As an educator to young children, I hear girls toss around hurtful words and insults without a second thought. I'll often shake my head in disbelief and think, how in the world can those cruel words come from a child? I even find myself saying aloud, There was a time when kids weren't this cruel to one another. But, I know that's not true. You see, I've been on the receiving end of a mean girls fury. I can tell you exactly what it feels like to be chosen last, to be bigger than all of my friends, to be a day late on the current trends, to try out for something and fail. I'm here to tell you that in the mid-90s when I was in elementary and middle school those words were just as … [Read more...]
the pursuit of beauty within the ordinary
When I hear the word beautiful, I immediately think of glossy covers of magazines. Pages upon pages of flawless celebrities or impeccable home design or designer handbags. Flawless skin and tresses that can only be achieved in a stylists' chair. The simple truth is we live in a society that is constantly chasing a photoshopped picture of perfection that we have coined as beautiful, and I understand, completely. There is something incredibly empowering about designer clothes, freshly curled hair and make-up applied with precision. But, I can’t help but think we are getting it all wrong. The dictionary defines beauty as having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to … [Read more...]
writing and purpose: assessing this role
I was in middle school when I realized that writing had a true place in my heart. Bitter about a circumstance, too young to fully grasp the reality and too angry to see past the situation. I remember my mother telling me to write a letter to the person. Tell them everything, how you're feeling, that your angry, tell them why. But, she said, you won't ever actually send it, it's just for you. I didn't give it a second thought, I went to my room and I wrote and wrote and wrote. I wrote with reckless abandon, I knew my mother had said I wouldn't actually send this, but in my heart I believed I would. I imagined the person opening the letter and reading my thoughts, my heart … [Read more...]