddler
daughter, who had once again made her way into our bed. My husband gently
rubbed my back and reassured me I was safe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My daughter then brought her tiny hand
to my cheek and softly embraced me, stating, “It okay, Momma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had sweet dreams of kitties and puppies.” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As she regularly reports having such
sweet dreams, her father asked, “Can you send Momma some of your sweet dreams?
Can she dream of kitties and puppies instead of the bad things?” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“No,” my daughter adamantly shook her
head, “She no dream of kitties and puppies. She has to have Momma
dreams.” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Momma dreams?” her father asked, “What
do Mommas dream about?” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Mommas need to dream about cooking and
cleaning,” she merrily replied. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While there was amusement in my
daughter’s naïve response, those words also brought forth anger. This anger was
not directed at my adorable, comforting child, but at our culture and my own
role in our skewed society. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At only
three years old, has my daughter already become conditioned to believe that
women’s roles are as mothers only, to raise the children, cook the meals, and clean
the home?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does she believe she must
spend the remainder of her life subservient and smiling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does she believe that she can be defined only
in relation to a man? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If so, those are not my dreams for
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to those delightful
dreams of soft, cuddly puppies that she currently reports, I have far superior,
more significant dreams for my daughter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dream that my daughter may never find
herself in so many of the unfortunate positions I have discovered myself in. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I dream that my daughter may never work
in an environment where sexism is so commonplace that a complaint is scoffed
at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May she never sit in an employee
lounge where copies of FHM and Maxim are spread across the tabletops, with the
images of barely clad women smeared with greasy fingerprints.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I dream that my daughter will never be
in an occupation where she works more skillfully and competently than her male
coworker, yet earns $2.00 an hour less despite his lack of experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I dream that my daughter will never
date a man who requests she step on a scale to verify his belief that she isn’t
trying hard enough to stay pretty for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t want her to doubt her self-worth so greatly that she would remain
in this relationship. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I dream that my daughter may never believe
that intelligence is shameful in women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I never want to hear her say, “I didn’t want to do well on the test
because my friends would just call me a geek for being too smart.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My greatest aspiration for my daughter,
though, is that she pursue her own dreams – whatever those may be, with
disregard to common gender roles. Should she achieve her goals, I aspire to a
world where she is respected and rewarded consistent to her male counterpart. I
want her to know that some mommas may cook and clean, but they also do, build,
think, teach, inspire, plan, shape, and lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My dream is that she believes in herself enough to recognize she can do
any or all of these things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know that my nighttime terrors may
not vanish should these dreams be achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, such dreams would make growing up a girl less frightening for
all young females.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, have sweet dreams
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">big</i> dreams, my bright, growing
young woman. </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-79558497147343115902014-02-07T15:31:00.001-08:002014-02-07T16:21:59.598-08:00My Own 100 Books for a Lifetime <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Amazon just released its list of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/b?node=8192263011">100 Books to Read in a Lifetime</a>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After perusing this list, I
have read 51.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m proud of myself for
being over half way there, and I also gained a few reading
recommendations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, like most
great lovers of books, I found that there were some novels I believed to be
blatantly missing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, I have
created my own list of “100 books to Read in a Lifetime.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will no doubt be duplicates, but I hope
you also appreciate some of the new additions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am also aware that some of these selections are technically drama, short stories, or poetry collections. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What books
would make your essential list? Please leave your comments! </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Kill a
Mockingbird</i> – I won’t make note of every book I mention here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I truly believe that this book, more
than any other (even the bible), should be read by every single global
citizen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the reader truly follows
Atticus Finch’s advice, this book has the power to transform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An individual can truly become a better
person simply for having read this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It should be mandatory reading in every secondary school district. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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" 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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i> – How could Amazon possibly omit this
book?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so critical to our nation’s
history and has become deeply rooted in our culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, this novel should be mandatory
reading in every secondary school district. </span></div>
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" 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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Of Mice
and Men</i> – This novel has also become deeply rooted in our culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does no one else remember the Loony Tunes
character that asked to pet the bunnies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a vital novel of friendship and Lenny and George are pivotal
characters in the realm of fiction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pride and
Prejudice</i> – Of course Austen tops my list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Recall my wish to make zombie Jane Austen my BFF.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it is quite deservedly that this
novel should rank so high in Amazon’s list, Good Reads reader polls, and my personal
opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Austen is an astute observer of
human nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, particularly given
the time period, Elizabeth Bennett is an admirable marvel of a woman and an exemplary
role model. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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" style="height: 185px; margin-top: 0px; width: 119px;" /></a><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Grapes
of Wrath</i> – Steinbeck appears twice in my top five.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book is such a brilliant portrait of our
nation during a difficult time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Told
with honesty and poetic grace, the Joad family should be known kin to every
American reader. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZTfTpT4cNym01Ktz2tFVv78Dl4nwSUGNO90hsEdikmTsuTkpS" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZTfTpT4cNym01Ktz2tFVv78Dl4nwSUGNO90hsEdikmTsuTkpS" data-sz="f" name="eanA46Cykg-K9M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZTfTpT4cNym01Ktz2tFVv78Dl4nwSUGNO90hsEdikmTsuTkpS" style="height: 178px; margin-top: 0px; width: 115px;" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following novels appear without comment
and in no particular order:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6<strong>.</strong></span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Good Earth - </em>Pearl S. Buck<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Night - </em>Elie Wiesel <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Book Thief - </em>Markus Zusak</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>All I Really Need to Know I Learned in
Kindergarten - </em>Robert Fulghum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Kite Runner - </em>Khaled Hosseini <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Life of Pi - </em>Yann Martel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Nickeled and Dimed - </em>Barbara Ehreneich</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Help - </em>Kathryn Stockett </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">14.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Poisonwood Bible - </em>Barbara Kingsolver </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">15.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Fear of Flying </em>- Erica Jong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">16.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Frankenstein - </em>Mary Shelley</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">17.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Road </em>- Cormac McCarthy</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">18.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>As I Lay Dying - </em>William Faulkner </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">19.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Unbroken - </em>Laura Hillenbrand </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">20.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Circle - </em>Dave Eggers <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">21.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Slaughterhouse Five </em>- Kurt Vonnegut </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">22.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Sun Also Rises </em>- Ernest Hemingway </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">23.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Color Purple - </em>Alice Walker </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">24.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Their Eyes Were Watching God - </em>Zora Neale Hurston<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">25.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Black Boy - </em>Richard Wright <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">26.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Alchemist - </em>Paulo Coehlho </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">27.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>1984 - </em>George Orwell </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">28.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Metamorphosis - </em>Franz Kafka</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">29.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Heart of Darkness - </em>Joseph Conrad <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">30.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Mrs. Dalloway </em>- Virginia Woolf </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">31.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Invisible Man - </em>Ralph Ellison <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">32.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>A Passage to India - </em>E.M. Forster </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">33.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>I am Malala - </em>Malala Yousafzai </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">34.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Handmaid’s Tale - </em>Margaret Atwood </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">35.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Animal Farm - </em>George Orwell </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">36.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Fahrenheit 451 - </em>Ray Bradbury <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">37.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>A Thousand Acres - </em>Jane Smiley <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">38.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Bastard Out of Carolina - </em>Dorothy Allison </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">39.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Persepolis - </em>Marjane Satrapi </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">40.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Age of Innocence - </em>Edith Wharton <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">41.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Sense and Sensibility - </em>Jane Austen <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">42.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Wasteland, and Other Poems </em>- T.S. Eliot <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">43.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>A Long Way Gone - </em>Ishmael Beah</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">44.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Fault in Our Stars - </em>John Green </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">45.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Every Day - </em>David Levithan </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">46.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Sold </em>- Patricia McCormick <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">47.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Namesake - </em>Jhumpa Lahiri </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">48.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Peace Like a River - </em>Leif Enger </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">49.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Invitation </em>- Oriah Mountain Dreamer </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">50.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Hobbit - </em>J.R.R. Tolkien </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">51.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Catcher in the Rye - </em>J.D. Salinger </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">52.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Great Gatsby - </em>F. Scott Fitzgerald </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">53.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Brave New World - </em>Aldous Huxley </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">54.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - </em>Anne Frank <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">55.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Jungle - </em>Upton Sinclair <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">56.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Stranger - </em>Albert Camus <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">57.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Things they Carried - </em>Tim O'Brien <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">58.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Round House - </em>Louise Erdrich<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">59.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Snow Falling on Cedars - </em>David Guterson <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">60.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Room - </em>Emma Donaghue <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">61.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Lord of the Flies - </em>William Golding </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">62.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Ellen Foster - </em>Kaye Gibbins </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">63.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Outsiders - </em>S.E. Hinton <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">64.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Scarlet Letter - </em>Nathaniel Hawthorne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">65.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Go Ask Alice - </em>Anonymous <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">66.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower - </em>Stephen Chobsky </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">67.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>A Doll’s House - </em>Henrik Ibsen <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">68.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Beloved - </em>Toni Morrison <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">69.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Awakening - </em>Kate Chopin </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">70.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Yellow Wallpaper - </em>Charlotte Perkins Gilman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">71.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Great Expectations - </em>Charles Dickens <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">72.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Jane Eyre - </em>Charlotte Bronte </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">73.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Same Kind of Different As Me - </em>Ron Hall & Denver Moore </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">74.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Hunger Games - </em>Suzanne Collins </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">75.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Red Tent - </em>Anita Diamant</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">76.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Gilead - </em>Marilynne Robinson </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><em><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">77.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov </span></em></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">78.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>A Farewell To Arms - </em>Ernest Hemingway <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">79.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Canterbury Tales - </em>Geoffrey Chaucer</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">80.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Crucible - </em>Arthur Miller </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">81.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - </em>Ken Kesey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">82.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Walden - </em>Henry David Thoreau </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">83.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Speak - </em>Laurie Halse Anderson <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">84.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Woman Upstairs - </em>Claire Messud<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">85.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Looking for Alaska - </em>John Green <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">86.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Paradise Lost </em>- John Milton</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">87.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Gulliver’s Travels </em>- Jonathan Swift <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">88.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Don Quixote - </em>Miguel de Cervantes </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">89.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Silent Spring - </em>Rachel Carson</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">90.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>There are No Children Here - </em>Alex Kotlowitz <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">91.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass - </em>Fredrick Douglass <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">92.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>A Good Man is Hard to Find - </em>Flannery O'Conner </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">93.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Tales of Mystery and Imagination - </em>Edgar Allan Poe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">94.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Annie on my Mind - </em>Nancy Garden <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">95.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - </em>Douglas Adams</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">96.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Feed - </em>M.T. Anderson</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">97.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Dinner - </em>Herman Koch </span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">98.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Reader - </em>Bernhard Schlink<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">99.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Little Bee - </em>Chris Cleave <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">100.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Naked - </em>David Sedaris </span></div>
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" style="left: 336px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 914px;" width="58" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393708147017569061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2268442679430918072.post-48207511099713694172014-02-05T16:29:00.000-08:002014-03-10T12:32:07.242-07:00Why Malala Matters <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On October 9, 2012, fifteen-year-old Pakistani youth Malala
Yousafzai was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding home from
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Malala was specifically targeted
by members of the Taliban for her vocal campaign in favor of education for
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Few expected Malala to survive, but
she has since recovered and become a global symbol of peaceful protest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming of age in a nation where youth are
told that those who attend school will also go to hell, Malala cherished her
education and says that school, and the quest for knowledge, kept her going
through many dark days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ZsgDIRTDqFzYdM&tbnid=-KY4W6C40weyQM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hachettebookgroup.com%2Ftitles%2Fmalala-yousafzai%2Fi-am-malala%2F9780316322409%2F&ei=89XyUs7hCcfSyAHnv4DoCw&bvm=bv.60799247,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNEcEkicXpVpxu6p9RS25O7RD7As7g&ust=1391732582243521" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Pakistan, schools were being bombed on a regular basis
and it became criminal for a girl to attend school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, just as many girls in Afghanistan continued
to seek an education despite having acid thrown in their faces, and exposing
themselves to similar cruelties, many Pakistani girls risked their lives to
gain knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Malala states, “we hadn’t
realized just how important education was until the Taliban tried to stop
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going to school, reading and doing
our homework, wasn’t just a way of passing time; it was our future.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfyNm3VI-rs/UvLUdBYl22I/AAAAAAAAAnU/CZWRraBpMuY/s1600/malala+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfyNm3VI-rs/UvLUdBYl22I/AAAAAAAAAnU/CZWRraBpMuY/s1600/malala+1.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Likewise, education is the key to a brighter, more prosperous
future for our own American youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet,
an astonishing amount of students receive their public education begrudgingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They regularly demonstrate extreme disrespect
for their educators, and refuse to complete course work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They complain about freedoms they do not even
understand, falsely claiming that their freedom of speech has been violated
when they are reprimanded for cursing in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They bitch, and moan, and are blind to the
immense privilege of education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In contrast, in her autobiography “I am Malala,” Yousafzai
reports how she wept desperately the day the Taliban deadline arrived,
declaring and rigidly enforcing no school for girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Malala writes, “When someone takes away your
pens you realize quite how important education is.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a self-proclaimed advocate of education, I
possess a relentless aspiration that our American youth truly recognize and
appreciate education, learning to covet and crave learning as I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This personal desire is one of the many
reasons that I recently read Malala’s biography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most often found with a book on my person, this book
accompanied me to school while I was reading it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it was lying out near my Chromebook and
attendance charts, several students took note of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially, I was eager and excited to share
Malala’s story with my own students, hoping it would impact them and create
perspective and gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One male
student asked about the book, and I began to passionately share Malala’s trials
and triumphs as a near-by female student picked up the book and began to peruse
the pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Why do you have passages highlighted?” she asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I almost always read texts like that,” I explained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Frequently, I highlight a passage I feel is
important to theme, motif, or characterization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this case, I underlined phrases and paragraphs that I would want to
share with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular, they
are lines I want students to see in the hopes that they might recognize quite
how fortunate they actually are here in the United States.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Hmm …” she said, failing to fully comprehend what I had
just explained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She then closed the book
and glanced at the cover image, “Well, she has a unibrow.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I pulled the book away from her in defeat and frustration,
as the bell was to ring momentarily. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EMnHUNATzCk/UvLUryHVHJI/AAAAAAAAAnc/qeQ0tYoU-DI/s1600/malala+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EMnHUNATzCk/UvLUryHVHJI/AAAAAAAAAnc/qeQ0tYoU-DI/s1600/malala+2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following period, as my book still sat visible among my
other belongings, another young male student inquired about its contents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than rattling off a tale I imagined
would be ignored, I questioned his knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“This is Malala’s Yousafzai’s biography,” I simply stated, “Do
you know who she is?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Yeah,” he said, with a slight hint of uncertainty, “Didn’t
she get shot in the head or something?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Yes, that’s correct,” I replied, pleased that he showed
some awareness of global events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Do you
know why she was shot?” I asked, hoping to receive a reply regarding her fight
for equal education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rather, he provided the following response: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Because she doesn’t know how to dodge a
bullet</i>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was appalled, and my mouth literally dropped open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shook my head in disbelief, and continue to
be shamed by the state of American youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We must end the sense of entitlement that has become so widespread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apathy, disrespect, and ingratitude are some
of the most contagious and horrific epidemics I have witnessed in youth
throughout my education career. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
not to say that all youth are ungrateful little bastards; there are certainly
also those that give me hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
that hope despondently diminishes as the epidemic regrettably sickens and
swells. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Malala said, “I don’t want to be thought of as ‘the girl who
was shot by the Taliban’ but the ‘girl who fought for education.’” While
Americans have the access to education that many Middle-Eastern areas lack, we
too must fight for education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must
fight to ensure that our youth recognize the power and importance of
knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not only those in the
education field who must fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parents
play the most powerful role in shaping youth, and we must do better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will take far more than a few highlighted
words to change the dreadfully negative attitudes that abound in schools across
the country. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stand up and stand together
to demand more respect for education and admiration for intelligent, passionate
individuals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<h2 align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Am-Malala-Stood-Education-Taliban/dp/0316322407/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391646367&sr=8-1&keywords=i+am+malala">Buy the book!</a> </h2>
<div class="irc_mutc">
<div class="irc_mutc">
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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" 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