My sister, Casady and I on our childhood treehouse built by my father, grandfather, and cousin before it was torn down.
I've never had so many questions about two people I don't know - and probably will never meet - than when my mom texted me that our house sold. I wanted to know everything. Were they worthy to live in the home my parents have owned for 36 years? Do they understand that they are about to move to the greatest street in the history of the world?
2016 has a pretty bad rep at this point, but there are many memories that I will choose to remember the year by. Take a look.
The following was written on my iPhone on October 19th in Riomaggiore, Italy to honor the birthday of my best friend from high school, Stacy Blakeslee. Half was written while enjoying the sunset, the remainder when I returned home that night. Stacy unfortunately fell ill just days before finals of her last semester in college, in December of 2013.
Reflecting back on what the year brought me with increased work and personal travel, I was curious how much I had lived up to my wandering name. With that, I did some math. Looked into my archives. And made this quick graphic.
Earlier this week I traveled to New York for work. It wasn’t my first trip, but it had been quite a while since my last visit. My list of things to do were more along the lines of wandering to new areas than tourist stops but there was one item in particular that was deemed a must: One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower). I wrote the below on Monday, September 21.
“Justice for all just ain’t specific enough.”
I saw Selma this weekend, as I believe all should. Not only is it important for these stories to be told often and repeatedly, but the cinematography is beautiful. It’s hard to believe protests were needed to alter legislation of something that already existed – an equal right to vote. But these injustices still exist today. We’re still fighting for equal rights across the board. Laws may have been changed, but a perception still exists.
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
I can’t think of anyone who is quite like Maya Angelou. She was who she was, with no time for shame. She understood she had faults and sometimes corrected them. But she also understood that our time is limited. We do not get to choose all of our situations but we can take control if given the opportunity.