The Day After

Americans…last night we did something amazing. We made history. And I am SO proud and humbled to be here in this day and time. So thankful for those who came before us and blazed a trail. So proud to be an American.

Last night, my countrymen and women spoke…we spoke loudly…and we said the time is now…change begins today. We spoke for fairness, for peace, for honesty, and for the chance to remind ourselves and the rest of the world that we are UNITED. That we are still a mighty country and that from the biggest to the smallest, the old to the young, the rich to the poor, we are together…we are ready to go to work…to turn ourselves around towards a brighter future for our children. Last night we elected Barack Hussein Obama the 44^th President of these United States of America.

I couldn’t be prouder of my country, my home.

We spoke…together. We took action…we were informed and passionate. This…this...is our moment. Now is our time. I believe that with this election we have set a new precedent for the course of this country. I hope that as the days, months, weeks, and years pour on that we do not lose sight of the very important lesson learned in this election…

United, under one cause…moving towards one common goal…looking past our differences and acting…acting together, we can achieve much.

To my generation, to my peers, the Gen Y/Millennials…I say that this is our time. We have chosen a President to represent that which we believe in – service to mankind, integrity, and grace. We must capitalize on this most awesome of occasions and let the world know that we are here. It is our time to take the lead, and it can be done and shall be done as we look at others with the realization that we are all citizens of this great nation and hold a great responsibility to one another, to this nation, and to the rest of the world to work towards a goal greater than ourselves.

Today I am inspired.

Today I am hopeful more than ever before.

Today I know and see that anything is possible.

Today I am a part of history.

Today I am a part of the future.

Today I feel as though I am at one with my countrymen.

Today I feel the promise of America being realized.

Today I am proud to be an American.

The Quarter Life Crisis

well maybe it's not a crisis...more like an irritatingly nagging concern about the fact that i'm going to be 25 in less than a month. it's the all too uncomfortable realization that, in spite of my declaring to be a Toy R Us kid forever, that i have to grow up. it's the thoughts that i try my hardest to push aside on my morning ride into work about where i would like to be in the next 5 years. it's planning for a future that isnt promised, isnt certain, and is subjective to a variety of known and unknown variable.

um...this sucks.

not that im depressed about it or anything...i'm glad ive made it this far and i figure i can only keep going up *crosses fingers and spins around 3 times* but it seems like, for me, this is a point in my life where i have to think critically about what i want to do with my life. im not thinking 10 years ahead...no no, that's too hard...i'll just think ahead 5 and take it from there.

and as uncertain things seem to be at times, ive got to say that i feel ok knowing that ive got some semblance of a plan. that from working my way backwards from my goals...i can see what steps i might need to take to get me where i want to be. so im not afraid of my future at all, but the fact that im the one responsible for myself and my own personal growth has given me somethings to consider.

i know i need to go back to school. do i want to go back to school? eh, not particularly, just because it's so expensive, but i do welcome the chance to learn new things and interact with other bright minds. i'll be trying to get my mind geared towards GRE prep so that i'll be ready for it come next year. i need to get myself back into that college way of thinking....the standardized tests, the personal statement, the fasfa, the loans (ugh...the loans). ive been outta school going on 3 years now, and i can see why folks who tell you to finish up your schooling while you're still young...because once you get out into the 'world' and are working full time and are carving out some kind of a social life for yourself the idea of school, books, tests, studying...yea, not too appealing.

but i will conquer.

of course the yearnings for the stable relationship are present as i figure i'll want to start a family within the next decade or so. but...lack of prospects and a rather short tolerance for nonsense on my part has continued to push those yearnings down, down, down, lol.

i dont plan on moving from the area anytime soon...i actually like northern VA...if i were to move anywhere out of VA, it would have to be somewhere further south, and i know im not even ready to begin realistically thinking about doing that. so for now i will continue to daydream about my summer home by a nice lil river down in Savannah.

career...well i know i want to stay in the non-profit world. (YES!) but i dont want to take graphic design on professionally...at least i dont want to work for anyone else - i like freelancing and would like to see my freelancing business expand in the years to come. but when it comes to the 9-5, i think the non-profit sector is where i'll be. ideally...id love to have a job with flexible hours...where i'm not always behind a desk staring at a computer screen...something where life and work can come together as one, but id still be able to leave my work at work at the end of the day. i dont want to be a slave to the workforce. i want to have some kind of creative and academic freedom to just do whatever it is i'm doing, knowing that the work is fullfilling, doing some kind of good for a cause larger than myself, and pays me well (hey, i can dream)

so in a nutshell thats a glimpse into some of the things going on in my head as of late. i wont even begin to talk about my musings on religion. might have to save that post for another day.

Peace
CBrava

Nothing to Leave Behind

My mother said something to me the other day and it kind of made me sad. We were having one of our normal discussions, and I'd asked her if she had a will. Now, my reasons for this was because I'd been doing a nice bit of reading on planning out one's financial future, and naturally the topic of wills and trusts was discussed in my readings. Wanting to make sure that my most loved of all loved ones was taking care of things, I mentioned it to her casually and of course she had one. I began to share a lil bit more about the things I was reading, about revocable trusts and how that might help to keep a deceased person's property from going into probate (meaning, to the court where the intheriters have to pay a fee on whatever it is they're supposed to inherit), when she interrupted me saying.."I don't have anything"

So simple a statement. So honest. And it just hit me and hurt. Not because it meant I wouldn't inherit anything, but because here is a woman who worked hard all her life, very smart, very kind, and very dedicated to her family, especially her children, but it was just a jolt to realize that someone so deserving of having something of her own, did not. She has a legacy all her own, whether or not she knows it, my mom has made a huge impression upon me. I am a better person, a better woman, for having her as a mother. I literally owe her my life. 

But I digres...Planning ahead, thinking about longevity, is admittedly not high up on the priority list for a lot of working class families. When your kids need clothes or food to eat today, it is very hard to think about how to prepare for their tomorrow. I know wealth and money mean very little in the grand scheme of life. The lack of or the abundance of money says nothing about a person's character nor their integrity...Yet we still pursue making as much money as we can for whatever reason that drives us. It can be of use to us when we might need to make a purchase or pay for a necessary service...and though the economy seems bad now, it can help us to plan for a retirement from the workforce that won't leave us completely destitute. I mean, social security can only do but so much. 

i love my mom, and she's taught me a lot. that night more than any other before it, the importance of thinking ahead, of saving for one's future hit home - and hard. 

CBrava