Hi, my name is Jessie! Welcome to my abode in the cloud!

I love reading and writing adventure, humor, romance, poems, short stories, dramas, and whatever I feel inclined to write at the moment. I write better than I talk, and if I had to narrate life every moment I would in a heartbeat.

I am extremely character driven. I love crafting multifaceted characters having all sorts of strengths and weaknesses. My characters will always have quirks about them as well as faults, ambitions, fears, desires, etc. I love plot, action, romance, adventure, and enjoy writing them, but my favorite is writing characters that are not static, but effected by every choice they make. I could write a story with only conversation and be perfectly happy with the turnout.

I am a Christian, and do theater and other ministries and activities at my church. I am in my mid twenties (that is alll you gotta know XD).

I play piano and act in theater productions. I did Ballet, tap, jazz for 12 years, and also Hip Hop for 2 years. I like dancing, went to an electronica/rave establishment once as well as did some ballroom dancing, and loved it, need to do more of that (dont like clubs persay, sorry, hate grinding and twerking and people trying to make babies.). I like actual dancing dancing. Lol.

In the fall I am going back to school for English, hopefully with a minor in Japanese and Asian Culture.

Also, my works are on livejournal (myhearts4above), wattpad (jssh87), noveljoy (myhearts4above), and now sparkatale.

Stories and blogposts are also available on my wordpress account which is: myheartsforabove dot wordpress dot com

Also, I have been to counseling and hospital for depression/anxiety as well as other issues. But God has been my support in amazing ways. If you feel depressed, lonely, hated, have self-hatred, regrets and bitterness, or carry out self-harm, please know you are not alone, and that all that you are going through makes you such a strong human being. The human spirit, when under intense pressure or opposition, is so very resilient, and there are examples of that throughout history! Here are some examples:

Bill Gates (Microsoft Owner and Founder) - His first business failed miserably.

Albert Einstein (You so know this guy)- He could not speak until age four and could not read until age 7, and in school all of his teachers thought he was lazy, mentally challenged and would be a failure, and he was actually expelled for behavior issues and acting out. Well he ended up becoming a physicist, winning the Nobel Prize, and creating a lot of theories and equations that would help us understand gravity and the way the world and universe works.

Jim Carrey (Funny famous actor)- Came from a poor family and actually used to be homeless. He was living out of a van., and quit school at age 15 to begin working to help support his family as a janitor. He never finished high school because he worked full-time to help his family survive the severe economic hardship, and also helped care for his mother who battled a severe, chronic illness. He has ADHD and stated that he battled depression. Carrey has received four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning two. Known for his highly energetic slapstick performances, he has been described as one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood.

Bethany Hamilton (famous surfer)- Had her arm bitten off by a shark. She still surfs, and won a surfing award.

Benjamin Franklin (One of America's Founding Father)- He dropped out of school due to his family's financial problems at the age of ten, and taught himself. He ended up creating the lightning rod and, well, helping others establish this country.

Steven King (famous horror novelist) - The first book by this author, the iconic thriller Carrie, received 30 rejections, finally causing King to give up and throw it in the trash. His wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it, and the rest is history, with King now having hundreds of books published the distinction of being one of the best-selling authors of all time.

Oprah Winfrey (entrepreneur worth 2.9 billion)- Was born in poverty, and was molested by family and family friend at 9, and had and lost a baby at 14. Now...well she owns her own corporation, and has her own television network, show, and magazine.

Thomas Edison (Man who created the lightbulb)- This guy was told by teachers he was "too stupid to learn" and he had between 1000 to 10,000 failed experiments (some experts say different numbers), then was fired from two jobs before finding our beloved lightbulb! His actual response... "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Jay-Z (Big name rapper)- All the record labels rejected him and did not sign him. So...he made his own. And now he is worth 500 million dollars and was named one of the most influential people in the world.

Vincent Van Gogh (One of the most famous painters ever)- He only sold ONE painting (to a friend, for a small amount of money) in his ENTIRE LIFE. With no money to his name, he still painted 900 paintings.

Franklin Roosevelt (Respected president of America)- Became half paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. He still led this country and became one of the most respected presidents.

Steven Spielberg (Prolific Filmmaker)- He, who created Jurassic Park, ET, Jaws, Schindler's List, etc...could not get into the film school of his choice. He was rejected THREE times. Spielberg also said he suffered from acts of anti-Semitic prejudice and bullying in his early life: he later said, “In high school, I got smacked and kicked around. Two bloody noses. It was horrible.” Diagnosed with dyslexia, His career began when he returned to Universal Studios as an unpaid, seven-day-a-week intern and guest of the editing department (uncredited).

Helen Keller- She became deaf AND blind before her SECOND birthday. Despite this debilitating disability, she learned to read and write, and became the first deaf blind person to gain a bachelor degree. She campaigned on issues of social welfare, womens suffrage, disability rights and impressed many with her force of personality. SERIOUSLY?

Beethoven- One of the greatest musical composers and creator, soon lost his HEARING and fell into a depression. He still created some of his famous works while being completely deaf.

Jacques Lusseyran- A blind frenchman who lost sight at eight. He was alarmed at the rise of Hitler, so he learned German to understand the situation better, than created a resistance group during the war. He was finally sent to a concentration camp, where he actually stirred up resistance and hope amongst prisoners, and he survived. After the war he went to the USA to teach French Literature.

Steven Hawking- A physicist completely crippled and in a wheelchair, and can only speak through a COMPUTER. They said he would not live past 20, but now he is one of many experts on scientific studies, theories, and findings having to do with the universe.

Henry Ford (created the Ford car)- While Ford is today known for his innovative assembly line and American-made cars, he wasn't an instant success. In fact, his early businesses failed and left him broke FIVE times before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company.

R.H Macy (creator of Macy's department stores)- Most people are familiar with this large department store chain, but Macy didn't always have it easy. Macy started SEVEN failed business before finally hitting big with his store in New York City.

Soichiro Honda (creator of Honda cars)- The billion-dollar business that is Honda began with a series of failures and fortunate turns of luck. Honda was turned down by Toyota Motor Corporation for a job after interviewing for a job as an engineer, leaving him jobless for quite some time. He started making scooters of his own at home, and spurred on by his neighbors, finally started his own business.

Walt Disney (creator of beloved Disney company)- Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." (Whaaat?) After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn't last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. Today, another story.

Orville and Wilbur Wright (made the plane. The PLANE!)-These brothers battled depression and family illness before starting the bicycle shop that would lead them to experimenting with flight. After numerous attempts at creating flying machines, several years of hard work, and tons of failed prototypes, the brothers finally created a plane that could get airborne and stay there.

Abraham Lincoln-While today he is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of our nation, Lincoln's life wasn't so easy. In his youth he went to war a captain and returned a private (if you're not familiar with military ranks, just know that private is as low as it goes.) Lincoln didn't stop failing there, however. He started numerous failed business and was defeated in numerous runs he made for public office.

Theodor Seuss Giesel (Dr. Seuss!)- Today nearly every child has read The Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham, yet 27 different publishers rejected Dr. Seuss's first book To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

Monet (famous painter)- Today Monet's work sells for millions of dollars and hangs in some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Yet during his own time, it was mocked and rejected by the artistic elite, the Paris Salon. Monet kept at his impressionist style, which caught on and in many ways was a starting point for some major changes to art that ushered in the modern era.

Elvis Presley- As one of the best-selling artists of all time, Elvis has become a household name even years after his death. But back in 1954, Elvis was still a nobody, and Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after just one performance telling him, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."

Tom Cruise (famous actor)- He grew up in near poverty. The family was dominated by his abusive father, whom Cruise has described as “a merchant of chaos.”; He was beaten by his father, who Cruise has said was a bully. Now, Nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards; As of 2012, Cruise was Hollywood’s highest-paid actor. Fourteen of his films grossed over $100 million domestically; twenty have grossed in excess of $200 million worldwide.

Frederick Douglass- Born into slavery, violence, and separation from his parents; taught himself to read. Leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing. He stood as a living counter-example to slaveholders’ arguments that slaves did not have the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. Many Northerners also found it hard to believe that such a great orator had been a slave.

Johnny Depp (famous actor)- Depp’s family lived in over 20 locations, settling in Miramar, Fla., when Depp was 7, living in a hotel until his father found work. Prone to self-inflicted knife wounds, Depp started smoking at 12, lost his virginity at 13, started doing drugs at 14 and eventually dropped out of high school at 16; worked as a telemarketer. Now, Films featuring Depp have grossed over $3.1 billion at the United States box office and over $7.6 billion worldwide. He has been nominated for top awards many times, winning the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes. He also has garnered a sex symbol status in American cinema, being twice named as the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine in 2003 and 2009. He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor, with $75 million.

Martin Luther King Jr.- Got C’s and D’s in college and graduate school, including in classes on public speaking and writing… jailed multiple times… spied on and harassed by his government. Then became Clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of American progressivism… received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence.

Marilyn Monroe- Born to an unstable mother and missing father, declared a ward of the state, lived in a string of foster homes where she survived assault and sexual assault, married at 16 to avoid returning to foster care; suffered severe stage fright. Ranked as the sixth-greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. (Unfortunately she died, self inflicted. God rest her soul D:)

Marie Curie- The first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman to win in two fields, and the only person to win in multiple sciences. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris. On both the paternal and maternal sides, the family had lost their property and fortunes, condemning her family to a difficult struggle. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was ten. After a collapse, possibly due to depression, she spent the following year in the countryside with relatives of her father. Most of all, she couldn’t enroll in a regular institution of higher education as a woman.

See, everyone has a backstory, so one should not judge a book by it's cover (especially celebrities...they hurt also)! If you are in pain or doubt your worth, know this, that the human race is capable of so much, even more so when under extreme duress and in trials. And...that you are loved by your Creator! You have purpose, worth, and are a unique individual with so much to offer this world. You are a diamond in the rough, you are treasure, not trash! :) Now my favorite 'overcoming trials' story is this, and means much to me...

Jesus Christ (my Lord and Savior, and a historical figure)- Was born in a dirty stable, was a lowly carpenter for 30 years. During his ministry for 3 years he fed the hungry, healed the sick, loved the unlovable while others scorned them, taught amazing truths, forgave the criminals and the convicts, was first to treat women above their 'station' in life-with love and respect. When his opposers finally got to him, he said not a word or fought back, and was bound, was whipped with whips that had broken shards of bone and sharp objects that nearly killed him. He was unrecognizable after that. Then he was led to carry a cross for miles and was crucified by the Romans, crucifixion being the worst way to die back then. Big nails were driven through nerves in his wrists and through his feet, connecting him to the cross, and the cross was standing up, so it was hard to breathe as he hung there. The thing was...Jesus allowed that to happen, so he, pure and without sin, would be punished, for all I have done wrong in life. For the whole world's wrong doings.

If you need further help, please contact your local helpline, and also...what has helped me immensely was this website down below. Such a gem, it has many links to different articles on depression, self-hatred, suicide, anxiety, bitterness, regrets, low self-esteem, and other psychological and mental issues. It is a Christian site.

http:///help/self-hate.htm

Also, if you need to talk, I am here, if you want. We all need an ear to talk into sometimes and a bit of inspiration!

PERSONAL TIDBITS

What I am reading now: Sherlock Holmes

What I am currently writing: Love Labour's Found: Done with Part One and now posting. A lowly tailor from a village goes on a quest to rescue a kidnapped princess. On the way there he meets an egotistical prince, and the two get to the fortress where she is at, only to be met with a surprise. The story is considered Romance/Friendship. Part two I will describe in the author's notes later in part one so as not to give away any spoilers. :)

What I like to read: I love the classics from Mark Twain, Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters, William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, etc. I also get in moods where I like to read contemporary stories filled with adventure, romance, action, some drama and fantasy. Have not done so in a while. Also like short stories and tales in fable fashion.

Favorite Movies: The Pianist, The Nutty Professor (great message), The Aristocats, Step Up 2:The Streets, Movies from my favorites books (Jane Eyre, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice Etc.), Lord of the Rings, Last Holiday, Toy Story 1 and 2, Journey to the center of the Earth, Jurassic Park, Disney movies. I also love watching reruns and videos of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Youtube.

What I like to eat: Fruit flavored applesauces, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, oatmeal with brown sugar and peaches, cheesy grits, Ritz and Townhouse crackers with cream cheese, Jelly Bellies, and chocolate covered strawberries. I love Mexican food, Italian food, and Chinese food, I like spaghetti, both with and without sauce (especially without, with a hint of butter and salt) and porkroll. In general, I love food, and sometimes utensils slow me down.

My Hobbies are: Writing, reading, playing piano, listening to music, dancing, daydreaming, and watching movies and contemplating over them.

My favorite animals are BIRDS. I have 12 and talk to them like they are human (well, human children at least.). I have a bird voice I talk in, and it is rather creepy.

What I listen to: All types of music! I, however, do not listen to much of rap or country. Right now I am enjoying listening to each decade's music and enjoying the diversity and passion of each era. I also love Celtic instrumentals (LOVE dancing to this, esp. for exercise), Chinese instrumentals, some Jewish music, ragtime piano pieces, electronica, and also movie soundtracks. I like christian music, swing and big band music, classical music, music from the 20's all the way up through 90's, and probably by next year I will begin listening to more contemporary, modern stuff. I am always late to the "party" lol. I listen to Pandora a lot and enjoy finding new music, especially with a dance type beat.

Guilty Pleasures: Dancing to disco music, the songs Stronger by Britney Spears, Electric Avenue, I'm Too Sexy, She Blinded me with Science by Thomas Dolby, Buttercup by The Foundations, I want You Back by Jacksons, and Staying Alive by The Beegees. I like cracking my big toes. :)

My Quirks and Pet Peeves: I tend to turn regular conversations into songs, I have certain theme songs for my birds. I would rather eat foods with my hands because it is quicker. I do not like when food is being chewed loudly though, but some days I better handle it than others. I have intense emotions and can be extremely passionate to the point of pain. I have manic episodes, and depressive episodes (going to group therapy and seeing someone for this as well as for other issues. Very very helpful.) I am a messy perfectionist, and an extrovert stuck in an introvert's body, but I am slowly coming out ((music)I'm coming out, I want the world to know) and talking much. I tend to talk fast when excited, and sometimes I need a filter. I tend to joke a lot, and I handle serious things by spinning it around to be funny (that can be an issue, I am fully aware.) But I do, because of a sensitive nervous system, tend to take things more intensely, and so I protect myself by being bright and happy about it. A coping mechanism. I tend to feel extremely sympathetic of other's situations, and can not stand others suffering, making me cry at times. As for my situations, I tend to be less emotional, even emotionless and no crying, do not know why. But I would rather take other's suffering upon myself, since I know I can handle it and funnel it in my mind into places there where I do not feel pain. I do however get overwhelmed easily with responsibilities or stress.

I love driving, it is a time where I can sing my heart out and relax, and talk to God. I like food, did I say that? I 'om nom nom' a lot. I like doing loud yawns and sneezes to get all the energy out of me, it feels awesome. I take a nap everyday. I like cracking my big toes, I like when my eyelids flutter reflexively, I want to chase tornadoes when I retire and also take trips and backpack the coolest places in the world. I love flying on airplanes, although the last time I actually had a panic attack on one and needed an oxygen mask, so I need the aisle seat or sometimes the window seat. I was burnt/electrocuted by a light switch before. I bop my head randomly, especially if a song is in my head. I write notes on things, I doodle and scribble a lot. I think of things and introspect a lot, my thoughts can race at times. I mess with my cuticles when nervous. I tend to rock back and forth or fidget alot when I am extremely excited, happy and manic. I love love dancing to music, and I can sing both female and some male parts for songs, my voice can be a bit low at times. It is higher when, you guessed it, when I am manic-ish, lol. When sad, I do not have energy nor can I talk much. I daydream a lot, like 90-95% of the day, like Walter Mitty, and sometimes need to ground myself in reality at times (saying time and place and what I am doing.) another mechanism I learned. Sometimes fantasy is better than reality though (sigh). I think a lot, and sometimes lose sleep at night because I am doing that. I tend to also get distracted easily. Also, cute celebrities cause me anxiety, because I am thinking "Wait, WHY am I not with him right now." Thinking there are cute people out there I am not with causes me stress. Lol

Also, sometimes I hate Facebook. Makes me feel like crap sometimes.

YAY...MORE GOODIES.

-I am obsessed with anything before 1990's, don't know why. I will put anything here having to do with that...starting with:

11 Vintage Slang Terms That Need To Make A Comeback (from Huffington Post.)

1. Groovy.

Meaning: Awesome.

Because without it, "Wild Thing" wouldn't exist. And it's just so fun to say. Groovy.

2. Swell.

Meaning: Excellent. Fabulous.

As in "Gee whiz, that Ellen sure is swell!" Adorable.

3. Radical.

Meaning: Cool. (Not extreme.)

Because sometimes you just want to sound like an 80s surfer dude.

4. Scram.

Meaning: Get out of here. Immediately.

The only thing we had to say to our younger brothers and sisters growing up.

5. Neat.

Meaning: Cool. (Not tidy.)

Feel free to put your own spin on it. Like "neato keeno" or "neato torpedo."

6. Funky.

Meaning: Cool or stylish. (Not smelly or stinky.)

Because you'll love the confused look on your kids' faces when you say it.

7. The bee's knees.

Meaning: Used to tell someone they are simply the best.

It's disputed as to how this phrase came about, but many sources agree this was a flapper-era phrase coined in the early 20s. Similar nonsensical terms were "the flea's eyebrows" and "the canary's tusks." We can see why those didn't stick.

8. Cool beans.

Meaning: Agreed.

Because sometimes cool just isn't enough.

9. Tubular.

Meaning: Excellent. Incredible. Terrific. (Not something shaped like a tube.)

The ultimate 80s slang term. Saying it will remind you of big California waves, surfboards and big hair.

10. Hot to trot.

Meaning: Eager. Ready to go.

This one's a bit naughty. "He's hot to trot, with a different date every night of the week."

11. Wicked.

Meaning: Ultra cool. Impressive. (Not evil.)

The Brits might have us beat on this one. It's a commonly used phrase in the UK... and Harry Potter and his friends love to use it. Especially Ron.

The 1920's

The 1920's were a time of change and rebirth. This decade was known as the Roaring 20's and the Jazz Age. WWI had just ended and people were looking to celebrate. People now treasured the importance of each and every day and wanted to live life to the fullest!

One of the biggest changes was in women. Many became known as Flappers and doing things "normal" women had never done before! Not only did fashions change for women but they finally acquired the right to vote. This would be the first time women would have the opportunity to experience many new things.

Factories were focusing more on manufacturing consumer goods. Famous baseball players made history, and the U.S. took home the most medals at the Olympics that year. Jazz music swept the country and Duke Ellington would become one of the most famous names in Jazz.

The stock market soared to an all time high, partially because of the new concept of buying "on margin." With this you could buy a stock with only paying 10%, and the bank would pay the other 90%. However, when the stock market crashed in October 1929 the Great Depression began. No one knew that an all time high would turn into an all time low!

There would no longer be spontaneous buying. Starvation, jobless men and women would replace it, and banks and stores would be closing all over. The 1920's ended in a devastating disaster.

1930's

The nineteen thirties was a time of great change and struggle. People were struggling with the Great Depression and the stock market crash. The main focus of the thirties was just striving to survive. Fortunately the President at the time Franklin D. Roosevelt was a man of his word and commitment. FDR created a plan called The New Deal; this was an attempt to end the depression and help restore society. Franklin Roosevelt started relief programs which were intended to help people financially and physically. Franklin Roosevelt even wanted to help people regain their strength mentally. FDR gave radio speeches called "Fireside Chats." Across the nation, families gathered around their radios and listened. They felt FDR knew exactly how people had felt.

Hero Charles Lindbergh's baby was kidnapped. The Dust Bowl brought devastation to the Midwest. Desperate for money and food, some people turned to robbery and murder! Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone and John Dillinger made headlines.

The nineteen thirties was also a decade of sports. The Yankees won the World Series five times. Jessie Owens set five world records in track and field in one day!

In trying to make life easier, Campbell's introduced chicken noodle soup in a can. Some of the other new foods of the thirties were the famous Spam, Fritos and Twinkies. Movie classics such as Snow White, The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were made in the 1930's! Construction on some of the most famous American landmarks was also begun in the 1930's.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, war was coming!

1940's

The 1940s was a decade in which we learned that "Freedom isn't Free." Not only did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor in 1941 but the United States also entered WWII and by the end of the war became the most powerful nation in the world. The citizens of the U.S. pulled together to help their fellow man at war and to defeat the communist powers in Asia and Europe. Many boys lied about their age just to help their country in the war effort. As the war ended the world discovered the horrors of the Holocaust. Jewish refugees found a home as Israel became a state in 1948. The civil rights movement had its beginnings in the 40s and it would change the U.S. forever. The first, black professional baseball player was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Big bands dominated the radio with legends such as Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra filled homes. Alongside them were performers such as Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzie Gillespie. The 1940s was a time of growth and learning for the U.S. It was a decade that will forever be remembered for bring great change to our way of life.

1950's

Television changed the way we lived in the 1950's. So did the Russians and Sputnik! Ed Sullivan brought Elvis into our living rooms. When the Russians sent Laika into space suddenly we needed to teach our children to be better scientists and mathematicians. The 1950's were dominated by the New York Yankees. With Casey Stengel at the helm leading stars such as Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, the Yankees were unbeatable! Highways were built and that make transportation easier for people traveling. As a result more people traveled more, Holiday Inns were introduced for travelers, and shopping centers spring up in many neighborhoods. The Civil Right's Movement had its birth when Rosa Parks refused to leave her seat on the bus. The United States gained two more states this decade, Alaska and Hawaii. There was a growing anti-communism feeling in America. Elvis was the big star that girls swooned over. Americans bought more items than they needed, which was good for the economy. Welcome to the 1950s.

1960's

The sixties were a time of change, counter culture and political movements. Many young people involved themselves in trying to make America a better place for all people, no matter what gender or race they were. The sixties began with the election of America's youngest president, John F. Kennedy. During his period in office people stepped out and said how they felt. They thought that with Kennedy leading America, anything was possible.

By 1963 another great leader began to draw attention to another important issue, the treatment of African Americans. Martin Luther King, Jr. had such composure and such dignity that hearing him publicly speak was not only a privilege but an honor. King inspired people and made them believe that they could make a difference. King believed in nonviolent protest against segregation and racial discrimination. Many people, blacks and whites alike, joined his March on Washington in 1963, and others later helped change the way Americans treated one another. The assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963 shocked the country. Violence in the south was still in the headlines as a black church in Alabama was blown up with killing four children inside. In 1964 President Johnson declared "War on Poverty" and promised Americans a "Great Society." The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law. Rioting in Watts in 1965 nearly destroyed Los Angeles.

Americans increasingly grew opposed to the war in Vietnam. The war had burst into the country's living rooms on the nightly news like an open floodgate and many in the country were horrified at what they saw. 1968 was a year of great tragedy, both Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. The Democratic National Convention was the scene of horrible violence. There were some bright moments, man orbited the earth for the first time in Apollo 8 in 1968 and at the close of the decade America entered a new frontier as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon for the first time.

1970's

The '70s were an extremely interesting time period. Filled with crisis, new technology, and great entertainment. It will always be an interesting part of history. The Concorde, was invented during the '70s. It was elegant and expensive. The Bee Gees will forever remain in the minds of millions of music fans everywhere. The consumer industry was increasing at alarming rates. It included popular products and fads, including pet rocks, mood rings, and the candy, Pop Rocks. Also, of course the ever popular lava lamp. The original Charlie's Angels was also created during the '70s. The well-liked movie Saturday-Night Fever with John Travolta in 1977 seemed to change pop culture overnight. In addition, who could forget Watergate and Nixon's resignation. The most important event of the decade would probably be the Iranian Hostage Crisis. 54 U.S. officials were taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Iran and weren't released for 444 days. The first U.S. space station, SkyLab was launched as well. All in all, the '70's was a very influential time period in history.

1980's

The 1980 saw turmoil, conflict, greed, great poverty and great prosperity. The century began with Americans held hostage in Iran. Aids, terrorists, crack, and homelessness were headlines. The personal computer made news as did Cabbage Patch Dolls, compact discs, VCRs, and Nintendo. We had Farm Aid and Live Aid. Wall Street brought us insider trading and junk bonds. Ronald Reagan was president for much of the decade. There were assassination attempts, Chernobyl, Mount Saint Helens, and the Exxon-Valdez. John Lennon was murdered. The eighties saw the birth of MTV, CNN, and TNT. The U.S. Hockey Team took home the gold in one Olympics, the U.S. and Russia boycotted other Olympics. Women in space and on the Supreme Court brought great pride but still no Equal Rights Amendment. The 1980s were a time of great change across Europe, Russia and China.

(Thank You http:///pocantico/century for the info!)

AWESOME QUOTES!

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Confucius

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

Mahatma Gandhi

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

Desmond Tutu

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana

I came, I saw, I conquered.

Julius Caesar

This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

Neil Armstrong

When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.

George Washington Carver

History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies.

Alexis de Tocqueville

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

Edward R. Murrow

The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.

Epicurus

90 percent of my time is spent on 10 percent of the world.

Colin Powell

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.

James A. Baldwin

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.

Louis D. Brandeis

There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with.

William Halsey

Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor.

Arnold J. Toynbee

History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.

Edward R. Murrow

Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.

Haile Selassie

A library is the delivery room for the birth of ideas, a place where history comes to life.

Norman Cousins

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.

B. C. Forbes

And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that.

Lord Acton

In our brief national history we have shot four of our presidents, worried five of them to death, impeached one and hounded another out of office. And when all else fails, we hold an election and assassinate their character.

P. J. O'Rourke

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.

Albert Einstein

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.

William Arthur Ward

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.

George Bernard Shaw

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.

Galileo Galilei

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

Henry Ford

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Scott Adams

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

Henry Ward Beecher

People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

Nelson Mandela

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'

Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Winston Churchill

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

Mark Twain

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.

Billy Graham

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

George S. Patton

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Andre Gide

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.

Anne Frank

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Anne Frank

I'm a romantic, and we romantics are more sensitive to the way people feel. We love more, and we hurt more. When we're hurt, we hurt for a long time.

Freddy Fender

When men attempt bold gestures, generally it's considered romantic. When women do it, it's often considered desperate or psycho.

Sarah Jessica Parker

The more we are filled with thoughts of lust the less we find true romantic love.

Douglas Horton

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.

William Arthur Ward

QUOTES ABOUT or FROM LITERATURE

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it.”
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

"That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”

—J.R.R Tolkien

“From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came into adolescence and when she wanted to feel a closeness to someone she could read a biography. On that day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived.”
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."

[Cosmos, Part 11: The Persistence of Memory (1980)]”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”
― C.S. Lewis

“Literature is my Utopia”
― Helen Keller

“You forget everything. The hours slip by. You travel in your chair through centuries you seem seem to see before you, your thoughts are caught up in the story, dallying with the details or following the course of the plot, you enter into characters, so that it seems as if it were your own heart beating beneath their costumes.”
― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

“Surely it is an odd way to spend your life - sitting alone in a room with a pen in your hand, hour after hour, day after day, year after year, struggling to put words on pieces of paper in order to give birth to what does not exist, except in your head. Why on earth would anyone want to do such a thing? The only answer I have ever been able to come up with is: because you have to, because you have no choice.”
― Paul Auster

“All I am is literature, and I am not able or willing to be anything else.”
― Franz Kafka

“Alright then, I’ll go to hell.”

– Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (Huck has been led to believe it would be sinful to help his friend Jim, a runaway slave. In this chapter, Huck finds his own moral compass and decides to do what he feels is the right thing, even though others have told him he would go to hell for it.)

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”

– Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for.”

—Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was a light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

“Try to imagine a life without timekeeping. You probably can’t. You know the month, the year, the day of the week. There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored. Birds are not late. A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays. Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.”

– Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper

“They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions… but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald,The Great Gatsby

WORDS OF WISDOM (I have learned, or need to stop doing.)

-I tend to turn people into caricatures in my mind. Everything is exaggerated, both the good and the bad qualities. It is good for writing, but not so good for real relationships.

-B.S is a part of human life, the human condition. I need to learn to see it as it is, and not make myself sick over it.

-Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose. -Eckhart Tolle

Some AWESOME tips and coping skills I've learned in therapy for depression/anxiety are:

1. "Emotions love themselves." That is, once an emotion is activated, it organizes the person's mind and body in such a way as to continue the same emotion. So when an emotion is fired up, that same emotion tends to re-fire again and again. Engage in motor behaviors that are incompatible with the current emotion, resulting in breaking the constantly cycling emotional states.

2. Create a Wellness Toolbox. In this box (or poster with envelopes pasted on it), put activities, lists, notecards, a letter to yourself, and other positive things. When feeling depressed, look in this box and pick something for a quick mood boost.

3. Challenge negative thinking! Think outside yourself. Ask yourself if you'd say what you are thinking about yourself to someone else or to a friend. If you would not say those negative things to a friend, then do NOT think that about yourself!

4. Write a letter to yourself as if you were sending a nice letter to a friend, saying all the things you like about "him/her." (You.)

5. Beating yourself up and regretting past mistakes makes things worse! Don't "should" on yourself (don't say you should've done something.) Move on, because no one is perfect.

6. Take care of yourself! Sleep a full eight hours, get some sunlight, identify your stressors and avoid them if you can, care for a pet (animals are such soothing little friends), eat healthy, and also exercise!

7. When you feel the impulse to do self-destructive activities (binge eat, self harm, shopaholic, drink, drive recklessly, or attack in rage) do the following. 1. Take a breath 2. Name the emotion and urge you feel. 3. Use a distraction (journal, draw, pray, write). 4. Recognize there are options to acting in destructive ways. 5 Practice new behaviors each day to make them a habit.

8. When angry and highly anxious, inhale for 4 seconds, then hold breath for 4 seconds, and lastly exhale slowly and as long as you can. Repeat if needed.

9. When you are feeling in a daze, not in reality, or very distracted and daydreaming profusely to the detriment of your functioning skills, stop and do the following grounding techniques. First, name five things you see in the room, second, name four things you feel, third, name three things you hear, fourth, name two things you can smell, and lastly, name one good thing about yourself. As for me, I tend to detach from reality so intensely I can run into things or forget what I am doing, so when I feel like I am slipping into cookoo land I say the time, where I am at, and name what I am doing. That tends to bring me back down to earth. :)

10. Instead of assuming that your negative thought is true, examine the actual evidence for it. For example, if you feel that you never do anything right, you could list several things you have done successfully.

11. Instead of putting yourself down in a harsh, condemning way, talk to yourself in the same compassionate way you would talk to a friend with a similar problem.

12. Instead of thinking about your problems in all-or-nothing extremes, evaluate things on a range of 0 to 100. When things do not work out as well as you hoped, think about the experience as a partial success rather than a complete failure

13. Learn to accept what you can not change and have no control over.

14. Seek accurate information about your sources of stress. Knowledge can bring floating fears down to earth. Anxiety can exaggerate and compound the source of stress.

15. Avoid isolation. Instead of shrinking away and withdrawing, it is healthier and more practical to make yourself available. Reach out to others, don't sit and wait for the phone to ring. Take action. Be aware that isolation is a negative coping skill, and be aware of it's signs. Share your worries with someone you trust, love, and respect.

SIGNS OF A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP

-Communication is open and spontaneous (including listening. )

-Rules/boundaries are clear and explicit, yet allows for comfortable flexibility.

-Individuality, freedom, and personal identity is enhanced.

-Each enjoys doing things for self, as well as for the other.

-Play, humor, and having fun together is commonplace.

-Each does not attempt to 'fix' or control the other.

-Acceptance of your and his/her true self. No pretending or facade.

-Assertiveness: feelings and needs are expressed (in a healthy manner.)

-Humility: able to let go of need to "be right" all the time.

-Self-confidence and security in own worth.

-Conflict is faced directly and resolved.

-Openness to constructive feedback.

-Each is trustful of the other.

-Balance of giving and receiving.

-Negotiations are fair and democratic.

-Tolerance: forgiveness of self and other.

-Mistakes are accepted and learned from.

-Willing to try something new and to be vulnerable.

-Other meaningful relationships and interests exist.

-Each can enjoy being alone and privacy is respected.

-Personal growth, change, and exploration is encouraged.

-Continuity and consistency is present in the commitment.

-Balance of oneness (closeness ) and separation from each other.

-Responsibility for own behaviors and happiness (not blaming the other.)

For me, I have a healing poster with envelopes pasted on it with different topics. Each envelope has notecards with rewards for a good day, or positive affirmations about myself when I begin to hate myself. When I feel sad or scared, I have a certain envelope to choose from also. One envelope is for fun, and has random activities inside that I choose when I feel spontaneous or bored and need something fun or different to do. You can make a board to suit your needs and desires also!

STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Routines

-Go to bed and wake up at the same time

-Follow good nutrition

-Chew your food thoroughly

-Eat meals at regular times

-Don't do other things while eating

-Go for a walk/jog every day at the same time

-Every day think of three things you are grateful for

-Minimize alcohol, caffeine and sugar

-Move your body, enough for a light sweat, for about ten minutes daily

-Do some stretches

10 tips for reaching out and building relationships

Ways to challenge negative thinking:

Types of negative thinking that add to depression

All-or-nothing thinking – Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground (“If I fall short of perfection, I’m a total failure.”)

Overgeneralization – Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever (“I can’t do anything right.”)

The mental filter – Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right.

Diminishing the positive – Coming up with reasons why positive events don’t count (“She said she had a good time on our date, but I think she was just being nice.”)

Jumping to conclusions – Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. You act like a mind reader (“He must think I’m pathetic”) or a fortune teller (“I’ll be stuck in this dead end job forever”)

Emotional reasoning – Believing that the way you feel reflects reality (“I feel like such a loser. I really am no good!”)

‘Shoulds’ and ‘should-nots’ – Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn’t do, and beating yourself up if you don’t live up to your rules.

Labeling – Labeling yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings (“I’m a failure; an idiot; a loser.”)

As for me...some of my sadness stems from my debt financially. One thing I tell you guys, please don't rack up credit card debt, and stay in school and work hard. I have learned now, but still pay dearly. Some days I still get sad over my current situation. But it is getting better. :)

Also I love to talk, so hit me up sometime in PM about stories, and anything else (if I didn't scare you away yet, haha)! Also, if you need to talk about life in general and are feeling down and sad, PM me. I was/am being treated for depression, bipolar, anxiety/panic attacks, anorexia, dissociation and PTSD (from certain life experiences)...so I know how it feels, and you are not alone. Do not suffer alone or in silence. You are loved and you are a unique creation with a purpose! And even if you struggle with these issues, just know God loves you!

I also try to give reviews for every review you give me, it is only fair. If I miss you, tell me yo. Thanks for checking out my profile! Much love! :)

LOVE

Mark 12:31

The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Luke 6:31

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Romans 13:10

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Ephesians 4:2

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 John 4:7

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.

1 John 3:16-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 22:37-39

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Ephesians 4:29-32

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:12-14

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.