Packet of Wildflower Seeds

I have had an outline of this topic for several weeks now. Even though I should probably grade some essays instead, today seems like a good day to tackle this post. I don't tend to post much about politics. There are several reasons for this. First of all, I don't add strangers to my social media. That means I know all of my "friends." I respect them and realize that they have unique life experiences that contribute to their beliefs. I am not trying to negate their family histories and backgrounds. Secondly, social media tends to exaggerate our differences. I suspect that in most cases, if I spoke with a person individually, we would agree more than we disagree. We have similar values, but we might promote those values in different ways. If I can't come across sincerely and respectfully through a certain medium, I don't want to use that platform to share my beliefs. Finally, I want people to like me. If I don't say anything controversial, no one can h...

I have been to New York City precisely once in my life. I was only there one day, so some people might claim I haven't REALLY been to NYC. Their arguments probably have some merit, but I loved that day spent in the city. My sister suggested the trip, and we explored New York together. At the time, she was in graduate school in Delaware. I was living just outside of Philadelphia so that I could attend optometry school. She drove up to collect me at my apartment before we headed to a train stop in New Jersey. From there, we took the train into the city. I believe my sister had previously been to New York, but we mostly navigated our journey together. We saw Times Square up close and the Statue of Liberty from afar. We peeked through the fence to see the progress at the World Trade Center site. We took a picture of Alexander Hamilton's grave (because I thought he was cool before the musical said he was cool). I tried margherita pizza for the first time, and it is now my favori...