Empathetic

We all see pain in everyday situations. Sometimes it's in the eyes of strangers, or the way our closest friend's shoulders seem to sag with an invisible weight. We feel pain ourselves most days. Not necessarily pain of the physical variety, but the type of pain that hits us closest. The pain that stabs each of our hearts.
From as far back as I can remember, other people's pain has affected me.
I guess I inherited such a strong sense of empathy from my mother, and at times it's both a blessing and a curse.
When a friend of mine told me how depressed he'd been in the seventh grade, and that he'd cut his wrists, I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Here was someone who was right in front of me for those terrible years in middle school, and I had no idea. I had no idea that his pain pushed him to the edge. And so, I beat myself up about it for a few weeks. It seemed to me that I should have been able to see it. I should have been able to help in some way.
I guess it's a very good thing to be so touched by the pain of others. I know it means that I'm not ignorant, and that is one thing I know I'll never be. People who cannot fathom the concept that not everyone believes the same things as they do can't possibly understand what I'm talking about.
I know it isn't right to hate anyone, but when I see the way that people act towards anyone who has a different view than they do, I can't help but loathe them a little bit.
Especially the way people act towards anyone who isn't straight.
I see people everyday who are so ignorant as to believe that homosexuality is a contagious disease.
If they were referring to love being a disease that none of us can help, then they would be correct. Sadly, they aren't. They are perfectly content to live with such a pointlessly negative attitude.
My mom told me to read a note that one of her friends posted to facebook. In the post, he talked about how he grew up going to church and the way people reacted to his sexuality. I don't even think I was a fourth of the way down the page when I started crying. If I can't hate people, then I'll hate society. Obviously hate of any nature doesn't make things any better for anyone, but society is to blame for all of this. I felt so sick to my stomach after reading his note. Yes, it was extremely touching and inspiring, but it was also so heartbreaking.
No one should ever be told they are wrong for falling in love.
If I were lesbian, I know I'd have all of my friends behind me. I know that my family, for the most part, would stand by me. But so many people don't have that luxury, and they should.
Once, I was eating lunch in the cafeteria at school. A boy at the table I was sitting at said something very negative and entirely wrong about gay people. I turned to him and said, "Being gay isn't wrong." and he stopped whatever he was saying and said to me, "Being gay is wrong. They can either die or change." People like him are responsible for the high rate of teen suicide among the LGBT youth. People like him are the people that I have to try my hardest not to hate. And you know what? God bless anyone who comes out of the closet in a town with assholes like that guy in it. When he said that, I had to get up from the table and go to the bathroom. It took every ounce of self control in my being not to punch the crap out of him right then and there.
But I have hope for our generation. I sincerely do.
If I ever have children, I hope they grow up in a society much different than the one I grew up in.

I want to thank my mother for letting me make up my own mind about my personal beliefs.
Thanks mom, for not beating me over the head with the bible and for letting me have my own opinions on controversial topics. You truly are my biggest role model, and I love you more than anything.
It's been very interesting, growing up in a house with a mom who is a democrat and a dad who is a republican. But you know what? At least I know that without a doubt, I decided for myself what I believed in.
Obviously I'm a democrat, and I'll be one for my entire life. So many teens and kids that I know just blindly went with whatever their parents told them. So thanks, for making sure I had a good, albeit hard head on my shoulders.

Peace, Love, and Standing Up for What You Believe In,
Sara

About to Live

My Mema and I when I was two or three :)

My 16th birthday is coming up soon, and all of it has really just made me depressed. I know, I know. I should be so excited because I'll have a car and it means that I'm growing up and all of that, but honestly... it scares me. 

When I was ten years old, I started the count down to my 16th birthday. Every year on my birthday, I would say: "Just six more years! Just five more! Four more to go!". But now it's just a few weeks away. And the college countdown has begun. It worries me so much that in just a few years I'll be gone. And I know I'll never actually come back and live here, my dreams are too big for that, but there are so many people I'll miss. 

As I was looking over the guest list to my party, I got really depressed. Here, on this piece of paper, are twenty people. Some that I don't know that well, some that I want to know better, and then there were the people I've grown up with. The people that understand references to things that happened two years ago, the people who understand references to second and third grade. The guy who never fails to let me copy his geometry homework. :) Thanks Zach, for always enabling me to be the slacker that I am. 

Anyways, as I read over the list, my heart started to feel heavy. All of you that put up with me and this blog, should understand by now that I am a very sentimental person. So just thinking about how many people I call my friends made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :) 

Thanks, all of you. Those of you that have been with me and stood by me through thick and thin through all of our goofy adventures. My friends mean as much to me as my family does. It took me such a long time to find friends that I knew wouldn't hurt me on purpose. 

Seeing how fast my 16th birthday came around, I have a perspective on how short life is I think. 

In fifteen years, where will we all be? Will we be happy? Will I still talk to my best friends every single day? Or will I have new friends, and will I only see my high school friends at reunions? I refuse to accept that. 

I won't ever replace you. Sure, I might have more friends, but you will always be so special to me. 

Especially my very limited group of girlfriends. We've been together through acne, crushes, rejection, the occasional stalker. You've seen my hobbies grow into passions, and you were with me when my guitar teacher made me sing. You all knew how scared I was :) I remember how terribly my back was shaking when I got up on "The Sacred Stool" that first time. It probably looked like I was crying :) 

But now I'm over that. Sure, I still hate getting up in front of people, and I hate public speaking, but I'll work on it. The point is, I love you guys. I know it must have been a real challenge to get me to talk when you first met me, but that's how I guess I'll always be. I've always been guarded, but with all of you I'm not. 

Paige, Elizabeth, Dylan and Kimberlee, you've all seen sides of me that most people haven't and I'm so thankful for that. I love having friends who love me even if I have a horrible laugh, easily lose my train of thought, skip through topics at random, and even when my alter ego shows up. 

So here's to hoping that in fifteen years, when I'm living in Australia and working on my latest novel, we'll talk every week :)

Peace, Love, and Generic Party Invitations,

                                                                   Sara

It's Time to Change: Kony 2012

Some of you may have seen a video on facebook called: Kony 2012.
You may have been invited to join a group called "Cover the Night".
You may have wondered about why the organization behind all of this is called The Invisible Children.
Did you look into it? Did it make you angry?
I know it made me angry.

I know most of you reading this won't actually watch the 30 minute video, but I'm telling you now that it won't be a waste of your time. In fact, it's a great way to spend thirty minutes of your life. Many of us have no idea what it would be like to live in these circumstances. We don't know what it would be like to be taken away and forced to murder those that we love. But that is exactly what is happening in Uganda. And we can stop it.
When was this last time you were a part of something this big? I know I never have.
This is a cause using technology and social media to end a war. How amazing is that?

People are growing closer together. We have ways of getting the word out about whatever we want through the internet. Let's use this amazing technology to our advantage! Let's make an impact on the world as a whole!
I urge you, fellow bloggers, readers, friends, family, and everyone else to take a stand for peace. We can make a difference because we have a voice.

Above is the video. I know it's lengthy, but it's very moving.

On April 20th people will take action. Everyone is encouraged to cover their towns with Kony posters and get the word out about his crimes. We need him captured.
On Saturday morning, the world will wake up to these posters and they will know. Don't hesitate, become part of the movement now by doing any of the following:

• Blog about it. As bloggers, we know how important and inspiring our voices can be. Our voices may be small, but we can make a difference. Re-post this blog post to facebook! Make Kony visible. 
• Sign the pledge and take a stand!
• Join your city's Cover the Night event on April 20th. If no one's heard of it, make a group for your city on Facebook! Let's get this snowball rolling!
• Get the Kit: Buy the action kit and get to work! We have to spread the word.
• Change your facebook profile picture or cover photo to one of the pictures featured in this post.
• Donate to Tri. It's the site for the Invisible Children. 
• Pin the posters ALL OVER PINTEREST! :)
• Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell everyone. This is the start of a generation with bright ideas for a bright future full of change for the better. 

I know I might seem a little enthusiastic, and it's because I am. Nothing makes me more excited than seeing this many people coming together to fight for peace. It's times like these that make me proud of the human race. Because it doesn't matter who you are, or what your political stance is, it's obvious to see that this has to be stopped. Why not this year?

Peace, Love, and Making Evil Men Famous,
                                                                      Sara

Vultures

Don't you love the days when you pull out a pack of gum at school (very discreetly of course) and within no more than five seconds, everyone seems to know you and your pack of gum personally?
It happens to me all the time.
But fear not, good readers! There are many ways to stop this problem. The way you go about ending this madness is more about personal preference than anything else.
Before you decide to take action, you should probably learn a little bit more about the actual vulture.
Below is a list of the top three most common Gum Beggars you may run into in life's many adventures.

• Buddy-Buddy-Bugs-You: Probably the most famous type of gum pack offender. These are the people who do the entire act of pretending to be one of your good friends in order to get some gum. These are not to be confused with the actual Best Friend Vultures who can use the best friend card to have a piece. Common phrases used by this group include, "I promise I'll give you a piece tomorrow" and "Pretty pretty please with sugar on top?" 
• Pity Stare:  This sort of person will find your weaknesses and use them to their advantage. Compassionate person? They'll use the Pity Stare. Essentially, whenever a pack of gum is opened in front of them, they use their biggest asset: the eyes. Suddenly, you have to feel just a little bit sorry for them. You think of all the times you may have said something rude to them and you think, What the hey! I'll just give them a piece. They are a very dangerous type of vulture, and should be avoided at all costs.
• Teleporters: These are both the most uncommon and the most obnoxious of all the vultures. They seem to appear out of thin air at the very sound of a gum wrapper being opened. It's almost as if some sort of instinct is deeply embedded into their DNA that allows them to know where gum is located. They don't have to know you, and you don't have to know them, but they will find you. 

I recommend a variety of choices while dealing with these monsters.

1. Always carry a small water spritz bottle with you. When they ask for gum? Squirt them with it. Easy, simple, and it works with cats as well. Although, cats don't generally try to take your gum from you.
2. Begin to make very strange, gargling noises. Not only will they wonder what's wrong with you, but if the noise is done correctly, they may be scared out of their mind. 
3. Just say, "MEHHHHHH?"  They'll leave quickly, trust me.
4. For the more violent type, I suggest keeping a small pouch of pebbles on hand. No one likes having a handful of pebbles thrown on them.
5. Pepper spray.
6. Just say NO! 

Sadly, these people do exist. They pray on those who actually remember to buy gum and make their lives miserable.
Please, stop the torture. Reach into your pocket and for just a few hundred dollars a month, you can be the voice of those who fall victim to this behavior. Put an end to the madness.

Peace, Love, and Random Posts,
                                                        Sara