Just A Little Food For Thought!

Hey, all! So, I was going through my long favorites list on my laptop when I stumbled upon a link I hadn't clicked on for who knows how long. Anyway, reading the web page made me remember why I decided to favorite it. Thinking about my favorite things, also, made me think about you all and so, I thought I'd share the link with you. I hope you enjoy it even more than I did and,as always, leave a comment on the content. I want to know what you think about this list. Until next time! :)

7 Things to Remember if You Want to Change the World

Who We Thought We Would Become

Hello, readers! I hope you all are staying warm because right now I feel like a gallon of ice cream. Currently, I'm in PA and there is nothing but snow, snow, snow. Oh, and temperatures below zero which just makes for a lot of fun (please take not of my sarcasm). I don' event think the biggest cup of hot coco could keep me warm right now, but I will, somehow, strive on. Anyway, on to the topic of this post...

I don't think I'm alone in this so, I hope to hear from you guys. I believe that at some point in our lives we have a strong sense of who we will become. For some people, this sense is installed into them from their childhood. Their parent's expectations force them into thinking who they are destined to be. For others, we kind of force it on ourselves because of various reasons. The thing is that I don't really think you can just pick one personality, one type, one career and then, simply become that. That's not how life or humans work. We are fickle, indecisive and life throws all of us some big curve balls. Instead of walking down one straight narrow path to become one thing, we develop. And what does developing mean? Well, it means the path isn't straight. We stumble. We fall. We get a few injuries along the way. We may even veer off onto other paths and never return. We may get lost. And that's okay.

Even as a child I realized that people played certain roles in my environment. My grandparents were the provides and care givers. My biological mother was the chaos creator. My biological Uncle, the loved disappointment. My brother was the timid one and my cousin was the popular. In my young mind that didn't leave me with many options, but I feel like I had to be something. I started thinking about what I was good at, where I stood out among my family. I soon realized that I was an academic. That was where I shined and so, I chose to focus on being the best academic I could be. I always strove for the best grades, for the teacher's affection and I soon developed a strong sense of who I was going to become.

I believed (with no doubt in my mind) that I would be the person that out shined all others in school. I would get into the best high school and excel above everyone. I would be a topper. I would be the student that colleges sought out like dogs seek out treats. I was going to be the Hermoine of my school. I would be the person that everyone knew would go to Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Cambridge or Hopkins. And once there I would continue onto excel. I pictured myself taking up the challenge of a strenuous career like a doctor or lawyer. This was destined to be my life. I was going to be a #1, if not the #1.

Then, reality slapped me in the face. I was strong in several academic areas, but weak in others. When I went to high school, I was confronted with students who had received the best elementary and middle school educations the state had to offer. These children were the true academics and they didn't even have to try. With many of them, it just seemed like a natural thing. These were the children that could destroy and then, rebuild computers. These were the children that understood biology ad chemistry just as well, if not better, then the teachers. They were the true toppers. In my school we called them the ingenuity kids.

I fought so hard to keep my identity, but it soon crumbled around me. I was not as smart as these children were. I had not received the same quality care and education as they did. They were light-years ahead of me and I was still struggling to catch up. To put it simply they were the smart ones and I was the dumb one. After accepting this fact, I gave up and let my grades go where ever they pleased with little effort on my part. Sometimes I would get inspired and do something that I thought all academics should do, like memorize the dictionary, but I soon realized I was not built for that sort of work. Years went on and I changed. I no longer saw myself as an academic. No, I was much more of a traveler. I was a writer, a creator, a experiencer. That was where my passion rest and I wanted to share my passion with everyone. All of this is how I got to where I am today which is much further from where (and who) I thought I would be.

My tale isn't that uncommon. As I said above, we all have people we think we are going to be. We can think as much as we want, but we won't know until we get there. Let nature take its course. Don't be afraid or try to force anything. You'll get to where you need to be.

Your Turn: Guess what? I wanna know what you think. :) Tell me your story. Have any of you ever been in a situation similar to mine? What advice can you give? Do you agree with my belief in natural development? Let me know! I can't wait to read them.

Attack of the Clones! Ah!

Hello, all my readers! I hope your weekend was well, but sadly tomorrow we have to return to work. I swear Fridays-Sunday feels more like a fleeting moment than a three day break. Oh, well, what can we do , but keep moving forward. Anyway, let's get to the topic of this post. I am definitely not the first person to announce this, but I want to give my input So, here it goes. I don't want to be a clone. Do I sound crazy? Am I crazy? Perhaps, but here me out.

I remember from high school there was one particular peer of mine that was a clone. She had a very unhealthy obsession with the singer Rihanna. Like extremely unhealthy. This girl bought all of Rihanna's albums, knew all her songs ( I believe they were put on repeat on her ipod) and even went so far as to mimic Rihanna's clothes and hair. Remember when Rihanna did the big chop and died her hair that blazing bright red? Guess who showed up to school the next day with short cut red hair....yup. My peer definitely had a problem. I am not sure if she ever grew out of it. However, the memory of her strutting down the hall so proudly with her red hair will forever be embedded in my mind. Thinking about it now, I laugh. She was just a clone, a copy cat, a wanna be, dare I even say, a pretender! *gasp* The thing is aren't most of us like that?

Now, admittedly, we all aren't as intense as the girl I described above. We all don't go to those extremes, but aren't we always flipping through some magazine to see what celebrities are wearing? And the word celebrity is not limited to just singers and artists. When Michelle Obama hit the scene do you know how many middle aged moms started aiming towards the "Obama biceps?" What about how many of them suddenly requested bangs when they went to their hair salon? (now they're probably trying to get rid of them). It's not just women either. Do I really need to say it? Justin Bieber. His hair cut was a trend whether men want to admit it or not. There are dozens of examples through out the decades, but what I really want to talk about is why we copy them?

It seems like the rule is whatever celebrities are doing is the "cool" thing. If you want to be one of the elite then you have to copy them. Ever heard of the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness?" Well, in this situation I guess they saying would be, "copying is next to being a celebrity?" The idea is that if we can act and look enough like them then, we are actually almost them (or as close as we're ever going to get) and that's puts us somehow above the other commoners. Well, at least we think it does.

I'm going to say it again. I don't want to be a clone. Though many celebrities can be admired for their creativity and what they do in the world, I don't want to be them and you shouldn't either. Why would I want to be the second Rihanna, the second Obama, the second Hilary Clinton, when I can be the first Tasha? The same goes for you guys. Be the first of yourselves not the second of anyone else because if you do, you will always live in their shadow. That's a fact.

Honestly, I would avoid those fashion and celebrity magazines. They,usually, just make us feel like crap and place unrealistic standards on us. Who cares what Brittney Spears did on her last vacation? Why do we care what the Bushs eat for dinner? We have our own lives, our own families, our own friends, our own problems. Who really has time to try and live two lives? Not me! And you know what? The celeb life may look glamorous when reading about it from a glossy magazine cover, but honey, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Constantly being followed by the paparazzi, having the world nosing in your daily business, being placed on a pedestal that you never asked for anyway...yeah, it's a lot of pressure. I'm not saying it doesn't have its perks, but lets live by our own standards. Let's be ourselves and not the copycats of these "mysterious" celebs who we have been taught are somehow better than us (their not) just because they are celebs.

Your Turn:  I wanna hear from you guys! Are you a celeb clone or have ever been? Why did you do it? Which celeb? And how did you break free? Do you think copying celebs is a real problem in our society? I'm all ears! :)

A Poem For The Abused

To the sons and daughters of the closet alcoholics
To the infants and babies of the cocaine loving mothers
To the beautiful girls with the blackened eyes
To the gay guys with the God fearing fathers

It's okay
You are not alone

During those painful late night beatings
During the vicious degrading name calling
During the hiding and praying
During all the mind numbing screaming

Close your eyes
Pray
And remember you are not alone

Think of your neighbor who is having leather put to their back
Think of the little girl whose father "checked" on her already three times this night
Think of the wife who is fighting for her life
And think of her children who are seeing the scene unfold

And think of me
Think of me

For I am just like you
We have the same scars, bumps and bruises
Some that will never go away
For we share, if not the same, a similar story of abuse

Watching my mother beat my brother up the stairs
Hearing her call me a "fat bitch" as she drinks her forty
Seeing the white powdery lines on her bed room dresser
Feeling her morning spit soak into my favorite hoodie

My favorite hoodie

You are not alone
Think of me
Think of us
And please be strong.

*photos taken, edited and owned by Katelyn Smith. Find here.

A Love Lost: Honesty Time

Do you remember my New Year's Eve post? I talked a little about the changes to come in this new year including changes to my love life. Well, that change has been fulfilled. Do you see that picture to the left? This is one of the first photos I took after returning to the States. My boyfriend was the one who took it. He's been the love of my life for the last seven years. Now that love, our relationship, has come to an end. It's hard. It's so hard, but I've realized that he isn't who I thought he was. Or maybe it's more like he isn't who I thought he would be at this point in his life. I'm not really sure. All I do know is that living with someone is the ultimate relationship test. And we failed. We failed big time.

A Little Something I Though I'd Share

                              18 Things Women Should Not Have To Justify

I think we're all guilty for more than a couple things on the list above. Check it out and let me know if the list is easy to relate to. I know it was for me! :) Let's stop apologizing and start doing whatever comes naturally. Thanks, Brianna West!

What I've Come to Know

Hello, readers! I know it's been a few days since my last post but things have been pretty crazy over here. I'm getting a few replies back from publishing houses about my book and am now looking into agents, as well. Let's keep our fingers crossed! I hope you all have been doing well and getting much more sleep than I have (my schedule is so messed up!).

So, you may not know it, but you've seen the girl in the photo before. I've posted pictures of her, myself and my other best friend on the blog in the past. Actually, you can find us all posing as Charlie's angels here! Her name is Rebecca and she has been my bffne (best friend forever and eternity) since our freshman year in high school.