Do we really know? Now rice from China has plastic pieces in it to up the quantity and meet weight requirements. Meat does not come as one cut, yet several that are glued together to make one whole. Cheese does not burn, but instead, it turns black. Fish are farmed and fed mediocre quality food that has traces of mercury and led we then eat. Chickens cannot stand due to the hormones they are pumped with and never see the light of day yet are free range. Pesticides are the new seasoning. Does this not alarm anyone?
Now don’t get me wrong I could never be a vegetarian or vegan, however, I do believe in buying your food ethically and responsibly. I think spending money on quality food is necessary for today’s society when cheap food is the most unhealthy. It is not fair, nor is it right to have prices for healthy food so inflated. However, paying 5 dollars for a pack of 5 hot dogs means you spent 1 dollar on each, what do you expect it to be made of other than some unhealthy products. With having said that, some families cannot afford to eat properly, and this is a significant problem that many kids face. That not only affects how a body matures and develops but also mood, focus, ability to learn, and work effectivly. This only perpetuates the cycle of poverty and health problems within that demographic. I hope for the future to be ethically farmed, properly raised, and healthy for all people, not just those who make a specific salary.

Let me first start by saying no, it was not for me.
This topic, I find a bit difficult to write on as I don’t want to be judged for associating with people who are on this program, or for even going there. But then I ask myself, why do I even care. I also ask myself if I feel this way just for tagging along, imagine how those who are in the program feel. Fortunately for me, I had gotten to know this young lady well before she was on it and I will know her when she no longer needs it. If I am honest, I was nervous and genuinely a bit scared before going to the clinic. I had all of the stereotypical images circling through my head. However, when I got there, I was pleasantly surprised at how it looked. It was clean, smelled nice, was designed beautifully, had a clean seating area, as well as amicable employees. I did meet a man who seemed to be recently clean however withdrawing hard attempting to get his prescription. I am not sure if he had relapsed and been kicked off of the program, but there was some dispute between him and the employees. Not only did they handle it exceptionally well for the circumstances, but also seemed to empathize with the patient as well. Seeing the way it was handled was something I did not expect and am very glad I got to see. This showed me that empathy is necessary for all aspects of life, regardless of the situation. Empathy does not mean to forgive. It just means being open to understanding. The last thing that I thought was worth mentioning for those of you who will never go into a Methadone clinic is that you will be surprised as to who you see walking in. You may observe the stereotypical strung out person; however it is usually the opposite. In my several trips, I have seen businessmen, fathers, mothers, soccer moms, kids, construction workers, yoga teachers, and most importantly people. Everyone in that clinic is a person dealing with a disease which deserves just as much compassion as the next person. I task you with the next time you judge someone or something to think, why are feeling this way, and how can you change it.

They say if you are planning on getting revenge to dig two graves: one for your enemy and one for yourself.
This is a statement I wish I had known throughout my 5 years in high school, and yes, you read that right I said 5 years. Revenge is not always how it sounds. It can be as simple as getting the last word in, or as evil as your mind can wander. For me, it was on the simple side but still classified as revenge. What I did not realize was how much more work holding on and plotting was compared to letting it go and walking away. As I have gotten older, I have gotten smarter, but mainly more mature. Though there are times, I feel the opposite and would love not to walk away, saving my energy for more important things is always my priority. Revenge is something that can consume people and cloud their judgment. I have learned what you put out you will receive back. I don’t need to be your revenge, because of my friend karma, who I’m sure you’ll meet soon.

Since the beginning of time, women have had to fight for rights that the male gender has never had taken and could never be taken from them. A society that has continuously controlled women and will try to keep it that way. As a young girl growing up in the 21st century, I have not personally seen the depths that this control has gone too. However, I have some knowledge of the history between men’s rights and women’s rights and the weight that they held in their time. Starting with marriage, women could not own anything, could not handle their own money, and did not have to consent to sexual occurrences for them to happen. Women were not able to buy land, or own anything in their name unless widowed. Voting was also another right that women did not have until late 1919 and in some places, not untill1940. Now in the present day after massive success in the Roe v. Wade case, women are under attack again. Men in Alabama and several other states, as previously mentioned in other blogs, have put forth heartbeat bills or overall abortion ban bills. This law also involves the criminalization of women who attempt to have an abortion, as well if there is suspicion of forced miscarriage. This criminalization will be the death penalty.
The events that have been happening and will continue to happen seem oddly familiar to a famous book and now show called The Handmaid’s Tale. In this series, women are held against their will for their services such as reproductive organs, cooking, and cleaning. Not only is this how women have been looked at for a long time, but it is chilling how realistic this dystopian society is in comparison to ours. Men in the book and show are the leaders, rule makers, sexual abusers, physical abusers, and mental abusers. There is a sequel to the book The Handmaid’s Tale coming out soon, and season 3 just started. I believe it could not have happened at a better time to show our society just how close we are to Gilead. Praise be.

Let me start my saying mom, don’t bother reading this one.

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Now that she’s probably still reading I’ll begin anyway. What is dissociating you may wonder? The disconnection or separation of something from something else or the state of being disconnected. The state of being disconnected. I’m not sure why this is so appealing to me, or why it has been for so many years. Even when I think about that phrase ‘the state of being disconnected’ I feel so at ease. Since a young age clearing my mind to the point of no thought has been easy, and something I enjoyed often doing. Not long after it happened without even trying. I would be in class and would completely dissociate not realizing until my friends would nudge me. Soon it became comfortable and easier to do it on command, even affecting my vision. As I got older, this state became increasingly comforting to me. I started to crave being in a dissociative state all the time. I wanted to find a balance between being engaged in my surroundings but also entirely out of it. With already being in a troubled friend group accessing substances to help me accomplish my goal was not difficult for me. Emotional trauma in my life started to lead me there, my friends helped me stay there, and more trauma kept me there. I slowly crept out of a life of partying as a distraction, however, substance abuse still followed me just not as close and not as hard. Cigarettes became another form of oxygen and one of the most durable coping methods I have ever come across. They were also the hardest to quit. After moving to a new school for a year, I became more in touch with myself. My health took a turn for the better, but my want for a dissociative state was still stronger than ever. I had stopped all drugs that were considered ‘hard’ and really wanted to do well for myself. That’s what I did, and I did it well. Now here we are two years later, and I still partake in substances that allow me to dissociate with ease. Maybe one day I won’t. But like I said even when I think about that phrase ‘the state of being disconnected’ I feel so at ease.