humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
Quarantine Snapshots: My Year in Photos
I think it’s pretty obvious that this year was nothing like I’d anticipated. I had all these plans — people I was going to see, places I was going to go — that never came to fruition. I was unable to see my family or friends for much of the year, instead relying on iMessage and FaceTime to keep us connected. I started my final year of college online, desperately wishing I could wait in a long line for campus coffee or get lost in Miller Hall one more time. I spent August in bed, recovering from a surgery I never thought I’d need.
By Katherine J. Zumpano5 years ago in Humans
so we beat on
On December 31st, 2019, I went to work. My uniform then consisted of black pants, and a black shirt that read "CLD BRW SZN" on the back. I was enthusiastic for the start of a new decade, and so dolled myself up in makeup reminiscent of 1920s flapper girls. I tied a large bow around my head and tucked my hair underneath to create the illusion of a bob haircut. I walked into the coffee shop I worked at back then, brimming with excitement and delight. "I'm dressed for the occasion!" I exclaimed with joy. No one really wanted to be at work that night, but the special occasion of a holiday such as New Years, one that we all recognize and collectively take part in, takes the edge off of a nine hour shift.
By Mary Devlin5 years ago in Humans
All The Kings Horses
It's the late 90's, I'm 3 years old, significantly African looking and living in Holland with the rest of my f.o.b family. I remember being left at my very white, lesbian neighbours house to be babysat while my parents were at work, and my elder sister was at school. We spent our afternoons in her garden planting tomatoes with my miniature spade obviously being of no help at all. I don't have a clear recollection of what she looked like, but I have a foggy still image of a short-haired woman with soft almost unisex features further blurred by the sun behind her head as she gazed down at me seeming larger than life from my one-foot high perspective. I recall looking at her with absolute indifference. There was nothing on my mind at all, just a calm complacency while I took instruction on how to plant those tomatoes. A couple of years later, I found myself playing through those Holland streets on my scooter with my sister as we surfed those brick roads. I often would lose my sister and go on adventures on my own, squeezing in the narrow spaces between houses that only a child could fit as I weaved through the town. I remember being wholly unbothered and blissfully ignorant to any concept of being hurt or abducted or even the fear of being lost. Later that year, during Christmas time, I was introduced to a character by the name of "Zwarte Piet" for the first time. I think our family collectively blocked this memory from our consciousness, but it's possible they just shielded my sisters and me from it. Essentially Zwarte Piet, which literally translates to "Black Pete", was Santas helper. In reality, it was some dude in black face with exaggerated lip make-up and a curly wig who punished bad kids instead of just giving them a lump of coal. Nowadays I wonder what was going through the minds of those over-acting theatre majors and school teachers. I think I vaguely remember seeing the look of disappointment as their eyes locked onto mine while they scanned through the crowd of children landing on the only black face amongst them. Other times they didn't break character at all. Part of me thinks they were ashamed while the other more pessimistic part of me feels like they enjoyed it while being fully aware of the character's history. My favourite memory is a faint one that I cling on to as it slowly disintegrates in arms as the years' pass. It was just a friendship. A Companionship void of insecurities and judgment. No negative past experiences to prevent from reoccurring. Quite frankly I've been chasing that dragon ever since. I forget her name. She was the daughter of a friend of the neighbour who used to babysit me, and we'd often be under her care together. We'd literally play house and throw toys down the stairs just to watch them tumble. We would rarely even speak. Partly because we only knew about 20 words but also because there was no need. We were just enjoying existing with each other. Looking back, we hardly acknowledged each other at all until one of our parents would show up and then we would moan and sob while we were pried apart. I remember nothing else about her. I don't even remember how she looked. In my memory, she is just tv static in the shape of a five-year-old girl playing alongside what I imagine myself looking like as a five-year-old myself. Sometimes I wonder if she existed at all. A year later, we left the Netherlands and moved to Oman. I would experience my sexual awakening here, and my memories become far more vivid.
By Humpty Dumbty5 years ago in Humans
2021 Word of the Year: Boldness
It is that time of year, friends! Every year since 2006, I have chosen a word to commence the start of a new year. A fresh, new, wide eyed beginning for myself and for my family. When I began this tradition, I was going through some sadness when my daughter was just a few months old and I was looking for a way to bring a little extra hope and healing to my heart and my circumstances. Choosing a word to express what I was feeling at that moment, and what I hoped for in the future, then creating a blog (anybody remember Typepad??!!) to document life as a new mom and what God was teaching me as I worked through my little word that I chose. I don't even know if I can recall what the word was that I chose. I believe Faithfulness.
By Tiffany Rhea5 years ago in Humans
"A View from the Back Seat"
As a child she spent many hours viewing the world thru the backseat window of her parents car. In her 6-year old's mind she processes the conversations of adults and all the worlds problems she hears on nightly news casts. She cuts through any red tape, with her child like resilience, non judge-mental, un-inhibited thoughts formed from the most pure and honest viewpoint in our existence she contemplates the objectives of each of her concerns and she finds simple solutions formed within her child-logic perimeters.
By Pamela Walsh-Holte5 years ago in Humans
His name is 2020
For most of this year, I've been in an abusive relationship. His name is 2020. 2019 and I had ended our slightly rocky relationship amicably but, on the first of this year, 2020 came in no holds barred hitting me in the heart with the passing of my father. That's ok. One smack at the start of the year. A few weeks later he slapped me with losing my job. This is where things started to get a little messy. But I wasn't covering up bruises. Not yet. I was still fighting back. Then we all got sucker punched. Forced, for good reason, to stay in our homes for three months. I had grown accustomed to being on my own but this is where things get difficult. This is when 2020 decided to move in. This is where 2020 handed me the bottle and said "you think you have demons now?”
By Emily DeBias5 years ago in Humans
Is being faithful equivalent to being obedient?
The title itself is a controversial because many will think how faith and obedience are different. Due to faith, there is obedience and being obedient is a good thing and there can be nothing wrong with that. But there is very thin line between faith and obedience which differentiate its consequences. If you think deeply then you will find that faith comes from heart whereas obedience comes from mind. Hence we always refers to say that ‘he/she is faithful to god’ and ‘he/she is obedient to superiors’ not like ‘he/she is obedient to god’ and ‘he/she is faithful to superiors’.
By Blake Hunt5 years ago in Humans
A Leanfulness Way of Thinking
As I write this letter of hope, I am pondering over the precarious reality across the globe. Such a reality is unprecedented in modern times. In short, I'll attempt to describe the unique nature of our current situation as I see it. For example, think about what you’ve heard or personally felt about globalization. In my experience, globalization has elicited feelings of angst and increasing uncertainty. It's hard to imagine what the next five or ten years will look like for our societies and business infrastructures. On the other hand, globalization has demonstrated the remarkable ability to link almost every facet of personal, professional, and national interests. Therefore, I would like to present a positive result that globalization is having in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic. The purpose of this essay is to suggest that we can spend too much time worrying about the elephant in the room and miss the beauty of the resilient human spirit that occurs only in an environment of extraordinary unity.
By Christopher Boasso5 years ago in Humans
