The Curse of Abandoned Blog Syndrome

It's often inevitable -- life catapults us into chaos and busyness, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Unfortunately, might also result in the abandonment of the smaller things that occupy our time. In my case, my wonderful blog has been one of the unfortunate fallen victim to the dreadful curse.

With summer approaching August already, look out for my "Summer Set" post within the next day or two! I'll have my personal selection of books, music, movies and more for you to incorporate into your last few weeks of relaxation. Who knows? Maybe you'll find that perfect read or Netflix binge that you've been looking for!

Besides that, be on the lookout for some of my ramblings. Things are crazy in the world right now (thus the necessity to bold, underline, and italicize that word), and I think that's time for me to vice my opinion on this platform. Until next time!

Breathing When You're Busy

My schedule while I'm in school makes each day a whirlwind of responsibilities. In between classes, work, extracurricular activities and general housekeeping duties, finding a break in the day for myself is a nearly impossible task.

Instead of sleeping in for an extra hour or two each day (as tempting as it sounds some mornings), I have been finding that early mornings are the only times that I am genuinely able to find time for myself right now.

The first vibrant rays of sunlight that break through my tiny dorm room window clash with the steam rising from my bold mug(s) of coffee. I soak up and breathe in every second of these sweet few hours, because I am aware of the chaos that will ensue in my life in the rest of the day to come.

If any of you have followed along with my rambling and can relate to any tidbit of this, keep reading.

I'm notorious for stressing out about most things, as much as I deny it. I tend to worry, plain and simple. So, what do I do to detox my frustrations and anxiety before my busy days?

One word: meditation.

I learned more about meditation a few months ago, but had never really applied it to my routine until lately. Structured breathing can work wonders for the mind and for the soul. I was once a skeptic at how helpful it would actually be for me, but now I swear by it . . . funny how life works that way.

As soon as I get out of bed in the morning, I draw in deep breaths and smoothly exhale them for a few minutes. If I have time, I throw in some yoga as well.

Before I lose myself in raving about my newfound routine any longer, let me just leave you all with one thing. If you found nothing useful from my thoughts in this post, just remember these two words if you find yourself panicking or stressed . . .

Just breathe.

Actuality vs. Quality

Construing reality into our own fantasy
leaves us craving something
that is never actually there to begin with.

Living our lives, we endure what may cross our paths
and take what we desire,
disposing of the bits and pieces that we can live without.

Trouble is, by throwing away what we do not want
we are left with next to nothing.

Living a minimalistic lifestyle
reveals what is necessary.

Eventually, the line that once defined what was real from imagination vanishes,
leaving us to our own devices.

Accepting Women in the Media

Discrimination is a prevalent force, whether we want to accept it or not. Racism, genderism and sexism are just a few that top the list in today's day and age. As a female journalist, one of the biggest challenges that I see today is the acceptance of women in the media.

Equality in general has been tested over the years, but equality for women has been one of the major issues. A constant fight that many have been fighting against for quite some time now, it seems like a never-ending battle.

There are so many people and figures in the media who have been battling for fairness in the world for women in the work place, school, and in daily life as a whole.

English actress Emma Watson has transformed from a young Muggle wizard to a strong spokeswoman for feminism. Over the past few years, she has spoken out on behalf of women everywhere, earning herself the title of the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in 2014. Watson has also recently released a statement inviting men to support gender equality as well, which is crucial to the movement.

Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai survived a shot to the head on her school bus at just fifteen-years old in her stand for women's right to an education in her country. Almost four years later and now at eighteen-years old, Yousafzai continues to stand up for women all over the world and calls them to join her in the fight for gender equality.

Even now, I am literally sitting in an art history class watching the Japanese art of Kabuki theater, another activity that women are prohibited from joining. All of these occurrences prove that sexism isn't just in one area or region - it's all over the world.

I'm currently taking a class about women and minorities in the media and how they have been treated over the years. While the class has only bee in session for about three weeks, we have already went over how discriminatory the people of the newsroom can be. In one instance, my professor had a fellow female journalist in one of her past jobs years ago who would hide in the bathroom whenever one of the men in the office would come into work. Why? Because whenever she walked by, he would pull her down in his lap and humiliate her in front of her co-workers.

But what could she do about it? The men in the office were considered to be superior. If she were to tell someone in higher-up, there is a fair chance that she would not have been taken seriously.

White males have been considered to be higher-ranking over history, and especially in the work place. While it may not be so drastic in the modern world as it has been over the past few centuries, there is no disputing that it still exists in many areas.

The newsroom is one place where the competition between genders has been high throughout the decades. Diversity in the world of journalism is still emerging. Today, Buzzfeed is known to have one of the most diverse newsrooms in the country.

Jane Cunningham Croly and Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, more famously known as their pen names Jennie June and Nellie Bly, are just two nineteenth century journalists who have paved the way for women today

While we have come a long ways in terms of fighting against discrimination in today's society, the war is far from being won.

For the Dazed and Confused

Lazy Sundays filled with listening to Vampire Weekend whilst drinking hot coffee and diving into books about modern art have instilled me with the inspiration to type out just what I have been feeling lately. Without further ado, here we go.

Lately, I've been stuck in my own thoughts more than I normally am. Bouncing back and forth within the four walls of my own mind, I've been trying to crack the code of what I truly want out of life. The only answer that I have come up with so far?

I don't know.

But do you know what else?

That's okay.

I'm the type of girl who enjoys the thrill of spontaneous adventures at two o'clock in the morning, but who also can't wait to be enveloped in the comfort of her own bed. I love to binge watch TV shows, but I also want to read for days at a time. I have aspirations to travel the entire world, but I can also be a bit of a homebody.

I have so many dreams that I want to pursue that I'm still unsure of what to place my finger on at the moment. Taking life on day at a time is one of the greatest challenges that I find myself continuously facing.

As much as I would love to have my life figured out by now, I'm also aware that that's not exactly going to happen. At nineteen-years old, I'm infatuated with the concept of having my future mapped out so that I have an idea of what is going to happen down the line. In order for that to happen, however, I need to have a solid grasp on what I want.

And right now, I'm not certain in what I want exactly because I want to experience everything.

I want to be able to live for myself. Do what I want, go where I want to go, and be who I want to without having to schedule my life around anyone else. I'm content with where I am right now, but there's also so much more that I want to get out of this short lifetime.

Dazed and confused is perhaps the best way to sum up my current predicament. I have a long journey ahead of me at such a young age, but I'm ready for it. I can't control everything and I will get to where I want to be in due time.

And if I do end up figuring everything out by some circumstantial one in a million chance, I'll be sure to let you know.

Climbing the Obstacle of Writer's Block

My mind seems to be a place full of every thought imaginable. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'm constantly thinking (in fact, that might be an understatement). I'm curious and have undeniable hunger pangs to learn about anything and everything—so why do I come across writer's block as often as I do?

I used to turn my music off only to turn it on again (in which the cycle would usually repeat itself), because I would put the blame on sound as a distraction. I would cut everyone and everything off until my brain found some solid footing to bounce ideas off of.

Over time, I have realized that these interruptions haven't been what has hindered me from connecting two and two in my writing. If anything, they have probably helped me come up with words in many different cases.

As of lately, I tend to attribute this obstacle in my thought patterns to the fact that I find it difficult to land on just one topic to write about. Because I always want to write about every little thing, it's not uncommon that I find myself mashing four different topics together until it sounds like a pile of absolute rubbish.

Putting so many thoughts and ideas into one piece makes it look like I wasn't even thinking at all. At times, it looks as if I might as well have sat down and put "¯\_(ツ)_/¯" because that's exactly what it feels like.

So, how do I move past such cringe-worthy moments?

The ironic thing about my writer's block is that I generally find myself writing to overcome it. I jot down some ideas onto paper in an attempt to piece them together. Whether I decide to use them all is to be determined until I mold them into one productive plan. I have slowly (but surely) been finding that lists are a vital tool to utilize in life.

I have also found that mindless phone apps and casual Internet scrolling in my free time have given me some of the greatest inspirations. In reality, it would have originally been the last place that I would have looked.

Thinking less and meditating more is one thing that has also been a stepping stone for me. Recently, I wrote about how overthinking is something that I deal with on a 24/7 basis. Perhaps the reason that I have decided on this notion is because, with less thoughts to deal with, there are infinite ideas to discover.

How do you deal with writer's block?

Bringing Back Snail Mail

For almost two months, my boyfriend has been in basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Training for the National Guard, he is essentially cut off from the outside world until Christmas time. Even after New Years, he still has to go back to finish out boot camp before beginning Advanced Individual Training (or AIT).

Having only gotten two calls from him, sending letters back and forth is the only way that we have been able to communicate with each other. It seemed odd to me at first, but it has turned into something that I look forward to each and every day. I find myself going to my mailbox every day of the week in hopes of a letter from the love of my life.

If you had asked me one year ago if I would have expected to be where I am now, I probably would have said that you're crazy. I anticipated things to be so different, but I'm not so sure that I would change them.

Writing letters has proven to be so much more meaningful than sending a text message. A simple "What's up" has turned into "How is life? What have you been up to? What's new in school?" and I am not sure that I would trade that for anything.

Receiving letters from my favorite person excites me more than I ever could have imagined. While this form of communication might not be as immediate as I might like, it is so much more personal and really gives me something to look forward too.

I know that he enjoys receiving letters from me as well, and I absolutely love writing them to him and just thinking about his reactions upon opening them. ( I might be biased as a writer saying this, but I am nerdy and it is the truth.)

Although our circumstances brought us back to "snail mail," I have found myself rekindling my love for conversing via the postal system. If anything, I feel as if it has made our relationship stronger. Being able to be completely open and express emotions in such a raw manner through pen ink scribbled onto lined paper is such an honest concept. Whenever I open a letter from him, I feel like I am holding a piece of him and what he has to say.

This experience has really drawn me closer to the notion of writing to people more often. My younger sister has even asked me to write to her even though we talk via text message on a daily basis, and I am appreciative of that. I am afraid that the younger generations will lose touch with writing letters because they are so connected to the digital world.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for the technology of today and talking virtually. I just fear that letters will become a lost concept if the digital world becomes a main source of communication for everyone.

Buy a sheet of stamps. Pick up a box of envelopes and some lined paper or stationary. Take your best pen and scrawl your heart out onto the pages for those that you love. It may take a second to send a text message, but it takes a couple of business days to make someone really smile.

Finding and Following Your Passion

Ever since I can remember, I have had a distinct attachment to writing and the arts. I have always been attracted to the aspect of being able to make creations from ideas that I have in my mind and being able to bring them to life.

Even though I always knew that I had a passion for art and writing, I was always very timid about sharing some of my work with other people. For a long time, I lived in a constant state of thinking that what I had was not good enough in comparison to what someone else might have to offer. 

In high school, I was especially wary about my own writing until my AP English teacher encouraged me to enter myself into a regional writing contest. I had written a personal narrative on the harms of fracking from my family's experience, and she loved it. Hesitantly, I took her advice and submitted my piece. Two months later, I found out that I was a winner.

More often than not, stepping out of your comfort zone is the key to finding success. As Hunter S. Thompson once said, "Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing."

If you love to do something and find yourself getting excited about it, follow it. Don't let it die out or give up on it by settling for something less. There are opportunities to pursue what you want to do all around, whether you think so or not. Start by looking for them, even in the unlikeliest of places.

Take risks, be adventurous, and don't hesitate. Give it your all, and nothing less. You might be surprised at how happy you are in the place that you end up.