Isn't Life Beautiful

 There have been many different times during my life that communication proved to be vital. The instances are countless.  Communication (however crucial) has honestly never been much of a strong point for me. I am someone who often says exactly what I think. This has gotten me into quite a bit of trouble over the years.  My family loves to remind me of one particular instance where I'd say my communication skills were a little too strong. I was with my mom visiting an elderly lady in my neighborhood. I was around the age of four or five. My mom and I would visit this lady quite often due to her poor health, so she and her husband were very familiar with us. On this particular day, however, I happened to be playing with this couple's Olympic snow globe (not something you come across every day). While playing with it I lost my grip and dropped it. It completely shattered.  My mother was mortified but this sweet couple kept telling me it was alright and that I didn't ne...

 When I was in my first year of middle school as a seventh-grader, my dad lost his job. It was midway through the year and I was already trying to figure out a lot of things with being in a new school and having friend groups change. Having my dad lose his job was terrifying. It was something I thought about and worried about a lot. I didn't talk to any of my friends about it (especially since I'd stopped spending time with a lot of my previous friends from elementary school) and I felt very lonely and stressed lots of the time. I noticed my parents started arguing with each other more, which was noticeable since that had hardly ever occurred before. I was very concerned for my family not only financially but also in the sense of whether or not we would all stay a family. I truly thought for a time that divorce was a big possibility for my parents during this time. It was very hard and very stressful. The unemployment lasted for quite a while. It was difficult in many many ways...

The word intimacy is defined as "the closeness between people in personal relationships". It is something that ranges between each relationship that you have. I honestly wish that when I thought of intimacy this definition came more to mind. The thought of intimacy has been something I haven't always enjoyed or felt comfortable with. For me it makes me think of being vulnerable with someone and exposing yourself in a way you could be very hurt if things go south. I have always been one to protect myself the best I can so entertaining the idea of being intimate with someone hasn't always been something I felt safe with.  This is not the right way to think about this, however. We live in a world where intimacy means different things to different people. To some intimacy only means having sexual relations with someone and it doesn't particularly matter who they are intimate with. For others, intimacy means more than just the sexual aspects of a relationship. It's...

 I have been a romantic for as long as I can remember. Growing up I played a lot with my brothers. They always wanted to play superheroes or war of some sort. This was always fine by me as long as there was some romance involved between the characters we imagined. As I've gotten older I still love romance. I love watching movies about romance. I love reading books about romance. I'm a big sucker for it all! One of my favorite things about it is the happily ever after ending! However is this an accurate depiction of real-life relationships and romance?  Many of us (especially girls) have dreams of getting married and starting a family with our one true love. It sounds absolutely magical to think of spending the rest of your life with that special someone. But this is not how marriage has always been thought of. Back in Ancient Greece and Rome marriages were politically motivated. The idea of marrying someone you actually love was not a reality for many (if any at all). As time ...