Economy taking a bite out of non-profits

As I am researching a wide variety of organizations, I typically take a glance at the annual reports. They usually have the same upbeat topics about how they have increased over the years, and how they are looking forward to an increase in the future. 

Although I admire the optimism that these companies have, I can't help but think how the downfall in the economy won't deeply effect how well off non-profit organizations are.

I noticed this first a few months ago. I am lucky enough to be a part of a trip that goes to Mexico to build houses each spring as I have previously blogged about. The trip usually costs around $1000, which gets you from Columbus, Ohio, to San Diego, California by flight, and then a week in Mexico and then back again. The price of the trip went up $300 dollars this year, and I could see a decrease in number of trip participants, partly for this reason. 

I guess what I along with other critics are worried about is that if the economy continues to dwindle that people will be less able to donate their excess money to charities, and the well being of many great non-profit organizations will go down. 

According to an article from the Non-Profit Times, "The declines were evident across almost all industry sectors, according to the study. Only animal welfare and international relief organizations tracked by the study reported revenue and donor growth."

After spending a good amount of time researching the variety of organizations and seeing the good that they've done, I hope that the economy replenishes, so that the organizations can keep their good work up, in hopes to change the world by the small steps that each organization is taking. 

"Service is the rent we pay for being.

It is the very purpose of life,
and not something you do in your spare time.
                        -Marion Wright Edelman"

A travelers movement

A big part of me has been writing this blog entry in my head since I first had to start a blog in January. I cannot express how happy it makes me when part of my homework is talking about something I truly love in life. When I first started thinking about Slice of Life, a book that I read came to mind. This book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim is much more than your average read. I know I have been talking about non-profit organizations, but in my mind this fits in perfectly.

Whenever I hear about a non-profit organization or other charities, there is always a certain feeling I get, and I've talked with others that know exactly what I'm talking about. After hearing about the good people are doing, there is an "Ahh Hah" moment, when everything seems to come to terms, and people start to ask "why didn't I think of that?"

These moments are all about what the movement of Step Back from the Baggage Claim possesses. Earlier this semester around Spring Break, I began writing about the book/movement for my school paper because it deals with life at the airport.

The book talks about the things that happen at the airport and how we can take the actions involved with flying and airports and inspire ourselves and others to exemplify these moments in everyday life.

Jason Barger, author of the book and movement spent 7 days in the airport watching and observing people and how they interact. The majority of travelers are usually moving at a very fast pace. From the time they are dropped off, the hassles begin. Stress getting the correct seat assignment, standing in the plethora of lines, and trying to pass through security. There are so many check points through the airport that cause a sense of panic before passengers even set foot on an actual aircraft.

The book talks about how everyone is always in a hurry. For example, when the "ding" sound goes off to signify that passengers can unbuckle their seat belt, individuals automatically stand up and rush to get their bags out of the overhead bins (that almost always shift during flight). All this rush when in the back of their minds, everyone knows that nobody is going anywhere until the plane has reached the gate. 

Finally, the most impactful part of the airport experience, and where the book gets it's title: the baggage claim. People will rush to get their spot at the baggage claim even when the luggage hasn't even reached the final destination. Passengers "box out" others in order to get their bag first. Barger suggests "stepping back" and when you see your bag, simply going up to get it. 

Sounds pretty simple. But it's not just the airport. The movement encourages readers to think about other areas in their lives where a step back moment is needed. Barger and other followers focus on the fact that change starts with little things in life, and that if we start to change the small interactions, then we can soon change our perspective, and our world. 

"Have faith, end hunger"

"An estimated 963 million people in the world go hungry."

"One in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger."

These facts could go on for days. The fact of the matter is, that a large chunk of our society and our world are living below the poverty level. These statistics are just mere numbers, what is perhaps more important to focus on, is what efforts are being done to change these statistics.

Bread for the World is one organization who is doing just this. Bread for the World is a Christian affiliated organization who has many volunteers who donate their time to write letters and meet with members of Congress and help educate people and advocate the organization. 

The organization recognizes that above religious affiliations and other needs, that curing hunger is the most important goal. They believe that everyone must do their part to make these changes. They believe that by starting with the government, their voices will be heard louder across communities everywhere. 

They also believe that this goal of ending hunger is feasible. "The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year." 

Although it may be a long shot, Bread for the World believes that by starting with education, that society as a whole can make a difference if we only "have faith, end hunger". 

National Parks Foundation

As I've been reading up on organizations I have heard of, or been a part of, I realized there was a ton of organizations out there that I have not been exposed to. My friend directed towards the National Parks Foundation, which I had never read into, and I found myself pleasantly surprised with the overall organization. 

The organization has been established for 40 years, and works as a private philanthropy whose goals are to improve, preserve, and protect America's National Parks. The goals of this organization are to connect society with the National Parks and increase private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships, and increasing public awareness.

I was enthralled reading about all of the great acts that a private philanthropy has accomplished for our environment. Some of the best include securing tens of thousands of acres of parklands for new parks and also existing parks, restoring the Washington Monument, and preserving African American History throughout the National Parks.

When I was first directed towards this organization, I imagined that it would be focused only on park operations and improvements. To my surprise (along with the surprise of many other people that research the organization), the National Parks Foundation protects the National Parks of the world while also helping many other aspects of the world. 

The National Parks Foundation had a successful year in 2008 with their net assets being at $9 million, and this can be seen across many attributes they have made to the environment and other walks of life. They hope to gain more support from donors and volunteers in the future. 

Jump Rope for Heart!

Recently, as i've been thinking about the different organizations over the years that i've been involved in, I could think back to elementary school and think about the first charitable organization that I was a part of-Jump Rope for Heart.

Jump Rope for Heart is part of the American Heart Association, and is a national education program which encourages elementary students world-wide to jump rope  in to help funding for research for heart and stroke related diseases. 

Students that participate in the program receive pledges from friends and family based on how long they can jump rope, these proceeds then go to the National Heart Association. 

This organization has been proven affected for multiple reasons. It obviously helps raise awareness and donations for a great cause, but at the same time promotes the well-being and healthy lifestyles for elementary students to live by. 

Jump Rope for Heart is currently celebrating it's 30th Anniversary, and has raised over $702 million since it started in 1978. Jump Rope for Heart is looking forward to another successful 30 years, and even more money, and is always looking for new volunteers and donors to promote their cause. 

" Millions of students have jumped rope and learned about heart health and how nutrition and physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke."

Reduse, Reuse & Recycle!

It's become almost trendy, the new cool hip thing to do.

Besides the newest fashions, or the hot new apple product being a hot topic of discussion, more and more people are becoming concerned about the environment-and I like it!  Come to think of it, conserving our resources and recycling materials have not only become a part of daily life, but have become more and more advertised through our culture.

Just yesterday I was shopping at Old Navy with a good friend of mine, and saw a very funny shirt to promote recycling, and to be honest with you, I contemplated purchasing it. Recycling and conserving the use of materials has become more popular, partly attributed to the National Recycling Coalition (NRC's).

The NRC has a strategic plan  the contains five goals to promote their organization, and recycling in general. It consists of the the following goals: the be recognized as the leading national voice on recycling, to serve as a catalyst for constructive dialogue on sustainable raw material management, to advance member's understanding of current and emerging recycling issues, to foster new and innovative recycling solutions through strategic partnerships. and to ensure the NRC's organizational health and viability. 

So although recycling may sporadically appear through clothing stores and pop culture, there are organizational like the NCR that focus their whole business practice to helping the environment. 

the NRC is a great resource for those looking to get more involved, or for more information on efforts to increase recycling and improve the environment already established in communities world wide. 

PETA

It was no surprise for me to find out that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was the largest animal rights group in the world. PETA has over 2 million members world-wide, and are well known by their slogan, "animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment".

Unlike most other non-profit organizations, PETA is very well-known for their variety of protests they partake in.  PETA also tries to spread their message through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, special events, and celebrity involvements. 

PETA began in 1981 and began with discovering a case trying to protect monkey's in hopes to stop or decrease animal testing in laboratories. 

PETA has expanded it's ways of advertising and spreading the word about their cause and now advertise through many media forms such as billboards, print ads, radio/TV advertising, and web banners. 

This company appeals to viewers sense of altruism, and concern for others. PETA has conducted more than 300 investigations based on exposing and stopping animal abuse and cruelty. 

Although PETA has many supporters, and then also haters, they are keeping their heads held high for the future: "But no matter what, we simply don’t give up—a compassionate world for animals is worth fighting for."

Make a Wish

In 1983 Nigel Brown and Robb Lucy created the well known organization, the "Make-A-Wish Foundation". Their goals and visions can be seen in their mission statement:" We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy." 

Make-A-Wish changes lives of children with serious medical problems, mostly cancer or other terminal disease, by granting them wishes. This happens in a four step process.

The first step is referral, this is when a patient is recommended by a doctor or family member that to ensure that their need is legitimate. The second step is medical eligibility.  "To receive a wish, the child must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition – i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed the child’s life in jeopardy." 

The third step is finding the true wish, this is where the volunteers and donors of the Make a Wish foundation connect with the children to explore what will delight and inspire them the most.

The fourth step is simple- creating joy. This is where the actual wish comes true and a children's live is transformed. The wishes come in a wide variety, but have the same theme. All wishes show the children that their lives are important, and that anything is possible. 

Over the years, the foundation has grown and has granted many wishes for patients of all ages and conditions. The company hopes to expand and grow over the years and change the lives of more children to come. 

MADD

We've heard the slogans since elementary school, we see the signs, we know it's dangers, we are constantly reminded of the horrors associated with drunk driving through various media day in and day out. One organization that has exemplified this and taken it to the next level is "Mothers Against Drunk Driving" (MADD).

MADD was created in September of 1980 in order to aid the victims of crimes of driving under the influence, and support families that have been struck with such tragedies. 

"The mission of MADD is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking."

When the organization was founded, it started as just a grieving mother who was determined to inspire volunteers to also fight against drunk driving, but it has evolved into an effective organization that has helped to save the lives on many.  MADD focuses on educating and advocating the effects of drunk driving in hopes to save more lives in the years to come.  

To Write Love on Her Arms

Along with non-profit organizations, there are also many non-profit movements. One that I have found extremely interesting is the movement, To Write Love on Her Arms. 

"To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery."

The movement started in 2006 as simply a way for people to tell their stories, and for stories to be heard. "The story and the life it represented were both things of contrast – pain and hope, addiction and sobriety, regret and the possibility of freedom. "

The movement is simply about loving one another, and learning to love yourself. People involved in the movement are those who need help, have received help, and those who help. The vision focuses on the fact that we live in a broken and difficult world, and that people need to form communities with each other. 

"The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead. The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know. The vision is hope, and hope is real. 

You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story."

Love Without Borders

Not to provide excuses for myself, but part of the reason for my long delay in entries lies in a mission trip that I was just extremely lucky to be a part of. Which leads me to my first organization which I love very much-Amor Ministries.

Amor Ministries was founded over 30 years ago by only two people. Gayla Cooper and Scott Congdon who were merely strangers who traveled to the same orphanage in Tecate, Mexico and fell in  love with helping the children, the environment at the orphanage, and each other. They were soon married and founded Amor Ministries. 

If you have any recollection of the Spanish language you will know that the name of their company is directly related to their mission and foundation: Love. This is what their organization provides day in and day out-unconditional love for one another, and the strangers that the employees and volunteers meet. Amor gathers and supports groups of volunteers from all over the United States, and leads them into Tecate and Tijuana, Mexico to build houses for families whose living conditions are less than adequate.

During this week in Mexico, trip participants are pushed to their limits and surpass their personal boundaries as they live simply in tents, without their luxuries they experience at home. They sleep on the cold ground, they mix concrete, they saw wood, they use bathrooms they never thought even existed and learn about their friends, their faith, and themselves. 

The house may be simple, and might hold some imperfections, but what happens through Amor Ministries in the span of 5 days is incredible. Going into the week participants know that by putting all of their hard work and their whole hearts into this house that they are changing the lives of the deserving families. After a concrete slab, simple walls, a sturdy roof, and two

 windows are built the tables seem to turn. At the end of the week, the door is installed, and as keys are handed over and tears roll down faces, most trip takers will agree that their lives have been changed forever. 

A new perspective is put into place when individuals learn that their hard work and faith has just saved someones live, and the magic of love is something that is not something the Mexican families needed, but everyone on the trip has received. At the end of the week, a house has become a home, a door of opportunity to a loving family has been opened. 

Amor Ministries has changed the lives of many, and has hope for the future of more volunteers who want to implement the same feelings of love and hope to families forever.

For more information please visit Amor Ministries for testimonies, photographs, and more history. 

   

Delayed.

I am seriously horrible at updating this blog. I think every time I have the urge to write it has nothing to do with blog related entries and I end up writing them elsewhere. Also, this is the problem with not having and dead set interests to focus my blog around. I've been cultivating ideas in my head about what I want to write about that happen to relate with what my original intentions of this blog were.

A Slice of Life is literally defined as "an episode of actual experience represented realistically and with little alteration in a dramatic, fictional, or journalistic work."  To be honest, I've always used the saying in other ways. I see slices of life as events in my life that I happen in short instances that I can't get out of my mind and that I root down and find some sort of deeper meaning. 

My so called splices of life where what as a young child made me want to think I wanted to be a writer, things happening and I over analyzing them and finding a true meaning. I guess when I was told I needed to pick a topic I thought this would be good for me, things that happen, like random acts of kindness that I see happening and acts that people contribute to that can change a persons entire perspective on a day. 

I am realizing that these things only make sense to me, and that the problem with my writing is that I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing. I am critiqued for writing too diary like which I understand. Which also reminds me how much I hate the word diary. I just want to say that I find it hard to truly write from my heart (which is why I love writing in the first place) when I try not to relate to my own life or put my spin on it. Which will also explain how this semester I have realized that journalism is not for me. If I still love writing after this semester and after my journalism minors are officially dropped, I will still write on my own terms.

I know that this won't even count as a required entry, but what I really wanted to get across with this is my idea for the remainder of the blog-which come to think of it should have been my focus from the beginning. I want to talk about non-profit organizations and other organizations and charities that focus on helping others. A slice of life that not only spins the perspective on a persons day, but changes their entire world. 

I plan on finding some organizations (some that I know, some that are new to me) and talking about them, so if anyone out there (my 2 readers minus my professor who has to read this) have an suggestions, please let me know! 

Top Ten, Part Five

I'm sure the final two ways to stop wasting time isn't coming as a shock...

2. Organize!

Take the time to put away something after you use it. I am HORRIBLE at this. Since my mom isn't around to yell at me to clean my room it sometimes looks like a volcano has erupted. Being in a messy environment makes your day go by more and more stressful. You don't know where to find your stuff that you need, and at least for me I am distracted by all the things to look at in the mess. If you took a few minutes each day to clean up your surroundings, in the long run you will be able to focus better and waste less time not being productive.

AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO STOP WASTING TIME...

1. FACEBOOK!

I'm sure this came as no surprise to anyone. Facebook is sucking up so much time of people's days, especially college students. I guerantee while reading this someone has another window open to Facebook, or just visited the site, or plan to after reading. I for one just wasted a pointless 10 minutes that i'll never be able to get back just looking at different things on Facebook. Students should try to limit their time spent on Facebook, or other sites much like it and save it for after they've done their homework. There will be more to look at after an elapsed time, and you will have more time to relax after getting all homework done! 

Top Ten, Part Four

3. Find Places to Study

In the small rooms that the majority of college students live in, there is certainly an issue regarding finding your own sense of personal space. After sitting in class in a desk all day, some students would rather be anywhere else but sitting in another desk chair. With this in mind, a lot of students resort to laying in their bed while trying to study. Although laying in bed is obviously extremely comfortable, research has been done to show that this makes students have trouble falling asleep when it's actually time to be in bed. This wastes more and more time everyday, which if students could find other places to study, their chances to fall asleep faster would be much higher. Some studies also say that it's just important to find somewhere comfortable to study. 

4. Learn to Say No

As students, we feel a sense of freedom and are pushing ourselves to the limit. Whether we are talking about outside influences or schoolwork, most students are always wanted to do their best. We join and extra club, say we'll help someone with their homework, we're constantly saying yes and trying to push past our potential. It might be beneficial to cut back on a few activities to leave more time for yourself and time to get your work done! 

Top Ten, Part 3

If any student is out there tracking this, and you did not spend time outside today, seriously, you need to go get a breath of the wonderful spring air that is among us! Other than that...

5. Pay Attention In Class

This may sound simple, but we are there for a reason. I am the first person to be constantly checking the clock, but it's just like waiting for water to boil, it will happen when you aren't looking. We are in class for a set number of hours a week, and if students would be able to pay better attention, they would waste less time out of class trying to understand what was being taught while they were doodling. There are also tips to help you stay attentive during class. Although this may seem like the simplest time to save time, every minute counts!

6. Eat Breakfast!

When you're younger, you're always told that breakfast is the most important part of the day, we listened to them then, and somehow as soon as we move onto college, it seems to be history for some students. Eating breakfast still has many benefits, especially for college students. It not only gets your metabolism started, but helps to wake you up and prepare you for the rest of the day. It has also been proven to help improve concentration, so by doing this step, it can help you in other areas! 

Top Ten, Part 2

7. Ask for Help when You need it

A lot of students, especially freshman, come to school thinking this is finally their break for independence and that they can do anything alone. Some students waste a lot of time looking at homework they think they understand because they are too stubborn to ask for help. That's why teachers and tutors are there! You'll save time by getting the answer quicker. Just remember, asking for help is smart not stupid. 

8. Plan in Advance 

Making lists and keeping a schedule helps many students stay on track. They will know when they need to do certain things, and if they plan in advance this can help with double-booking which leaves to more stressful situations. Also, making to-do lists is a good organizational skill to have which also might lead to good skills to have in a work-place environment.  Making lists isn't time consuming to say the least. I have found it effective to just add to a list if it's sitting next to my desk. If students get side-tracked while working on homework and remember something they have to do- it's right there at your fingertips! 

Top Ten, Part 1

I have been completely negligent to my lovely blog lately, first because I am having a hard time not talking about my own life in it, which apparently I'm not allowed to do, and finding more inspiration for things to write. While on spring break I am having a lot of free time that makes me wonder why college students are over-stressed and never seem to have time for anything. I've been thinking and researching on different tips and advice for time and life management for specifically college students on how to better our well-beings, so for the next few days I've decided to expand on this slice of life  on how we can make our day go by easier by a list of 10 ten best things to do. 

9. Monitor what TV your watching:

I am just as bad as anyone with having a set TV schedule on what television shows play on what nights. Sometimes having a show at 9 p.m. to look forward too is proven effective as motivation to get all homework done before so there's time to relax. But what about wasting the commercial time?    Commercials are often talked about that media deeply influences human, and on average by the age of 65 an average person has seen 2 million commercials.  At 30 seconds a pop, that's around 2 years of your life spent watching commercials verses getting other things done. If college students know what time their favorite shows are on, and they pre-recorded it to fast forward commercials they would save about 20 minutes on an hour long show and 10 minutes on a half-hour show that they could use getting other things done and not pointlessly waiting. 

10. Take a Breath of Fresh Air- Most college students spend most of their time cooped up into a tiny dorm room, or in stuffy class rooms and only spend the time coming and going from class, dinner, etc outside. Now that it's getting warmer there's no excuse for not being able to go outside for an extra few minutes each day to cleanse their minds. A few minutes to relax and feel a breeze could be a lot more effective than a 15 minute nap-and it'll wake you up too! 

The Not Good Enough Samaritan

I was taking a break for studying for midterms today while I ran across an interesting article. I passed up the 1.5 million year old human footprint news story to Injured Good Samaritan Ticketed for Jaywalking . 

I read the story about the 58 year old bus driver named Jim Moffett who along with the assistance of another passenger left his bus to help two elderly women cross the street. A pick up truck speed up and before it hit him, Moffett pushed the two elderly women to safety-saving their lives.

When Moffett woke up in a hotel room, he had awoken to the bad news that he suffered from bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. If this wasn't bad enough, he had received a ticket for jawalking.

Apparently his samaritan deed was not good enough for some people. 

"Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest Difference."

After reading about Wal-Marts random acts of kindness I thought all week about the other acts of kindness that I have encountered through my life. I would like to know other stories if anyone has any to offer.

 I thought about the movie Pay it Forward and how it spread the idea that if you do 3 nice things for 3 strangers and ask them to not pay it back to you, but instead pay it forward, can we start to change the world? When this movie came out in 2000, the thought of paying it forward resonated in the minds of many.

 A few years later I experienced my own "pay it forward" moment while on vacation with my family. We we're driving to South Carolina, and passing through Virginia at the time. The toll booths we passed through were becoming pretty routine, especially because we pass through these same ones every summer. My dad is always driving, and my mom is in charge of getting the $1.25 ready to pass off to the collector. 

After waiting in line for a few minutes, we pulled up to the window only to find that the car in front of us had already paid. Baffled my dad asked the woman to repeat herself, and we drove off with all of our jaws dropped to the ground. We speed up to take a look at the silver sedan that had been in front of us, and the man driving looked over and just smiled. We had never seen this man before in our lives.

Although I knew we would never see this man every again, we knew that by his small gift of $1.25, he had made our day. When we pulled up to the next booth, my mom handed my dad $2.50, and told the lady that we were indeed paying for the next car.

I know this is a lot smaller than the Wal-Mart gift, but it's not the price that matters, it's the idea. I would like to hear other stories like this and blog about them for awhile. They seem to be important slices of life. Thinking about the man who paid our toll brings a smile to my face years later. Thinking about the movie Pay it Forward makes me think that we should bring this idea back a little by the small things we can do, and not expect anything back.

"Is it possible,

For one idea,

To change the world"

-Pay it Forward 

An Anonymous Stranger

For one of my communication classes, we have been studying Wal-Mart. We recently watched the video, "Is Wal-Mart Good for America". After watching this, we have been researching different things that happen behind closed doors of the well known store.

Among finding all the articles regarding using third world Country sweat shops to keep their production low, and all the controversy that Wal-Mart is facing, I found something that was much more up my alley.

I am constantly touched by stories I find about Random Acts of Kindness. In the negative talk about Wal-Mart, I was extremely happy to find this video and article about an act that happened in the Searcy, Arkansas Wal-Mart to a women named Mary Wadley. 

She tells her story about how she was having trouble making ends meet, and one day, when the final item was swiped leaving her bill to $139 dollars, the cashier informed her that the man before her had already paid for her groceries.

Wadley remembers the man smiling at her before leaving, and after she found out what he had done, looked for him as he headed towards to door, and he never looked back. She calls this anonymous stranger her angel, and is keeping her receipt for hope of the future of getting back on her feet.

A Package Deal

After thinking about Little Sibs Weekend, I couldn't stop thinking about how different Children see the world than we do. The little girls I babysit were on my mind the entire weekend. It's true that "Kid's say the darndest things." They only believe in the things they see and match together. I usually babysit with one of my friends Hil, we joke that we come as a package deal. On Hilary's birthday, Allie(6) and Emily (4) called her to sing her a happy birthday. As soon as they were done singing they asked her "where's Kenz???". They couldn't even connect the fact that we wouldn't be together all the time. I wonder if that was one of the things we would never grow out of, the idea that we only believe in what we see. Kid's are the greatest about believe in make believe things, but if it's something that makes sense to adults(much like two teenage babysitters not always being together), Kid's sometimes just don't get it.

I read an article about the less sophisticated things children connect and what we grow out of. I can't even keep track of the things on the list that kids argue from seeing verses believing.  When we're little, we believe in the little things, in the tooth fairy, that we can fly, that we can make pretend to be just about anything. My favorite thing that children think is that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. As we grow older we grow out of some of these believes, and start to believe in other nominal things that we can't see, muc

h like love. I can't stop thinking about when the cross over from seeing and believing, the tooth fairy to true love, and children to adult. 

Sometimes, I'd like to think we all find a little childish side that never left, even the stuff we can't explain. Like the last time Hilary went to babysit, while I was at school.

Emily: Hi Hil, mom, when is Kenz coming?

Mom: Oh she's at school honey, she's not coming tonight.

Emily: But...it's dark out...? 

Things like this make me wish everyday was my fifth birthday.

Little Sib's Weekend

I was fortunate enough to participate in Little Sibs Weekend at my school this weekend. I am the youngest of 4 kids, but thankfully, my friend Jenn had her two little sisters, Kayla 17, and Erin 6 come for the weekend. Kayla fit right in with college life, she had been there a few times before to visit, and will be going off to college next year. I was surprised to find how un-fit college life is for children. 

I'm not sure about anyone else, but this weekend was extremely tiring for a few of my friends. Jenn was trying to give her parents a little break, especially since it was Valentines Day, and took the girls off her hands at least for one night. It was Erin's first night from home. All weekend while I was watching Erin interact I couldn't even keep track off all the things that are beautiful about little children.

Innocent, they have no idea when they are doing something in harms way, or even the wrong thing. For the most part, they do what they are told. As we grow up it becomes harder and harder to do what are parents tell us is the right thing, we're always fighting against the norm. Children don't know the difference.

I thought about this all weekend and found this article about children's innocence eroding away over time. This made me think of all the things Erin was exposed to  that go on in college that probably eroded a few shreads of her innocence away. While her sister was upset about losing $20, and throwing around words she normally doesn't have to filter out of her vocabulary while she's at school Erin just giggled, and showed her innocence by her line, "Jenn, I know how to spell and I know what the F word stands for". 

Pressure

  Earlier this week, I was watching one of my favorite shows, Grey's Anatomy.  There is a woman named Dr. Dixon on the show, who has Asperger's Syndrome. A mother of a patient feels relieved when finding out her daughter will live, and goes to give this doctor a hug. The audience of the show realizes that Dr. Dixon does not like it when she is touched, but obviously this character did not. After she is hugged she swarms out of the room. When another doctor goes and finds her, I thought the cure to this was ironic. In this scene we find out that the cure for this hug, is "constant deep tight pressure across large areas of her body" in laymen's terms...a hug.

I read up on this a little bit, and found a lot of information about how as humans we need the touch of other humans to survive, and most of the time this comes in the form of hugs. I read an article about a woman hugged more than 8,000 people in one day. The called her the "hugging saint". I thought about all the people in my life that know when I need a hug that can brighten my day. Constant deep tight pressure-whether were having a bad day and need cheered up, whether we haven't seen a friend in a long time, or if we're saying goodbye, or we're consoling someone, or even if it's just hello, I guess I never really realized how important and ironic hugging can be.

Just a thought. 

Never Satisfied

As another Super Bowl comes to a end, fans everywhere are celebrating and mourning the outcome of Sunday nights game. Personally, I didn't even watch the football game, not even for the commercials, I did however catch Jennifer Hudson starting the night off with the National Anthem. 

Today, turning on my computer I imagined I would see articles and commentary on the plays of the game, or whether or not the referees were fair. However, I didn't imagine that I would find criticism of Jennifer Hudson lip-syncing the National Anthem. I was surprised to find that shows producer Ricky Minor was the one who actually made her pre-record the song. This was Hudson's first public appearance since the tragic deaths of her mother, brother, and nephew in October. With this in mind, and the fact that she was performing for the most watched television program of the year-who wouldn't be nervous?

I'm not going to sit here and argue my point on the fact that it doesn't really matter if it was pre-recorded or not, that it still sounded good, but what I can't help but wonder is why anyone cares?

After the Janet Jackson scandal the media went nuts, very understandable. Something went wrong and it was questionable whether the celebrities intended to hurt the audience or just gain publicity. I admit I was completely interested in hearing about the controversies on the wardrobe malfunction. 

I can't help but think about how wrapped up our entire society is getting on criticising and putting down people and situations for no reason. What will it take for us to be satisfied? We're filled with enough drama in daily life, and them jammed pack with celebrity gossip and talk of controversy. What's wrong with just the truth anymore?

I know this topic is a little much to get into, but for now, I for one plan on just enjoying Jennifer Hudson's version of the National Anthem. Whether she pre-recorded it or not, at least she kept it rated G, and that's more than Jackson can say.  I for one, am satisfied in supported Hudson for getting herself back out there, and wish other would feel the same way. The Steelers might have beat the Cardinals, but it looks like critiques have one up on Hudson for today. 

The Greatest Gift

I was checking my mail this morning and a story on Yahoo caught my eye. Whenever I'm thinking about or talking with someone about the little things in life that amaze people someone the idea of gift giving always seems to come up. Especially around the holiday season people get wrapped up into the hot new toys and sales of the century that they lose sight on what the holiday is really about. The same could be said about birthdays- sometimes people get wrapped up into the presents people will give them that they forget what really matters. Thankfully there are slices of life that happen to some people to realize that there are some gifts you would never want to return. A 6 year old boy from Nevada had the most amazing birthday gift ever.  I hope that we all remember some of the gifts we've received in our lives we could never life without, just like this little boy did. 

Stop and Smell the Flowers

I've been thinking a lot about the different slices of life that have caught my attention throughout my lifetime, and ones that I am continuously fascinated by time and time again are the stories I hear about people stopping to smell the flowers. I cannot even count the number of times in my life where I have been in such a rush that I forget the things going on around me. I've also had many moments in my life where I've learned to put the hurry aside and stop to soak in my surroundings.

I came across a video that a friend of mine had posted a link to on facebook a few weeks ago that I haven't been able to get out of my head since I first saw it. I urge you

 all to- stop and hear the music. I realize that stopping to smell the flowers is a figure of speech, but when I saw this video I put a new perspective on things. It's understandable to not put aside your daily hurries all the time for things out of the ordinary, but my heart goes out to violinist Joshua Bell. If people can't even turn their heads to look at where beautiful extraordinary music is coming from, what is it really going to take us to stop from living in such a fast paced society?

I hope that there are times in my life that no matter what I'm doing, that some days, I can simply put my rush aside and find that if we stop for just a moment, we might find the most beautiful things have been right there all along. 

Spur of the Moment

Another Friday afternoon and I was again relieved to be done with classes. I was sitting in my room talking to my roommate about how long our to-do lists were and how low our will to cross a few of these things off were. If there are two things you should know about my roommate and I, it would be that we are constantly rearranging our room, and we tend to act on impulse on a regular basis. I was talking to my sister and she asked if we wanted to buy a futon. Obviously this caught our attention. We got the price down to $50, but the only problem was we needed to go get it tonight, in Columbus, and it was already 6 o'clock. We looked around our cramped dorm room and realized that there was probably no room to fit another pair of shoes, let alone a futon. This obviously didn't seem to matter, we couldn't pass up this great of a deal. 

So first we had to drive from Marietta to Newcomerstown, over an hour away to pick up my roommate's Dad's truck. Then onto Columbus to pick up this futon. We finally get there and need about two and a half more inches in the bed of the truck to fit this futon in. We didn't let this stop us and continued to try to twist and turn this futon until it was finally resting securely. We used a plethora of bungee cords and ropes to strap it down and hope that it wouldn't move. We stopped at my house in Columbus to say hi to my parents, and despite what the smart thing would have been to do, got back into the car to come back to Marietta. I stared at the bed of the truck probably half of the time it took to get back to school to make sure we weren't losing the futon. I remember looking at my roommate, who knows I am usually paranoid and asking her that if this futon flew off this truck and crashed through someones windshield if we would go to jail for Man Slaughter. 

Finally, we arrived at school safely  at 2 o'clock in the morning. We somehow perfectly fit the futon through 3 sets of doors, and then had to rearrange our rooms and re-bunk them so that our futon would fit. We were exhausted, but as soon as our heads hit our pillows it didn't even cross our minds. The next morning her parents came to Marietta to take the truck back. They took us out to lunch at a local restaurant, although we were extremely tired, we were enjoying ourselves. I was looking around and noticed that all the employees were wearing black t-shirts with different quotes on the back. I looked at two of the different servers whose backs were facing me. The first one read "Go the extra mile, it's never crowded", and the second "You never know when you're making memories".

I smiled looking at the back of the shirts and thought to myself that despite the crazy ideas that are constantly popping in my head, and although we probably weren't the two most logical human beings on Friday night, that those are the kinds of things that I'll always remember. That maybe sometimes if people stopped following such a tight routine that I know myself are guilty of, that some of the best things can come of it. 

Where'd All the Good People Go?

I'll have to admit, a week ago when I was told i would have to start and uphold a blog for one of my classes, I was nervous. I'm nervous a lot you could say, but this made my anxiety sky rocket. I sat in a classroom filled with people who knew exactly what they wanted to write about the minute we received the assignment description, and there was me, frozen. I love writing, don't get me wrong; when I was younger that's what I wanted to be when I grew up. My dreams have since then changed, and I didn't know what I could write about to keep people interested, and how comfortable I felt putting my own thoughts and ideas out onto the web.

All week long I continued to think of the random things that interest me that I could blog about. I was walking back to my dorm after successfully completing my first week of classes and listening to my iPod like I normally do. I was relived to be done, even if it only was for a weekend. The first week always drags on, everyone is focused on getting where they need to be without thinking about anyone else. I had my fair share of busy bodies, classroom guidelines, and more syllabi than a girl ever needs in her life. I looked up from my usual stare at my feet to see a girl staring at the map of my campus. She looked at me, and I took my headphones off.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to ask you, but are you a student here?" She asked me, in the nicest voice I had heard in a while. I told her I was, and she pointed to the Fine Arts Center and asked if it was the Science building. I told her it wasn't and showed her the fastest way to get to where she need to be. With the biggest smile on her face, she put her hand on my shoulder and thanked me. She explained that she has a job interview, and if it wasn't for me, she would have gotten lost, and couldn't thank me enough. I told her it was really not a problem, and wished her the best of luck.

I walked away and couldn't help but smile myself over the niceness this stranger had just shown me. I genuinely hoped she would get the job based on the thirty-second conversation I had with her. I might have helped her get to her interview, but in that moment she reassured me that some people really are truly kind, and lately our world has been missing a lot of that. I put my headphones back on to hear a song I hadn't heard in a while.

"How many train wrecks do we need to see, before we lose touch of, we thought this was low, it's bad getting worse, so where'd all the good people go?"

I was listening to "Good People" by Jack Johnson. I realized that there are little slices of life that we all have that are there to get us through some days. I then decided this is exactly what I could spend my time writing about for my blog, and other than that, my whole life talking about. The random acts of kindness, and small things that happen during the largest scheme of our daily routines that bring smiles to our faces. And so begins, my slice of life.