Gabrielle Rodowicz
Stories (3/0)
The Valley
There weren’t always dragons in the valley, in fact there never were. Though many a weary traveler claimed there must be those manipulating the minds of passersby and turning them mad with savagery. Angsty and euphoric bound to strip naked and frolic through the wilderness, to never return, and boy did they. “The valley” was this special place between the top of the world and the pits of hell. A town like any other, with people who lived there and roamed its streets, jetting around to the local pub, and grocer, dirt strapped tires, a certain twang clinging to the words they spoke. Everyone knew each other, and if they didn’t, you could bet it would be their business too, after seeing you more than a time or two. Plenty of tourists went through these parts, but none really ever stayed too long, you see they had lives of their own and homes to get back too, and this place was amusing enough…for a while. They had real life ventures to take part in, business to instigate and follow through on. So the town was littered with sporadic, nomadic, venture filled fiends that raised the price of a common mole hole to far more than it should be. Clearly there was allure in these mountains that made them gather, but also, a darkness here that made them flee, it lived in the shadows of the trees and the underside of potholes, it burned down throats with the taste of whiskey, a certain kind of mania, just on the brink of reality.
By Gabrielle Rodowicz2 years ago in Earth
Failed by the Education System
I was born in a middle class situation in the United States of America. My Family was and is intact, I grew up with both of my parents and made my way through High School. I had spent the first several years of my education going through the motions, and I found myself doing well in school, pulling A's and B's, passing my tests with ease and sinking very little time into any productive activities. I was a very lazy kid, who grew up in an environment that did not encourage a lot of activity. After I graduated High School...I stopped and looked around me for the first time in 12 years with fresh eyes. The concept was dawning on me that I was free from the grueling 6:30-3:30 schedule I had been enduring since my adolescence. Now was the time, I asked myself some crucial questions about where I was wanting to go with my life. Because up until the end of High School, everything had been planned out for me. I knew I was expected to wake up, at the crack of ass, drag myself out of bed, sit in school 6+ hours, pass my tests, do my homework, go to sleep and do it all again the next day. This had never been something that was optional to me, it was required by my family and by the State of Massachusetts. I was happy for it in some ways, to get out and see my friends. But I was unmotivated by the teaching styles of my teachers and the standardization of the institution. I am generally a curious, and compassionate person and I love to learn about new topics and study them in depth. However, the kind of attention I was getting from the school system fell flat on me. I did not feel like I was being given the merit I deserved, and I did not feel like I was learning things that were of value to me. So what happened was, I left high school and I was depressed. By senior year, I had made a habit of skipping my classes, slacking on my homework and consistently getting detention. I hated my classes, they were grueling, and boring and I felt stifled so much of the time, I could not share my takes freely, even when I had a passionate response. I didn't know what could help me, I was in a pit and I was isolating myself from my friends, occasionally I would seek counseling from the school aid, which was infrequent but proved to help some...but I started lacking passion in even the things I enjoyed. Art got thrown to the wayside. I struggled my way through and eventually graduated, barely, and my emotional state was in shreds. I felt wholeheartedly like I was not willing to conform to their system of teaching, standardized testing, long hours of classes after classes, with no outdoor time, I felt worn out. My mental illness was the cherry on top of the cake. I don't particularly think this is a unique experience unfortunately, so many people find themselves in the same situation, but that makes it all the more important for us to start doing better.
By Gabrielle Rodowicz3 years ago in Education
The Anxiety Monster
Your heart beat kicks up and your palms start to sweat, it seems like all the cells in your body are made of lightening, pulling you in many different directions all at once. Your brain races and you fidget, flicking your nails, tapping your foot and biting your lip with a nervous concentration. Nothing at all has prompted this, but something had suddenly made you very anxious. Something that people would normally perceive as normal; an off-hand comment, a school presentation, graphic images in a movie, or any combination of things. This could be a minor case of anxiety spiked, or this could be a full blown panic attack.
By Gabrielle Rodowicz3 years ago in Humans