Making it

You finally made it. You ran away. Not literally, it took nearly four years to get here.

You can now finally be on your own, away from home, away from the chores and responsibility for others.

Your parents are far away, far from being able to tell You right from wrong or what to do or not do.

They have spent years teaching You what to do, yet, still aren’t ready to let go.

You are the oldest of five; the first to take a taste of the world outside of a protected home. Here You go.

I'm ready to fly, ready to soar. If I get to the top I can only look down on those below me. I will work. I will struggle, fight, and win. I will make it to where I need to be, where I want to be.

Look at the buildings; skyscrapers as tall as mountains. Buildings filled with others like me, ones who got away. It is a jungle out there, only the fittest will win. No turning back, keep looking forward, stand up and dream, take a chance and earn what you deserve.

Lights, shows, music, money, fame, classy restaurants and people spending money they don’t have. Ritzy cars, high rise apartments in the city. Do You dare? Fit in without fitting in. Live a fuller life. Your skills are your key to success, you have what you need to succeed. Work your way to the top.

You’ve made it. You worked your way to the top. Excitement, passion, relief. You can escape now, the city is your play place. Move north of the city, enjoy what you have earned. It was worth it in the end. You can relax now, look back on what you’ve done. Its time for you to make a cozy home now, somewhere your own family will grow, and grow and grow. When your own are grown, you will tell them of your adventures, encourage them to get away, run away and soar.

"Open Happpiness"

My fascination with Coca-Cola didn’t begin until I was in high school. My parents are very health conscious and would only drink a Coke product on special occasions such as a parties or while attending a Major League Baseball game. Learning from their example, I also would only consume the bubbly goodness on special occasions. This connection with Coke and special occasions emphasized the “specialness” of the globally renowned product.

            As I got older and spent more time on my own away from my parents influences I began to take part in the Coca-Cola madness. It seemed that no matter where you were at any time there was a Coke within reach. Every gas station, there was Coke, every school, shopping mall, sporting event and park, there was Coke. You could probably even go to the White House and find it. Coca-Cola is like Nadja in Nadja. It is mysterious and surreal. It draws you in and makes you crave more, driving you mad when you are unable to fulfill your desires. So what is it that makes this simple beverage so enticing? What is it that makes us crave it every day at every place we go? The answers have to do with the brainwashing abilities of marketing and advertising.

            After taking a few classes on marking I learned that the reason why I, as well as almost everyone else in the entire world,  loves Coke so much is because of the associations between Coke and happiness. The tagline for Coke is “Open Happiness” which is exactly what everyone thinks about when they open their very own Coke. In the commercials we see and through the images we examine we see people smiling with their Cokes in hand. We hear cheerful music and laughter, and we witness the magical effects that Coke has on people.

            When I open my Coke and take that first crisp, bubbly, sweet sip, I am comforted by the memories I’ve had while opening another Coke, at another place, at another time.

Make way for paradise

Blog to respond to http://jd11m.blogspot.com/

             

When I came into this world, I was welcomed into a place that was touristy with a lowercase “t”. My father had moved to Florida in this mid twenty’s in an attempt to escape the dullness of Ohio life. He settled on a beach where he bought his first home.

            This home was precious to him. He enjoyed the small town feel in a hidden piece of paradise. There was one way in, and one way out, a small two lane bridge that connected the island to the rest of the world. When I was younger this beach was a place I felt far away from the city life, when in reality I was only a few minutes drive away.

            It was on that beach where I could walk for miles and only see a handful of people. These people were like my father, living in paradise away from their frozen northwestern pasts. This was a place I felt safe. A place that was quiet and calm, where people were happy to see you and smiled as they passed by. Besides the beach there were cozy beach cottages and small independent motels that were filled with guests only during the summer and winter holiday seasons.

            When I returned to this once peaceful place, I was greeted by a city that had grown into touristy with a capital “T”. The small cottages have been replaced with multi-million dollar mansions, the independent motels bought out and bulldozed to make room for luxury apartment buildings and grand waterfront resorts. No longer do I feel safe in this now crowded space. There is no community here, no longer any smiles, only money, lights, noise and crowds. Make way for paradise.

Blog Post One: Peaceful

Bright blue sky and the crispness of the coming fall.
A place you can find yourself, escape the pressures of home.
Stay a minute, Walk a mile, Run, Bike, Be free.
Ever changing and always content.
Cool, Crisp, Shade.

Come to me to be free, walk alone in your thoughts.
Hear the children’s laughter, scampering about.
Get lost in the woods, see the bikers fly by.
Hear the crunch of the leaves, the snaps of the twigs
Birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves of the trees towering above.

Come climb my hills, feel the damp red clay beneath your feet.
Let out your breath, release your anxieties and feel renewed.
Glance at the view above you, take it all in.
Leave rejuvenated, full of peace.



How lucky am I to have you so close by.
A few miles drive and I can be away from the noise.
All day I hear noise.

Busses, cars, scooters. People on their cell phones, horns honking, dump trucks banging away.
The band goes on and on, drumming, drumming, drumming away. MAKE IT STOP!
Rush to class, Rush to work, Cram the readings in.
Study for this, What do you think about that? She said this and He said that, all this noise jumbled in my head.

All I want I peace. A place to relax and finally be able to hear my own thoughts.

Alas, I’ve arrived. My peaceful escape from life.
This is life, in harmony with nature.
Feeling the cool air and blanketed by shade. Being among others in search of the same thing.
Peace.