A sincere thank you to anyone that has ever served our nation, to those who are currently serving, to the families of these heroes, and to those that offered the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Your courage, strength, and selflessness do not go unnoticed. In honor of Memorial Day, I'm publishing an essay I wrote a couple years ago for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot's Pen Essay Competition. 

Are You Proud of Your Country?

            My heart thuds in my chest, every year, when my family and I watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Perhaps, part of it is the fireworks themselves, but somewhere, deep down, I know it is because I am happy to live in America and proud to be an American citizen.

            Some people believe that if their country is in crisis they can just change sides, as if watching a school soccer or football game. But people that show real pride in their country will stay by their country’s side and help their country. They will not approve of every decision that is made but will suggest a different solution that they consider better. That is one reason I am proud of my country. Citizens of the United States are not afraid to use the rights and freedoms they possess to help their motherland. They demonstrate their feelings in the right way, giving everyone the freedom to speak.

            In the United States, we know that everyone was created equal. Every person can have their birth rights, regardless of race, gender, or nationality. This is all that is required. Now let me speak of the rewards of these actions. Our country is a flower blooming with intellectual minds. It is a nation of innovations and a leader in technological transformations. Our inventions have helped countless sources. And many people who helped make this fact reality did not originate from the States. Everyone standing on the U.S.A grounds has helped make it where it is.

            The people of the United States stood united once in defeating the mighty army of Great Britain during the Revolutionary War, and they should stand united once more in the eyes of a common cause. It doesn’t have to be war that brings our country together. In fact, it should be peace that now unites us. The world has needed our help before; they will need our help again. We must be in the position to provide that aid. After all, united we stand divided we fall.

            Our country is one admired greatly on the face of the Earth. The United States flag still stands proudly everywhere, and the Star Spangled Banner floats melodically through our country. And, as the breeze of the United States whispers in my ear, the answer is as clear as can be. I am proud of my country.

Growing Up

I've always marveled at the concept of growing up. Sure it has its ups and downs but really this idea of growth- that something so simple and basic can become something complex, multi-layered, and multifaceted naturally, whether we want it to or not, is incredible. Just as the little seedling will grow into a small plant and slowly a flower; a baby will grow into a child, an adolescent,  and and adult. We can not as much freeze a flower in time as we can freeze a child in playfulness while still allowing life. With life comes growth and with growth comes complexity and diversity. 

The other day, I was attempting to create a Twitter account for the first time and it asked me to fill in a "bio". Who am I? What is my biography? Which combination of carefully strung together words will fully encompass who I am as a person and a human being. I could start with "feminist" and "chocoholic". "Bibliophile" and "faith" aren't too hard to tack on. But there are so many other words that describe me: "daughter", "sister", "writer", "chess-player", "student"... and what about all the experiences I have had that have shaped me and continue shaping me into the person I am? What about all the amazing people I have been fortunate enough to meet and all of their levels and complexities? The people we interact with and the situations we encounter play a huge role in our biographies. Often, we are too quick to jump to conclusions about people and situations.  We describe people in a handful of words "the girl with the khaki shorts" and events become minor references "today I had an annoying grocery store clerk who took forever to check out my groceries". But how much of the full story do we miss in doing this? 

Growing up is a surging tangle of increasing and changing complexity. We are completely submerged in it from the second we are conceived until we leave this world. There is a certain kind of fungus-like protist known as slime mold that exists independently as amoeba-like cells when times are good and there is plenty of fungus and bacteria to feed on. But when times get tough those independent amoeba-like cells begin gathering together to survive. I think we humans are like that as well. When everything is going well we continue to grow alone in our little bubbles of the world. But every once in a while something happens that will bring human beings together just for a moment. And when that happens, when all those levels of complexity meld together and become entwined, something beautiful is created.

A Teenage Feminist

fem-i-nism: "The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes." -Emma Watson

Feminism is a hot word right now- cropping up everywhere from social media and news to clothing and entertainment television. The number of young people that identify as "feminists" is fast growing. I believe that for this reason, the older generation refuses to take the movement seriously. "How could a 14 year old possibly know what it means to be a feminist? " Yet, many of the struggles and aspirations of our generation are ones that our mothers and grandmothers first began fighting for over a century ago: equal pay for equal work; a place in society not determined by the clothes we wear or by our gender but by the quality of our character...For me, as for many others, feminism simply symbolizes the world I look forward to as I move to take my place within it. I hope for a world in which my aspirations to become a neurosurgeon do not automatically exclude me from having a family and the experiences that come with that. I hope for a world where women are not criticised for showing lack of ambition in the job field and conversely accused of being bad mothers. I dream of a world where women will not be shamed and will not shame each other on body image. Women will be proud of who they are and brain content will be valued over amount of cleavage shown. Most importantly,  I hope for a world where men and women will stand side by side to put and end to issues such as domestic violence and education inequality.In the 1960's, women protested the social quotas that told them their greatest fullfilment would come from being housewives and mothers without offering them a real choice in the matter. Although we have taken great strides since the 1960's, social constrictions still exist for girls today. Modern jokes continue to poke fun at girls who do nothing moreover than shoe shop and do their hair while boys go out and play sports and do "man's work" and fight wars. Our society has reached a new phase where it is politically incorrect to not believe in gender equality and where all the laws and rules appear to be written to support equality yet women still end up with the short end of the stick. This is because in modern America we are living in a disillusioned state- superficially everything is equal but in peoples' hearts and minds the gender gap still exists.Halfway across the globe women and girls are being blatantly denied their basic human rights. Girls are shot for going to school, face execution for being the "wrong" religion or not following "laws", and are treated worse than cattle- turned into sex slaves with a premium price being placed on girls between 1-9 years old.The horrific reality of our situation brings to light the amount of work that needs to be done. So the next time you don't feel like taking a teenage feminist seriously, think twice. We strive to live in a world where people are treated not as conveniently named labels but as human beings all of the same race and species and all deserving the same rights and privileges as everyone else. Don't you?

What is a “Mother”?

               Somewhere in our house, in a  drawer full of scraps of lace and bits of paper that just couldn’t be parted with, there are 14 years’ worth of Mother’s Day presents, all carefully preserved in their pink tissue paper and plastic protectors. This year, I wanted to give my mom something different, a testimonial that would stand the test of time. I decided to write. In the process, I discovered the weight the word “mother” carries.               
             A mother is someone who wipes away your tears, who sets her jaw firm, and tells you everything will be all right- even as her eyes glisten because she can’t stand seeing your pain. A mother is someone that laughs at all your jokes no matter how stupid. She is someone who tells you that you look beautiful in your ratty, 3-year-old sweats; the person that tells you to start working out but then cooks you a five-course lunch anyway. After coming home from a long day at work, she is the one who insists on taking you to that place at the mall she had promised she would take you or buying you that cute way over-priced t-shirt. A mother is someone who yells back when you are on a hormonal teenage rampage. But then, she is the first one to come back and say, “I’m sorry”, and that makes you feel even worse. She tells you to come fold your laundry but when you come in an hour later, it’s all neatly folded in little stacks. She works full-time outside the house than comes back and works double-time for no pay and no appreciation. She is the one who first taught you how to use make-up, with you sneaking glances at her in the mirror because she looked so pretty, until you discovered that cherry lip-gloss is way cooler than the old-lady stuff mom has. When she questions, doubts herself or stops being superhuman for a solitary moment, your stomach gets all queasy- you are used to having her fix your boo-boo’s and it is a lot harder the other way around. She is strong, brave, sensitive, kind, loving, smart, adventurous, and courageous. She is everything you aspire to be. Sometimes you don’t see eye to eye (at first because she is taller than you, later because “I can think for myself, thank-you-very-much Mom.”) but she can always tell when something is wrong with a single glance. Her “mother’s intuition” is almost always on point.                                 My mother teaches me to live life without fear. To give without thought. To be a rebel. To laugh at least once a day. To always, see the positive. To be a light to those around me. To have faith at all times. To follow my dreams but also to let loose sometimes. To look and feel confident for whom I am. She is my teacher, my mentor, and my inspiration. She loves me until it sends pain through my chest because I couldn’t possibly deserve so much love, could I?
             A mom is all these things and so many more. She is your support, your lifeline, your bff. So for one day in a year, let her know how special she is- how much she means to you. Because everyone else will come and go. But she will always have your back.