#DearMe | International Women's Day

Dear Me,

Sweet, beautiful, 13-year-old Leeann. You are so smart, and so clever. You have a big heart for a teenager, and that's why those girls pick on you. They don't understand what it means to have empathy, or to defy peer pressure and be who you want to me.

I know it doesn't feel like it now, but you will be so strong because of them, because of this swirling mist of doom they call junior high. You will never let people tell you how to feel or who to be again, because it doesn't make you happy. And walking around miserable all the time isn't doing you any good. You have so much potential, so much talent. Mom and Dad see it. I see it.

Life is not junior high, thank goodness. And although you'll love it, life is not high school either. Or college. Life is what you decide it will be. Right now, life is words. It's writing them, reading them, shaping them into something completely new. Life is taking control over what you say and what you do, and most importantly how you feel.

Don't let the bad stuff become you. Do not become the bad stuff. Soak in the good, let it enter your soul like an endless stream, flowing into your mind until you can't remember why you were upset or what discouraged you. Surround yourself with people who make you feel special. Walk away from the people who don't. Taste the content on your tongue, sing it out to the world, for that is what life is. A song to be sung, and only you can sing it.

As Walt Whitman wrote:

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

                                    Answer. That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

In that powerful play we call life, what will our verse be? In that powerful play we call our life, what will your verse be?

For each thought we have and action we do (or don't) take shapes us into who we are. Every word we say slides into a slot of the bookshelves of our lives and becomes our verse in the world.

"Life exists, and identity." It's the power we gain from our life, our identity, that can change us.

That can change you.

name

In Review: January 2015

January gave 2015 a great start. I had a wonderful internship, got an extra month at home, and managed to catch up on sleep and regain my sanity before heading back to school. This year, I want to focus more on what I loved about each month. So I thought a quick post after each month would be a fun way to look back and remember the good things 2015 brings, one month at a time.

Let's begin!

Favorite Book

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Favorite Post

Since I only wrote three, this is fairly easy. I'll have to go with my review of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore; I really liked that book and loved how the review turned out.

Favorite Photos

What are your January highlights?

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but 2015 couldn't come fast enough. I try not to wish away years (especially since this time next year I'll be looking at my last semester of college) but 2014 was a rough year for me. 2015 brings an opportunity to let go of parts of it and use the lessons I've learned from it to make 2015 one of the best yet.

I don't normally make New Year's resolutions, since I make changes at whatever point in the year I decide something needs to happen, but this year I've decided to make some goals for myself. I'm ready to let go of some of the fears I have about the future and do something about them that lets me take control.

So here my goals for 2015:

1. Prepare for a job in 2016. By this time next year, I want to have a good idea of what I want in a post-graduate job. This means trying different things in my internships, searching the types of jobs out there and what kind of skills I need to learn for them, deciding how far I'm willing to move for a job, and getting advice from recent graduates. Hopefully in a year, I'll feel more prepared for a future outside of education and less afraid of it!
2. Read 50 books. This was a goal for 2014 and I failed. This year I want to take advantage of my free time and use it to read instead of watching TV I don't really care about or scrolling through social media. Which leads me to...
3. Waste less time on the Internet. I often come back from an afternoon class and sit and stare at Twitter for an hour. There is nothing on Twitter that demands an hour of my attention. So this year, I want to only use social media on my phone (where I look at it less) and save my computer for things I need to do. The goal is to see my computer as a productive place, not an unproductive one.
4. Consistently post on the blog. I was doing really well with this in the summer. But as soon as the semester started, I put all my attention to school work. Not this year. Even if it's only once a week, I want to have a schedule for my blog and stick to it. I think I'm going to try just posting every Thursday, and then if I feel like I can return to twice a week I will (and I want to!).
5. Run 5 miles. I've been running for over a year now, but I'm stuck at 2 miles. Part of this is how much time I have, but another part is lack of motivation to run further. So this year, I want to be able to run 5 miles without walking by the end of October. I'm hoping along the way I will start to run faster and more frequently, making my exercise routine more of a productive routine.

What are your goals for 2015?

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Below the Line:

• I've been compiling my stats for 2014, and I'm excited to share them with you! Look for a bonus post coming soon evaluating Scribbing in the Margins' first year.
• I start my winter term internship on Monday with the local magazine. I'm really excited to try a 9-5 "job" and learn about writing/publishing careers.

Merry Christmas! | The TWELFTH Day of Blogmas

Merry Christmas! | Scribbling in the Margins blog

On the twelfth day of Blogmas, Leeann's blog gave to me... one Christmas picture!

I hope you all liked the 12 Days of Blogmas! I really enjoyed posting for you all every day. New posts will be coming in the next week. But for now, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday!

name

On the twelfth day of Blogmas, Leeann's blog gave to me:

One Christmas picture, Christmas Eve traditions, a Christmas travel story, six final to-reads, decked halls a-twinkling, a Christmas tag of sorts, two Christmas book reads, FIVEEEE FESTIVE MOVIES! Memories filled with snow, one blog tag, the best study tips, and 10 Christmas songs to sing!