Write Around The Corner // Beth Turnbull

Can you be lost if you don't even know where you're going in the first place? I'm not talking physically lost (although I frequently am)--I'm talking mentally lost. I feel like so many people have these great visions of their lives, and I don't. I go to class, I do my homework, I eat, I sleep. And I do it again and again every day. I'm not unhappy, but recently the uncertainty about my future has been a pressing weight on my mind. I'm past the halfway point of my first semester of college, and I was really hoping I would have figured something out by now. All throughout high school I hoped that something would just jump out at me and I would know what to do with my life. I picked a major I thought I might like at a college I loved and decided to hope for the best. And I'm happy--but I'm still lost. Don't get me wrong, I have some things figured out. I know that in my life I want to do my best to make the world a better place in wha...

I believe everyone should vote. As Americans we have the hard-earned privilege of choosing our leaders. I remember the excitement I felt as I clung to my mother’s jacket as she entered the voting booth and flipped the monstrous lever to cast her vote. It seemed so important--all the businessmen in their suits lined up outside the fire hall, the mothers and their children, the elderly couple holding hands--all waiting for their chance to make history. As I grew older I began to take an interest in the country I was a citizen of and the things I would someday vote for. I couldn’t wait until I was 18 and would get to join the line of voters outside the local fire hall. Now that I can finally be a part of that club I will participate in all the opportunities I have. As I grew older I noticed that the interests of my peers began to move in a different direction. I listened to the talking in the hall, the discussions after class, the arrogant statements. I’m not going to vote. It doe...

Sometimes I feel like no one's listening to me when I talk. I sit silently in conversations waiting for the chance to jump in with my stories--and I wait an awfully long time. When someone finally pauses for breath, I go for it, only to be talked over by someone who feels they have something better to say. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm a wallflower or a social pariah. I am very social, I love to talk and share my thoughts with others--when given the chance. I also love to listen. Have you ever just sat in a public space and listened to the conversations around you? It's fascinating. Being able to listen and soak everything in helps me to control my emotions when I'm rudely brushed aside. But why does our society seem to value speaking over silence? It seems like whoever speaks the loudest has the power. So what are the rest of us supposed to do? They say silence is golden, but being silent is not always a choice. When I am brushed aside a...