The year is 1782, 66 years before the Seneca Falls Convention. Deborah Sampson disguises herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. Before joining the military, Sampson was an indentured servant. She was self-taught and went on to be a teacher. When she left the military, she became the first woman to conduct a tour of lectures across America and the only woman in the Revolutionary Army to receive a full military pension. Sampson is a powerhouse and a true inspiration. There are many events I don’t feel I am brave enough for, but none of them compare to pretending to be a man to fight in a man’s
Have you ever felt unheard or unnoticed? Here was this young high school student yelling and frustrated. He refused to complete any work and rebelled against authority. I work in classrooms and I see the struggles that high school students go through. Many educators, and parents/guardians for that matter, assume teenagers have it so easy. They forget how it feels to process so many “firsts”, and they don’t realize how quickly some of these kids have had to grow up. People get lost in the sea of teenagers and forget that each one has an individual story. So I pulled the student aside, and instead of demanding he do
What online platform do I use the most? Before Medium, I would have said a generic answer like Instagram or YouTube. Truth is, I never felt like I found my place amongst the online world. You might get a post out of me every 3 months if you’re lucky. Hell, I’m even writing this after finishing a chapter in a hardcover book. Gasp . But Medium feels like home. A media platform created with me in mind. Designed for the ‘behind the scenes thinkers’ and ‘artists needing to express’. People who don’t want the focus to be on themselves but rather on their creations. There are so many stories and worlds to
Dear younger me, I am almost positive you are expecting me to tell you to take a different path, make other choices, and change everything. Truth is, you did it well. You played your part and we are here today because of you. Through the heartaches, memories, and decisions that led to our proudest moments, I wouldn’t ask you to change a thing. Well, maybe there is one thing . Start writing more and earlier. Stop caring what people think. Be weird, honest, and unapologetically you. Not everyone will enjoy your words, but you do and that’s what matters most. While we are on the subject, stop doing what
Forever is too long to wait. When we said goodbye For the final time I told myself “If you love something, Let it go, and if It’s meant to be It will come back” So I let you go And I waited And waited And I waited so long That I fell in love With someone else And found something That was more than Empty promises I found something That was created from The sun, the moon, the stars, And the universe And I no longer waited for you But when you returned I knew it wasn’t meant to be See I had waited so long I found a love That would
There are a million ways to die. You can be afraid of anything. But, I’m pretty sure this has never appeared on Fear Factor before. Ever have water ‘go down the wrong pipe’ and choke on droplets and air? You can drown in just a few teaspoons of water. It’s called dry drowning . While this is more common in children, and adults tend to grow out of it, there is still a fatal chance. So, the next time you are gasping for air and trying to play it cool, just remember you are in a life or death situation. Most likely you’ll be okay, maybe embarrassed, but okay. Moral
“ While we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one ” (Dumbledore – “Goblet of Fire”). I am young and immersed in the cinematic world of Harry Potter . Dumbledore greets students with these words and I vow to never forget them. It’s the last year of high school, and I have chosen this as my senior quote. People laugh, but they do not know the comfort and content that Harry Potter brings me. Years later, I say this quote to my students. There are a million differences amongst us, but what connects humanity? Our love, passion, and heart. Everyone goes
How it all ends. The pavement is damp under my black flats as I walk across the parking lot. The weather is freezing and mad at me as it whips around. Climbing into the Jeep, I situate before leaving. Heat on full blast. Coffee cup, still half full and chilled from the remnants of earlier chaos, slips into the holder. The music shuffles. I shuffle it again. Lately, I am becoming disinterested with many of my former music selections. Finally, a bearable song plays through the speakers. I put the car in reverse and leave. As I pull out of the parking lot, my mind lingers on the act of reversing a car.
Are you there? With so many dead ends And spiraling roads to nowhere I ask why you Why you A final roll call With one person missing While the officer finishes His last drop of whiskey Screaming out broken windows Cutting your hands trying to fix my heart You broke me But I broke you first The way pavement smells In the rain How come You never stayed? Each day The mirror shattered A mosaic of lies What a beautiful (fucked up) story You created For our eyes. Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying my content please visit https://medium.com/@hannahladuke to check out more!
She looked up at me as I finished reciting poetry I’d scribbled down earlier. “Wow, I can’t believe you are so creative”. For years I hid my writing, only to be shown to my sister, the only other soul who placed value in my passion. A critic, a lover, and an honest reviewer, her words mean the most. When she said those 8 words, I was blown away. Am I creative? Unknowingly, my sister has given me approval to be creative with my words once again. The article “You Are Not An Artist” deeply resonated with me. The author describes a journey much like mine, skewed with opinionated