Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
lesson of the day
is to absolutely keep smiling. The only thing we have for sure is this very moment.
I have come to understand this a little bit more clearly after the death of a friend, Erica. Erica was 22. She grew up with me. We used to walk to school together. Everyday. Then we got older. We used to ride bikes during the summer. Everyday. Then we got older. We used to jump on the trampoline everyday. Wait for the ice cream truck everyday. Then we got older. We used to wait for the oh so early 6:30a.m. high school bus together. Everyday. Then we got older. We grew old enough to make new groups of friends and drift apart from the best friend bond we used to have. We still ran into each other quite often, in part because she lives two houses down from me, and has since I've known her. We would try and catch up on each other every time we did run into each other. And, since I can remember, Erica has been hands down a true friend. In fact, with the exception of my family, Erica was the one person who ALWAYS remembered to wish me a happy birthday. Something that is often an insignificant gesture and doesn't hold much merit. For her, it did. And looking back now, I realize the definition of a friend can not be measured in how often you see or talk to a person, but what it is that they may say, even if it's just happy birthday.
Erica moved to North Carolina a short time ago. She was married on May 4, 2009. Erica established a home with her new husband. She had a dog, a job, and all the components to start a new chapter in life as an adult. She was killed in a car accident on June 2, 2009. She had been married for 30 days. She had not yet celebrated her 23 birthday. Like that, it was all over. It is a sad reality that we are quick to forget could also happen to anyone. Tomorrow is not a guarantee.
Today is the day to smile. Today is the day to create the most beautiful day you can imagine. When I think about Erica, I think about her smiling. If there was one thing you could count on her for(besides birthday wishes) was that she would be smiling. And I think not only was she happy, she was making sure everyone else in her life was too. I can not express how thankful I am for her smile in my life. I now hold that smile dear in my heart. I now have a daily reminder that if today is my last day, I should make the best of it right?
I'm reminded of memories. I can remember camping in her backyard in an extremely large tent with her. Playing cards. Calling her dad on the intercom thing. I remember riding our bikes all day with our only worry of the day being which playground we would end up at. I think about all the memories that I do not remember. Maybe some that Erica remembers that I have forgotten about. Or maybe some that neither of us remember. But there is one consistency. We did them together.
I'm awfully sad today. I feel for her parents, her sister, her husband, her friends, her dog. But one thing is for sure. If Erica taught me anything, it is to keep smiling. So today, I am smiling.
I have come to understand this a little bit more clearly after the death of a friend, Erica. Erica was 22. She grew up with me. We used to walk to school together. Everyday. Then we got older. We used to ride bikes during the summer. Everyday. Then we got older. We used to jump on the trampoline everyday. Wait for the ice cream truck everyday. Then we got older. We used to wait for the oh so early 6:30a.m. high school bus together. Everyday. Then we got older. We grew old enough to make new groups of friends and drift apart from the best friend bond we used to have. We still ran into each other quite often, in part because she lives two houses down from me, and has since I've known her. We would try and catch up on each other every time we did run into each other. And, since I can remember, Erica has been hands down a true friend. In fact, with the exception of my family, Erica was the one person who ALWAYS remembered to wish me a happy birthday. Something that is often an insignificant gesture and doesn't hold much merit. For her, it did. And looking back now, I realize the definition of a friend can not be measured in how often you see or talk to a person, but what it is that they may say, even if it's just happy birthday.
Erica moved to North Carolina a short time ago. She was married on May 4, 2009. Erica established a home with her new husband. She had a dog, a job, and all the components to start a new chapter in life as an adult. She was killed in a car accident on June 2, 2009. She had been married for 30 days. She had not yet celebrated her 23 birthday. Like that, it was all over. It is a sad reality that we are quick to forget could also happen to anyone. Tomorrow is not a guarantee.
Today is the day to smile. Today is the day to create the most beautiful day you can imagine. When I think about Erica, I think about her smiling. If there was one thing you could count on her for(besides birthday wishes) was that she would be smiling. And I think not only was she happy, she was making sure everyone else in her life was too. I can not express how thankful I am for her smile in my life. I now hold that smile dear in my heart. I now have a daily reminder that if today is my last day, I should make the best of it right?
I'm reminded of memories. I can remember camping in her backyard in an extremely large tent with her. Playing cards. Calling her dad on the intercom thing. I remember riding our bikes all day with our only worry of the day being which playground we would end up at. I think about all the memories that I do not remember. Maybe some that Erica remembers that I have forgotten about. Or maybe some that neither of us remember. But there is one consistency. We did them together.
I'm awfully sad today. I feel for her parents, her sister, her husband, her friends, her dog. But one thing is for sure. If Erica taught me anything, it is to keep smiling. So today, I am smiling.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
american youth
So a while back I was asked to participate in a photo book project being done by a really famous photographer named Ben Baker. He used current demographic data to show the racial face of American Youth in 2009. The picture below shows the ratio of what American youth would be defined as today (13 Caucasian, 3 Hispanic, 3 African American, 1 Asian is the breakdown)
He then compiled a second group of photos to represent the population in the year 2050. (The breakdown is 9 Caucasian, 6 Hispanic, 3 African American, 2 Asian)
SO while currently caucasians are the majority in todays American youth population, by 2050, the minorities will make up more of a percentage than caucasian. The way Mr. Baker shows this is quite cool.
Can you find me?! Also, check out his website @ www.benbakerphoto.com. His photographs are amazing and feature really cool people!
He then compiled a second group of photos to represent the population in the year 2050. (The breakdown is 9 Caucasian, 6 Hispanic, 3 African American, 2 Asian)
SO while currently caucasians are the majority in todays American youth population, by 2050, the minorities will make up more of a percentage than caucasian. The way Mr. Baker shows this is quite cool.
Can you find me?! Also, check out his website @ www.benbakerphoto.com. His photographs are amazing and feature really cool people!
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