Final post

This was an interesting project. There were times I would struggle to come up with something to write about. I see looking back, and I’m not surprised, that my entries were more of a free write style. I don’t think I am a good descriptive or creative writer. I admit I did not push myself to write and creative pieces but I could have and maybe should have. I mostly just would write about something that came to mind or something that I was thinking about or going through. I started off dreading this project but towards the end it wasn’t so bad. It was a way to put something out there, whatever I wanted. I hated it when I had trouble thinking about what to write and would sit and stare at the computer and start to write something and then after a few sentences erase it because I didn’t know where else to go with it. There were times that I phoned it in because I just wanted to get down a few hundred words about something and be done. I do have to say as the project went on I found it easier to write, for the most part- there were times when I had writers block. I also found myself writing more. Most of my earlier entries were shorter and did not have as much depth. I wrote about light topics such as a children’s movie and I wrote about very difficult things such as the loss of my son. I understand the point behind the assignment. Fluency. Like some of the readings we’ve had by practicing writing, the topic not being important, we improve our skills as writers. I definitely saw a progression and improvement in my entries throughout the weeks as the assignment went on. Overall I enjoyed the assignment but wish we could have just turned it in using the schools online site and not having to put it out on the internet where it can be seen by anybody. This honestly was the worst part of the assignment. I am very careful about what I post on the internet and I found myself often restricting myself and editing myself in terms of content because of this fact. I feel like this may have hurt my overall performance with this assignment but I wasn’t going to compromise myself for an assignment, so overall considering my feeling about this I feel that I did well.

2/28

Most people would probably say marriage is about love and commitment. I say it is more than that. Friendship is extremely important in a relationship. If you can't be friends you don't have a good foundation. Now this is not to say that all couples need to start off as friends first but its essential to have that base to build upon. Friendship allows people to enjoy similar things and do things with each other. A fulfilling marriage is one that both provides independence for each individual but also connects them as a unit or team. If you don't have friendship then often times there is lust rather than love. Love is obviously important but lust is often mistaken for love.
Another important factor is commitment and loyalty. These both play a big role in a successful marriage. A lot of people say that if this is broken it can't be repaired and understandably so, after all there is clearly a lack of trust that develops when someone is disloyal (this does not always mean infidelity either). There are others who would argue that if there is a break in this commitment that a couple can become stronger by working together to move forward. Because this takes an enormous amount of work and forces people to work through the trust issues it will often make them a stronger unit in the end.
Divorce is something that is very common these days. I don't have issues with divorce in terms of religion as I am not a very religious person myself but I take issue with it that there are a lot of people that go into a marriage with the idea that if it doesn't work out there is always divorce. Well divorce can be amicable and some people are even better friends afterwards however divorce can be brutal. It can bring out the nastiest sides of people and can lead to long drawn out battles that are financially, physically, and emotionally draining. The divorce rate is high there is no doubt about that. There are times when divorce is necessary but it seems like a lot of people use it as what they think is the easy way out. I think discussions need to be had and possible counseling done (not always appropriate it just depends on the situation). I know that, especially when children are involved, I want to do everything I can before I would consider divorce as a possibility because I want to know that I did everything I could.
Sometimes I think if people would just spend more time on their marriage that maybe the divorce rate would go down and maybe people would be happier in general. Sometimes it's the simple, little things-the basics, that we miss that end up adding up to a lot.
 

2/27

I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is a soap opera. It’s ridiculous I know but I can’t help it. What is it about these shows that suck us in? I mean the story lines are ridiculous and often completely absurd, not to mention the acting. I mean only in a soap opera can a person “come back from the dead” multiple times, or a town can survive disaster after disaster, and women can be pregnant and have a baby in a matter of mere months. In my defense I only watch one, General Hospital. I would have to say it has some of the most realistic story lines and some of the better acting that I’ve seen compared to other ones. It also happens to have some very famous story lines and characters such as Luke and Laura, and mob boss Sonny Corinthos. One thing I do appreciate about this soap opera is that it touches on some very real and difficult subject matters. There have been episode and story lines such as teen pregnancy, kidnapping, and mental health. The latter is one that working in the field of psychology that I can appreciate. While there are the occasional clichés such as multiple personalities there are other more common mental health issues. Depression, suicide, and bipolar disorder are some of the bigger story lines that have been on this show. They are also well known for promoting awareness for such issues as well as things like (currently) the Shriner’s Hospital for children. I remember one of the most memorable story lines was back in the 1990’s and was the story of a young man names Stone who was HIV positive and eventually died of AIDS. At the times this was a very controversial subject and they handled the delicate subject in a way that was educational about the disease and they showed the very harsh reality that it brings. So as I am watching my DVR recording of today’s episode I am reminded of why I love this show. The complex characters draw you in and you find yourself rooting for even the mob boss himself, who happens to suffer from bipolar as does the actor who portrays him. The writing is done in such a way that makes you fall in love with the characters. Don’t get me wrong there are better things to watch but there is also a lot worse such as these “reality shows” that exploit people. To each his own I guess. So here’s to Monday and the next episode.

2/26

As part of an assignment for a class I had in college we had to plan our funeral. This was not an easy thing to do. Death is something we all face in our lives, both our own mortality and those of the ones we love. It is often an uncomfortable subject to think/talk about. No one wants to think about their own mortality but it is something that we were forced to do as part of this Death and Human Behavior class. We even had to make out a will and have it notarized to get full credit. We were told to think about what we would want after death such as burial or cremation, funeral or memorial, etc. and other things such as music, flowers, readings and rituals. There are a lot of things to consider that most of us probably had not thought about prior to the class. It was a very interesting experience to sit and think of yourself as dying or dead.

I know that I want to be cremated. To be putting me in a box where I will rot does not appeal to me. I don’t care to have a tombstone or my urn buried either. I don’t feel the need to have a rock where family may only come visit on special occasions when they are in town. There are lots of things people can do these days with ashes. The can be spread of course although in some cases and certain places it’s illegal. The can also place some of the ashes in keepsakes and pendants. My husband and I for example each wear a pendant containing some of our son’s ashes. One thing I do know is that whatever details you can figure out a head of time is that much less your family has to worry about during what is already a difficult time. Although it might seem weird to think about these things it’s a necessary evil if you will. Anyone who has had to plan an unexpected funeral for a loved one knows what an agonizing process it can be. Having taken this class it has now prepared me to face and make some very difficult decisions.