Jamie (which is not the real name of the victim) woke up on the floor next to a couch she didn’t recognize. The party was a few hours old.
It’s been more than a week since a car hit my scooter while I was driving, but I can’t stop replaying the moment in my head. I can still hear the car’s brakes screeching futily. I can still feel the road scraping my hands and my back as I tried to catch myself. I remember looking at one of my best friends, who was riding on the back, with tears and shock in both of our eyes. Gasoline was spewing from the scooter — which my helmet was resting safely inside of.
I don’t know if it’s because the holidays are coming up, or if there’s something in the air, but a large portion of my friends have recently gotten engaged. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fantastic. Really. I am so happy they found and picked the person they want to be with for the rest of their lives. But at the same time, it has left a lot of my single friends feeling like they don’t have their lives together.
Last week I was applying to an internship at a well-known financial institution when I came across a bizarre portion of the application. Titled “self-identification,” I was asked a series of questions that you’d typically expect on a job application. There was nothing abnormal about the self-identification section until I reached the very bottom of the page where, in my opinion, I was asked an extremely invasive and inappropriate question: “Please indicate your sexual orientation.”
A quick note before we begin: I am by no means a professional in self-help practices nor do I consider myself an expert in mindfulness. Heck, I’m writing this column during my “me time” in between doing my laundry, mentally organizing tomorrow’s agenda and trying to remember the date of my next exam. That aside, I’m going to write this as a message to myself — and anyone else who might need this reminder — about the importance of carving out space and time for oneself each week.
When was the last time you asked someone how they were doing and really meant it?
Our lives are based around two things: circumstance and decisions. Circumstance is everything you can’t control. This is your privilege or your lack thereof. This is the stuff that just happens to you. Were you in the right place at the right time? Circumstance. Then, the rest of your life is made up of decisions. This is everything you actively do. Did you work really hard or not hard enough? Did you take that risk or let it slip through your fingers? These are both decisions.
I am supposed to write about my purpose. That is an odd task, at least in my opinion, to reduce my purpose to one or two single-spaced pages. This implies a multitude of things: one, that I do have a purpose and, two, my purpose is applicable to the exact program and exact situation so I could sum it all up in one or two single-spaced pages.
"In that situation, I did everything right.”
I see you clearing your cookies on your computer to get 10 more free articles for the Sun Sentinel or The Washington Post without having to pay their monthly subscription, and for a while I was like you. I get it, you don’t have the money to pay $5 a month for news, so you cheat the system. It makes sense, but you’re hurting the very institution that you count on for reliable news, and it’s time we started supporting newspapers. They need us.
Over the past several months, Americans across the country have taken it upon themselves to destroy, deface and rewrite American history with the removal of historical statues and monuments. Virtually unchallenged, this small segment of the public has attempted to bully fair-minded citizens into accepting a new American reality: one without our Founding Fathers.
Counseling and mental health services are a top priority at UF and need to be part of continued conversations nationally within higher education and beyond.
Over the past few days, I have seen multiple articles detailing the lives of middle school students who chose to end their lives by killing themselves. Suicide is always tragic. Suicide should always draw our attention and ignite a desire for action and change. When those who choose to end their lives are not even teenagers yet, it can capture our attention in a particularly intense way.
“If you see something, say something.” This slogan can apply to suspicious activity monitored by the Department of Homeland Security, but it should also apply to our everyday interactions.
Last week, I went to a show at High Dive featuring two Florida-native bands: The Hails and Surfer Blood. This was not my first High Dive show, nor will it be my last. Not only is it a blast to hear great live music, but it’s also awesome to give your love and support to local businesses, especially the art and culture hubs around Gainesville.
Earlier this week, I was studying. I was in the library, where most people are when they study, and I found a perfect little table in the basement of Marston Science Library. It was nearing hour three of my study venture, and I was making decent progress. I brought snacks to tide me over and filled my water bottle. I had an arsenal of colored pens, my notebook, my hard copy of the textbook at my disposal. Last but not least, I had the most important part of any study session — my ear buds.
Jane Doe (Jane Doe is not the actual name of the victim, but is used in place of it to ensure her safety) draws her third cigarette from the box of Marlboro cigarettes on the table between us. The box looks light.
This sign I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going to do, but never commands me to do anything.”
I read an article the other day on several interesting cases that could make their way to the Supreme Court in the coming months. One in particular caught my eye: Garza v. Hargan. This case involves a 17-year-old illegal immigrant, referred to as Jane Doe in court documents, who is currently detained in Texas. She arrived in the U.S. pregnant, and has since demanded an abortion.
This semester I’ve found myself running. Running, not in the “late for class” kind of way, but more so running through this semester and through these next two months to graduation. Some of you, regardless of whether you’re graduating or not, might also feel this way.
Solutions by The State News
