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Dear High School Girl
Dear High School Girl: Every morning, I crawl my way through the turbulence in the halls, swimming through an intoxicating mixture of Dollar Store body sprays and hormonal odors, dodging students jostling with friends or infatuated with phone screens. And, every morning, I catch sight of you . . . well, you AND him, as I approach the classroom. Yeah, I admit, I have to swallow down the gag reflex while the two of you make out and run hands all over each other. The way you look at him, twirling a stray curl from his cheek in one of your fingers, I know that nothing else matters in…
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The Devastation of Isolation
In the 1980s, the state of many Romanian orphanages–housing over 170,000 children–was exposed to the world with heartbreaking details of the horrors of neglect and isolation. Communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, encouraged Romanians to increase the population in order to boost the economy. But the plan backfired as food and supplies needed for this increasing population were used, instead, to pay off the national debt. Desolate families turned their children over to state-run institutions where they were caged in cribs, locked in dark rooms, and cut off from nurturing or social interaction. Ceausescu was deposed and executed in 1989. But the damage had been done. The world got its first real…
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“Are You Even Listening?” (Being Present vs. Being Distracted)
I stared straight into my husband’s eyes while he shared about his frustrating work day. I nodded and I’m pretty sure my expression was properly fixed in “sympathy mode”. But, I wasn’t hearing a word he was saying – I wasn’t present at that moment. Predictably…he noticed. Sighing, he asked, “You don’t really care about this, do you?” I was stricken (and feeling incredibly guilty). My mind had been somewhere else – exploring mental galaxies outside of the one that I should have been sharing with my husband. This happens often, unfortunately. I know I’m not alone in this. In the chaotic, fast-paced life we lead, we are constantly in a…
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The Invincibility of Our Youth
I’m an adviser for our middle school yearbook this year. Naturally, I dragged out my old (I’m talking 1987 – old!) high school yearbook for ideas. You know how you were supposed to be in bed an hour ago and convince yourself that you just want to check your Instagram feed real quick before turning the lights out? Somehow, you end up doing a Google search on conspiracy theories and browsing Pinterest for potluck recipes? Two hours later… That was me with my yearbook propped on my lap that night before bed. I reminisced over old homecoming rally photos and cringed at all the ‘80s hairstyles. I was curious about…