Author: Amanda Stevenson

He was, is, and always will be my person. Nothing in this world could change that because…  

When I’m sad, he loses sleep just to talk to me. 

I think way too far into things, but no matter the time he’s there at my side letting me hash out everything that has upset me from 10 years ago to 10 seconds ago.  

He believes in me when I can’t find it in me to believe in myself.

He’s my backbone, my rock, the reason for my sanity. He keeps me going and moving towards my goals. 

And loves me when I definitely don’t deserve it. 

I can be a lot to handle. I can be messy and awkward and blunt, but no matter what mood I’m in he’s never stopped loving me. 

Fighting with him reminds me he’ll never give up on us.

Because he’s not fighting with me, he’s fighting for me. 

And never in a million years would call me out for over reacting…

He’ll take the time to hear me out and walk a mile in my shoes before ever coming to any conclusions.  

Even though 90% of the time I am. 

Because I’m passionate everything but mostly about him. I’d do absolutely anything for this person. 

He’s not afraid to tell me when he’s upset, though.

Because he cares enough about me to be straight up with me. To not beat around the bush and push things under the rug. Together, we grow as a unit.  

He treats me as his other half but also his equal. 

I love it when his face blushes when someone asks him about me or the way he defends me and talks me up. He’d go to the ends of the earth for me.  

I’ve never once questioned if this is ‘it.’

This feeling in my gut keeps reminding me to take a deep breath and relax because I’ve found the one.  

His love for me is endless.

When he wants nothing but to be left alone, he tells me he loves me before locking himself in his room. He never goes a minute without knowing I feel comfortable and cared for. 

And so is mine for him.

He’s my entire world. Every second of every day I spend loving him and it has been that way for some time now and I don’t see it changing… ever. 

Everyone seems to be so obsessed with being the prettiest girl or the best looking guy. When a girl points out a guy she likes the appearance of, her friends ask her type.

Society says that males love girls that have a thin waist, big butt, and big bust. That is supposed to be their type. What if they do not like that though?

Lesbian couples are viewed as one of the girls being a “girly girl” while the other girl is a dyke, a girl that looks or dresses like a boy. That is not always the case.

Gay men in a relationship are expected to have a certain type of haircut and dress a certain way and to even walk a certain way. That’s not how it works.

People get stereotyped based on how they dress, act, look, their friend group, and their hobbies. People are more than a clothing item or a music taste.

There are some people that go on dates, and no matter who they are dating there is always something that reminds the friends of that person of an ex they used to have. 

Those people have a type. Some people only date skinny girls, tall guys, bigger girls, short guys, girls with blonde hair, brown haired girls, blue eyed guys, brown haired boys, and that's just the start.

Some people have a type of person that they are simply attracted too no matter what. Some people are attracted to a personality more than the appearance of their partner. 

There are those people that when someone asks them what their type is they give the person a blank stare. Some people will date anyone as long as they appeal to them.

Those people do not have a type. You can look through their dating history book, and you will not find a similarity between the exes besides the lack of current relationship. 

People are able to look past appearances to see someone for their true colors. Those people are diamonds in the rough when it comes to the dating pool.

Appearances are not everything in a person when they are trying to date. There are those that will only date someone with a certain look, or someone that will make them laugh. 

Humor is subjective just as the dating appeal to everyone is. No two people will like the same person for the exact same reason. 

When looking for someone to share your life with, you need to look around enough to know that the person you pick is your person.  Type should not matter when it comes to love. 

Love comes from the heart, not the mind or anyone else’s thoughts or opinions. 

Spoiler alert: I am a band kid. I was the girl that marched that field every week with a bass clarinet that was the same size as me. I loved football season, though and not just for band.

Football season is one of my favorite times of the year. Everyone gets out of their homes to enjoy something with people they would not see or talk to otherwise. 

Football is a sport that is loved all over America and for good reason. It’s a sport that is full of potential to have you and your friends on top of your feet yelling at a screen or people on a field.

If there is one thing that Americans are passionate about, it is their football team. Millions of dollars are bet, won, and lost on a single game. 

Football has the surprise aspect that makes someone excited to watch. You won't know who wins before they play. You have to watch the game to see the outcome which is awesome. 

Football season also would not be complete without the band kids. We sit in the stands and more often than not, cheer louder than the cheerleaders. We play music to get people hyped.

Band has always been something I have been overly passionate about. Music is something that has made life better for me, and most of the people in the world today. Music is important. 

The band kids are just as much a part of football season as they team is. Band kids attend every game, and they work long into the late hours and early morning hours to get their show perfect. 

Football teams get all the glory this time of year. The band kids are out in the heat and the elements just as the team is around the same time span as well. 

Football teams get pep rallies in their honor while the band has to play the pep rallies, and they are lucky if they get any notice for what they do.

The team is funded by the school, and they usually get the money from the ticket sales as well. The band gets no funding from the school most of the time, and they always have do fundraisers to get money. Music is expensive.

I love football season for the sport, the people, the atmosphere, and the bands along with the teams that put so much money, time and effort into what they are passionate about. 

Next time you go to a football game, remember the band kids put a lot of time into the halftime show, and maybe stand up and watch some of it, if not all of it.  

Dear College Freshmen,

You made it to college. It’s the best thing that you will ever do in your life if you listen to most to of the popular movies. High school was supposed to be amazing, but if it wasn’t the best thing ever for you then college will be.

That is what everyone tells you. They say that college will be the best four years of your life. You will meet your lifelong best friend here, and your soulmate could be right around the corner. You never know. 

There will always be the most insane things that you are supposed to do. They want you to be a straight A student. They want you to volunteer, do internships, make friends, get a job, and all of that on top of getting your degree. 

College is going to seem overwhelming at first. It’s a lot of new people in a huge campus all together for the first time. There will never be a shortage of people for you to talk to or make friends with at a time. 

There will still be drama, so the movies did get that part wrong. The drama does not stop after high school, sorry. People will still be the jerks they were back then if you do continue on with someone you used to know.

There will always be a girl or boy that think they are better than you. News flash, we are all adults by now. We really should not concern yourself with a popularity contest. All that matters now is having fun and getting your degree.

College will not always be tests, studying, and stress. It seems like it at first, but once you get a routine down, it won't be that bad anymore. There will be times of anger and stress, but you will survive. You got this.

College will always have some sort of event going on so do not worry about making friends. They will show up. College kids love to party, and honestly who blames them? For the most part, it is everyone’s first time away from Mom and Dad. Party on. 

Look, do not feel like you have to go out and party every night to have that “college experience”. You don’t. Some people get in a relationship, and party with that person. Some people are fans of the hookup culture, and that's okay too. It’s your life. Live it like you want. 

You will make it through college. You will graduate. Some people will graduate in two years from a junior college. Some go to a four year school and graduate then. Do not stress if you do not graduate in the amount of time expected. Take as long as you need to get your degree.

Love college. Make insane, awesome, fun memories while you can. Love every second, and do not waste your college years. They do not last forever. 

Signed,

A College Girl

To Whom It May Concern, 

There is a problem that has to be addressed.

There is such a stigma around the words suicide depression, and anxiety that the world is afraid to speak about them. You have those movements when something awful happens,and then all there is is support for something that has always been there.

It takes a famous person that had depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or another mental illness leaving this world to get the people talking about something that can’t be ignored. 

Then the media is all about the suicide hotlines, and supporting mental health for a month or two and everything goes back to before. That is not right. Mental health doesn’t go away.

Mental health has alway been avoided in discussions for one reason or another. And if it is talked about, it never goes into detail. Mental health is not a forbidden topic. It is real. 

There are a few people in this world that refuse to believe mental illnesses are real. They think that as long as someone looks “okay” then they are perfectly fine. That is wrong. 

They believe that a girl that has been bullied her whole life and killed herself was just overreacting, and it was her fault she died. She needed to get a grip.

That boy that was beat up a lot and ridiculed needed to learn to take a joke. He read way to much into those people hurting him. It’s his fault he hung himself. 

That kid in the back of the class no one knew had depression that was from early childhood. She wasn’t brought up like the other kids. She was addicted to drugs and had an abusive boyfriend. She shouldn’t have taken all those pills he gave her. 

There are people believe that depression doesn’t exist, and that you just had a bad day. You need to get over it they say. Don’t be so sensitive they say. They do not know what they are saying. 

Then there are those people that seem to glamorize the mental illnesses of the world. They make it seem like every person has it, and that it is not a big deal. Well it is a big deal.

Depression is not having a bad day then going home and telling your significant other about it. Depression is not being able to get out of bed for a week or more and not having the energy to brush your hair. 

Anxiety is not stressing over a test that you knew you had and didn’t study for. Anxiety is having a panic attack when asked to speak in public or make a phone call or stand up in a crows when your name is called.

Suicide is not peaceful. Suicide is not wanting to die all the time. Suicide can be not looking across the road before you cross. You don’t care if you get hit. 

Suicide is not always planning your death. Suicide can be crossing a street without looking, putting yourself in reckless situations. 

Suicide does not have to be looking to die. Suicide can be not caring if you do die or not trying to live anymore. Suicide is not just one thing. 

Suicide is not cutting down your arm with a razor, and it being numb as you bleed out on the floor hoping no one comes in and tries to save you.  You could of been saved earlier.

It should not take a famous singer hanging himself for the world to see that depression and suicide is real. It should not take the loss of someone great or meaningful for people to see that this won’t stop.

Mental health needs to be talked about now. People should not be ridiculed for going to therapy. People should not have to hide how they feel out of fear of being labeled and mistreated.

Things need to change, and they need to change now before it is too late. 

Sincerely,

A Girl That Has Lived It And Wants Change

You grew up as a bright and beautiful child who was always told that you would go on to do something amazing. Well that little kid grew up, and that all changed. 

Back in grade school you were always the smart kid that brought home all the best grades, and you were proud of yourself for that because you liked being the smart kid. 

You never did have a lot of friends as kid. You were always doing your school work, or doing something that wasn’t what the popular kids wanted to do. 

When you were in middle school, you found new friends and decided that you wanted to look better and do things other than school. Your grades dropped from the best to the second best.

Your parents did not like that at all, and you did not know how to tell them that for the first time ever you had friends and were happy.  They said school was more important than your looks and friends. You were finally happy, but you let them down.

 You started high school with a few friends, and you still didn’t look as pretty as the others. Girls made fun of you for not looking as “pretty” as they did. You weren’t the smart kid anymore.

You were not happy anymore then. Your friends left you for a new better friend or boyfriend or girlfriend. You found yourself being replaced, and that broke you. You didn’t know what to do.

One friend after another went on their own path, and you had yours.. You started to have anxiety and get depressed. You felt alone, and no one understood.

Your parents were no help because they said that mental illness wasn’t an issue. People just chose to be unhappy. It was their fault. Little did they know about how you felt.

Your frineds came back a few years later toward the end of school. All of you had some form of axxiety or depression, and most of you self harmed. You were terrified of anyone knowing.

You finally got a boyfriend, and he seemed to be the best person ever. Well he was far from it. He was emotionally and mentally abusive and played on your depression and anxiety. 

He put it in your head that no one would love you. You weren’t important. You did not matter. He went and did what he wanted and left you broken alone, again. That was the first time you wanted to die.

After high school, no one wanted to see you. You weren’t the friend anyone missed. You didn’t have the best summer. Your abusive boyfriend was there for you like he always was making you feel two inches tall. 

You wanted out. You wanted it to stop. You wanted to die and be at peace. You knew no one would miss you. No one cared about you. You were not loved.

You felt like this for a long time until one day it all changed.  You were about to take your life the next day when you had a dream about everything your life could be. You realized for the first time in years you were important. You wanted to live for the first time in a while. 

The world is cold, cruel, and heartless. You are not like the world. You have feelings. You show emotion. You know how it feels to be hurt. 

The world loves to show you that there will always be someone prettier, skinnier, better looking, more popular, or more desirable than you will ever be. That is simply not true. 

You are not better off dead. You have worth. People do love you. Life gets better. Things change. You had a bad start, but that doesn’t mean the future is bad. The future is bright and beautiful just like you. 

Where do you go to look at a funny video you're friend showed you? Most likely the answer is YouTube. 

YouTube has been around since 2005, and it has changed how we see the world and entertainment.

Anyone can rise to fame with the help of viewers, subscribers, and those that love to share what they love.

You can find almost everything on YouTube. You will also find the nicest, talented, and passionate people alive a click away. 

YouTubers seem to have it all, right? They have fame, followers, fans, money, and more. But there is a secret. 

YouTubers don't have it easy. They spend hours and/or days editing videos, doing retakes, and hoping that it turns out okay.

Their fans that they love so much are always counting on them to have the best content out there. 

YouTubers aren’t allowed to have a bad day or week. 

If they do not post a video at least once a week or more, the fans they love leave them. 

They suffer through thousands of hate comments over a mistake they made. 

They spend most of their time doing videos while life can pass them by because they love it. 

Making videos is the one thing that makes a YouTuber happy, until it doesn't anymore.

Makeup channels must be perfect and never mess up a cat eye. Don't smudge the eyeliner. 

Gaming channels must be loud, rude, and make the viewer laugh while playing a different game every week. 

Tech channels aren’t that popular but must always make you learn something difficult. Don’t make it too complex or long! No one will watch. 

DIY channels have to come up with something new, fun, and easy that people will actually do.

Hack channels must find new and tried hacks that haven't been repeated a million times to get views. 

Vlog channels have to have something new and interesting every time they do a video. Better have a lot to do. 

Do a video once a week? They may be good enough for some people. Better have good content.

There is a silver lining for the YouTubers. They are doing what they love. 

They have a passion for videos and making people smile.

They spent all that time on a 5 minute video to make someone else happy.

They have some of the most loyal fans out there that don't mind a 3 month hiatus.

Yeah, some YouTubers make money off of it. That's their job. And they love it! Don't hate on them for it.

Some YouTubers have been here for years and want to keep on making videos for a while.

Some YouTubers didn't make it that long. They were brilliant when they were here and are missed.

Next time you watch a video on YouTube, take the time to leave a like and a comment even if it wasn't the best video. They did their best.

Even if it's as simple as a smiling emoji, it means the world to the person on camera. 

It’s not easy to be a size 4 in a world where you are shamed for your size, no matter what that may be. The world is cruel, and that hasn’t changed. 

If you are a size 4, 2, or 0 in this world, you are not allowed to comment on something you do not like about your body without someone telling you to be grateful. 

If you are a bigger girl, you have to deal with rude and unnecessary comments on your figure when you thought you looked cute. You didn’t ask for the hate you get.

Bigger girls are asked to cover up when they are perfectly fine. They are underrepresented in the modeling industry. Skinny girls are glamorized as though they don’t have issues. 

None of this is the right thing to do or say. You should always love yourself no matter what the world thinks of you. The world is hateful. 

In this world, fat shaming is a real thing. Girls that are bigger are shamed for it, and they are told to lose weight to make themselves more appealing. That is wrong. 

Girls are that smaller are told to eat because a man does not want a twig. Sometimes, but not all the time, it is a bigger girl saying it because someone has done something like that to her. 

That does not make it right. Girls are amazing no matter their size. A girl that is a size 0 is told that she is too skinny, and she needs to change that. No one asks if she is happy with her size.

Some skinny girls can’t gain weight and want to. Some skinny girls are perfectly happy how they are. No one seems to care if they are happy with themselves anymore. 

There are bigger girls that want to lose weight and simply can’t. How do they feel when a stranger tells them to lose weight when that's all they want? No one asks them how they feel.

There are some girls that were skinny, and they wanted to gain weight and did so. They are happy with themselves, but the world says they are too big. That's not fair. See if they are happy.

Girls need to know that they can be any size they want as long as they are okay with themselves. The world is so wrapped up in likes that we forget to like ourselves first.

Before you tell that girl to lose weight, gain weight, or body shame her, ask her if she is happy with herself. All that matter is that you are happy with yourself.

 The world’s thoughts do not matter. How you see yourself and think of yourself matters.

It’s summer time. You want a bikini body? Go to the store, buy, a bikini, and put it on. Now you have a bikini boy, and no one can take that from you. Beauty is not one size.

Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and no one has the right to take that away from someone no matter the reasoning. Beauty does not depend on the person’s size. 

Something that’s been on the media lately is everyone wants equal rights, and that no one is allowed to speak against those topics without getting attacked whether it be verbally or physically. Equal means that everyone and anyone is held to the same standard or level playing fields. 

Well there are a few things wrong with the world that need to be fixed before equal rights will happen. Girls around the world are overly sexualized while boys can walk around shirtless, and no one cares. Girls shouldn’t fear wearing certain clothes. Boys are able to control themselves. 

Girls are expected to remain virgins their entire lives until marriage and have no interest in sex when boys are expected to have a lot of sex. Girls should be allowed to want sex as much as the boys, and boys that want to wait shouldn’t be mocked for it either.

Girls with short hair are viewed as lesbians and mocked if their hair looks remotely like a boys. Girls should be allowed to have their hair as they want, not how society wants it. Boys should be allowed to have long hair and not be seen as gay or a hippie if that is the style they pick.

If someone wants to dress in black pants and rock band t-shirts, please let them do it. If a girl loves Starbucks, Uggs, and leggings, who are you to judge her. We as humans need to see that everyone has their own likes and views on the world. That doesn’t make them wrong.

People have a right to dress and act how they please. More often than not, a girl is judged if she is outgoing or reserved as being either a bitch or a whore. That isn’t how we should be looking at each other. Girls are loud, and introverts, and everything in between. 

Boys do not always have to act like the tough guy in the movies that do not give a damn about anyone or anything. It is okay for boys to cry and to show emotions. There is certain beauty found in being able to be one’s true self. Embrace that beauty and never let it go. 

Marriage is something that should be allowed to freely happen between those that love each other deeply. If a man is in love with a man, allow them to get married as you wouldn’t want the will of others to keep you from your soulmate. The same goes for a woman and a man or two women. 

Love is deep. Love is kind. Love knows no limit. The size of your waist should not determine the love you receive. Every size is beautiful whether it be seen on magazines or not. Your waist, chest, butt, or height does not define you as a person.

A boy that is short or of average height is just as much of a person that deserves love then someone who is six feet tall. A girl that has to buy plus size clothes is just as beautiful and desired as someone who is a size 0. Boys don’t have to be tall dark and handsome to be awesome. 

A six pack of abs on a boy does not define who he is as a person. Stretch marks and fat rolls are common in girls and do not define their beauty or who they are inside. You are beautiful even if you don't fit society’s stereotype of how you should look.

We are all human, and humans are in many shapes and sizes. People need to embrace the things that make them unique.  Everyone is beautiful, and today’s society has a bad habit of telling us that we aren’t. 

There is an old saying that the nerd in school will go on to be the CEO of a huge company and make millions. However, that nerd is always portrayed to be a male. What about all of the female nerds out there that want to be the CEO?

Most of the time girls are told that they need to focus on their looks and trying to find a man to do everything for them. There is and has always been a “Glass Ceiling” for women that want to pursue a career. That is simply not fair and should be remedied at all costs.

One industry that is huge right now is the tech fields filled with smartphones, computers, Virtual Reality, smart watches, and more. That field is mostly male, and it has always been that way. Those males will make a good amount of money. Why can’t women do the same?

Women have the same ability to do the same things as men when it comes to the careers that they chose to take for themselves. If a girl wants to go into the technology field, she must be prepared to deal with a mostly male environment. 

She must put in more effort than her male co-workers simply to avoid the stereotype that women don’t work as hard as men. Men always say that they do it all, and women are the ones that are behind the scenes. Women can be in any field they chose. 

Women in the I.T. field must not know as much as their male co-workers, but they must also present themselves as a professional women that won’t give up on a project. Girls in school that intern at a company will find themselves surrounded by men hoping that they have what it takes to compete. 

The tech industry always will be extremely competitive, and there is no end to that with all the new technology advances coming out. Women who want to work in the industry shall have to deal with sexism, constant sexual references in some form as most women in an all male work force have experienced some form of sexual harassment, and constant doubt of their ability.

With all of these negative aspects of the tech industry and all industries really, women know that their work is cut out for them. Women are hard workers that know their worth. 

In the future, the people that make your games like Candy Crush or the newest social platform will be more women. Men and women will work together to usher in the new tech in style. Women won't have to deal with the “Glass Ceiling” or the stigma of working with all men. 

Technology is brilliant and here to stay. There are women empowerment movements all across the globe. Tech is something that millions need, and something that some people dream to work on. Let’s make this happen.