Love is liking people

Wednesday in sociology class we were talking about (brace yourselves) society.

We were talking about Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his I Have a Dream speech, and what he might say about the world today.  He fought for equal rights for all people, because why should we judge people as lesser than us because their skin is a different color?

People tear each other apart everyday.  People treat others badly just for the fun of it.  I recall this one day I was walking along side of a relatively busy road, heading to Walgreens.  A car drove by, and the person in the passenger's seat shouted something and then intentionally flicked their cigarette butt at me.  It didn't hit me; it landed a few feet in front of me... but why?  Why would it bring them pleasure to throw a burning cigarette at a complete stranger?  Why would it even cross their minds?

Another time, I was turning onto a neighborhood street in my car, windows down.  As I turned, I noticed a girl about my age sitting on the sidewalk right at the corner.  I smiled at her as I turned, and she responded by saying, "What are you looking at, bitch?"

She called me a bitch because I smiled at her?  What reason on earth could she have for insulting a perfect stranger, who was smiling at her no less?

I am under no illusion that I am innocent of behaving this way.  I know that when people in the car behind me who zoom around to get in front of me, it's not because they're personally terrible people.  That doesn't stop me from being annoyed with them and insulting them under my breath.  But why should I feel that way?  I've done that before.  It doesn't mean that I'm a terrible person (I hope).  Why should the perfect stranger (in the car that is now in front of me) any different?

My sociology teacher said it, as simple as it is true: We are all the same.  We're not like dogs and cats, completely different species.  We are all. the. same.  Cut us open, and you'll see we all have a heart and lungs.  We all look the same from the inside.  We are all composed of good and bad experiences, hopes and failures, blood and tissue.

Why do we want to hurt each other?  We are all the same.

This entire post was inspired by this quote from a Peanuts book.

I'm no good at conclusions, but I think that says it all.

S-Day

Tomorrow is a School Day.  Tomorrow marks the beginning of my third year at a community college.  

This was not in my plan.  My plan went more like: two years of community college --> Associates Degree --> Two years at a university --> Bachelor's degree --> 2+ years at Grad school --> Master's degree in Speech Pathology --> job --> Marriage/children/live on a horse farm in Italy/&c. 

It's disappointing not to have it go exactly as I wanted it to go, but I do understand that I'm not the one drawing the master plan.  I don't know where every path in my life leads, but I trust that, if I let him, God will guide me down the right one.  I believe 100% that God holds the bigger picture, and I need to surrender any notion I have of being in control and let my burden rest in Him.  

So far, that path is the one that still includes community college and living at home.  In some ways, however, this is still a blessing.  Still living at home means I get to be with my family & pets.  I always have access to a car.  And I  will get to stay at my wonderful job for another whole year.  In this case, the blessings far outweigh the disappointments.

I have had plenty of blessings in this last week before school starts again.

I got to reconnect with my pen pal of 9+ years :)

Spend time with my favorite people

I've been taking a lot of pictures of details, because I always want to remember the little things.

Like how neat the fan looked, reflected in my e-reader

Or how spectacular the sunset was that night (we'll stay mum on the fact that this was taken in a Culver's drive-thru)

Or how sweet my kitty was that day.

I went to see the Arlington Million at Arlington Park, for the 9th year in a row

I spent time at the pool with my favorite people

& celebrated half-birthdays and last-days-before-school with Thai food and cookie sundaes.

Here's to another great school year!  (Blerg)

Adesso

So far, in year 20 of my life, I have been a) working more.  b) Going to school more.  c) Fretting about money more.  

Seems about right.

I've had to make some difficult and unpleasant decisions regarding school, but I've been praying about it, and I feel at peace.  


Other than that, my life has just been working, volunteering, studying.  Here are some out of order Instagram pictures to tell my life story.

 

 

1. Wicked sunset. 2. Lunch with my cute sister. 3. My little friend. 4. Coffee at the Midwest Horse Fair. 5. I turned 20. It was weird. 6. Lunch at Greenfire for my bee day.

7. My sister was my +1 to a party <3. 8. I bought baby Pride & Prejudice... for myself. 9. Pretty Magnolia tree + photo editing app. 10. One of my favorite quotes from Lord of the Rings. 11 & 12. I took a quick trip to California to see a school.

13. LAX!  14. Got up at 4 AM for the darn flight. There's a 4 AM?  15. At least Boy Meets World played on the plane!  16. This Mexican restaurant was the bomb... you know, until it made me throw up FOUR TIMES periodically through the night, thus making me too ill to go to Disneyland the following day.  17. Magnolias... I never take enough pictures of them.  18. I got a pretty blue pedicure for my birthday.

19. Birthday card + presents from my sister, because she gets me.  20. I try to get him to play games with the Swiffer, but all he wants to do is clean.  21. Our local theatre performed Les Misérables, and it was magnifique. (Especially the 2nd time).  22. Abandoned houses make me sad.  23. Independence day!  24. Pretty town before fireworks.

25-30. I've missed Italy so much lately.  Probably related to the fact that the 1 year anniversary since I lived there came and went in July.

31. Being a Bears fan doesn't exactly endear me to Wisconsin, but I LOVE La Crosse, WI.  32. My BFFs & me at a wedding.  33. My happy cork board.  34. Pretty painting by my talented BFF.  35. Poster of a John Green quote via DFTBA records.  36. The Valentine I sent my sister.

37. (Kiddie) cocktail hour.  38. My cousin's wedding!  39.  ... yet another wedding, this time with my Br. brother!  40. I found a most interesting license plate in Wisconsin... #soulmate?  41. I farm-sat several times this summer.  42. Somedays, I need a reminder that I don't have to do what everyone else is doing.

43. With my bestie at a wedding.  44. I got my hair cut.  Good news, people: I still look 16 years old.

//end transmission