Dear Drea,
I am writing to you as the 22-year-old version of yourself. There are so many things I want to tell you about your life, but I decided to refrain from telling you every little detail. I want to start this letter off by telling you to never give up. You are going to deal with tough circumstances that at times will make you lose hope, but you are a fighter and can overcome anything you set your mind to. You’re going to meet a bunch of amazing and toxic people in your lifetime. Some of these people may start off as amazing then turn toxic. Do not let these toxic people ruin your life. Clearly, these people were brought into your life for a reason, so make the best of the opportunities sent to you. You will suffer small traumatic events that will lead you to a great depression. Knowing the outcome of these events, just trust me when I say you will be fine. Trust in yourself and you will get through it. You are going to experience an extremely traumatic event in your future. Do not let this event define you as a person. You are a strong woman and remember you are not alone! When this event happens, seek help immediately. Do not be afraid to tell your mom and your people of trust. Asking for help is never a bad thing just remember that. A huge piece of advice I have for you is learn how to defend yourself. You are going to struggle with defending yourself in every relationship you are in. Don’t let people push you around. Be the leader I know you are. Enough with the negative, let’s talk about the good that will come your way. You’re going to graduate college with your bachelor’s degree in exactly 4 years. Not many people if your generation can say they did that. You’re going to own a car and a house by the age of 18. You’re going to become a writer. You will start your own blog to express yourself. You will also be a quarterly contributor to another blog you love. One of your blog posts will be seen by an organization and they will publish your work on their website. You will become a Zumba Instructor which is good because we both know how much you love to dance. You are going to have a deadbeat retail job for a while, but don’t give up the search for something better because one day you will get a call for a better job. Just be patient. You’re going to overcome some of your worst fears. You’re going to go to a NFL Football game and watch your ‘Boys come out victorious. Always remember the good outweighs the bad. Don’t give up! Much love, 22-year-old Drea 😊
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April is a very important month for me. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I’ve spent the last few months debating if I should write about this topic, and I finally decided to do it. Writing about this subject is extremely difficult for anybody, but I feel it is even more difficult for me, being a rape survivor. I’ve decided that I will not go too much into detail about what happened to me, but I will talk about what I feel needs to happen before we can see any change. Sexual assault and rape are controversial topics that people are afraid to talk about. A lot of the time these topics are brought up, people are quick to change the subject because of either fear of vulnerability or fear of conflict. It’s understandable that people are afraid to talk about it, but it’s a subject that needs to be talked about. Awareness needs to be spread because this is something that can be stopped, but how can we expect something to stop when nobody wants to talk about it. The “Me Too” movement has gone viral and has helped spread awareness. A lot of celebrities have joined the “Me Too” movement because they know that until people start talking and learning about it, nothing is going to change. One thing I know needs to happen before any change can occur is learning how to talk about sex. Talking to your children and your partner about sex, especially sex with consent is crucial. If you are too scared to tell your children that their partner needs to say yes before they have sex, you’re not helping the cause. Consent is more than people think. If you say yes at first, doesn’t mean you signed a contract and must stick with your initial decision. Remember, you can change your mind at any time, and your partner should be respectful of your decision. I know how it feels to say no and just be taken advantage of. We need to teach future generations how important consent is. I may not feel comfortable enough to speak of my trauma, but I do want to be a voice for those worse off than me. I know what you are going through and I wish I could do more to help you, but just know, you are not alone. Rape can happen to anyone at any time. I do hope that one day this won’t be a problem anymore, but until then I am standing up and speaking up for those afraid to speak for themselves.
For the past 6 years I worked at Albertsons Market. It was my first official job, I started working there as a bagger in my junior year of high school. While working there, I graduated from high school, worked in multiple departments, I graduated from college, and gained a lot of friends. For the past 11 months I tried to get a new job because I have a bachelor’s degree and wanted to at least get my foot in the door to gain experience in my field of study. Unfortunately, having a bachelor’s degree in Psychology doesn’t get you much. Therefore, I am in the same boat as many college graduates, I have a degree in a field with no jobs. I applied everywhere, got a few interviews, but nobody wanted to hire me. I was constantly doubting myself and began to get more depressed than I already was. Luckily, for me, I didn’t let my depression get the best of me, and I continued applying for jobs. I would try to put in one application a day. After some time, I really began to lose hope. Until one day I got a call from a place called Life Roots. I got called in for an interview and by the next day they called me back and asked if I wanted the job. Words can’t explain how happy I was when I got that call. But in the back of mind I couldn’t help but feel strange knowing I would be leaving Albertsons. I was so used to working at Albertsons, no matter how much I hated it, it felt weird leaving. It wasn’t leaving the job that made me feel weird, it was weird leaving all the amazing people I worked with. I consider most of my former co-workers family. They are some of my favorite people in the world. While working at Albertsons, I met my best friend Estevan. My life wouldn’t be the same without him. I may have hated working at Albertsons, but if it weren’t for my experiences at Albertsons I wouldn’t be the person I am today. So, I would like to thank Albertsons for employing me the past 6 years. That job had its ups and downs but I’m grateful for working there.
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DreaAlways remember to love yourself. Archives
November 2022
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