Nerd @ 190

Some people would believe that I'm not a very grateful American.  I believe that there are a lot of things wrong with our country and I'm vocal about it.  That's the thing I'm most thankful for about being an American.  I can protest and inform my representatives about the things that are wrong in America. If my representatives don't do the things I want, I can vote for new ones. These freedoms are invaluable to the way that I live my life.  I believe in this system.  I also believe that our veterans should be celebrated and cared for by our nation.   Despite this belief, I don't believe in " freedom isn't free"  It is a horrible misnomer and simplification of an important concept.  Our military follows orders, orders that could protect our freedom.  It's important that they be willing to go where they are ordered and risk their lives.  The fact that our nation has struggled repetitively with proper and effective support of our al...

Even in their own, after the movement, articles you can hear the victim blaming "I wore my heart on my sleeve" the writers describe themselves as weak in the face of systemic abuse. I'm reading while watching my nephew.  I'm watching him a few days a week all summer. He is 9, and a similarly aged girl from next door comes over and plays video games and eats lunch almost every day.  The truth is, I'm mostly here to make sure he remembers that there is more to the world than whichever game he is currently obsessed with,  and that when he gets hungry he doesn't a) burn the house down or b) eat a bag full of candy. Nephew and his friend are constantly referencing weird songs and you tube videos.  #KidsTheseDays This is honestly only strange because things like you tube videos weren't really a thing until I was in high school.   There is a specific you tube video being reenacted in the kitchen.   To the children, it's a funny song, and concept....

It's possible that I watched the Lion King too much as a kid.  My little brother was obsessed with it, and would watch it over and over.  I too loved that movie, and there is one line that stuck with me.   I try as often as possible to learn from the past. I wish to change things, make it so that the past isn't repeated. A huge part of my therapy is to look at my own past.  Those lessons I took with me as a child that don't serve me are the things I am addressing. I'm trying to learn from what happened to me when I had no control.  Instead of moving forward with pain, or running from difficult memories and triggers, I am caring for myself in different ways than I have in the past. The significant challenge for me is that I live in the United States of America, and I see that as a country we are not learning from the past.  People on the senate floor might as well be using the speeches from the people that stood in their location 50 years ago....