Respecting and learning from older generations

Around Christmas time my grandpa (who I call "Pa") was generous enough to offer me a job helping him type up his writings. For many years he has been a journalist, and on top of that he is an incredibly ingenious man with a story for every occasion.

I grew up just 5 minutes from Pa so got to spend a lot of time with him over the years. There are some stories I feel like I lived, yet every time I see him now I hear new stories that captivate me. He has definitely mastered the art of storytelling. My grandpa's stories and generosity are infamous in our neck of the woods. He is just a wonderful person and has added so much richness to my life and countless others.  

I have typed up about 30 pages of stories for him so far and it is so nice to gain that insight into his thoughts, hear about the way things were for him growing up, and to visualize pivotal points in his life that helped shape him into the man that I know and love. He certainly has enough stories to fill a book and I am beyond honored that I get to help him compile this book over the next few months. 

I remember writing a paper about my hero when I was in middle school, I wrote about Pa. He is truly an inspiration. Words cannot describe how awesome it is to be able to type up memorable events, people, incidences, and values that he has experienced throughout his life. The journal entries he has sent me thus far are really comprehensive. They cover childhood up until this current year. It is really amazing to learn about my great grandparents and have the opportunity to feel like I knew them.

It is my wish for every generation to connect with the ones before them on a deep level. I learn so much from my grandpa, have a better sense of how fortunate I am to have things we now take for granted, and have a better sense of purpose for my life because of our relationship. 

He has lived an amazing, distinguished, and incomparable life. I consider it a blessing to know him, a gift to be related to him, and an honor to work for him. 

Simply Live in that you connect with those around you, especially those that have a few more years experience in life than you.

Live Simply in that enjoy the little stories along the way that enrich your everyday life.

Much love,

Alyssa

The Men Who Built America Provides Outlook on Modern Society

"Every business is about understanding people. Which people you have to get through, which people you have to embrace, which people you have to jump over, which people you have to push out of the way. That's the game." - Donny Deutsch, Advertising Mogul. Season 1 Episode 1 of The Men Who Built America.

This is just one example of the extremely aggressive language used in the show "The Men Who Built America". My little brother is home-schooled and was watching this episode for a little history lesson. Quite frankly I found this show/story to be disheartening and embarrassing.

People like to look at Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, and Carnegie as if they are these miracle workers who made America the "greatest nation" that ever existed. We are a nation that cares not about the well-being of our own people or other nations because we are playing a game, and the way to win the game is to be number one monetarily. Who cares about human rights, happiness, income disparity when you can be rich? Money is the only value that this country was founded on at the turn of the century.

As someone who raised in church and has read the Bible I can tell you that the example Christ set was one of unselfishness, giving, and denouncing the rich/powerful. While this country claims to be "Christian" nation, the example I found from Christ's teachings does not seem to be the example this country was founded on or the values in which it holds.

I am all about having ambition and striving for success. But success is defined by so much more than your pocket book. It makes me so sad to see these great men who built this country scheme and find ways to be the richest men in the country no matter who they harm or what irreversible harm they cause to the environment (granted they did not know it would hurt the environment at the time, but could they really think what they were doing was good for Mother Earth?). Then what made the realities of this show even worse is there are business founders talking about these men (like that dreadful man from Shark Tank) all talking about the example they set and the game of business.

It makes me sad that I studied business, even though I see business as an opportunity to provide something for your fellow man. I couldn't understand why someone would go into business unless it was to increase someone's happiness and help make their lives more useful... but then I look around at all the advertisements and items in my house which were just put out there in order to make someone money. 90% of our stuff we do not need, it kind of makes life simpler, but overall it was just a waste of money that helped someone accumulate cash on top of the millions they already have.

Moving forward as a country, society, and humans I hope that we can focus on making individual lives better... I hope we buy more locally, focus on doing things that make us happy (not making money to buy happiness), find fulfillment in everyday and stop selling our souls to the corporations that buy off our government and destroy our earth for their fleeting large sum of money.

Money is just a concept of our mind anyways. If we focus more what the value of something is to us and less on the monetary value imposed by the market or society we can find what is truly important to us. The things we love most we cannot put a monetarily value on... Even on his worst day I would not sell my little brother because the value I have placed on him is much more than any material product on this planet... That is because people and relationships are what strengthen us and are of the highest value. Yet we want to focus on money and being better than our fellow man just to make more money and feel better about ourselves. I guess we are so scared of being failures and being inadequate that we have to measure ourselves by something everyone has to some degree, which is money.

Anyways! As you can tell I am quite passionate about this subject and I could go on and on about it all day. But instead I will leave with my two tidbits and your own thoughts about the matter.

Simply Live in that you see people as more than a dollar sign and competition.
Live Simply in that you don't feel like you have to keep up with the Jones's by buying unnecessary items that really don't improve your life that much.

Much love,
Alyssa

It's time to be mushy

My heart is so filled with love!

You really learn a lot about yourself and how much people mean to you when you move to a kingdom far far away. I was on the West coast for 3 months (which is not that long- and I did study abroad so I went 5 months without seeing friends and family before) and I was just so homesick! Which is strange because I don't really have a home over here in the East coast because my parents moved when I was in college so I never lived with them. That old cliche "Home is where the heart is" is so true though! I know I am home whenever I walk off the plane with a giant smile on face and when I am reunited with my best friends at our Alma Mater's Homecoming.

Whenever I made the decision to move to California it was solely for me. I wanted adventure, to find fulfillment in the workplace, and to lead a life that was making the world a better place. I didn't think about how it would effect those around me or what effect it would have on me. I still want fulfillment and to change the world for the better, but I know in order to do that I must be in a place that feels like home. When you are constantly thinking of your loved ones and how you wish you were with them it makes it hard to focus on what you're doing. A solid foundation is key to a happy life so now I know why small towns filled with families that have been there for generations don't want to ever leave.

My partner and I decided to take a break right before I left for California (the post "What Is Love" is about our relationship). We still talked and were very close friends, but I am happy to say that the distance helped us go back to the basics of our relationship and reconnect on a different level. Being away from someone allows to see all of their positive traits and reminds you how much better your life was with them in it. I don't like labels or looking toward the future, but I just want to say that if you truly love someone that love will never go away.

I think it is very therapeutic and good for the soul to take a journey that is very spur of the moment and turns around your whole life. I have always known who I am and what is important to me, but this taught me even more about myself. It taught those closest to me about me too and allowed us to connect on a deeper level.

Simply Live in that you always follow your heart without worrying about others' perception of you because you are the one being effected.

Live Simply in that you appreciate what you have in your life and don't expect or feel that you need a whole lot more. (If you gain more then great! Celebrate as it happens, but don't feel like you continually have to find more in your life.)

Love,
Alyssa

Letting go.

Letting go is such a hard thing to do... when you care about someone, the place you're at, something else in your life you can't just let it go. That seems like betrayal, wasted time, and pain. But in reality it is the best thing to do. If you are holding onto something that is causing you to doubt yourself or second guess then it is time to let it go... you aren't doing anyone a favor but grasping on to something that's not there.

I was having trouble letting go until last week. I felt like it was my job to hold on. Like something was there for me to hold on to. My mind would have been clear and my soul free had I just let go. Then I could truly enjoy this amazing journey of life, instead of looking to the past and analyzing things that I cannot change. I am never going to get the result I wanted or the feeling I once had, so the best thing is to let go and live in the present. Just enjoy the day and know that the sun will continue to rise.

Simply Live in that you are finding joy in each day.
Live Simply in that you don't harbor regret or sadness over the past.

Much love,
Alyssa

Be Involved In Your Society!

A fundamental problem we face as humans is complacency and becoming numb to our surroundings (at least in my own personal experience). It is easier to silence all of the problems going on around us than to actually think about them and discover solutions.

As much as I believe the government in the United States is ineffective at it's current state, I know that government is the best way to enact change. And I am a firm believer in the idea that you cannot complain or discuss something if you do not know the facts on the matter. If you are disengaged from politics and don't make yourself aware of the issues then you are just as much at fault as the senators who are making decisions.. and by you I am also including myself. Part of the reason I write blogs is to sort through my thoughts and remind myself of ways I can improve. I am angry at myself for being complacent and expecting the media or whoever to educate me on the issues instead of going out and educating myself. I don't mobilize until a decision has already been made and by that point I can't even be mad because I didn't call my senator or write a letter to show them my support on certain issues... Then I have this other part of me that knows how much money corporations are funneling into state/national campaigns and cannot help but feel that my voice is silenced... When someone with a personal agenda spends thousands of money on an individuals campaign they basically have that individual in their pocket..especially if that person wants to get re-elected since the person with the most money apparently wins the campaign. It infuriates me that the best candidate may not win simply because they do not have enough money to run the race... I am a business major and this set up is definitely made by business people because you cannot play the business game unless you have money. Government should not be like that....it should be based on credentials and who connects/understands the people. So we need to stand up and educate ourselves on the issues, which companies are contributing to campaigns, and if senators are voting in the interest of their constituents or in the interest of the corporation that helped get them in office.

This is not a party issue. It your right and duty as a citizen to have a voice in the political realm. If we continue to remain silent things will only get worse. Corporations are the most involved in politics- money wise and action wise (lobbyist!). We have to join together to get the public interest to our state and national senators if we want our votes to matter once again!

A friend showed me some great, nonpartisan websites that make it easy to keep up with what's going on in the House and Senate. It shows a summary about the piece of legislation, a link to the full resolution, how each individual senator/representative voted on the resolution, and what money they received from special interests/organizations. It is awesome and makes it easy to stay involved! There isn't anyone yelling at you about something, a waste of time update, celebrity crap, or biased views--just facts!

So I hope you check them out and make a pledge today to be an active member of our democratic society. I am pledging to get on these sites instead of Facebook at least 3x per week.

Simply Live: Be thankful that you live in a society that allows you to voice your opinion and that was created to make sure each and every person has a voice that should be listened to by the government!
Live Simply: Don't look at things based on sides or preconceived biases. Simply make it a point to know the facts and make the call based on your personal beliefs (then don't judge others if their personal beliefs are different).


With dreams of a mostly unified population that controls government decisions,
Alyssa

What is love?

Love comes in many forms... and there should be many words for love in the English language. Love for family, love for friends, and of course the love everyone is searching for, romantic love.

The love I have for my family is the strongest love I have ever felt. Then of course I love my friends dearly and would do anything for them. I never thought I would find that romantic love, but over a year ago I was able to open my heart to someone else. It was such an exciting and liberating feeling. I'll never forget the day I realized I was in love. For the first time I thought of the future-- a year or 2 down the line and this person was in it. It was really cool. I had never had that sense of vulnerability or necessity for another person. But just with every relationship in life there are times that test you as a person and as a couple. Whenever disagreements start it could mean it is the beginning of the end of this romantic relationship. But does that mean it has to be the end of the relationship? I mean you've invested so much time, love, and devotion into this person. Why end it on a sour note to where you go off calling each other names and looking at all of the flaws in the relationship?  For this reason the wonderful man I fell in love with and I decided we would take a break. We are in pivotal points in our lives where we have to chose a path that could dictate our future. Which job do I get? Where do I want to live? What the heck do I even want to do with my life? Sometimes it is too hard to make those decisions with the expectations that come with a relationship.

But you have so many precious, and fantastic memories with this person... it is so hard to let go of that romantic relationship that you so deeply felt for what seems like forever. So I have found that love is letting a person go and hoping your paths will stay side by side no matter which type of relationship you're in... even if it hurts, and even if there's doubt. For whatever reason life has a way of working itself out. I am a firm believer in fate, so if it's meant to be down the road it will be. It is best to demote each other down to friend in order to  preserve the relationship instead of let things get to the point of blowing up. Arguments are never fun, and no one should be in an unhealthy relationship. I am glad that we were mature enough to see that this was the solution we both needed. He needs to figure out what he wants out of life and find the happiness within. I need to roam around pursing my wild dreams.

If it is a time of growth and direction change in your life there is nothing wrong with putting things on pause. I've been in my apartment moping on and off for hours because this is a scary time in my life, and because the thought of losing someone I love is the saddest feeling ever. But through our conversations and the willingness to stay best friends I find the true meaning of love... and for that I am eternally grateful. I hope and pray that we will be able to cultivate a better friendship, work through the pain and come out stronger on the other side.

I just feel so honored that I got to be in this chapter of  R's life as his partner, and I am just so happy that we can continue to write our stories together. I hope that you can experience honest love in your life... which in turn means being selfless and doing what's best for the other person (and the other person being selfless for you).


R, if you're reading this I wish I could explain to you the impact you've had on my life. It has been nothing but positive. Thank you for giving me the chance to get to know you on this level and picking me to be your girlfriend. You are an amazing person and I know we will continue to make memories down the road. I love you from the bottom of my heart and always will.

Simply Live: in that you are not afraid of love and loss... for there is no loss when you truly love.
Live Simply: feel the flow of your relationships and always be willing to meet people where they are.

Love always,
Alyssa

Get the facts

Whenever an issue comes up that you are passionate about... make sure you look up the issue and learn the ins and outs of the entire thing. It's easy to believe the one or two liners that come out about the issue when they don't present the entire scenario.

I was really upset the other day because I saw the basic media coverage of something. It made it seem like a basic liberty and individual rights had been taken away because they view corporations as people... Well I am very opposed to corporations being treated like people when the main goal of business is profit (yes I believe there can be ethical businesses out there that give profit back to employees or the community, but it is very rare and you have to have money to play the business game). So I was outraged and ranting about it with several friends.. Then one friend asked me what was going on and I told them what I thought the whole thing was about. They start researching only to find out that the main thing I was mad about wasn't even a part of it.

Ughhhh all the wasted energy and negativity because I chose to make inferences. I still do not like what happened, but I understand it a little better from the other side now. The other side doesn't understand the hypocrisy of their actions and thoughts, and a corporation was still treated like a person .... BUT! I am not fuming anymore.   And now I can educate and discuss the topic accurately instead of spread lies like I was doing before.

Let's try to research something before we talk about it in order to relay accurate information and not cause an uproar over nothing. It's like taking a statement out of context... it's never good for anyone.


Simply Live in that you find beauty in truth.
Live Simply in that you never take something for face value.

Pro Veritate

Until next time,
Alyssa