In almost every history class that I have taken, the topic of religion comes up because of the fact that they impact the past and sometimes the future. I have done many projects on different religions, and the one that has stuck with me the most is Buddhism because of the philosophies that they hold. My favorite story among many is “The Lotus Flower”. This flower is unlike the rest because of how the flower grows. It starts in the mud of lakes and slowly makes its way to the surface where it blooms. I have always felt connected to this flower in a weird way that makes my chest tingle because me and this flower oddly enough have a lot in common with the way that we have grown and blossomed. Every stage that the Lotus flower has taken, I have taken too. I started in the mud just like the Lotus, and I am oddly thankful that I did. Having a big rough patch in my life helped me find value in life and be more empathetic to how other people think and feel. Because of the process that I went through I now appreciate the sunshine and all of the little things that I have, because I remember a time that I went without them. When I got to this point I knew that I had truly blossomed into a bright young woman. Lets begin in the story about just how I got this far. The mud of my blooming cycle started in the summer before I began highschool. My parents had been divorced for about a year and the courts (and myself) decided that I live with my father, and that my older brother live with my mother and her new son. I had always been close with my brother so the fact that the whole family was split apart amped up the anxiety that I had already been diagnosed with earlier that year, but I was still set straight on having a great Freshman year. After being in highschool for about a month or two, I realized that school was an escape from the life that I had at home, so I started getting up earlier so that I could make it to school earlier. That 30mins of down time before school started was the time that I started looking forward to everyday. I could read without interruptions and I could just sit and relax before the hustle and bustle of the day started. Everything was looking up until I was dropped further into the mud. My dad was hauled away for the bad decisions that he had been making and I was shipped off to live with the mother who I barely knew anymore. I spent almost my entire Freshman year going from Jackson to Stockbridge for school, but that meant that I couldn't be early like I had been before.. Throughout all of this I still loved school for the escape that it gave me, but I had lost the 30 min buffer that made me see small rays of sunshine from the mud hole that I was in. Like every flower I pushed through and eventually got into the next stage of my growing process. Returning back to stockbridge and back with my father was a big relief, but I wanted to be more involved in high school than I was before. (Old cheer picture). I had done sideline cheer in middle school, so it was only natural that I flock to what was familiar. I was put onto the Varsity team because of how few people we had try out. Because of the mud I came from, I was not used to depending on people or trusting them, but with cheer you have to trust that when they throw you in the air that they will catch you on your way down. This became easier because I got to know the people on my team very well. Having such a small team made it easier to get to know each person very well (Insert cheer picture) This is one of the people that I got really close with during my cheer time. Justice was the back to my stunt and one of the most important pieces of it. She helped me have a lot of fun at practice and want to go everyday. Getting close with people improved the stunts we did and it improved the team tremendously overall because we began working together. Our routines were more on time and actually got third in one of our competitions which was a huge improvement from always being last. Over time, as the season got close to ending, I felt myself become a little lighter, it wasn’t just the fact that I was being thrown into the air it was more because I had people that cared about me and a team that loved and respected me. All of my cheer mates that I loved so much lifted me up and helped my petals open along with my heart. When I first started to see some sunlight, it wasn't actually sunlight. It was the rays from a welding arc at the Capital Area Career Center’s Welding Technology Program. ( Picture of me welding ) This was the first time that I had ever started MIG welding. I was using the cheap helmet that my dad gave me when I told him I wanted to weld. I was shaking the whole time because I was so afraid that I wasn’t going to be good at it, but I turned out to be one of the best. I was not only in the top three of my entire class, but I was and still am one of two girls. At first being one of the only girls in the class made me nervous because I thought that the boys wouldn’t respect me just because I was a girl. I found out later in the year that they often respected me for being a great welder. After finding that out I began helping out the people that were in my class and volunteering for the 8th and 10th grade visits that the Career Center has every year. I was the head of the operation and I got to organize it and help teach kids something that they never knew before.( Picture of me and Jeff at NTHS Induction) All of this got me nominated to be in the NTHS (National Technical Honor Society) by my instructor and my inspiration Jeff Grossman. 5 years ago the last welding student was in NTHS, and then me and another classmate got inducted for our achievements. Jeff believed in my abilities more than anyone else has in my life. He gave me the little push that I needed to see the rays of sunshine that the world was giving me and help me move on to my next stage in the growing process. I have never had the best grades throughout highschool, and I accepted the fact that I would never get all A’s. My senior year my grades were the highest that they have ever been, and I think it may be tied to me moving out. All teenagers dream of the day that they get to escape their parents, but I really didn’t. Since I was used to taking care of myself, moving out wasn’t as exciting as everyone makes it out to be. I wasn’t completely by myself though, I had a roommate to help make all the ends meet. I was finally getting to do things for myself and making time for the things I wanted to do. Unlike other newly moved adults I didn't blow my money in things I didn’t need because I already knew the importance that money had. Since gaining more confidence from cheer and having determination conditioned into me, I finally had a voice that I could use to speak up for the things I needed and the things I wanted. My petals finally opened and aimed toward the sky. Highschool is definitely a hard time for almost everyone, but I feel as if I made the best of the mud hole that I was given to start with. I pulled myself up from the bottom of this lake I call highschool and made a name for myself. I am now a force of nature to be reckoned with and I feel as if I finally deserve the title of “The Lotus Flower” because now all my petals are open and i’m ready to teach other people how to rise from the mud just as I have.
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I have been reading the book The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey for a while now, and there are a lot of things that I have noticed while reading. One of the main things that is prevalent is the in depth descriptions. Because the majority of the book is a view of someone that is alone, the descriptions of thoughts and surroundings helps fill the gaps that the lack of dialogue presents. Yancey spends a lot of time mapping what is going on in the main character’s head when something life threatening happens; for example, after Cassie is shot the paragraph that follows reads, “Something takes over when you are facing death. The front part of your brain lets go, gives up control to the oldest part of you, the part that takes over your heartbeat and breathing and the blinking of your eyes.” There are also a lot of metaphors present in the text that helps the reader visualize the disparity of the situation. Cassie, the main character, often compares herself to a cockroach because of people seeking her out and wanting to eliminate her. Readers often hear that someone is afraid of death, but the metaphor of being a small insect makes the reader realize how insignificant the character feels.
I also noticed that there is a lot of repetition when the author mentions how Cassie is still alive. Cassie always repeats that being alone means being alive, and “run=die stay=die” Yancey has also included this saying in a chapter that was in a different perspective, but the same situation. The repetition that stays, even through different characters, ties the book together, and also makes the characters feel like they are going through the same hardship just in different locations. This was a great move by Yancey when writing this because it makes the reader want to continue to see where all of the characters meet. As Cassie begins to develop as a character, she is faced with hardship, more than she has already been through, that challenges her theory about being alone. This happens when someone saves her from a fatal bullet wound. Cassie says, “oh, they're so clever. The harder survival becomes, the more you want to pull together, And the more you want to pull together, the harder survival becomes.” Yancey does a great job with slowly making a character progress, but having the character still keep their views as they progress through their change as every character does. The characters in The 5th Wave are all connected through Cassie’s little brother. This is a different way of connecting characters than the usual way of them knowing each other directly. Overall, this book is a great read for anyone who likes to notice the small things. There are things that can only be noticed if you read this book slow, or read it over again. The characters come alive, and their thoughts become the readers thoughts. These are all things that people can only get from the book and not the movie, although it was a good watch. I highly recommend this book and the ones that come after it in the series. It Is A Luxury To Be Clean
Imagine that a woman is shopping for shampoo for all of the family members in her household. She (who we will call Betsy) purchases shampoo that is for males and a bottle that is for females. When the prices are compared, Betsy realizes that the woman's shampoo is more expensive. This phenomenon that almost all women, including myself, know is called “the Pink Tax”, and it is happening all around America. The same woman asks the cashier why the tampons that she needs are almost 7 dollars a box. The cashier explains without a hint hesitation that they are considered a luxury. Common sanitation for women is considered a luxury in the eyes of the government and that needs to change. Although men don’t use as many products as women do, the prices should be closer to each other. Therefore the Pink Tax/ Feminine Luxury Tax should not only be removed, but tampons should also not be considered a luxury. Just to give a familiar perspective on the topic, according to the Walmart website a bottle of mens Suave shampoo cost $2.29 for 28oz of product (Suave Men..); Meanwhile, a bottle of womens Suave shampoo costs $2.94 (Suave…) for the same amount of product. This may not seem like a lot, but when bought on a weekly basis the difference piles up. This price difference doesn’t just stop at shampoo, “the DCA found that women’s products cost 7 percent more across five industries than similar products for men.” (From Cradle..)The issue gets worse when we look at the difference of pay between the two genders. The topic of equal pay has been debated for what seems like forever. According to the White House website which states “no matter how you evaluate the data, there remains a pay gap — even after factoring in the kind of work people do, or qualifications such as education and experience.” (Issues) This means that not only are women paying more for products that are advertised toward them, they are also getting paid less than the male counterparts. All women know that tampons and other sanitary items made for menses are not a luxury at all, but the state of Michigan puts them in the taxing category of luxury items. The Tax Foundation says on their website that “exempting tampons and other feminine hygiene products from the sales tax—violates the principles of sound tax policy.” (Kaeding) This should mean that no other items should be exempt from the taxation policy right? Unfortunately there are some exceptions. On the same page of the website the Tax Foundation also says that “states have exempted many goods, such as groceries and prescription drugs, from their sales tax base.” (Kaeding) These are exempted in order for low-income families to get what they need, but this should also included hygiene products for women as well. In fact a quick google search revealed that twelve states have exempted tampons from their sales tax, and five of the states don’t have a sales tax at all. These states include: Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. (Weiss) Most of the states are able to do this because they put feminine hygiene product under the medical products category. The Encyclopedia of American Politics outlines the fact that Michigan made $13,239,133 in 2016 off of sales and gross receipts alone. (Michigan State..) There is one business: However, that pays the sales tax for you when you purchase from their website. Cora provides tampons that are cheaper (at least for people in California). The only problem is when shipped to other states the cost rises because of shipping and handling. The problems ,however; don’t stop there. What if I told you that women are dying to save money on tampons? You would look at me like I had two heads and snakes for hair, but sadly it is all the truth. Toxic Shock Syndrome happens when a high absorbency tampon is not changed within the eight hour recommended limit. This may be because women are trying to make them last because they can not afford to buy more. On Tampax’s website, one of the leading brands of tampons out on the market, they state that “the higher the absorbency the higher the risk” (Toxic Shock..) This puts women with a heavier flow or endometriosis which causes a very heavy menstruation, at a higher risk for Toxic Shock Syndrome. Therefore, because tampons are too expensive more women are contracting TSS. Just how large is the increase? There have been five reported cases since December, and when compared to the average of four cases spanning over a decade (Cowart) the numbers are skyrocketing. The action of not getting rid of the Pink Tax has already had the domino effect on the health and well being of women in our country. To ensure the future wellness of women and their children the Pink Tax and the categorization of tampons as a luxury should be removed. Works Cited Cowart, Leigh. “Women Are Still Getting Toxic Shock Syndrome, and No One Quite Knows Why.” The Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/03/21/women-are-still-getting-toxic-shock-syndrome-and-no-one-quite-knows-why/?utm_term=.db8e076a6d37. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018. “From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer.” NYC, www1.nyc.gov/site/dca/partners/gender-pricing-study.page. “Issues.” The White House, www.whitehouse.gov/issues. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018. Kaeding, Nicole. “Tampon Taxes: Do Feminine Hygiene Products Deserve a Sales Tax Exemption?” Tax Foundation, 26 Apr. 2017, taxfoundation.org/tampon-taxes-sales-tax/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018. “Michigan State Budget and Finances.” Ballotpedia, ballotpedia.org/Michigan_state_budget_and_finances. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018. “Suave Men 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner.” Walmart.com, 27 Aug. 2012, www.walmart.com/ip/Suave-Men-2-in-1-Shampoo-Conditioner-Ocean-Charge-28-Oz/10534953. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018. “Suave Professionals Plus 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner, 28 oz.” Walmart.com, 20 Feb. 2012, www.walmart.com/ip/Suave-Professionals-Plus-2-in-1-Shampoo-and-Conditioner-28-oz/10534954. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018. “Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).” (TSS) Symptoms & Prevention | Tampax®, tampax.com/en-us/tips-and-advice/period-health/toxic-shock-syndrome. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018. Weiss, Suzannah. “12 States Without A Tampon Tax.” Bustle, 22 Aug. 2016, www.bustle.com/articles/179914-12-states-without-a-tampon-tax-because-people-who-menstruate-shouldnt-be-penalized-for-having-a. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018. Navigating the “love scene” of highschool can often be compared to the animal kingdom. The hormones are high, and everyone is admiring who they think would be their perfect mate. In all aspects of life, dating is a necessary evil. Without dating we would never be able to weed out the ones that we deem unworthy. So in a sense, all the couples sucking face in the hallway like their lives depend on it, are doing their jobs in the jungle that we call highschool. I have had my fair share of dating and found that other girls have had similar experiences in trying to find Prince Charming. I may not be an expert, but I know some of the boys that we date while we try an mature and navigate our teenage lives. Here are the types of boyfriends that you will date in highschool
Mr. Convenient Freshman year is when your brother finally deems you cool enough to hangout with him and his friends. Being the “cool” and “mature” freshman that you are, you end up dating one of his friends. “He has a lot in common with me!” is what you tell your friends. When really the only similar thing between the two of you is your brother, but that is enough right? Your dad thinks he is a loser, mostly because he doesn’t have a car or a job despite being two years older than you. This means that those magical dates you have always dreamed of never really happen, but you are totally okay with watching him play call of duty for 6 hours and calling it a date. In the end of it all, the both of you decide that maybe this isn't the best thing that you could be doing in your free time. The breakup isn’t that messy, but you ignore him for at least two months because “the heartbreak is too much” because the dramatics makes your friends give you chocolate. Just a tip for later, he ends up being one of your best friends, unlike the next guy that comes along. Not-So-Nice Guy You’re sitting in Chemistry, and the school gods have blessed you with having your crush sit next to you. Ever since the Freshman situation, you’ve had a crush on this guy (we will call him brad) for months. Brad picks you to be his lab partner for a project that lasts a week. He tells you that you’re smart and he “just can’t believe that he never saw you around before.” The compliments and wooing continue for a day or two until he finally asks you to go on a date (aka you guys walk to subway, eat and then go home) The next day, he introduces you as his girlfriend to one of his friends. Heat comes to your cheeks and spreads to your neck and you sheepishly wave and smile. Everyday in chemistry he sits close to you, and the both of you hangout all weekend. Monday hits and the Chemistry project is over, so class resumes to its normal function. You smile and wave to brad as you sit down, but he just looks past you and scoffs. This carries on for the whole day until Brad’s friend delivers news that he is dating someone new (lets call her tiffany). This whole experience is a confusing mess that leaves you more angry than upset, because you did all the work in the Chemistry project which means that Brad just flirted his way into an A+. The Ghost So far, highschool has not been nice to you when it comes to dating. Your best friend (Rebecca will be her name) suggests a mutual friend of hers that lives in a different town. Since the big formal dance is coming up you agree without a moment of hesitation. This mutual friend messages you after gym and introduces himself as Bob (an obvious fake name but bear with me). Bob shows you his favorite music that you have never heard, but now you listen to it all the time. You guys share pictures of your pets with each other, and you insist that your dog is the best. Eventually the two of you make your new found relationship “Facebook official” and the two of you have perfected the plan for the formal dance. He is going to meet you at the dance accompanied by Rebecca. The excitement waves into nervousness as you wait on the cold bench outside the school doors. The bouncing of your foot echoes into the night as you check your watch for the time. The dance is just about to start when Rebecca shows up, but Bob is not with her. She feigns and excuse of “he’s sick” and pulls you into the gym. After the dance, it is not likely that you will ever hear from guys like Bob again. The Train It's been almost two years since the night of the formal dance, and so far you’ve stayed away from everyone of the opposite gender. You’re driving home from school when your car stutters to a stop and breaks down. Just what you need on a cold friday night. After yelling forbidden words at your little beater car, you pick up your phone to call your dad when a car rolls to a stop beside you. You recognize him from school as being a friend of a friend. He asks you if you need a ride, and to be completely honest you aren’t in a spot to say no. This one of the most unusual things you have done this year besides the two seasons in a row you watched on Netflix. He talks about anything and everything. By the end of the car ride, he is asking you on a date. You ponder the question and you accept. Almost forgetting that your car is on the side of the road, you hurry inside for your lecture that your dad is sure to give you. It’s been months since the date and everything is going smoothly. There are no red flags and he seems like a stand-up guy. It is your graduation party and you find yourself reflecting on the years prior and what is happening now. Looking across the room you spot him dancing with your siblings. This boyfriend is the one that you never see coming, and he makes the biggest impact on your life and how you think. You may actually grow to love this boyfriend, because he is really funny and makes you laugh until your stomach hurts. It may take years to get to this point in highschool, but you'll make it there and honestly it is worth it. What happens in college, now, is beyond my reach. I’m sure there will be many other boyfriends that will keep you occupied. Not to mention the classes and curriculum will most definitely keep you busy. It may not be an animal kingdom like highschool, but it sure will be exciting and new. I was nine years old. The room I was sitting in had pale blue walls with a two-way mirror taking up one wall. My body could feel the people on the other side, looking in at us as if we were a compelling movie that you just couldn’t tear your eyes from. I look to my right to see my big brother. He had always been the strong one in every situation, but now he was silently crying and staring at the floor. Seeing him like this made me realise this was a lot worse than I thought it was. At that time I may have been a child, but in no way was I a naive child. I had heard the word “foster care” fall from the lips of my parents as they were taken away into the flashing lights. A lady with a nice voice took my arm and told me to come with her. I knew where we were going, but I didn't know if me and my brother would be together in all this. This was the very first time that I had felt the heavy blanket of depression lay over me.
After this incident, me and my brother returned to the place we call home. Getting off the bus, everything seemed the same but the anxiety and fear zapped in the air like electricity as soon as you opened the front door. My dad sat us down and took a deep breath. What he said after this I still remember clearly; He said “We are a team now,” his hands were playing with a string on his sleeve to help fight the tears. “From now on it is the three of us against the world.” Our small family of four was now a broken family of three. I was eleven when my mom decided to flee for better things. I was eleven when I was diagnosed with depression. I felt things click into place when the doctor gave my waves of never ending sadness a name. However, she never quite told me how to make it go away for good. The doctor told me that some days will be worse than others, as if I didn’t already know that. Doses of Trazodone was first, Celexa was next, and Lexapro followed. I was constantly dosed down with antidepressants until my Junior year. Highschool was already hard enough, but when you add this monster into the mix it gets really nasty. The halls seem to have eyes that critique your every move; the packs of girls in each corner seem to be whispering about you, when they may not even be talking about you at all. Self confidence has always been an issue, but my depression puts it on full blast. Every imperfection I see feels like weights on my shoulders, stacking on top of eachother one by one.. The weight amplified to the point where getting out of bed every morning is a battle and you just lay down all day staring at nothing. I have spent many days and nights in that position, but eventually you have to get up. The struggle that I have had with my depression has been a long and hurtful journey, and the journey still isn’t over. I’ve been kicked down at least a hundred time, but each time I got back up and kept going. My fight with this monster of an illness has increased the empathy that I have now as an almost-adult. I understand people and how they feel, because I have most likely been in that same situation. Don’t get me wrong depression is not this elegant and beautiful struggle that the media portrays it as. It is nasty and it is ruthless, but when you get through it and finally get somewhat of a grip on it. The world seems a little brighter and a little more bearable. I would not change any part of my past; even the parts that make me squirm in my seat. Because without those moments and without my past, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the person that I am right now. All of the hardship and struggles made me learn just how strong I can be in times that others would crumble. |