Oh the people you meet...

A couple of months ago at work, I had a couple stop in at about six in the morning carrying large backpacks. They came in the store and got a couple cups of coffee. At first I thought that they were homeless as they appeared to be carrying everything that they owned with them. The husband saw me looking at their backpacks and told me their story. They are not homeless. They are from a small town in Iowa and have decided to walk across the country. Their kids are all grown and have left the house and they are both retired. And this is not the first time that they have done this – two years ago they made this same walk. They met a lot of amazing people along the way and are wanting to visit them all again and meet some more amazing people. The first time it took them about 4 months to walk to California and back home to Iowa. They are expecting to be gone for about six months this time around as they have friends and family that they would like to stay and visit with. I thought that this was an amazing story and I would love to be able to do something like this one day.

If I ever won the PowerBall

If I ever won the Power Ball, the first thing that I would do is put in my 2 week notice at work so that I could focus on school. Then I would pay off all of my family's debt. They have done so much for me in the past and it would be the least I could do. Then I would build my mom and grandma a house and one for myself. I wouldn't want something big and flashy, just a place big enough for me and, in case I ever get married, my future husband and a couple kids. I would then buy myself a brand new Jeep. This has been my dream vehicle since I was little and having one would be a dream come true. I would also set up college funds and savings accounts for all of the kids in my life - my cousins and my nieces. I would never want them to have to worry about how they are going to pay for school or how they are going to pay their bills while they are in school. After all of this, I would donate a large portion of what is left of my winnings to various charities and just put the rest of it into a savings account. I wouldn't want to live like a "rich person." I wouldn't want people to really know that I have money. These things aren't important to me. I would just like for me and my family to never have to worry again.

Decisions

Sometimes in life you just have to make those bad decisions.  Those decisions that you know you are going to regret further on down the road.  Sometimes you just can't live with the consequences of not making them.  Sometimes the consequences of making them seem far less severe.  Maybe today is one of those days.  One of those days where you just can't say no to said bad decision.  Maybe that bad decision will turn into a great experience. And if not a great experience, maybe it will turn into a great lesson.  A lesson of why you will never make that decision again.  But it could be the start of a great adventure.  Maybe today is the day that you will look back on when you tell your kids that you had an amazing life.  Or maybe today is the day that you will look back on when you tell your kids a cautionary tale of just saying no to decisions that they know are bad.  Or maybe today is the day that you never tell anyone about at all.  But the question is - if you don't do it, will you ever know?  Will you look back on this day and tell your kids that they need to take more risks?  Will you look back on this day and wish that you had the courage to take that giant leap of faith?  Or will you look back on this day and thank your lucky stars that you were smart enough to say no?  The answers are impossible to know.  But maybe, just maybe, this bad decision could turn out to be the best decision that you make in your entire life.  Life is a string of decisions that either turn out good or bad.  Hopefully some day we can all look back and say that - good or bad - we wouldn't change a thing.

Getting to know your audience.

Getting to know my audience through the form of a Q&A discussion board was a very interesting experience.  I really enjoyed seeing into the minds of my peers.  One major thing that I noticed is how varied the people in this course are.  One particular question that sticks out is the “Book vs Movie Debate.”  Though the answers were far from “50/50” (books won!!) there were a lot more different answers than I expected.  It was nice to hear the reasoning behind everyone’s answers and not just a thoughtless, one word “Book” or “Movie.”  This really showed me that I am not just writing for my professor, but for a lot of other people with different views and ideas.

Another thing that really stuck out to me was how different and yet similar we all are.  One question was “If you could choose anyone as your mentor, who would you choose?”  There were a lot of varying answers but Jesus came up in quite a few.  Another one was about being able to spend one day with someone and most people put relatives that have passed away.  There were a few oddities, like me, that chose celebrities or historical figures but for the most part the answers were very similar.

I also have to admit how much I enjoyed the sarcasm and silliness in some responses.  These made for some very interesting reads and several times I was quite literally laughing out loud.  One such post was on the question dealing with where you would like to have been born if you could choose and I loved the answer of “…in a barn.  That way I’d never have to shut the door behind me.”

This was a very fun and eye opening way to get to know my audience in the form of my classmates.  I think that this will help me in the future as I now have a better understanding of who I am writing for.

Another "I believe" freewrite/credo/IDK what it really is type thing.

I believe that I am in control of my own life.  I believe that it is all up to me and that I cannot expect handouts from anyone.  I believe that where I go and what I do is completely up to me.  I believe that I can make it through school because I believe in myself. I believe that I will find happiness but that I have to work at it.  I left home 2 weeks after my 18^th birthday because I wanted to do things my way.  That was a mistake because even though I am in control, sometimes I still need guidance. But it happened and it made me the person that I am today. I lost contact with my dad and my siblings but I got those things back because I wanted them.  I left my first job after 4 years when I realized that it was going nowhere.  2 months after I started my second job, I made management.  I moved up in the company over the course of the 3 years that I was there before realizing that this one was a dead end as well.  I am currently in my third dead end job but the difference is that now I am in school and making strides toward my future.  I have had several bad relationships and I know that only I can fix it or end it.  I have lived in some bad situations as well.  One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was living with my boss.  Anytime that I feel stuck in a situation I know that I am the only person that can fix it. Bad job?  I’m done. Bad relationship?  I’m gone.  Bad living situation?  I’m moving. As Smokey the bear says “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”