Silence

Ever heard of Day of Silence? Today, my school honored it, and I participated for my fourth year in a row... and it was great! For the first year ever, nobody demanded me to defend my silence, and nobody started playing see-how-annoying-I-have-to-be-to-get-Melanie-to-talk! The high respect for this year's Day of Silence put me in a really good mood.

Now, it's probably because I had a free period where I spent a good hour "studying" by myself, but I also reflected on why I was silent this year more than I have ever before, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

And now, "a few things that I thought about because I had a lot of quiet time to myself because I couldn't hold a real conversation with anyone because I was silent today" or...

"Eight Silent Thoughts"

1. Three other people in my Academy class were silent, and during Social Studies, we all had someone read "statements" giving our reasons for participating in Day of Silence. Their statements were touching and articulate, and I want to give them a shout-out... so, uh... Woohooshoutout!

2. I remembered the people who first asked me to participate in Day of Silence my freshman year. I am so grateful to you for getting me involved.

3. I was wearing my old Day of Silence shirt (from 2008), which does not look like the 2011 edition at all. I would like to acknowledge all the people who asked me, "Why is your shirt different?" and proceeded to wait for a response. You guys are so entertaining...

4. I admired my wonderful friends who have not allowed intolerance or ignorance to inhibit them from being exactly who they were meant to be.

5. I prayed for the people I know who aren't as fearless in the face of prejudice.

6. I won't name names, but my first Day of Silence, a certain someone saw my shirt and said something along the lines of "That's so gay. I bet I can get you to talk." Today, he saw it and reacted with a "You haven't said a word all day? That's really great." Thank you for growing up :)

7. Finally, I reflected on all the hate, stupidity, and homophobia I still see. As much as I like to think that I surround myself with tolerance, I have to admit that there are people I know and love who just don't get that "gay" is not a synonym for "stupid." And, in most cases, I don't want to speak up when I hear someone I'm close with rattle off some unacceptable phrases because I don't want the conflict.

8. #7 is a disgusting truth. I have a choice, so I'm making a resolution to no longer "let it slide."

Song Recommendation: "The Painter" by I'm from Barcelona

The Thaw

In English we've been talking ecocritical. We recently had to reflect on our relationship with nature. At the time, my relationship with nature was going through a rough patch. April was windy and cloudy and forty or fifty degrees, which is completely unfair after one glorious week of sunny seventies in mid-March. Thus, in my reflection, I had decided that I was not very close with nature.

But wait! Yesterday, after my silk training (*cough*shamelesspromotion*cough*goseeCHICAGO*cough*) yesterday, I noticed that it was in the high seventies; It was sunny; It was breezy. I went for a short walk outside before driving home, and even after the thirty-minute drive back home and the lunch I ate indoors, I went back out to my yard to relax (instead of hide in my air-conditioned house like I normally would). Now, my relationship with nature is in a honeymoon period. The weather is being very good to me, so it's easier for me to love the weather.

In our class discussion of relationships with nature, I figured out that I'm not driven away from nature out of fear of giant animals or fear of dangerous people hiding in the landscape. Instead, my biggest problem is adverse weather... specifically... the cold (i lived in 95-degree, sunny, humid, muggy Italy for three weeks this summer and it honestly hardly bothered me!). If my feelings toward nature strongly depend on the temperature, then where does my role with the great outdoors stand? I believe that I'm not the only one who has a constantly morphing, fluctuating relationship with nature. I bet yours changes frequently, too. What's the factor that affects how you feel toward nature? Weather? Terrain? Bugs?

Finally... earthy song recommendations... it's almost Earth Day, and I think there's no better way to celebrate (anything, not just Earth Day) than with a lovely playlist. Enjoy!

•"Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel
•"Sprout and the Bean" by Joanna Newsom
•"Woods" by Bon Iver
•"Thistled Spring" by Horse Feathers

(if you have song recommendations, GIVE THEM TO ME =] !!)