rebelling against low expectations
I’m not going to lie; the last two months have been a rough patch for me. I almost didn’t write an article this month – sometimes you don’t feel like you have much to share during a difficult time! But then I realized I should share. On the internet, we excel at posting our highlight reels, the good times. It’s easy to hide the difficult parts of our lives, but I think we need to be honest and...
Well, that’s a wrap! I just finished my first year out of college and my first year as a teacher. I started working as a teaching assistant during my last semester of college, then worked as a teaching assistant/school librarian/junior high English and literature teacher for a full school year. This year was an adventure, and college did not adequately prepare me for the challenges I would face...
My family and I were headed to an American Heritage Girls’ scouting camp out for my younger sisters. As we were driving, I scrolled through Instagram. A coworker (who is the same age as me) posted pictures of her and her husband vacationing in Nashville. It looked like they were having a great time! As my family drove through the desert, my thoughts wandered to my dear friend who I’d been...
“I’m not right for the job. All I know about being a secret agent or trying to outsmart the Gestapo is what I’ve seen in the movies. But if you can’t find anyone else, I’ll go.” These were the words of Varian Fry, a courageous American man who lived during World War II. Along with a team of several men and women, he saved the lives of between 2,000-3,000 people facing certain death at the hands...
During my time off from work around Christmas, I ended up going down the black hole of YouTube. I don’t quite know how I got there, but I watched a few short films on domestic abuse and emotional manipulation within relationships. I was drawn into the plot, desperately hoping for the victim to stand up for themselves and escape! The next day, I had to talk with one of my friends about something I...
Several months ago, I attended a Young Republicans meeting. I dressed up and did my make up because, honestly, I was hoping to get a date! Toward the end of the meeting, a man tapped me on the shoulder, introduced himself, and asked me out to coffee. During our short conversation, he mentioned he was a judge. He was very friendly and kind, and we texted briefly that evening. We were both going on...
I dragged myself out of bed and groggily got ready for the day. I serve in a kid’s ministry called JumpStart that does church services in lower-income neighborhoods every Saturday. This was our first day of the fall semester, and I was leading games. I admit – I was not in a high-energy, bubbly mood. I was still half asleep, and not particularly happy. But it was hard to stay grumpy when I...
What would you expect from a man who had just lost his wife and child in the middle of a jungle? And not only that, but was stuck in the middle of a raging civil war? Would you expect panic? Fear? Desperation and despair? The last thing you’d expect is for him to still be able to smile, laugh, and extend his help to others, right? Meet Eliya Samson This is the exact kind of man that missionary...
Suddenly, I was wide awake. I stared at my bedroom clock. 1:30 AM. Again?! I had fallen asleep just two hours ago, and now I was wide awake. Was my body playing a cruel joke on me? I lay awake for hours, finally dozing off for a little bit before I had to get up at 6 am to get ready for work. As I dragged myself through my day, I desperately hoped that my struggle with insomnia would end soon...
Day one at my first internship had a rocky start. I was so excited and nervous I wasn’t thinking straight, and I fumbled over the elevator buttons to get to the second floor! After struggling for a while, a facilities worker who was in the elevator graciously pushed the correct button and got me to the second floor. Thankfully, the rest of my first day got better from there, and that internship...
rebelling against low expectations
