Have you ever read a book written by someone that came back to life?

June 30, 2020 - Atlanta, GA - Being on the runway comes with a ton of strict rules that can be both exciting and stressful. From casting calls to skin care, wardrobe fittings, makeup appointments, training, and rehearsals, models have a lot of preparation before reaching the catwalk. Fourteen year old actress, model, and author Heaven Hightower began her career at age eight. In her book Heaven explains her modeling experiences from behind the scenes preparation to the spotlights of the runway and life afterward.

Motivational Reading That Inspires And Keeps You Laughing

Many Kids grow up getting Bullied or criticized for how they dress, act, look, or even sound. Face it nearly everyone either has be bullied or stood with the bully. Then there are all of those little issues that you think about when you were in school and just make you cringe. All those things either make for a bad time in that moment or make for a bad childhood.

I Am Still Here Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown, has taught me so much about the way that prejudice infiltrates a black person’s life starting from childhood. I never considered how much black parents have to teach their children at an early age such as, to not to look suspicious by putting their hands in their pockets in a store or not to wear a hoodie in a store. Unfortunately, racism only seems to get more prevalent in adulthood in all areas of life. It was particularly eye opening to follow along with the author as she revealed how even when white people, like myself are saying or doing something with good intentions in church settings or work settings, we still may very well be contributing to the problem. It is only through educating myself about white privilege and the ways in which prejudices and oppression functions can I truly be part of the solution.

"Talking To Strangers", a book for the moment

Throughout my years, I have read many books that have taught me insightful and wonderful things. However, one book that taught me important lessons is Beverly Cleary’s Dear Mr. Henshaw. This book has given me some meaningful writing advice. For starters, Mr. Henshaw wrote to Leigh Botts that in order to become a great author, he must “read, look, listen, think, and write” (14). For instance, he mailed Leigh a list of questions to answer so he could practice writing, although Leigh was not happy about it. As for me, I have followed some of Mr. Henshaw’s tips. I sometimes read my favorite books and write during my spare time. Journaling and reading books from authors such as Barbara Park, Annie Bryant, and Ann M. Martin are especially my go-tos. Additionally, I have gotten similar advice from authors that I have met like Ruth Ozek, the woman behind A Tale For The Time Being. I have yet to follow the rest of Mr. Henshaw’s tips. Inevitably, most of us get distracted by other aspects of life that we enjoy such as television and mobile games.

Let’s start this story with a story....

For thousands of years, human beings have perfected the art of symbology and communication. To survive the onslaught of natural chaos and evolution, we have created masterpieces of oral and written stories and histories that share our valuable wealth of knowledge with each other as we learn, grow, and find our Self. While some narratives have generated a massive amount of friction towards one another, others have delivered peace, prosperity, and a sense of hope. However negative or positive, one thing is certain: literature and the art of storytelling is powerful – the pen is mightier than the sword.

This is a book that I highly recommend for any and everyone who has a dream. It is faith based. It very inspirational and motivating. It imposes that we should not only dream big but have the courage to go after our dreams as well. We often hear that life is what we make it. Because ultimately life is about choices... I’m not very religious but I do have spiritual beliefs. The Bible says faith is the substance of things hoped for with the evidence of things not seen.

In 10th grade, our teacher emailed us a video. She told us that we were to watch it once at home, and the following day at school, she would show it to us again before asking us a series of questions based on it. I was curious as to what exactly I would be watching: perhaps it was a re-enactment of a scene from As You Like It (the play we were studying at the time), or a scene from an iconic movie. However, to my surprise, it was a clip from an old episode of Oprah, where a man named Randy Pausch reprised a lecture he had given earlier at Carnegie Mellon University dubbed 'The Last Lecture'.

This book was recommended to me by someone very close to me who I consider to be a mentor. It was January 2020 and I had been struggling, to say the least, with my mental wellness. And this was pre quarantine... I struggle with Manic Depression, Generalized Anxiety, PTSD with a tendency toward neuroticism and S.A.D. This bout had been particularly bad and I felt myself sliding backward over all the progress I had previously made. I had left my job of three years that June after a co-worker turned practically mother, best friend and confidant suddenly passed away of a heart attack. In my grief, I was able to see how working 84 hours a week, 12 hours a day 7 days a week for a month straight not to mention the ever changing schedule between dayshift, swing and graveyard was wearing on my family life, and my boys were acting out at home. It was time for a change. I had a wild summer thereafter of making manic decisions some of which I am still living with the consequences of to this day. (facepalm)I quit my job, I started and quit two or three more jobs in the course of six months, I impulse spent all my savings, I got a dog during the most tumultuous time (though I would do that again 1000x over) I took two impulse trips one of which I didn't tell anyone about. I cut people off and made friends with strangers (something I would never normally do) I finally started to settle my ass down and found the perfect job for me (medical transport) with flexible hours, great pay and benefits. I get the job, and I go through like 40 hours of training which by the way, cost in total like, 300 bucks and I was building a great relationship with my boss then BAM! The City of Portland denies my certification request even though they had approved my permit. I appeal this decision and get a court date set for months out. That felt like such a huge setback and it was all the excuse my ego needed to justify sliding into a fully depressed state in which I don't leave my house for weeks. I don't file for unemployment or any other benefits like I know I should. I cancel all plans, I stop answering the phone. I don't wash or brush my hair. I'm suddenly into my like, twentieth time of watching Game Of Thrones after binge-watching for what could have been the one-hundredth time Tru Blood and I realize I need to pull myself out of it. I reach out because that's all I have the energy for at that moment. Yet I know I don't want to 'feeling dump' on anyone, I just need a little direction toward some actionable steps I could take to get back on track.