Michelle Schultz
Bio
I'm mostly an editorial writer. I love to share my opinions and experiences. I don't hold back and I swear so if you take offense easily, my articles probably aren't for you. I'm a single mom just trying to stay sane.
@loreleismom
Stories (99/0)
Leaving the Party for Church
"Hey, why are you leaving the party so early?" "I have to get up for church in the morning." It's not something you hear very often among the 20-something crowd. But when you ask me why I'm leaving a party early on a Saturday night or why I'm not drinking on a night that I don't have my kid, my answer will almost always be "I have to get up for church in the morning." It's not said in a groggy-I-don't-really-wanna-go voice. It's said in an excited-happy-to-be-leaving voice. I am not, by any means, super religious; but I look forward to waking up for church every Sunday.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Humans
Yes, Baby Boomers Had it Easier than Millennials
Recently, I had a disagreement with my dad. See, we had an agreement back when I started high school that he would either pay for a wedding or for my college tuition. I plan to spend a boatload of my dad's money on a wedding someday so I chose to pay for college myself; a decision that I made when I was 15 and am seriously starting to regret, especially considering I don't think I'm going to get married. Anyway, currently, I'm looking at buying a house and he asked me about my finances and monthly charges and was shocked to find out how much I'm paying in student loans a month. Then all the questions came up; what about your scholarships? Can't you sell your books back for the same price you bought them at? What were you doing in college that your loans are that much? If it cost that much why didn't you work harder to have a perfect GPA? Why would you pay that much interest? Then, my personal favorite statements; You must have done something wrong. I didn't pay that much when I went to college.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Families
Falling in Love with A Place
It all started when I met a boy. Go figure, right? But we started dating and he brought me back to his hometown. It was there that I fell in love; not with him. I fell in love with that place. I loved his hometown. It was beautiful. I had made fun of him so much for growing up in Iowa and I finally understood why he had always just shrugged off my jokes like nothing. Iowa was perfect.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Wander
100 Things Every Girl Should Know
The other day, I went for a walk with my daughter and we wound up in my friend's garage, just talking with a couple people. This friend had never met her before and immediately pointed out that she looks nothing like me. I wasn't offended—she doesn't. Aside from her bright red hair, we look nothing alike. He then commented that she might not look like me but maybe she would act like me. My immediate reaction was to say, "I hope not!" But he looked at me and shook his head and said it wouldn't be a bad thing if she did. Thanks for that. I started to think about it and I realized, he's right. It wouldn't be a bad thing if she turned out like me. But there's a couple things I want her to know before she does. And a few things that every girl should keep in mind as she grows up:
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Viva
To the Best Friend Who Wasn't There for Me
I have a ton of friends. Only a handful do I consider close, true friends. When I got pregnant, I lost a lot of friends that I never thought would leave my life. But, I'm thankful that I got to see their true colors. I made my peace, I cried, I cursed them, and I ate my weight in Ben and Jerry's. Now, months later, I'm watching one of my best friends go through the same thing. She's not pregnant, but she's going through a hard time and I've watched as some of our close friends who were supposed to be with her till the end, turn their backs on her. This is an open letter to those people who weren't there for their "best friends" when they needed them most.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Humans
What It's Really Like to Live with Epilepsy
I tell my dad I don't feel good and walk into my room. I feel a rush of cold water run through my body and my stomach tightens. I know it's coming, but there's nothing I can do to stop it. I wake up in my bed, even though I know I didn't make it there. I look at my pillow and see blood. I bit my tongue again. I sit up.. too quickly and everything goes black for a second. My entire body feels like I'm in a dream. My dad runs into the room, and recaps my seizure. How long it lasted; where I fell; what I hit; how long I shook; how long it took me after to realize who he was. He's already called my doctor and I feel helpless and start to cry, again.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Longevity
A Drunk Mind Doesn't Speak a Sober Heart
I hate the phrase "a drunk mind speaks a sober heart." It's not true. When I am drunk, I have a completely different agenda than when I am sober. I can list about 800 things that I would never in a million years do when I'm sober, but I have done those things when I'm drinking. To make it short, most of us have done stuff when we are drunk that we regret the next morning; eating at that taco place that always makes you sick, calling an ex, hooking up with someone, or even fighting with a friend. It's happened to a good portion of us. The next morning, it's not a good feeling and not just because of the massive hangover. Putting the pieces together after a black out is always a nightmare, too. It's almost worse than remembering what drunk you did.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Proof
What It's like to Be the Child of a Single Parent
I don't think I've actually said it to him. I never said thank you. Never said thank you for raising me alone. I know I didn't make it easy. I know I was frustrating from day one, but he did it. My dad raised me alone. He took me to daycare, and then to school. He packed me lunches for field trips and helped me with my homework. He worked so many hours, just to give me the life he never had; the life he thought I deserved. My dad spoiled me because he felt guilty that I only had one parent. But even with all the toys, the thing that stands out to me the most was that every picture I drew was hung on the fridge, and every ugly clay creation was kept. I think the hardest of all was when he comforted me as I cried about the parent who wasn't there. I didn't even know if he was still mourning her. I just knew I was sad about the life I thought to be normal. I was mourning a life I had never got to have, and even though he was mourning the life he did have, he took me in his arms and comforted me.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Families
I'm Not Okay
You don't know hard something is weighing on you until you've had to admit that you are not mentally okay. That you can't do something because inside, it's killing you. It's even harder to admit that you can't do something that's expected to be an everyday thing. Admitting that you are not okay is such a rarity in today's world. Everyone wants to be okay. Everyone wants everyone else to think that they have it all together and have it all under control.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Psyche
A Love Letter to Coffee
Dear Coffee, You are my one true love. You make everything in my life easier. You are the main reason I get out of bed most mornings. The idea that I get to have you at work makes my entire day. You are my motivation: You keep me awake and keep pushing me to move forward. Without you, I would be falling asleep at my desk. Honestly, without you, I probably wouldn't even still have a job. But you're not just there for me in the mornings. You're there during meetings to give me something to sip on. You're there when I'm meeting up with someone. You give me something to hold onto when I'm feeling awkward. You make hangovers almost bearable. And at two in the morning, when my kid won't go to sleep or I have a big test to study for, you are always there to help me out. You never let me down.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Feast
To Those Who Don't Consider Their Hometown "Home"
With the holidays coming up it's hard not to think about going "home" for the holidays. But not all of us consider our hometown to be "home." The town I grew up in was a prison for me, not always. It was only after I had moved away and then moved back to my hometown that I really began to realize that I didn't belong there. That it no longer felt like home.
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Humans
11 Things We Need to Re-Learn from Kindergarten
This country, in my opinion, is falling apart and separating from each other because of our political opinions. It's sad really. It makes me miss kindergarten when everyone was friends. Everyone was learning to be polite. Everyone was friends with each other, even if you had different thoughts on the best cartoon. Maybe we should be sent back there to re-learn a few basic things:
By Michelle Schultz5 years ago in Motivation