Dear America, happy birthday

Happy Sunday/Monday/Independence Day

It's almost the 4th of July. Exactly 6 minutes until the day. I know this post is a little late. Well, you see, when I got home to visit, I try to stay off my laptop as much as possible because it's a nice break from technology and I find I focus on my family and spending time with them. Right now, mostly everyone are asleep and I finally figured out what I wanted to write about. I know. My brain is fascinating, getting writing ideas and fuel for my post at ten minutes to midnight. Perfect timing. Not really, but you know, when the opportunity strikes, I must take advantage. My fellow writers out there can (maybe) concur.  

If you are traveling, drive smart and safely. If you're setting up a fireworks display, please be careful. If you are camping or planning on any other recreational activities, please wear sunscreen (if outside) and reapply as much as possible and enjoy the uncommonly cooler weather for the 4th of July.

Before I got into my post, I wanted to give a couple of birthday shoutouts to a couple of firecracker babies. 

First, my brother's godson, Joseph, turned 1 today. I can't wait to see you grow even more. It makes me smile to see your sometimes goofy, but always handsome face. He probably gets that from his mom. Kidding...or am I? 

Second, to a very special person in my life and on very special day. Courtney, happy 21st birthday. I'm sorry we couldn't spend the day together, but I look forward to celebrating with you the next time we get together! I'm so glad that whatever force (I believe God had a hand or two in it) lead me to live across the hall from you this past year. It allowed me to come to know you and how beautiful, kind, funny, smart, caring, and wonderful blessing you truly are in my life. Thank you for being there when I needed to vent, let out my worries, laugh until my gut hurts, and sticking by me. You deserve to have a great day! 

Dear America (and my fellow Americans),

 First and foremost, happy birthday! Even though, you are still a young country in comparison to other countries, you have come a long ways from where you started. 

Thank you for fighting the oppressors and earning our independence and title as a free country. An example you became (and still are) to be proof that a democratic republic can hold up and succeed. An example where there is such a place to have basic freedoms that other countries deny to their people. How you allow and welcome people from other countries with the open arms of Lady Liberty in New York Harbor.  

As we settled in, we began noticing cracks in the foundation on which you stand. It nearly broke the nation in two. With the determination of many people, we were able to come back together as a country and began rebuilding the country. Of course, this issue is still seen today. It may be hard to believe, but it is most likely true. There's still a long way to go, but I know that when come together as a whole, a united front, there's not much that can hold us back.

Since then, we have seen our country come together time and time again to fight for what we believe in, to fight so that the countless innocent and brave lives did not die in vain, to fight for good to keeping prevailing over the evil in the world, to fight for those who cannot fight, to fight to set an example for those younger generations that we must never give up and to continue to hope and to have the will to keep carrying on even when the going is tough. 

I must point out that we have many hurtles in our way. Differences to look past. History to move on from. We are not running a sprint; we're running a marathon. Segregation and hatred towards most, or if not all, minority groups. Childish fighting in congress and between political parties. This country was built on the principle that this is a place, a refuge even, to those different than us. Accepting others' differences is hard. But it's key to surviving as a country.

Sincerely and thankfully,

A fellow American

Until next week,

Thought of the day

Memorial day isn't about the swimming, barbecuing, and bonfires

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

Short post congratulating and thanking some important people

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

Running on empty signals you to slow down

Happy Friday!

Guess what? You made it through another week. Treat yo self however you want, whether that's a half hour nap or getting a pint of Ben and Jerry's to eat while you're watching a movie or both. 

Me? Right now at this moment, I have a sinus headache, stuffed-up nose and a runny nose, and a sore throat. I will try to keep this article relatively short so I can nap and maybe eat some ice cream or drink tea to soothe my sore throat. Yep, those are my plans as a college student on a Friday night. Allergies suck. If you didn't know that already.

My latest Odyssey articles link are here and here. I hope you enjoy them!

Fast. We live life in the fast lane. It's hard for us to slow down. Why? We hate being left behind. 

We often forget that we need to slow down every now and again. A car can't forever run on E. Not only is that bad for the engine, but also it hurts. We are the same way. When we are always running from place to place without slowing down, it's mentally and physically painful and/or exhausting. 

When we finally run out of gas, we just can't go anywhere until we refill our "tanks". However you relax is completely up to you; just make sure you do it. I'm not sure if this happens to anybody else, but when my allergies flare up or get sick, I feel like it's my body telling me, "Melissa, you need to slow down and recuperate." Or when I had my wisdom teeth out, I needed to slow down and to give myself time to recover. It wasn't easy for me to sit around and not being able to get back to going from one thing to the next. 

So, how am I slowing down? I'm taking the time to thankful just a few of the many important people in my life for being there: my parents, my siblings, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, cousins, friends, mentors, and awesome co-workers. I'm truly blessed when it comes to people mentioned above; they put up with my Grumpy Cat obsession, my bouncing-off-the-wall personality when I've had too much coffee/caffeine, my delayed reactions when I'm going on less than 5 hours of sleep, my addiction to coffee or anything that has even a little bit of caffeine, my habit of talking to myself more than what's normal, and etc.  

Until next week,

Thought of the day

 

Sometimes we have to learn make the sacrifice

Happy FRIDAY!

Hello, all readers of mine! Did you read that top line, because if you didn't, I suggest you read it again. JBIF (Jumping Because It's Friday) is the new acronym I just came up with. Another reason for you to enjoy today is the fact is you survived this week with all its trip-ups and stumbles. YAY! GO YOU.

Another reason for me to be happy is that I survived this week of three tests or mid-terms. Although, I have two tests next week, but I will remember I can do it and survive.

Other reasons: IT'S HOMECOMING FOR UNI. That's pretty exciting. I will be working during the parade and half the game, but life isn't always going to work around my work schedule. Sacrifice is a part of life, and I am continuously experiencing and learning that. Life lessons sometimes need to be taken with a smile plastered on your face.

*********

The main focus of this post is to talk about a topic many people experience frequently- some more than others- if their day-to-day lives. It's something that can be a hard or easy decision for people to make. Depending on how the decision will affect yourself and/or others in your life, it can almost be a decision someone makes without even thinking about it. 

Sometimes the effects of our decisions we make have consequences we didn't anticipate or we couldn't avoid. We don't always realize how the decision we make now will be worth it out in the end. 

 Sacrifice

In life, this something that can be guaranteed as something you will have to go through. The cool thing about sacrifice is that it's a life-long process, and it's not something we figure out once and think it will be the same situation every time. Circumstances will be different. Context around the decision will be different. Your mind-set will be different. 

Parents. I realize all parents are not like mine. They make so many sacrifices for their children. You want that last piece of cake? Go ahead. It's almost an automatic given that parents put the needs and wants of their children ahead of their own. Some parents don't mind making because they believe they are doing it out of love for their children and just want to see their children happy. Others believe differently. It's for this reason (among others) that I'm thankful for my parents and all the sacrifices they have made for me, because they didn't have to do it. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

Military and other emergency response people. While some might have strong opinions when it comes to these people and their actions, I believe we all could agree on the fact they are putting their lives on the line to protect us and that's something we should recognize that brave sacrifice. What we often forget is the family and friends of these brave people who make the incredible sacrifice that they do. I don't say this as often as I should, but I'm thankful for those brave people. Thank you, members of the military and other emergency response teams for ensuring my safety and getting me assistance when I need it.

Siblings (specifically older for me). This is true for me. They have sacrificed nights out to watch me for my parents. Or the times Mom said they had to take me with them if they went somewhere (obviously having your little sister tag along wasn't cool). For the times when they put up with the stupid and maybe embarrassing things I would say about them in front of their friends or someone they liked liked. Also for the times they let me watch whatever Disney channel movie happened to be premiering that night. They have made so many sacrifices for me, and I appreciate for putting up with my antics and quirks. Thank you, Billy and Rachel.

Family and friends. For those who don't already know, I have many quirks and strange aspects of my personality. There are a couple that I think my family and friends have a hard time with. No-filter on what comes out of my mouth sometimes (re: most of the time) and that I talk to myself. Sacrificing their time to be patient with me while I likely backtrack what I maybe should have filtered. Also they sacrifice their reputation when they are with me out in public and I say something without thinking or if I start talking to myself in public. Thank you, family and friends.

Take the time to thank those who have made sacrifices for you.

Until next time,

(Oh God. The Toy Story 3 feels are coming back to me! Ahh!)















Thought of the day

 

Why does it take a tragedy to bring people together?

Happy Friday!

Well, another week in the books. This week wasn't as stressful as last week, but there have been many other issues that have stressed me out. But, as you can probably can tell, I'm still here and breathing and surviving.

I hope all is well with all my readers. Before I get today's topic, I want to take a moment to tell you thank you for reading my blog. It doesn't matter to me if it is one post or all my posts; every little bit counts to me.

Here is a link to my latest article with The Odyssey Online. 

What I want to talk about today is something I talked about a few posts ago. This topic is something that I feel strongly about, and if you can't handle it, please feel free to stop reading. It won't hurt my feelings; I would understand if you felt the need to stop. 

I was completely speechless when I heard. Even right now, as I type this, I am still shocked. It's hard to type this, but I would like to talk about the serious tragedy that suicide is. 

On Wednesday, a tragedy struck the UNI family. Caitlyn Burns, a freshmen, took her own life by hanging herself in her room. 

Can you imagine being the roommate, who was her best friend from high school, finding her body? Can you hear the screams? Can you picture the distraught and disbelieving look on her face?

Can you imagine being the twin brother and finding out that your literal other half killed herself? Can you hear the silent tears flowing down his face? Can you imagine what's going through his mind right now?

Can you imagine being the resident assistant of the floor and finding one of the girls you were supposed to help and be there for? Can you blame her if she doesn't want to be an RA anymore?

Can you picture the person who had to call her parents and tell them that their happy college girl killed herself? Can you picture that person cursing their job at that moment?

Can you? Because I can.

I didn't know her, but does not mean it hurts any less nor does not mean it is any less tragic. She still was a beautiful human. She was another person who most likely felt she couldn't take the pain anymore. 

Honestly, I wonder how many suicides it will take for people to realize that mental illness is real and is not something people make up. I wonder how many suicides it will take for people to realize that it is not okay to say hurtful things or make jokes about mental illness. I wonder how many suicides it will take to change the people who believe that taking your life is the cowardly way out of life.

After this news blown up on social media, UNI came together as a family and supported each other. (Just another reason that reassures me that I chose the right college.) It didn't matter how well you knew her; the only thing that mattered is that you were there and supported one another through this. 

The biggest question that has been on my mind ever since I heard the news: why does it take a tragedy to bring people together? I posed this question to a friend of mine. She said that this is how society works most unfortunately. And she's right on both counts. This is how society works, and it's wrong. We don't always realize that we are going through our own versions of Hell. We need to come together as a society to be there for each other in any way we can. 

I ask only this of you. 

• Go tell your friends you love them and appreciate them. 

• Go call your parents and tell them thanks for all they did for you and you never meant "I hate you" when you said it. 

• Go call your grandparents and ask how their day went and respond with how you are doing. 

• Go call your siblings and tell them how much they mean to you. 

• Smile or compliment a complete stranger. You just might make their day.

Caitlyn, may you finally be a peace now. See you again. 

You are never alone. 

Whatever you need, we'll be there for you however we can.

Until next week, 

Thought of the day

Dear readers...

Happy Friday!

I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one who reads my blog. Whether it's every once in a while or every post, it means the world to me that people want to hear what I have to say. It's an amazing and empowering feeling. I can finally say: "I have a voice, and this is what it's saying!" 

Thank you for giving me that feeling!

In the spirit of being thankful, I would like to take the time to list only some of the many things I have to do thankful for.*

*In no particular order :)

Things I have been blessed with: 

a FAMILY who loves and supports me

a few FRIENDS who I can count on being there when it matters 

a JOB that I can make money and be given the experience

a ROOF and BED to stay and sleep

the OPPORTUNITY to get an education

the A/C on hot days like today 

all the SACRIFICES people have made for me

ELECTRICITY to allow me to charge and power anything I need

WI-FI and/or INTERNET that allows me to connect to other people

BOOKS when I need an escape from life

MUSIC when I need to get out of my head for a little while

GOD and all the ANGELS in heaven looking out for me every day

I could go on forever (okay, maybe not forever) but that wouldn't necessarily be a good use of a post.

We take things and people for granted. Don't deny it. I can't deny that fact any more than I can deny the fact my name is Melissa Curtis.

I don't mean any harsh feelings by saying that. It's a fact or statement that is open to interpretation. Whether we mean to or not, we do take things and people for granted. We forget that life does not owe anything. The same can be (most of the time) said about people. Being a good father or mother or sister or brother or friend is a choice. Meaning, they don't have to be to you. 

It's for this reason that we have days like Mother's Day and Father's Day and the lesser-known Grandparent's Day. We take advantage of the fact they will always be there. There will be times when they can't be there or are no longer able to be there for us. 

This does not only to parents and grandparents. This applies to everyone: friends, family, pets, teachers, professors, mentors, godparents, doctors, nurses, dentists, etc. Or basically everyone in your life or who have ever been or will be in your life. Please remember to thank them for all they do. They all have helped shape who you are today. 

If you read this and all you see on the news are terrible things, click here and read the article. Here is your one good piece of news. A nice reminder that there are good people out in this world that is seemingly full of hate and destruction.

Sometimes we underestimate what a simple "thank you" will do.

Until next Friday,

Thought of the day