A Pick-Me-Up

My mother and what I call my second mother send me letters on a regular basis. I get letters for a the holidays, and then just because. The ones your not expecting are my favorite. I recently got my tongue pierced which, or course, did not make the parents happy in the least. It had the opposite effect actually. Finally I thought they got over it and understood that there isn't much they can do about it, until I picked up one of those unexpected letters.

I open this card my mom has sent me and it looks completly normal on the front, green with pink writting saying that I am a nice, gererous, beautiful person, one of those cards you can expect from your mother. Then I opened it and laughed for a good 5 minutes. Inside it said "Please don't get anything else pierced." Where did she find this card, I have no idea! It made me giggle for the rest of the day. Recieving mail is a good start to a day, as long as it's not a bill, but recieving mail that means something and causes you happiness is a supreme pick-me-up.

To Feel Alive Again

This person takes an odd outlook on being in love. Having a broken heart correlates to being in pain and desperation. If this person feels more alive when they have a broken heart they must expect life to give them nothing but hard times. Do they believe that life is meant to be horrible, they are destined to be in pain? They believe love is a fantasy world, somewhat like a dream they are floating through, a Neverland of sorts. It is something that always must be destroyed eventually and one must wake up and join reality again.

I think it is sad for someone to have been pushed to the point where they can't even believe in love anymore. Though I am quite dissuaded that fairytale romanticism exists, i know there is love. What could someone have been through to feel this way?

Double Secret

This postcard was published on the PostSecret Website. A black and white image of a young girl looking off into the distance it saddens me at the first glance. Then to read the words, "My biggest secret isn't even my own. Maybe sending this post secret will release me. I've never told a soul your secret. I should have." Keeping a secret against all odds. What does hearing a secret do to the listener? Do they take on the burden and responsibility or the secret, tucking it away for later thoughts. Will this secret begin to eat at the listener the same way it did the confessor? How does the listener deal with the secrets they consume? Do they repent, or write, do they just wallow in sympathy for the confessor. They take on an emotional burden solely to relieve another person. Is confession selfish? Does the confessor ever think about what they are putting the listener through? We confess to relieve ourselves, to make ourselves feel better. What about the person we're confessing to?

Closer

The closer is another crime show that plays on prime-time TV, but this one deals entirely with confessions. The main character is called "the closer" and it is her job to get criminals to confess to their crimes. It is interesting to see how she pulls confessions out of people. She changes techniques from sympathetic and understanding, to forceful and bad-cop like, to a twisting, manipulative manner. In the end she almost always gets the confession out of the criminal. How does she deal with having to force these people to tell their secrets, especially with them being heinous crimes. Is it because she knows they will be prosecuted? Or does she just harden her heart...

Group Hug

Group Hug is a website similar to Not Proud where people can post their confessions for anyone to read anonymously. It is a way to free some of the burden a secret bears without affecting your day-to-day life. None you know would ever read that and know it's you, it is perfect.

An Impression

The documentary we viewed in class was brutally honest. These women in prison fulfilling long, grueling sentences feel remorse and regret for their actions, and they write about this among other topics in their writ ting group. It gave me a view into the minds of the people I thought were hardened criminals. When the prisoners spoke of their crimes it was a very deep, strong confession. Unlike those in PostSecret these confessions share the story behind the action. You get to see the emotions these memories evoke in the detainees and understand the events that led up to the action. I had a strong sense or pity for these women after they shared their crimes and how they felt about them.

It was distressing when the woman said she believed she only stabbed that old man 3 times, yet it was really 28 and she had to face that fact and his entire family in court. I felt sympathy for her and the other inmates, which is something I never expected to feel about a woman in jail.

My Words

Words are the way we communicate. We share our emotions, thoughts, ideas, actions. I want my words to be percise. I want to be able to convey thoughts or idea with clarity and emphasis, with a concise statement that leaves the listener enlightened. I want to eliminate rationalizations and use a firm descision-making process to create the best story. I want not only to be able to get the thought across clearly and concisly, but to be able to touch the listener.

To be able to reach the listener's heart and touch their soul is what makes a lasting impact. I want to be empathetic and leave a lasting impression. I wish my words to have meaning and ignite spiraling thoughts in others, to be the one who makes them understand. My words need to be pertenant to hear, they must be entertaining and viable.

I want everyone to love my words. I want everyone to feel my words. I want everyone to understand my words.