Happy Friday!
The image I chose, a gif, specifically, perfectly describes how I felt walking out of work today and I'm sure others felt the same way. I probably could have actual ran but I just got off after working a 9-hour day and, boy, I was ready for my 3-day weekend. With that being said, I hope everyone the best in regards to any traveling or camping. Stay safe and enjoy, and for most of you all, the day off. I do realize that some people don't have the luxury to have Memorial Day off, so be courteous to others who might be required to work.
Here's the link to my latest Odyssey article: To The People Who Don't Feel Enough.
Before I get on with my post for the week, I wanted to give a birthday shout-out to a couple of important people. One being my second-oldest cousin on my dad's side of the family: Sam Curtis. Happy birthday! I hope you enjoyed it! Maybe we can to get together sometime soon. And the other being my aunt Debbie. Happy birthday, Aunt Debbie! I hope you spent the day enjoyably surrounded by loved ones.
Memorial Day is, anymore, became a holiday whose meaning gets overlooked. For many, people look forward to the barbecuing, bonfires, spending time with loved ones, baseball, and etc. It's like the official kickoff to summer. But that's not the meaning of the holiday. That's not why we celebrate it.
It's not even a happy holiday, so to speak. The meaning behind this day is quite sad actually. Memorial Day is a holiday dedicated to those military members killed in actions. That's why it's called "memorial", as in "memory", for those who laid down their lives to protect us, to protect what this country stood and continues to stand for, to protect the freedom we have to live each day knowing that there are brave men and women out there fighting for us.
Thank you, brave men and women across America. Thank you for putting your country before yourself. Thank you for putting everyday people, like myself, before yourself. Thank you for being brave and tough and doing what you think needs to be done to protect this country and what it stands for. Thank you for sacrificing time with your loved ones, like friends and family, to fight and defend. Thank you for your service.
Until next week,
Thought of the day
Happy Friday!
The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the temperature was on point. In other words, it was practically perfect day. I hope you got a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather. If not, tomorrow's forecast looks to be something like today. Everybody could use a little bit of vitamin D.
It's official! I'm all moved in the house that I'm renting with three other girls. All I need now is to continue to settle in and few other things. "Adulting" at its finest. I get a feeling of accomplishment and growing up, but as Uncle Ben said in Spider-Man, "With great power comes great responsibility." I know I have more bills added to my budget, but for one, this is challenging me to budget my money even more, and for two, it's most definitely worth it to have independence and a place to call my own (or a fourth of, anyway) for the time being.
There are a few people I need to thank before I get to my post. I want to take the time to thank my cousin, Robert, and his girlfriend, Kathy, for housing me last week while the house was being cleaned. I need to thank my aunt, Jan, and another cousin, Sarah, for helping me out with giving me dishes, pots, pans, silverware, bowls, utensils, and more. I need to thank my aunt, Judy, and uncle, Gerry, for hauling all the stuff I got from Sarah to my brother's place. I need to thank my parents and siblings for helping me move in. I'm truly grateful and blessed to have these people in my life.
Since birth, there were expectations for us and of us. We are expected to learn how to speak, how to spell, how to throw a ball, how to act during certain times and at certain places, and others. These are straight forward or implied by parents, siblings, relatives, friends, seemingly random strangers, teachers, law officials and more.
Detailing the purposes for all these expectations are not for me to list because everyone has different motivations or reasons why they set them. In general, though, they are set for safety, efficiency of day-to-day life, motivation, to hold people accountable and more.
We have different expectations for different people in our lives. We expect our friends to have backs and stand up for us when they know we might be wrong. We expect our family to stand by us when times are tough and be there for us when we need help. We expect our teachers to help us learn.
On the other side of the argument, the people in our lives have expectations of us. We must always try to remember that just as we have expectations of others, they have expectations of us.
This, most of the time, is hold the people in our lives accountable. It's good, healthy even, to have expectations, especially high ones. If you're waiting for the but, here it is. But we need to understand and be flexible if someone doesn't meet those high expectations and also we need to need to draw the line when you've reached your breaking point and can't make any more excuses.
Until next week,
Thought of the day
Happy Friday!
Well, if you're reading this, it means you're alive and breathing. If that's not something to bask in, then I don't know what to tell you. I told a co-worker to treat her self to a cookie because she deserved it.
With starting two jobs, it's been a crazy week. Don't get me wrong; I am loving my new job as student assistant to the library's Public Relations committee! It's my chance to take what've learned in my classes and apply it. The old saying goes, "life is the best teacher," and it is. I'm truly blessed to have this opportunity to do this, to get this experience and been able to use the skills I'm learning now for future job interviews. But getting into the grove of working two jobs? That's going to take me a couple of weeks to find a routine or a grove.
I think it's safe to finally congratulate my fellow college students (of those who haven't graduated yet) on surviving another semester of stubborn professors (not all, of course), reading-based classes (Humanities, I'm giving you the side eye on this one) or test-based classes, relationship drama, pesky or slightly irritating co-workers (not mine, because mine are pretty awesome), and more. To be honest, this was honestly my most stressful semester yet with all the of new challenging classes, personal relationship changes, and the stress that comes with "adulting".
Here's the link to my latest Odyssey article: Tell Your Anxiety No More.
My post this week will likely be short because I'm creatively exhausted and physically worn-out.
Life is a balance. Exercising not enough and exercising too much. Always giving and not taking. Always taking and not giving. There needs to be a balance of giving and receiving. This is needed in relationships, workplaces, family affairs, and in life.
There shouldn't be one person in a relationship that's always giving in to the other for a multitude of reasons. This isn't right. This is unhealthy. It isn't new that people who have differing opinions, thoughts, principles, and etc. And when there's a difference in opinions, there's a disagreement or fight. Fighting in relationships is normal, healthy even; a lack of fighting is a sign of someone always giving in. We don't always know how to fight. Yes, that is something that we should learn how to do. We might think we know how to because growing up with friends, parents and/or siblings. But something I think we forget is the relationships we have are different. How we fight with our siblings is different from how we fight with friends. How we fight with one friend to another is different, as well.
Until next week,
Thought of the day
Happy Sunday!
and
Happy Mother's Day!
I started this post on Friday and had all the intentions of working on it at work since the semester is over and we wouldn't be too busy, but there were many books to get ready to shelve.
Oh boy! This post is late. In my defense, I have had a busy weekend. Friday, I moved out out my room and played Tetris to get everything to fit into my car. Thank you shout-out to Bradley for helping me! I headed home after work to spend time with family was home for the weekend. Saturday, I got to see my sister and her boyfriend graduate from Upper Iowa, and while I spent the day up there, I unfortunately got a sunburn. Sunday, or today, it's Mother's Day and my sister's 24th birthday so we went in to my grandma's to spend the day with her and my other relatives.
This week I'll be staying with my cousin and his girlfriend while the house I'm leasing with 3 other girls is being cleaned. Next Monday, I can move into the house! I'm excited for what this has in store for me!
Here's the link to my latest Odyssey article: To My Mom On Her Birthday.
As for this week's post, I'm thinking it will be a short post because I'm exhausted from all the excitement. I just wanted to congratulate my sister and her boyfriend on graduating from college this weekend, again. I'm completely proud of them both.
Today is also Mother's day. I just wanted to send a thank you to mothers for everything they have done, continue to do, and will do in the future. This goes out to all mothers who are with us on Earth and those who've passed on something else. This also applies to mothers who come in many different forms and don't necessarily have to be related by blood.
Until next week,
Thought of the day
