If I were to be anywhere in life, it would be on an animal conservancy. I find simplicity in the beauty that flourishes around us. I guess because my life has been anything but simple. Growing up I faced many obstacles, but they never seemed to stop me in my quest of self discovery. When I was little (around the age of 4), I was diagnosed with Leukemia. I spent 4 years of my childhood being treated with chemotherapy in order to battle my cancer. Even after remission, the battle still continues to keep my body healthy and my mind well. It was only years later when I was around the age of 15 that I lost my father to cancer. These specific events have shaped me as a human being, they are part of my human experience.
I never grew up with an
imagination. Maybe that is because I never truly felt I had a childhood. That is why joy is so precious to me. Even entering school was a challenge for me. When I entered school, I was only allowed to attend until a child got sick. Then it was back to homeschooling. (I was very immunocompromised as a child). Making friends was not an easy task, this is where my love of animals came through. They did not see me as the cancer patient they only saw me as another creature like themselves. Growing up was difficult because I never really had a place. In high school, I read books instead of partied. Living in a small town, that is not a great way to make friends. Not having friends used to hurt me as a child, but now I find solace in other hobbies. I try to live my life as close to an animal that I can. Animals and plants are very simple beings, they take no more than they need and equally give back to their communities. This is why if money were of no object, I would spend my life creating an animal conservatory. More specifically, it would be a conservatory for animals that need to be rescued. There is great healing in rehabilitating an animal, for many it is a way to heal themselves from past hardships. For my birthday this year, I wanted no material goods. Instead I adopted a puppy from the humane shelter. I feel that if I give to a life that needs more than I do, I am giving to myself spiritually as well. My dog has given more to me than any pair of shoes ever could; he gives me laughter, and unconditional love I have found from no other human. This is the beauty in letting your life fall into the beauty of nature. Simplicity is what I choose. Do I feel that I am following the path that leads me to happiness? Not at the moment, but through self discovery I am working towards that dream. When I speak of my self discovery, I find myself mostly through writing. It is a way for me to discover myself in ways I never dreamed possible. I have captured different aspects of myself throughout the years by just looking at my writing. I have travelled through phases of intense grief and mourning, to moments of love and sheer joy. I find my baseline with words, and it is what brings me to my simplicity. However what bring me alive is running. There is no better feeling than when the brisk air pierces your skin on a fall morning. Running became a way for me to clear my thoughts, to push out all the bad energy I was feeling. Writing would calm me, and running would bring me back to life. I love the impact that words have on people and how they perceive the world. People interpret things based upon what they have been exposed to in life. It is the reason for so much diversity on our planet. This is why I have sought out a life of simplicity. My entire world has been filled with chaos. I have been on so many ups and downs that I just wanted to be on level ground for a period of time. Yoga teaches stillness and that is why I chose the class. I seek to find not only simplicity but the stillness that comes along with it. I grew up in a household that chased the monetary value of money. So out of habit, I followed the same pattern of thinking. I grew up for many years thinking money was the greatest source of success. It was only recently, I had a wake up call. Living through the experiences I have, only took a toll on my mental well being. After hitting what I call “rock bottom” did I discover that my mental well being is my success. Success to me is not an objective value, but a subjective ideal. It is only up to me to do decide what I find to be successful. This “aha moment” that I had this year, gave me a very valuable life lesson. It is that the only thing I seek is simplicity. Simplicity of my thoughts, and simplicity of my surroundings. I do not need a mansion with millions of cars. I am now content with a small house and modest furnishings. I can truly say now that I am on the path to reaching my dream.
Each person has a place that calls to them, a house, plot of land, town, a place that one can call home. It fundamentally changes a person, becoming a part of who they are. The old summer cabins, the bedroom that was always comfortable, the library that always had a good book ready. The places that inspire a sense of nostalgic happiness, a place where nothing can go wrong.
Although illness narratives are not novel or new, their prevalence in modern popular literature could be attributed to how these stories can be relatable, empowering, and thought-provoking. Susan Grubar is the writer for the blog “Living with Cancer”, in The New York Times, that communicates her experience with ovarian cancer (2012). In our LIBS 7001 class, Shirley Chuck, Navdeep Dha, Brynn Tomie, and I (2016) discussed various narrative elements of her more recent blog post, “Living with Cancer: A Farewell to Legs” (2016). Although the elements of narration and description (Gracias, 2016) were easily identified by all group members, the most interesting topics revolved around symbolism as well as the overall impression or mood of the post.
To achieve a lifestyle in which you are happy and at peace, you must break away from your social setting and truly experience life in the simplest form.
Brodersen, Tom. “Compensation available to Fallout Cancer Victims.” The Sharlot Hall Museum (August 25,2002). 11 April 2005
These are the reasons why I need my special place. Without a place to go I would probably have an ulcer. I believe that everyone needs a place to go to get away from it all. It is an opportunity to explore a new and unique world all of my own. I can enjoy activities that I once got to enjoy when I was a kid, I can think through all the problems in my head, and most of all, I can get away from those people who give me the ulcer.
...ly with wilderness and believe that these are the places that have touched me most deeply.
From a young age, I was very curious. Curiosity caused my mind to see everything from a different perspective than most. I saw what could be improved and how I could improve. For example, when it came to editing movies, I was always able to see what could how it could have been better or I questioned how they had created it. My curiosity led me to try many different activities throughout high school, such as film camps, stage managing for plays, yearbook, and even creating videos for Rochester High School’s awards day. Finally, my junior year, I decided it was time I made films of my own for competitions. I wanted to have something that I could call my own. When it came to the two films I did for contests, I was there throughout the whole process.
These past few days, I learned a lot about myself. One of the things I learned about myself is that I am a, Auditory learner. I didn’t agree at at first and after I read it, I said to myself that ‘’That is totally me’’.It said that as a, auditory learner is a person who listens to ideas and loves to tell jokes and I often like to talk to myself. I have trouble writing, and that was one of my goals for this year to become a better writer. I don’t really read body language because I like to express myself a lot and that is what makes me a better learner in my own way. I am very social, I always come to school with something on my mind that I need to do or fix and I have problems of my own. I guess that’s not very personal because everyone
Well, who really am I? Am I rude, strict or obnoxious? Or am I loving and caring? Think and know me better.
There are many things that have molded me into the person I am today such as being born into a family with four children. With three siblings, I have been forced to be able to work out problems from stealing each other’s toys to having to rush to the emergency room to get stiches because my brother chased me around the house and I tripped. My mother, father, brother, and two sisters were all born in Pennsylvania and I am the odd ball and I was born in Adrian, Michigan. From when I was a child I always loved being involved with sports because of my competitive nature. I grew up playing soccer and having success with that but then my love changed and I began playing lacrosse and football. I started playing lacrosse in middle school and played
It is a place where I feel the love of a parent and a bond of a sibling altogether. By merely glancing at my house, I encounter flashbacks of my childhood that bring unforgettable thoughts and feelings. I feel the forgiveness of my mother when I broke her favorite flower vase. I feel the love of my father when he read me bedtime stories as a child. I especially remember the value of honesty that my siblings and I learned after confessing to taking the hidden candy. To me, that is the beauty of creating memories on any landscape. It does not matter what you look at, a tree, a rock, a window; you will always see a piece of mind flowing around. However, it does not necessarily apply to just viewing something but what you can smell. If I stepped into my backyard and started smelling all the greenery; memories of family gathering start appearing. I could see all the happiness brought out in just one place. How the smell of barbeque and beer generated smiles and laughter. It is heartwarming how any landscapes can do so much. Like mentioned before, makes us feel and act in certain ways! Because this is the only home I know, it will continue to hold a unique place in my
A place, for me, is somewhere that I am familiar with and I recognize it in some way as my own special geographic location. It is somewhere I am emotionally attached to and it is a place that I wish to remain at. I personally feel that it has taken me years to achieve this particular comprehension about where for certain that place is for me in my life, and to make out why I feel a certain way about being within the walls of my own home. I have now come to realize that my home is where my heart will always truly be, because I believe it is the only place where I will always be loved without
I think we all have a beautiful place in our mind. I have a wonderful place that made me happy a lot of times, years ago. But sometimes I think that I am the only person who likes this place and I'm asking myself if this place will be as beautiful as I thought when I will go back to visit it again. Perhaps I made it beautiful in my mind.
My favorite place in the world is my home and not because I am a hermit who dislikes going out. My home is in a perfect location that is filled with opportunities and excitement of which I take full advantage. From the beautiful exterior and welcoming street to my tile entryway, it all adds to the ambiance of having stepped into a perfect home. Not just having stepped into any perfect home, but the perfect home for me; exactly as I desire it. Each and every area displays my handiwork and the pride I take in that work is what makes me feel so empowered when I'm in my home. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said "Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts" and as a homeowner I now believe that wholeheartedly.
I am a simple person, who came from a simple background. I like to have fun, I learn,