Let’s Talk About Sex

The topic of sex almost always incurs some sort of stigma. Whether it is being discussed among friends or strangers, sex is “bad”. But is it really?

Sex is whatever you make it out to be. That could mean that it is an emotional experience as well as a physical one, or it could mean that you and your partner are both doing it purely for the pleasure. However that cookie crumbles, your sex life is only the business of those people whose business you make it. For some, sex is intimate and special. For others, there is no emotional attachment whatsoever.

For how taboo of a subject sex is, it is a hot topic of conversation for almost everyone. I hear talk of sex on television, the radio, on the internet, and in real life conversation. Personally, sex comes up all the time in my group of friends. All of us are pretty comfortable talking about it. Even on a college campus, though, we’ve gotten some pretty nasty looks.

The way I see it, no matter your views on the meaning of sex, any person should be able to express themselves sexually however they please as long as those involved have consented and no one is being put into harm’s way. As long as everything that is being done is legal, there should be no judgement of another person’s sexual preferences. Sex is a beautiful, natural, amazing part of life; it should not be tarnished by expectations such as relationships, sexual orientations, or even how the overall experience is going to go.

On the other end of the spectrum, it is perfectly okay to not have any interest in sex until after marriage. Although most people talk about it, sex is not such a common occurrence. There are a good number of people who have the strength and the will power to “save themselves”, as I’ve heard it called, for one special person.

Your sexuality should be entirely your own. Just be safe, no matter what you do.

To Legalize or Not

The use of marijuana, for both medical and recreational use, is a huge topic for discussion in the United States right now. It has become an even hotter topic with the presidential election slowly creeping upon the country. Many states, such as California and Nevada, have placed a referendum on their states’ ballot. These states will vote directly on whether or not marijuana should be legalized for recreational use.

Marijuana, in the very least, should be legal for medicinal purposes. It helps those who are receiving chemotherapy treatment to combat cancer maintain at least some portion of their appetite. Medical marijuana also helps epileptics with their seizures.

I’m pretty sure that, at some point, most of us saw that video on Facebook of the boy whose seizure was stopped within seconds of being given cannabis oil. If my memory serves correctly, I am pretty sure that the boy’s father got into trouble for giving his son the oil. This was due to the fact that the substance was still illegal in their state. Shouldn’t we give those who really need it the ability to obtain cannabis oil? The oil does not get you high. It has very little, if any, side effects. It is a much better alternative than to continue to pump our bodies full of unnecessary chemicals.

The arguments to marijuana, especially recreational, are usually along the lines of not being able to regulate and tax it, people shouldn’t be allowed to get high in public, and drugs are addictive. However, Colorado and Washington state have figured out how to make things work. Colorado alone raked in a whopping one billion dollars for one year in tax revenue just from marijuana. Residents in both states are only allowed to smoke at home and specially designated places, much like alcohol. Also, marijuana contains no addictive components. Legal things, such as cigarettes and alcohol, are much more addictive than weed could ever even dream of being.

Should marijuana be legalized in all states for medicinal purposes? Yes, absolutely. We should, however, let the residents of the states decide whether or not marijuana should be legal for recreational purposes.

Best Friends

Having great friends and keeping good company is one of the most important things in life. That’s my opinion, anyway. Great friends always have your back, even if you’re wrong. They help you out if they really think you’re going down the wrong path.

I like to believe that I have some of the best friends that any person could ever ask for. We bicker an argue like we’re one big married group of women, but we all love each other deeply. Of course, we don’t always act this way.

We know how to poke fun at each other, get on each others’ nerves to the point where the other person might catch a straw to the eyeball, and just make each other mad.

Ashley (back of the picture) is my roommate. I had no idea this girl even existed before room assignments were released. I got pretty lucky with her. We’ve become extremely close in the very short time that we’ve lived together, and I know that I can count on her to have my back and help me out any time that I might need it.

LaShawn (right side of picture) and I are very similar. So much so that we, of course, bicker and argue the most. LaShawn and I are from around the same area, Northwest Georgia. However, we did not know each other until orientation during the summer. We immediately hit it off. Our personalities are very similar, even though she’ll never admit to it.

Last, but not least, is Emily. In the picture, she is the poking her head out in the middle ground. I know her through Ashley as they have been friends for years. She is honestly the nicest out of our friend group. I don’t think I have ever heard her say an unkind word about someone unsolicited.

All in all, these girls have helped me out in one way or another. I am so very lucky and proud to call them my best friends.

Running 5K

Let me start off by saying this: I’m not a runner. Never have been. Never will be. My favorite form of exercise is lifting weights. I don’t have the stamina nor the lung capacity to run long distances. However, I pushed through the 5 kilometers (around 3.1 miles).

I ran/walked the entire distance on a treadmill. To me, a treadmill is easier to run on because it’s not as rough on your feet and knees as asphalt or cement. I can run for a much longer distance on a treadmill, so that was the route I decided to take for the 5K.

Everything was going smoothly until I was creeping up on mile 1. I had run the entirety of the first mile, but then my lungs felt as if they were constricting slightly, my calves were starting to cramp up slightly, and I was beginning to sweat. Had I been running outside, I would not have been able to run for the entire first mile.

Because my lungs were not getting enough oxygen, I slowed down slightly. I began to jog at a much more moderate pace. I continued jogging until I felt as if I had caught my breathe. By my memory, this was around the halfway point of the 3.1 miles.

After catching my breathe, I began to run again. Actually, jogging more quickly may be a more accurate description of what I was doing. Once I start jogging, I usually cannot get back up to my starting speed. My body becomes tired, my legs start to ache, and I just am not physically able to run much faster.

I did not stop for the entire 5K. I did go between walking, running, and jogging, but I did not give up.

At the end, I was hot, I was sweaty, and I was feeling great about myself. The great feeling did not last very long. I was quite sore the next day. My legs ached, and I was exhausted. Even though my body felt dead, I was so proud of myself for completing the 3.1 miles all at the same time.

Is it Worth it?

This past week, I’ve had to make some very tough decisions. One of those decisions was to break off a relationship. 

The end of relationships really make us question ourselves. Why didn’t it work out? What did I do wrong? Who is at fault? These questions are hard to answer, and they really are not important in the long run. What’s really important is that you realized the relationship was not worth dealing with whatever it was that went wrong. 

What makes doing anything worth the effort? The reward? The feelings it stirs within us? I think it’s something different for every situation. For example, romantic relationships are only worth the effort that is put into them if you feel like you are getting the same effort back. In my experience with romantic relationships, the most effort comes from communicating with your partner and expressing feelings in a healthy manner. Not doing these two things can cause a relationship to crumble, even platonic ones. 

The key to knowing if something, especially relationships, are worth the effort and time is taking inventory of your feelings. Make sure that you remember why you are doing something. Don’t just keep going with something because it’s familiar. Make sure it is still worth it. 

Long Distance Relationships

I’m no expert on relationships, especially long distance relationships, but I’ve learned a few things in the 2+ months that I’ve been in one.

1. Make Plans

Making plans to see other will give you something to look forward to and also gives the illusion of making time go by faster because you’re not just wondering when the next time you’re going to see each other will be.

2. Find Time for Communication

Be sure that both of you are setting aside a little bit of time at least once a day in which you can talk to each other. However, be sure that you do not get angry or upset if your significant other doesn’t have time to talk every once in a while.

3. Be Spontaneous

When you two are together, be sure your relationship doesn’t get repetitive or boring. The kinds of new and exciting things that you try depends on your relationship. If you are not comfortable with trying new things, start with something as simple as ordering a different meal from your favorite restaurant or even going to a new restaurant all together.

4. Be Emotional

This goes for every relationship, but it is especially important in long distance ones. Express your emotions to your partner. If something upsets you, tell them. Don’t let things stay bottled up inside and turn into a bigger issue than it was to begin with.

5. Enjoy the Little Things

Don’t take the love that your significant other gives you, or the things they do for you, for granted. Remind them that you appreciate them. Thank them for things as small as opening the door or taking time out of their day to talk to you.

6. Do What’s Best for You

At the end of the day, you are going to have to live your own life, even if the relationship doesn’t end up working out in the end. You should take any opportunities that will benefit you in the long run. You have to remember that you are your own person.

That One Time I Could Have Died

Car wrecks are something that people who are in a car often will more than likely encounter, both as a driver and/or passenger. Some accidents are worse than others. My wreck was not too awful, but I honestly saw my life flash before my eyes.

I had gotten my license a little over a year before my first and only accident (as of the time that I am writing this blog entry). Nothing had really gone badly while I was driving. Of course, I had the usual run in with terrible drivers but any and all accidents had been avoided until October 20, 2015.

This particular morning, I was driving the 25 minutes to my high school in my 2003 Nissan Xterra. It was a super sunny morning. The sun was in my eyes for most of the ride. I was about 5 minutes away from my parking spot when boom. I had my first wreck.

I was coming around a mildly sharp curve. I had slowed down slightly because, as I said before, the sun was in my eyes. When I saw the truck that had pulled out in front of me, it was too late for my poor car. I pushed down the brakes as hard as I felt it was possible without losing control, but it wasn’t enough to keep my car from hitting the landscaping truck (small cabin for the drive and passengers with a metal trailer attached to the cabin that held all of the equipment). I honked my horn at the driver, but he did not speed up or do anything to keep me from hitting the truck. The collision did not set off my air bag, but the force from the hit jerked my body forward so hard that I was afraid I had a concussion or something of the sort.

After the truck driver and I had both pulled into a store right off of the road, I called the police. The officer went through the standard procedure of checking insurance and registration, all of the boring stuff. To make a long conversation very short and simple, I was not given any tickets or citations nor was I at fault for the accident. The officer informed me that it did not appear that I had been going too fast for the conditions and, unless I had been driving at a ridiculously low speed, I could not have avoided the accident.

Although my accident was not absolutely terrifying, it was still unnerving. Had I not been alert and ready to react, I could have easily lost my life that day.

Introduction

My name is Lauren Jones, I’m 18 years old and a freshman at Georgia Southern University. I am a Business Management major hoping to go into the law field after college. I am originally from Piedmont, Alabama, but my mom and I moved to Dalton, Georgia, when I was about 2 years old. I lived in Dalton until I up and moved five hours away to Georgia Southern. I’ve always been a good student, but I struggle with procrastination. Like this blog entry that I probably should’ve started before the night that it’s due, but it’s all good.

More about myself personally: I love makeup (it’s a problem honestly), I’m rather open-minded, I have the sweetest boyfriend ever, and I like to think that I’m a pretty nice person. For example, not to toot my own horn or anything, when I see someone sitting in the dining commons alone, I will usually ask them if they want to sit with me. This is due to the fact that I myself don’t like eating alone and being alone in general. But I digress.

Writing is not always easy for me. Some days I can put my thoughts onto paper very fluidly and easily, and other days I can’t even form a single sentence without going back and changing things about that sentence. While writing, the most natural thing to me is the grammar and punctuation. That is something with which I usually do not have a hard time. My least favorite thing about writing is being told what to write about specifically. For example, I don’t enjoy fishing. If I absolutely had to write a paper on fishing, or anything that I really don’t have any sort of interest in, I am obviously not going to enjoy or be very good at writing about it. With that same idea, my favorite thing about writing would have to be the fact that it gives me a way to express my opinions and my thoughts on subjects that I do enjoy.

To wrap this up, writing, and inherently blogging, is not my favorite thing in the world, but I enjoy it much more when it is on a subject that I have at least a minute interest in. I get bored very easily when I have to discuss subjects that are not interesting to me, as I’m sure most people probably do.