My Creative Non-Fiction class has been reading the book This I Believe, which is a collection of short essays (less than 500 words) from various people of differing backgrounds all stating what they believe. The beliefs in question are supposed to be the very core beliefs of the people writing. So throughout my time reading these essays I have been thinking, "What do I believe?" Today it came to me. I believe in choices.
Choices are often overlooked, I think, because we are forced to make so many so often. What to wear, what to eat, what to drink, who to call, what to say. Do I get on Facebook and update my status or do my homework instead? What should I write my paper about for class? Which college should I attend? What should I major in? Grad school or no grad school? Should I try out for the tennis team? All of these are choices that are so common in our lives that we may not even think of them as important or life altering, but they are.
Every choice I have made has effected my life in some way. I remember the summer of 2009. I had just gotten back from a graduation weekend trip to Philadelphia and had gone to my boyfriend Derek's house for the evening to visit him and his family. Derek is an avid freestyle motocross rider and had been trying for nearly a year to get me to ride with him. I, being terrified of everything, (especially high speeds with no roll cage), so I had previously refused. May 14, 2009, however, I agreed to ride on the back. As we rode I began to feel free. I made the choice to ride and to enjoy myself with no reservations. After awhile we took a break and I made the choice to ask if he would teach me to actually drive the bike. He agreed, and I chose to get on. That choice is one that is still having a huge impact on my life. I crashed the bike that day, and I tore my ACL and MCL, and chipped a piece of bone off of my kneecap. Not what I was expecting, obviously. The choices we make, even the small ones that don't really seem like choices at the time, can have an enourmous impact on our lives-- in both good and bad ways.
So I believe in choices. The choice we make every morning to have a positive attitude or a negative one. The choice we make in deciding what we believe. The choice we make when we consider who to speak with or what to say to each person we encounter in our day. Communication is a choice. Life is a choice. Writing is a choice. Without choices there is no freedom and no life. This, I believe.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Damn I missed a post... no more of that!
Monday, sunny Monday. It's a hot one out there folks. Golf class was rather steamy this afternoon, but that's okay because I have officially improved! Score one for the good guys.
Let's talk Aquinas for a second, shall we? Starting with all of the changes around campus. I am a senior this year, meaning for the past three years of my life, Aquinas has been something of a home base for me. I have formed a pattern over the last three years of where to hang out between classes, what to order for lunch at the corner, and where the best seat in the house is in every hang out available on this campus. Unfortunately, AQ has totally screwed that system up! For example, the hangout/ homework area in lower wege has been wiped out and replaced with offices of people I have never seen before in my life. I'm not entirely sure what they do, but clearly they're important because they beat out the commuter hang out for space. Then there's the fact that you can no longer create your own sandwich at the corner. You may have a prepackaged thing or nothing at all. And while you eat your prepackaged, 3 day old, soggy breaded deliciousness, you can now sit only on couches, where you must hold your food in your lap, or on hard wooden chairs in the lower section. The booths I once loved deeply are now gone (but not too far away, they're in the Moose, weird). This campus is crazy now, and not at all what I knew and loved. Sure there have been some nice changes like more computer kiosks and a couple of nice plasmas for event postings and such, but mostly the changes are just odd and seemingly unnecessary. I miss my sandwiches and my booths and my ugly purple couches separated from one another with totally inadequate glass walls.
I suppose eventually I'll get used to the changes and I will once again establish a routine, and knowledge of the best seat in every house. I have to accept this change and move on. After all, in May I will be done with Aquinas forever and I will say good bye to this school in the biggest change of all to occur on campus this year, the Stirrus Sports and Fitness Center (from now on, known as the "Stur"... so much simpler).
So I say to you all, good day and good sandwich hunting.
Let's talk Aquinas for a second, shall we? Starting with all of the changes around campus. I am a senior this year, meaning for the past three years of my life, Aquinas has been something of a home base for me. I have formed a pattern over the last three years of where to hang out between classes, what to order for lunch at the corner, and where the best seat in the house is in every hang out available on this campus. Unfortunately, AQ has totally screwed that system up! For example, the hangout/ homework area in lower wege has been wiped out and replaced with offices of people I have never seen before in my life. I'm not entirely sure what they do, but clearly they're important because they beat out the commuter hang out for space. Then there's the fact that you can no longer create your own sandwich at the corner. You may have a prepackaged thing or nothing at all. And while you eat your prepackaged, 3 day old, soggy breaded deliciousness, you can now sit only on couches, where you must hold your food in your lap, or on hard wooden chairs in the lower section. The booths I once loved deeply are now gone (but not too far away, they're in the Moose, weird). This campus is crazy now, and not at all what I knew and loved. Sure there have been some nice changes like more computer kiosks and a couple of nice plasmas for event postings and such, but mostly the changes are just odd and seemingly unnecessary. I miss my sandwiches and my booths and my ugly purple couches separated from one another with totally inadequate glass walls.
I suppose eventually I'll get used to the changes and I will once again establish a routine, and knowledge of the best seat in every house. I have to accept this change and move on. After all, in May I will be done with Aquinas forever and I will say good bye to this school in the biggest change of all to occur on campus this year, the Stirrus Sports and Fitness Center (from now on, known as the "Stur"... so much simpler).
So I say to you all, good day and good sandwich hunting.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Real Issue
For quite some time now I have kept my mouth tightly shut when it came to debating the proposed mosque in NYC. I felt like every opinion was already out there for people to read so there was no point in adding another to the mix. However, I now realize that if I do not speak about my feelings on this particular issue, I will eventually explode. So here it goes:
I can see both sides of the debate over this mosque, and I don't fully agree or disagree with either side. As a matter of fact, I've come up with a compromise that could potentially please everyone.
There is already a mosque 4 blocks from ground zero, therefore adding another should not be a big deal (unless the people opposed to the new mosque would like to explain why they never fought to move the original). Using this reasoning, I propose that the mosque be built where it has been proposed, but on the condition that it not open on September 11th as was originally proposed. Although the motive may be peace (I hope that is the truth, anyway), I think that it is coming across in the wrong way. If the mosque were to open in the Spring or Summer, or even at the beginning of Ramadan (in August), it would show the compassion the Muslim people who are proposing it have and it would also be a gesture of friendship and healing toward the families who lost loved ones that day.
It's a small compromise, but I believe it could be an effective one. Something that could start to bridge the gap between Islam and America. As Mayor Bloomberg said, we are fighting terror with freedom in the U.S. To not allow this mosque would be letting the terrorists win. We would fear them and hate them, and that is EXACTLY what terrorism is about. Instead, we need to be strong and allow freedom to shine through no matter what.
America is a beautiful country. It is full of passion and patriotism, and hopefully one day it will do away with prejudice. This could be just the first of many steps in working toward that goal.
I can see both sides of the debate over this mosque, and I don't fully agree or disagree with either side. As a matter of fact, I've come up with a compromise that could potentially please everyone.
There is already a mosque 4 blocks from ground zero, therefore adding another should not be a big deal (unless the people opposed to the new mosque would like to explain why they never fought to move the original). Using this reasoning, I propose that the mosque be built where it has been proposed, but on the condition that it not open on September 11th as was originally proposed. Although the motive may be peace (I hope that is the truth, anyway), I think that it is coming across in the wrong way. If the mosque were to open in the Spring or Summer, or even at the beginning of Ramadan (in August), it would show the compassion the Muslim people who are proposing it have and it would also be a gesture of friendship and healing toward the families who lost loved ones that day.
It's a small compromise, but I believe it could be an effective one. Something that could start to bridge the gap between Islam and America. As Mayor Bloomberg said, we are fighting terror with freedom in the U.S. To not allow this mosque would be letting the terrorists win. We would fear them and hate them, and that is EXACTLY what terrorism is about. Instead, we need to be strong and allow freedom to shine through no matter what.
America is a beautiful country. It is full of passion and patriotism, and hopefully one day it will do away with prejudice. This could be just the first of many steps in working toward that goal.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Blogging Attempt- Take 1
It is officially my very last first week of school. That's just crazy! For seventeen years I have attended school, but soon that part of life will all be over. I never thought this day would come, and now that it's here I am terrified! What an odd sensation to have worked toward something for so long and then when it arrives, to wish it would hold off for awhile. It's scary to look for a job, to give up summers off and spring breaks, and to just be grown up. I guess it's time to put on my big girl pants and handle it, though. Who knows, this time next year I could be incredibly happy and wonder what all the fuss was about. You never know.
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