Weird Things I Thought as a Kid

As a young child, and even my twenty-year-old self, I have come up with these strange ideas, thoughts, and theories that I hope by sharing with the internet world will make your day a little brighter. Feel free to laugh at my ignorance and odd brain wave

I thought that getting a broken bone was like the coolest thing you could do in elementary school. All my friends at one point broke a finger, leg, or arm and I was so jealous because despite my falls and stumbles, I never managed to actually break anything. Any time I would remotely hurt myself, I would demand to go get X-rays, and then be moderately disappointed that I wouldn’t be picking out a color for a cast.

When I was watching Titanic for the first time and the ship had done its sinking, I thought the floating bodies in the ocean were actors who agreed to be killed for the film’s authenticity. I was horrified that someone would be so dedicated to their craft to die to be an extra. That kind of messed me up for all other movies with characters that died, because no one really explained that they were pretending to be dead and if you looked closely, you’d see them breathing (Emmy Rossum in Mystic River is a good example of that).

It was only until like last week that I unveiled the mystery of ceilings. I have been baffled by ceilings my whole life and I was always kind of unwilling to ask people how they were actually built. Finally I confessed to my mother that ceilings freaked me out and I felt like they defied gravity. I was pretty sure the only way a ceiling stayed up was witchcraft, or like you placed a giant piece of ceiling over a house and just trimmed the edges until it fit the house. My mom then explained to me that I was a loon and then told me how they were actually made.

Being a grown up who drives herself around, I realize that as a kid I had zero concept of distance. I used to think that the church parking lot that I rode my bike around was in a foreign town and was so far away from my house. It's around the corner. I also thought that I could drive to California just as easily as I could get to school.

I'm pretty sure that everyone at one point thought something similar to this, but I had no idea that my parents were kids at one time. I thought they had always been older, waiting for me to be born. I probably also thought that I was going to stay little all the time.

The very first Easter that I had my kitten, I was scared that the Easter bunny was going to steal her in the middle of the night because he didn't like cats.

I was told by my mom that when I was sixteen years old I would get powers and I totally believed her. I went to school and told all of my friends that I was going to be a witch when I was older and they thought I was crazy and told my teacher that I was scaring them. My teacher had to sit me down and explain that I wasn't a witch and I needed to stop telling my friends that I would curse them if they didn't stop making fun of me.

Unfortunately, I never did turn into a witch, I now know how to build a ceiling, and I still have never worn a cast. Here's to going twenty years thinking ceilings were magic. 

Awesome Things About Winter

Blizzards are upon us and it seems like the worst thing ever. It definitely can be, but there are things about winter that if you try hard enough, can make up for the air hurting your face.

This is the only season that will get you out of unwanted plans. You don't want to go to a meeting? Those fat snowflakes are your best excuse. You woke up for class really late? Subzero temperatures wouldn't let your car start. These excuses are exclusively for winter. Embrace it.

Hot baths are actually enjoyable. Trying to take a bath in the summer is a form of punishment. Bathing in winter is like having a little bit of the sun to keep you warm and happy.

Snow angels are still fun. If just for a second, bundle yourself up and go run outside to make a snow angel. While your laying there, you melt that little part of the lawn so really you're only helping winter end faster.

Watching snow is one of the prettiest things. (Except when you're driving down the highway) Just sitting and staring at the snow fall is beyond peaceful. If it's past sunset, step outside as the snow falls when it's quite outside and just experience nature at its finest. It's like living in a poem.

No one can tell you if put on winter weight. You spend the whole season bundled in layers, no one has to know that you eat an alarming amount of food whilst binge-watching Netflix. Enjoy those cookies and hot cocoa, no one will judge.

Sledding is so much fun! Any winter-specific activity available right now is something you should go do. Get a toboggan and sled, rent some skates and bruise your tailbone, tie tennis rackets to your boots and snow shoe. If you shove enough hand warmers into your pants, you can enjoy a whole day out in the cold.

Things like the snow challenge exist. If you yourself don't want to go outside, watch a bunch of crazy kids dive headfirst into snowdrifts wearing swim suits on YouTube. Or witness a Polar Bear Swim (where people go running into a freezing lake risking hypothermia for charity).

If you are really just entirely anti-winter, put your heater up to 85 in your house, and tape pictures of the beach on your windows so you can pretend it's still summer.

Thank You, Professor Snape

In light of the news of beloved Alan Rickman's passing, I felt compelled to express thanks to the brilliant work he has left as a legacy for this world.
There are so many quotes that I could spew out but the most fitting for this Ode is as follows...

"A film, a piece of theatre, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world." -Alan Rickman

And so it has. Here are the ways Professor Snape has changed us all.



1. He taught us that the noblest of heroes do not need to be recognized. It was not until he was gone that we learned just how brave and honorable Snape was.



2. We learned that love transcends past time and circumstances. Snape's greatest motivation, until the very end, is love; unconditional, and selfless love.



3. We must always have a confidant who knows our story. Dumbledore was the only person to truly know who Snape was as a person in life. In death, Snape shared his truth with Harry and his legacy carried onto the next generation.



4. Sarcasm is for the superior. There is no doubt that Snape's quips and shrugs were by far the sassiest and most beautifully cheeky things we've ever seen on screen.



5. Sometimes the worst emotions take over. Snape's jealousy for James Potter turned him bitter, but despite all that he rescues Harry time after time until the end.



6. Snape was without a doubt the most unwavering person of them all. More than his unchanging appearance, he was effectively Severus true to his cause and his own persona.



7. And above all, he was portrayed by one of the most inspiring people in the world. Thank you, Professor Snape. Thank you, Alan Rickman. You will live in our hearts, always.

Dealing with Anxiety Part Two

These past few weeks I became riddled with unexpected and frankly frightening anxiety and depression that knocked the wind right out of me. I stopped writing a novel I've been working on for a year, I stopped eating, I wouldn't write a blog. I felt like a fraud. How could I write a blog about being positive when I wasn't anything near being okay?
But here I am right now because I went from being immobile to actual functioning human being that feels hope.
I am incredibly blessed to have a support system more solid than rock. I now understand those whose only solace is drugs and alcohol. When people don't get the help they need, then escape becomes their solution.
God, am I lucky to not be living in the Dark Ages where people like me would be locked up and forgotten about.
Besides going to therapy, I have some things that I've used this past month that has soothed me that I suggest to those fighting the same battle that I am.

1. Get a massage. Talk to the message therapist and just be candid and open. It's not a cheap option so I digress...
2. Donate blood. I really wanted to feel like I was doing something good and spontaneously I decided to drive over in a snow storm to go to a donation center. It was so oddly therapeutic for me. When I'm in the chair bleeding (sorry that sounded weird), I think about the people who need help. When I think about how what I'm doing is going to help people, I feel good.
3. Watch Good Will Hunting. Just trust me with that one.
4. Hug every damn person who will take a hug. I must have sat holding my grandma for half an hour when we had our holiday dinner. Nothing feels better than hugs.
5. Take a hot bath. My therapist told me that scientifically, when you take a hot bath you get psychoamnesia. Which means your stresses literally go away. (I want to spend my whole life in a bathtub)
6. Get something you can wear that reminds you to be strong. I know that I am not always going to feel bad. I also know I won't always feel good. So to prepare for the bad times, I wear a Lion ring, a cross necklace from my dad, and a bizmuth pendant from my sister. They're emblems of strength.
7. Sing your heart out. It just feels good to belt Christina Perri's "Human".

I have faith that you'll get better.

Fly with Time, Julia.