Not Part of the Writing Challenge: We Are Stronger

     Yesterday afternoon, at 1pm, Jim Brennan was shot and killed in his restaurant. Brennan's Colony is a neighborhood restaurant at which I spent many happy evenings, having dinner with friends and family. Two kids walked in, tried to rob the place, and shot Jim. He was rushed to MetroHealth, but he died later that day. The creeps that killed him are still on the loose, and there was a different shooting 11 days before that wounded two other teenage boys. The two crimes may even have been committed by the same people, but no one has mentioned that other than me, so who knows? It's terrifying, though. The two shootings occurred at opposite ends of my street. I couldn't sleep last night - I was thinking about my neighborhood. I never thought anything like this would happen. We're a vibrant, cultural area, that has never had a high crime rate. And suddenly, boom. Two teens shot, and one neighborhood institution murdered. Crazy.
     BUT we are Cleveland Heights/University Heights. We are stronger than any act of senseless violence. The Cedar Lee district is amazing and two thugs will not stop us from enjoying our lives. We will come back and fight.

That being said: Hold your loved ones a little tighter tonight. Be thankful that you've been taught right from wrong and will not end up in prison. Be thankful for your friends.

Writing Challenge Day 5: No Longer A Mere Mortal

You’ve imbibed a special potion that makes you immortal. Now that you’ve got forever, what changes will you make in your life? How will you live life differently, knowing you’ll always be around to be accountable for your actions? 

Well, this prompt is a bit on the sillier side, but I kind of like it. It gives me a chance to think about what I could do differently now, even though I know I'll never be able to live forever. 

I think the biggest change I could make would be to stop being so afraid of getting terminally ill and not living the long, healthy life I so desperately want to live. It would put so much less stress on me, since I constantly feel sick. I wonder if this magical potion of immortality also allows me to live healthily, or if it only means I'll never die. Because I don't want to live in constant pain, ya know? Haha this speaks volumes to the kind of person I am - constantly sick and constantly worrying about being sick. 

Anyway, I actually think it might impact me negatively. I wouldn't take the time to really appreciate the beauty around me. I would be around forever to enjoy it, and eventually I'd take it in. I think knowing I have limited time here makes me appreciate it all more. Also, would my friends be immortal too? Or just me? Because that'd be painfully boring and extremely sad - to live an immortal life without my best friends and family. 

I'd be more cautious, though, because I'd always be around to be found if I did something wrong. Not that I'd try anything, but in case I lost my senses for a while, haha.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of, it's been a long day. What would YOU do if you were made immortal?

Love,
Hannah

Writing Challenge Day 4: We Can Be Taught

Tell us a moment or an incident that you treasure — not necessarily because it brought you happiness, but because it taught you something about yourself. 

Well, I treasure my decision to transfer from The Lyceum to Trinity High School right before I started my junior year. I kept saying "I'll give it another year. It'll get better here." But sadly it never did. I had to realize that I was seriously unhappy and that my mental stability needs to come first, but that was hard for me since all of my friends (who were and still are wonderful) were there and I didn't want to leave. But I was FAR from being the straight A student I had been before and knew I could be again. I had to make a change and I did.

Now, Trinity was NOT perfect. It was extremely flawed. I was not all that happy there either, but I made good friends, I worked hard (maybe too hard - a lot of nights were spent in tears because I was under so much stress), and I made the best of what I had. Since I had chosen THS because it was both co-ed and Catholic (two absolute musts for me, although THS was a sad excuse for a Catholic school) I could not very well leave. Long story short, I just graduated third in my class of eighty-six. That's right. Third. I am immensely proud of my GPA. At one point in the middle of my junior year I was ranked first. I worked my butt off for that recognition, because I was determined to shake the opinion I had of myself because of The Lyceum. I didn't think I could accomplish anything. 

ANYWAY I learned that I was smart, despite what had happened in 7th grade-sophomore year, and I learned that I needed to have more faith in my decisions. Even though Trinity was not a great place filled with not great kids, I did what was best for me. I learned that I could win the battle with self-injury I'd been fighting for years. I learned I could deal with loss of an extremely close relative, a long distance relationship, poor health, and any other struggles thrown at me and still come out on top. A little tired, and little bitter at times, but on top.  

I hope that didn't sound like bragging -  because I'm honestly not trying to. I'm just excited that I finally get to write that I'm proud of myself for something. BAM.

Yours Truly,
Hannah

Writing Challenge Day 3: The Artist's Eye

Well, I've already two days of this writing challenge thing...epic fail. It's going to take some getting used to, but I'll try to be more consistent! Here's today's: June 27

Is there a painting or sculpture you’re drawn to? What does it say to you? Describe the experience. (Or, if art doesn’t speak to you, tell us why.) 

Personally, paintings and sculptures do not excite me much. I've never been able to feel great emotion form a work of studio art. I enjoy looking at it for about a minute, then I proceed to wonder what everyone else finds so intriguing. I do, of course, wish I had a talent for art, but sadly none of my sketches ever turn out looking like what they're supposed to. I guess I'd be good at abstract art, huh? I do like art, I have just never had a painting or a sculpture speak to me.

I have always found more of myself in performing. Studio art has never brought me the same feeling of "Wow. This is amazing." I'm able to be transported out of myself with the help of performing art, and not so much by studio art. I appreciate the time and painstaking detail work that went into it, but it's simply not something I understand. Maybe it's just me, haha.

I have great respect for all of you who love studio art - I wish I had that love. But my heart will always be in performance :)

With love,
Hannah

Writing Challenge Day One: Morality Play

Where do your morals come from — your family? Your faith? Your philosophical worldview? How do you deal with those who don’t share them, or derive them from a different source? 

I thought this was a really interesting question and something that is really relevant in my life since I've grown up around "theater people" and such. 

My morals come primarily from my family and my faith, which are very much connected to one another. My family has given me my faith, and did their best to raise me as a strong Catholic/Christian woman. I was taken to Mass every (ok, not every, but MOST) Sundays, went to Catholic school all my life, and learned to respect religion. I am always humbled when I kneel in prayer, though I admittedly don't do so nearly enough.

However, as I mentioned, because we are all involved in the arts, it is difficult to find people who agree with us. Many times, I hear people talking about how "the Catholics hate gays" and "Catholics can't be involved in theater". I always want to pull a Delores Umbridge (it you're not a Harry Potter fan, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about), clear my throat, and say "Well, I'm a Catholic and I do not hate gays and I'm extremely passionate about theater, thank you very much." Unfortunately  if I did that, some people would consider it rude and may even become wary of what they say around me, and I truly don't want that. I do always mention that I am a Catholic, so that others can see that it is possible, I just do not want to be looked at differently because I am a Catholic. I am not there to impose my religious beliefs on anyone, and these people quickly become like family to me. Just as my real family has different views on different things, we do not force ourselves on each other. There is a mutual respect. And I truly appreciate that. 

Generally, unless someone is attacking me personally, I will not make a big deal (this changes completely when discussing abortion, but that's a different topic entirely) about their opinions. I may discuss my frustration with a like-minded friend later on, but I tend to be like my grandfather and my mother - do not fuss. Just be thankful for the friends you have. We all come from different walks of life, so who am I to judge?

I would like to say, these are just my opinions. If you disagree, that is fine, but I do ask that you are respectful about it. I welcome discussion in the comments. And I'm sorry I've been gone so long. After my grandfather passed almost a year ago things got crazy and I lost some good habits. I hope you will still read what I post. :)

Love,
Hannah