When I was in college, I lived in Africa for five weeks, as a part of a study abroad program called Linking Lives. The purpose of this program was to immerse us students in a completely unfamiliar culture and environment, whilst also giving us the opportunity to help others. Now…
For me, running is therapy. Whenever I’m having an off day, I’m feeling down in the dumps, or I simply wish to clear my head, I break out the tennis shoes. Sometimes it takes a good hour on the treadmill, while at others a quick jog around the neighborhood does…
Generally speaking, there are two types of people: those who prefer the peace and quiet and those who just love to socialize. We know these people as introverts and extroverts. Introverts are typically the quieter, more solitary individuals, while extroverts are outgoing and exceptionally sociable. Now, these two personalities often…
Babies are funny creatures—they’re pint-sized little humans who have a limited range of abilities, from crying, to eating, to smiling and giggling on occasion. They can’t yet get from one place to another without a little assistance, they can’t spell out for us why exactly they’re upset, and they can’t…
Tom caught his very first glimpse of Ana on the last day of classes—she was trying to unchain her bike from a bike rack and clearly in a fit of frustration. So, he stepped in and succeeded to free her ride. This gained him a smile and a quick number…
Growing up, my two brothers and I loved to play all sorts of video games. We’d crowd onto the couch and battle each other in Halo 2 and Call of Duty on the Xbox. We’d spend hours creating our dream houses and families on Sims (with the help of some…
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 1 million adults report attempting suicide every single year. And according to the World Health Organization, 800,000 die due to suicide every single year. As you can see, an abundance of people around the world are suffering enough…
Some of us prioritize going to church every Sunday. Some only go on Easter and Christmas. And others don’t go at all. Some of us believe in one god. Some believe in several gods. And others don’t believe in any god. I could go on and on, but the point…
It’s no secret that our society is becoming increasingly less social. Many of us prefer to communicate and connect via text, phone call, Facebook, or email—anything but face-to-face. And when we do happen to forego our phones or our computers, we freeze up. That security blanket of a screen is…
I think we can all agree that dreams are pretty cool. They give us the power to fly and the ability to talk to animals—they’re a way of experiencing our deepest desires. And we’re often pretty bummed when we wake up from them. Nightmares, on the other hand, are hated…
A couple years ago, my little brother called me into his room and begged me to try on his new video game headset. This wasn’t any old gamer headset—it was virtually a portal to another world. I’m a baby so, of course, I denied his request at first. But then…
Emotions are hard: being angry stinks, being confused is—well—confusing, and being hurt or upset is the worst. We don’t always know how to deal with these negative emotions correctly, which can result in unnecessary arguments, poor decision-making, and pity parties. But there’s no question that we feel these emotions;…
