Turn Right
The 20s are all about making the right choices. For every right turn we make, there's always the wrong one. For everything good we do, there's always the alternative of the bad. For all the times we go up, there are still so many things that threaten to bring us back down. Each and every day is full of an abundance of choices. We decide things constantly for ourselves and sometimes for others. We try to figure out what will be best for us and sometimes we do, and sometimes we honestly just don't. We never know what lies ahead of us we get there. Turn right.
Do you ever find that there's too much choice in your life? I think one of the most poignant times it ever occurred to me that someone could have too much self-determination (in this case access to resources and opportunities) was my former friend who just never seemed to know what we wanted to do in college, much less his life. On a larger scale, there can be times where there are so many options, a seemingly infinite amount, and making a decision becomes exponentially more difficult. If you think about it we spend a lot of time in life choosing from already limited selections. For example what brands are available at your local supermarket, clothes at the rack at the mall, and even what's currently being shown in movie theatres. Isn't is it weird that we just accept these choices as all that's available when we know damn well that there's more out there in the world then what's been prepackaged, pre-determined, and pre-tested for us? It's different when you're ignorant as to knowing what "more" could be beyond the barriers that society, our family, friends, and partners set for us. Sometimes to turn right is to break the mold. Stray from the cartographer's map of the past, and create your own path.
And then there are those things where we want to be contained. We need the majority of the choices to be taken out or else we become indecisive, overwhelmed or downright confused. Think about all the spinoff products like Skittles for example and all it's random flavors, but which is the most purchased - the original. Even we when we are given choices often we choose what is familiar to us. There's nothing inherently right or wrong with that. Some things are tried and true. Some things are okay to be left the way they. Some things we don't need to have a choice in. We take so many goods and especially services for granted. The work that someone has done to give us the condensed versions of menus, amendments to laws, Sparknotes etc. is much appreciated but constantly overlooked. So I guess I didn't really answer the question about how we know what is right. Well, honestly I don't think there's a singular answer, but will I can say is that when something is right you just know. Your heart feels impassioned, your stomach is settled, your ears aren't ringing, and there's this good feeling of positivity within you. We have a keen sense of what is right for us. Trust it. Trust your gut (#Scandal). Trust your instincts. Challenge them as need be and turn right as you can.
This past week has shown me the power of choice and just how important it is to choose correctly. It also reminded me that I can only ever choose for myself and for no one else. It's been even more impactful to see how other people's choices have negatively (at least in my mind) effected them. Skip to Wednesday afternoon "People of Color: Counter-Storytelling" class and the discussion was rich as ever redefining activism and action, and when/why we choose to engage in both. It was straight to dance practice with some of my fraternity brothers which is always a goofy mess. On one hand it frustrates me because we're there to work but at the same time it would probably benefit me to loosen up and have more fun with it (Type A for days). Thursday rolled around and after an early morning prayer meeting I was stopped by people who worked for university communications and interviewed. The videographer and the interviewer both commended me for my eloquence and enthusiasm. When I relegated that I was looking to pursue graduate school for journalism they said I would be a natural. Hearing from them let me know that I'm turning right. I shot my new TV show "#NoFilter" with two new station members, Liam and Aiden. It was a casual good time figuring the camera out and getting people to talk to. We trolled people asking about women's suffrage (as in the right to vote), Emma Watson's UN Speech and defining feminism. I grabbed a quick lunch with my friend Sam (three years later and still friends; that's when you know you choose right) before heading off to classes. Back home I went to relax a bit too much (dear Netflix let me live in peace during the week at least). I ended up having to stay up the majority of the night to finish an essay and a couple of papers and projects. The semester struggle finally got real and I'm not about it. I have to turn his all right around real soon.
Turning right also has to do with the people that you choose to let into your life. I think people may be the most difficult thing to discern about their rightness. Sometimes people fit in and sometimes they're wrong for you, other times the timing just doesn't work. I believe if people are supposed to be in your life, they'll be there. It's been interesting to have to actively keep friendships going and now there's so much more intention behind it. Friday came and brought with it a morning of homework and multi-tasking. Preparations for Greek Week were well underway. In my comparative religion class we debated marriage equality through the ethics and ontological perspective of various religions which brought a riled up conversation. I zoomed home before heading to the beach with the other IFC executives for a little retreat. It was a good time getting to know one another a bit more and figure out what we could do in our short time left. Who would have thought I would find friends in other chapters and ones that have become some of the most prominent in my life this semester so far. There was baby squirrel incident and I finished my night off watching Girl Meets World. Saturday morning had me walking downtown for Prevent Child Abuse Vermont's Child Walk awareness event. I helped volunteer and did the 5K walk in the pouring rain. It was dreary but the cause was way too important to be missed. It was also good to bond even more with my fraternity little brother David as we connected about religious mythology. I came back sick and passed the heck out for the afternoon. I gulped down tea much to no avail and soon evening fell which meant heading to Noche De Cultura with Sam. It was a wonderful night of music, comedy, poetry, dancing, and Latin food. The event was phenomenal and I was privileged to be part of it. I turned right into bed after that.
Do you ever find that there's too much choice in your life? I think one of the most poignant times it ever occurred to me that someone could have too much self-determination (in this case access to resources and opportunities) was my former friend who just never seemed to know what we wanted to do in college, much less his life. On a larger scale, there can be times where there are so many options, a seemingly infinite amount, and making a decision becomes exponentially more difficult. If you think about it we spend a lot of time in life choosing from already limited selections. For example what brands are available at your local supermarket, clothes at the rack at the mall, and even what's currently being shown in movie theatres. Isn't is it weird that we just accept these choices as all that's available when we know damn well that there's more out there in the world then what's been prepackaged, pre-determined, and pre-tested for us? It's different when you're ignorant as to knowing what "more" could be beyond the barriers that society, our family, friends, and partners set for us. Sometimes to turn right is to break the mold. Stray from the cartographer's map of the past, and create your own path.
And then there are those things where we want to be contained. We need the majority of the choices to be taken out or else we become indecisive, overwhelmed or downright confused. Think about all the spinoff products like Skittles for example and all it's random flavors, but which is the most purchased - the original. Even we when we are given choices often we choose what is familiar to us. There's nothing inherently right or wrong with that. Some things are tried and true. Some things are okay to be left the way they. Some things we don't need to have a choice in. We take so many goods and especially services for granted. The work that someone has done to give us the condensed versions of menus, amendments to laws, Sparknotes etc. is much appreciated but constantly overlooked. So I guess I didn't really answer the question about how we know what is right. Well, honestly I don't think there's a singular answer, but will I can say is that when something is right you just know. Your heart feels impassioned, your stomach is settled, your ears aren't ringing, and there's this good feeling of positivity within you. We have a keen sense of what is right for us. Trust it. Trust your gut (#Scandal). Trust your instincts. Challenge them as need be and turn right as you can.
This past week has shown me the power of choice and just how important it is to choose correctly. It also reminded me that I can only ever choose for myself and for no one else. It's been even more impactful to see how other people's choices have negatively (at least in my mind) effected them. Skip to Wednesday afternoon "People of Color: Counter-Storytelling" class and the discussion was rich as ever redefining activism and action, and when/why we choose to engage in both. It was straight to dance practice with some of my fraternity brothers which is always a goofy mess. On one hand it frustrates me because we're there to work but at the same time it would probably benefit me to loosen up and have more fun with it (Type A for days). Thursday rolled around and after an early morning prayer meeting I was stopped by people who worked for university communications and interviewed. The videographer and the interviewer both commended me for my eloquence and enthusiasm. When I relegated that I was looking to pursue graduate school for journalism they said I would be a natural. Hearing from them let me know that I'm turning right. I shot my new TV show "#NoFilter" with two new station members, Liam and Aiden. It was a casual good time figuring the camera out and getting people to talk to. We trolled people asking about women's suffrage (as in the right to vote), Emma Watson's UN Speech and defining feminism. I grabbed a quick lunch with my friend Sam (three years later and still friends; that's when you know you choose right) before heading off to classes. Back home I went to relax a bit too much (dear Netflix let me live in peace during the week at least). I ended up having to stay up the majority of the night to finish an essay and a couple of papers and projects. The semester struggle finally got real and I'm not about it. I have to turn his all right around real soon.
Turning right also has to do with the people that you choose to let into your life. I think people may be the most difficult thing to discern about their rightness. Sometimes people fit in and sometimes they're wrong for you, other times the timing just doesn't work. I believe if people are supposed to be in your life, they'll be there. It's been interesting to have to actively keep friendships going and now there's so much more intention behind it. Friday came and brought with it a morning of homework and multi-tasking. Preparations for Greek Week were well underway. In my comparative religion class we debated marriage equality through the ethics and ontological perspective of various religions which brought a riled up conversation. I zoomed home before heading to the beach with the other IFC executives for a little retreat. It was a good time getting to know one another a bit more and figure out what we could do in our short time left. Who would have thought I would find friends in other chapters and ones that have become some of the most prominent in my life this semester so far. There was baby squirrel incident and I finished my night off watching Girl Meets World. Saturday morning had me walking downtown for Prevent Child Abuse Vermont's Child Walk awareness event. I helped volunteer and did the 5K walk in the pouring rain. It was dreary but the cause was way too important to be missed. It was also good to bond even more with my fraternity little brother David as we connected about religious mythology. I came back sick and passed the heck out for the afternoon. I gulped down tea much to no avail and soon evening fell which meant heading to Noche De Cultura with Sam. It was a wonderful night of music, comedy, poetry, dancing, and Latin food. The event was phenomenal and I was privileged to be part of it. I turned right into bed after that.
My blog post question for the day is ... when was the last time you made a mistake? Well I make them every single day (don't we all). There was the small one of making the piping hole for decorating cupcakes too big, a nd there was the bigger one of being unnecessarily short with people trying to have a bit of fun.
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