Into (Young) Adulthood Now

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

Image                          Window to the world. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

“Please, don’t keep me in here” is my only protest. I’m screaming this as the window slides shut. My old life is walking forward without me. Early adulthood depression has taken a liking to me. A first world problem that affects more than just a 21 year old suburban female.

From the end of my senior year to my third semester of community college my friends and I would all meet up on the weekends. Different ages, but we were all under 25. It was a mix of new acquaintances and high school friends who were still in town. We didn’t all know each other but we were connected by different people. Soon enough the new and the old formed into the regular group. We were all friends now.

Some get together’s were co-gender house parties that involved good food and video games. There were also occasional ladies only mall days. We weren’t being sexist though, the guys had their all male video game parties during these trips. We all loved each other’s company, but sometimes you just need a single gender break.

As the ones left behind we were motivated townies. In our parents houses but with jobs, community or local college, or the last years of high school to complete. We were just as busy as the ones who got to go away, but we forced a different community into out busy schedules.

No dorms filled with people from different states for us, but we were meeting new people. We were branching out and made the best of our free time. Now that were getting older free time is becoming harder to create. Some friends have gone into the demanding semesters of their major, transferred schools or moved to a new town. I will be one of the next people to transfer away next fall. The application process needs to be started soon and that deadline has made me nostalgic.

The group and I had heard about how friends drift apart as they grow older. Work, life and all that jazz. Hangouts still happen but not as frequently. Social media sites keep us together but it doesn’t compare to the memories we made face to face. That being said I have no regrets about how often we all saw each other. I don’t have any bad feelings about the friends who went away either. This is what happens to everyone our age, but unlike past generations were not saying goodbye. We’re all young and blessed to live in a computer age.

All of my friends will stay in my life, but it is going to be different now. A new age is coming in my life and I’m not fighting it. These past few chapters in my book are harder to leave behind than my previous life experiences, but its time. Next fall that thought won’t even be a choice. If I end up at the first college I apply to some old friends will be there, but I will need to branch out again as well. Even when I rekindle old friendships a gap of in person time will put us back a few steps.  I’m really not as sad I sound, and I wouldn’t change anything, but it is hard to let go and start again.

-Katelyn Avery

550 words

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Dripping Miracles

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

Image                                                                   Tap Water. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

The drought is on in California and my Connecticut based heart is bleeding for them. I’ve never been through a drought so I have no idea what they must be feeling. That privilege makes me grateful every time I turn on the tap.

Water really is a gift but I don’t always remember that. Droughts have happened before in America, and while I felt bad for the affected people, I knew the drought would end soon. This time around the hold still hasn’t been loosened. Worried barely describes how to feel over this situation.

California has been hit hard and its residents are tough. The worst part about their story is that they are not alone. West Virginia residents had their water ripped from them and spit on. A chemical spill made something I enjoy so freely a deadly weapon. A place in America was without drinkable water.  An unimaginable headline for a first world country.

The fear that these two states have gone through is not something I could try to understand. Water has always been available to me, and tap water does count. The faucet drips out more than clear liquid. I cannot honestly say that I will always remember to be thankful for water, but for now I know it’s a miracle.

-Katelyn Avery

215 Words

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Lower the Glass

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Wine bottle. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

On the eve of my 21st birthday I find myself frustrated. I’m angered by the stereotypes about turning 21. A number doesn’t have to mean I’ll be buzzed out of my mind. Cake will be served, the Superbowl will be on, and I will enjoy this alcohol free event.

According to society’s rules February 2nd will turn me into a complete adult. Legal for alcohol consumption, but I won’t be drunk. Alcohol doesn’t equal maturity anyways, but many people seem to disagree with that statement. I share a birthday with my twin sister and we will both take part in a new trend. It’s called the sober 21 trend, and I’m in love with this movement.

Drinking doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but it has hurt people in my family. Many people know that struggle and have had to deal with much worse than me. My experiences haven’t made me anti alcohol though, I just don’t want to drink. Anyone who does want to drink is ok in my book, I just hope they have limits. At the very least they won’t receive any condescending comments from me.

Judgment is not something I’m into when it comes to alcohol. This makes it even harder when I’m the one being judged. Some people really don’t agree with an alcohol free lifestyle. For me it’s something I’ve never been into. While other high school/college students wanted to “go hard” at a party I just wanted soda and pizza. Maybe some hackey sack and a good movie. Something about simple and safe things attracted me more than picking my poison.

I probably won’t avoid alcohol forever. That task is beyond daunting. However, that doesn’t mean I will be in a relationship with Jack Daniel’s or Bud Light. My 21st birthday will break all the rules, but not because of broken records for how bombed a person can be. The third will not be spent hungover because February 2nd will only include immature activities. For now I’m giving the cold shoulder to those oh so mature beverages that contain alcohol.

-Katelyn Avery

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All The Things We Receive

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Industrialization in Connecticut. From 2009.                                                          Photo by Katelyn Avery.

The trees used to go on forever. The air was better and rain came down clean. This is what America looked like before industrialization.

Factories make jobs and products, but we can’t ignore the side effects either. I’m not saying we should get rid of factories though. I myself can’t live without all the things they give us. My 90’s kid/millennial generation always needs something with a battery. However, America also receives pollution from these buildings.

Most Americans do have some subconscious guilt about our contribution to global warming.  It’s something that would eat you alive if you always thought about it, but maybe we need to feel bad sometimes. Then there are some Americans who are oblivious to the harm being done. That’s the part  that annoys me.

Rose colored glasses don’t make a fashion statement so let’s take them off. Living in the real world won’t hurt us, it will actually save us. The ozone layer isn’t untouchable and smog is real. Industrialization is a part of our lives that many of us can’t give up, but we need to accept everything that it gives us.

-Katelyn Avery

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Getting Up or Staying Down

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Snow covered patio chairs. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

Those chairs aren’t meant to be filled. At the very least people should not constantly occupy them. Being covered in snow is an ok life style for these chairs, but laziness should not decorate them.

A former professor of mine once explained how perfect human bodies are. The legs support us well which took away the need for constant sitting. Humans were able to be on the move.

As an aspiring journalist I have to be ready to walk. I have to get to anywhere between the newsroom and my story. These are great words to know but they are easy to forget. As a student on a gap semester and in between jobs, motivation is hard to find. My savings won’t last forever but its hard to keep pushing. I have applied to only two jobs within my month of unemployment . I really didn’t expect two no replies but America’s economy hit me hard. I felt low and slipped into the well know occupation of a couch potato.

Getting up is a skill I’m relearning. Students are going back to college and staying down isn’t fun anymore. Vacation does have to end.

Other young people are in my position but some of them have four year degrees or more. Its tough for all of us. As we put off adulthood achievements because of money, we have to try and cheer each other up. The up part should be taken literally. Our chairs are getting sore, and TV and the internet don’t make you feel better. I just need others, and myself to know that furniture should be treated like treasured artwork. We need to avoid constantly abusing them with relaxation. It only keeps your spirit down.

-Katelyn Avery

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Frozen Pizza Doesn’t Bow Out

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Frozen cheese pizza. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

Frozen pizza holds a special place in American homes. It’s the staple food of any life style. From cities to suburbia this processed food puts a smile on many faces.

Growing up I loved frozen pizza, which is why my Mom couldn’t keep too many in the house. If I saw a box in the freezer I wouldn’t want anything else for dinner. My Mom tried to convince me that other meals would suffice, but my twin sister and I would pull the brat card. We would say “Pizza, Pizza, Pizza, Pizza….” until my Mom caved and said “Fine”. Defeated she would pull out a cheese pizza and pre heat the oven. Today she thinks this is a funny memory, as do I. Its hard not to be happy over anything pizza related.

Frozen pizza doesn’t compare to real pizza though, but I still continue to eat it. I have branched out past plain cheese, and at age 20 I still love having a pizza dinner. Not everyday though, my metabolism doesn’t have its childhood speed anymore. Still, I can’t picture life without this premade goodness. I’ll get anything from the top brand to the knockoff store brand pizza’s, because when it comes down to it, I just enjoy my vice.

-Katelyn Avery

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Bases Belong in the Field

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Baseball field in Milford, Connecticut. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

An empty baseball field lay before me. I was playing catch with my younger cousin Alex (boy) when I saw this travesty. We were passing with (male) lacrosse sticks when I finally realized there were no bases on the field beside us. This meant that no pickup games could be played here. Someone may start a game if they owned their own bases, but that’s a long shot.

The worst part about this naked baseball field was its forgotten existence. The field was shoved in the back of a school yard away from the play systems and basketball hoops. An elementary school housed this field but the children attending the school were being deprived. The proximity kept them away from the potential kickball field. Even if the kids did walk over to the field the missing bases destroyed any hope for a game.

My cousin passed the ball to me, but it ended up flying passed me onto the baseball field. I ran over into the sea of dirt and found that it was not as solid as my childhood baseball fields. The dirt was still wet from the rain and the bottoms of my shoes were now filthy. I scooped up the lacrosse ball and ran away from the footprints I had just made.

The ball was now covered in mud and I was covered in sensible thoughts. Now that I was actually using my mind I realized the bases were probably put away to stay safe from the weather. Maybe the kids weren’t being deprived. Maybe my imagination takes a few leaps. I don’t think I was going out on a limb though. As a kid I never saw an empty baseball field. That was about as welcome as sin. Something you only heard of in stories but couldn’t picture in real life. But now I had faced the horror of a defective baseball field, and my tracks were there to show.

-Katelyn Avery

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Diversity Can Open the Door

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Doorway to diversity. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

The door to diversity is wide open. A light is coming through and Martin Luther King is one of the people who broke the lock. The door can close but the slightest breeze will bust it open. Segregation is no more.

All the races and cultures live together, and we can all bask in this beautiful reward. However we need to know this accomplishment wasn’t a piece of cake. Scratch marks are around the doorknobs and some of the wood has been attacked. Cracks are surrounded by the blood of ordinary people who took a stand. Anyone who suffered through civil rights is a hero. Martin Luther King and many others gave up their lives for everyone else to live in a better world. I’m not talking about his death though. His personal life was also taken away.

King could have stayed silent without the stress of being a public figure. A life full of danger and hardship. Although King always had the world against him. He was a black man during a horrible era defined by lynchings’, hoses and injustice. No one was safe from lies and prejudice and if King hadn’t fought for that generation, and the future, we still might be looking as segregated water fountains.

Today my generation has memories of racially mixed school days and cultural events. We were allowed to care for each other and love the diversity around us. Racism isn’t over but its also not locking diversity behind a door. Cultural differences are only a step away from where you stand and they are all so beautiful. Today we realize that racial and cultural differences are important things we should get to experience together.

-Katelyn Avery

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Spring Jungle Fighting Winter Canvas

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Small woods in Trumbull, CT. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

Green conquers white again, but only for the time being. The snow has melted away, but January does not signal the end of Connecticut’s winter.

As much as I enjoy winter the spring jungle makes me smile as well. So many stories lie in those woods. They have nested under rocks, in ponds or next to deer. They can’t be caught by bear traps and even the motocross riders can’t catch them.

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 Snow dusting. Small woods in Trumbull, CT. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

A dusting came today though, fast and hard. Snow falling like hail, but without the temperature to create a home. By 3 pm the melting process had begun. It would seem that spring woke up in the middle of the night and decided to watch some afternoon TV. Winter may want to paint a picture but it will be tough getting spring out of their chair. This safari like scene puts up a fight as winter tries to claim its respective months.

-Katelyn Avery

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Priceless Coins

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Katelyn The Journalist

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 Chocolate coins. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

Hanukkah is over and I’m not Jewish, but I still get into the commercialized side of the holiday.  I started this tradition as an elementary school student with my second grade class. It was the 2000-2001 school year and we were learning about religious diversity. One of the Jewish kids and his Mom taught our mostly Christian class how to play dreidel. Everyone tried to win chocolate coins and we sang the dreidel song. The other Jewish kids talked about what they did on Hanukkah, and we listened to the story about the lamp being lit for eight days.

As I grew older I was told that Hanukkah was not the most important Jewish holiday. My friend said it was just over commercialized. Still, Hanukkah held a special place in my heart. I associate the holiday with a time of unconditional acceptance. I was so young, as was the whole class, so we just accepted that not everyone celebrated Christmas, but they still had their own traditions.

Now a 20 year old diversity has lost its flare. I love the word, but society makes it hard to live it out. As I grew older the holidays were all lumped into one season of shopping with Christmas taking the lead. It’s 2014 and I haven’t been able to say Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas without knowing the person in years.

On January, 14th my Dad found some chocolate coins on sale, post holiday season, and bought me some. A nice gift to a community college graduate. The gold wrappers might as well be the real deal, because the chocolate inside warmed my heart. They remind me of a happier and simpler time.

-Katelyn Avery

281 words

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