compassion – The April Diaries

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s hard to believe that one of the best years of my life has gone by so fast. I’m not going to do one of those cheesy “year in review” things (mostly because I did that on my Instagram story — LOL.) However, this year, like the last one, has a lot to offer me — everything from a thesis due in May to graduation in December. Then we start all over again in 2020 with graduate school!

For those of you who don’t know, I am extremely superstitious in terms of colors. I have been oddly attracted to the color purple recently. I also strongly believe in signs and tarot readings. I have additionally been attracted to the lavender rose-quartz crystal. With that being said, I am taking matters into my own hands and pioneering a MAGAZINE called the Bold Lips and Coffee Talk.

My thing about New Years Resolutions is they can have meaning if you’re willing to put in the work to make them come true. Some of mine include the following:

Graduate with the highest honors (if not Magna Cum Laude)
Make my vision of the Rose-quartz Lens come to life
Get a job in writing/editing, or take part in a residency this summer

These are just some, but my list is certainly not limited. But one thing is for sure, is that I may not have a ton of support, but in the end, I have the support of myself because I have the abilities, power, and potential to make my dreams come true.

There isn’t really much to say here except KEEP CREATING. Be as fierce as a lion, and never stop going after what you want in 2019. This is your year as much as it is mine.

With all those memes out there that say, “you know you grew up to be Squidward when…” (or the Grinch, or any other negative character), it’s a shame how many people I see share that.

But before I get into my narrative, I’d like to say HAPPY DECEMBER! A lot of YouTubers do Vlog-Mas and I thought, why not do a little thing called “Blog-Mas?” Since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, and I obviously can’t blog every day, I think I should write a simple blog post every Tuesday this month until Christmas comes.

One “theme” that has been constantly brought up, or at least shows up in my life this time of year is kindness. Believe it or not, I remember a time when the universe wasn’t so cruel to me. I know people (now) who manage to stay so positive, even when their world isn’t so kind.

Today, I had to give a social advocacy presentation on sexual assault, harassment, and Title IX on college campuses. One of the things I preached was, “follow up with them and ask how they’re doing; a little kindness can make their day.”

My point?

The holidays are not always a good time for some people. In fact, they can be quite stressful. Any time of the year can be a stressful time. So, a simple “how are you?” can make someone’s day just a little brighter.

Another thing: I chose to give back to my department of English and Creative Writing, and now for my work-study job, I am the Managing Editor for our soon-to-be-revived online magazine and Web Management intern. I am so excited to be doing this, and I love working for the kind and passionate faculty and staff.

Giving back has always been my “thing.” When I was 18-19 years old, I was a volunteer intern for Tufts Medical Center’s Oncology Unit because I wanted to make a difference in these patients’ lives and to give back to the unit for saving my dad’s life. I’m 22 years old now, and I still think about these patients every day, and what more I could have done for them. Except, all I could do was brighten their day and that was more than enough for them.

I mentioned in Toto, We’re Not In Manchester, Anymore | WBA Manchester how I tutored and helped refugee students who were struggling with English or Mathematics. Not only did I love speaking Spanish to those who knew it better than English, but I also remember helping out this one Russian girl with whom I had to communicate through Google Translate. I remember I, a girl who used to struggle with math, couldn’t believe she was tutoring a girl who needed the same help I did when I was younger. She then came up to me, after class, and in perfect English, said: “Thank you for all your help today,” and I nearly cried from happiness. I’m sitting in my favorite building, wanting to tear up as I write this! I had plenty of experience tutoring: in high school, at Saint A’s, at RWU, but nothing compares to the amount of appreciation I have for this one specific trip (even though I realized I could never teach eighth graders, LOL.)

As I think about getting my MFA after I graduate, I look at all these programs I’m interested in and see that they have residency programs to teach. I remember my English professors at SAC, and my English and Creative Writing professors at RWU, and I think to myself, “these are some of the best people I’ve ever met.” With that, I want to share my knowledge with the world and connect with those who love the art of writing as much as I do. I want to promote kindness in the classroom because God and everyone else knows that it does tend to slip through people’s fingers at times.