Rustic Food at Melani Pizzeria

June 21st, 2014

Summer’s already here, but it’s always in season to get some delicious pizza or pasta!

I personally love to eat pizza and pasta, and so I couldn’t be more excited to try some of the delicious-looking food at Melani. The pizzeria was easy enough to find, located at 170 Rivington St. just a few blocks away from Delancey Station. With the cooler air of early evening, the open space in the pizzeria was welcoming and relaxing. I found some people standing around a table outside, gobbling up their pizza; others sat inside with their friends, chatting while finishing up their own food. There’s enough room to sit indoors with a friend or two, so this is definitely a place you can visit with people. The doors were wide open, letting in the open summer air and last rays of sunlight.

Like most pizzerias, you order at the counter. Food can be eaten in at the pizzeria, or if you’re in a hurry, you can even take your food to go. (And they even offer delivery, if you’re at home and feeling like staying in!) I found a stack of menus at the counter, so I was able to scan through all my possible options.

Full Menu at Melani Pizzeria!

There’s definitely a wide range of food at Melani. From pizza options to pasta to hand made ravioli, all your desires can be met in a single place! The calzone here is made fresh to order, and there are also gluten-free options and salads available. You can couple your meal up with some garlic knots or rolls, and quench your thirst with a wide option of beverages.

I asked for several recommendations, and I was told that the lasagna pizza is a solid choice. As for pasta, penne or spaghetti bolognese was said to be delicious. Since I was feeling like a pasta kind of day, I chose the spaghetti and chicken with parmesan since it looked like an interesting combination.

I sat down while I waited, and the wait was rather short. All the workers were very kind and helpful, and let me know that my food was almost done. When I got my food, just the smell of the pasta made my stomach impatient.

Spaghetti and Chicken with Parmesan

A delicious, moist piece of chicken covered by parmesan cheese sits on a large portion of spaghetti. Its flavor mixes well with the spaghetti and sauce, and the parmesan enhances the whole meal. I first took a bite out of the chicken, and immediately, I was pleasantly surprised. It was flavor-filled and well-cooked, and although it looked somewhat crispy on the outside, the inside was tender and moist. Mixed with a bite of spaghetti, it was the perfect combination. I couldn’t help but finish the entire piece of chicken, but I could not possibly finish the large portion of spaghetti I was given. I brought it home for my parents to try instead.

With coupon discounts at The Campus Clipper, Melani Pizzeria is a great place to try as a student for a cheap price. As a pizza and pasta lover, I was intrigued by the mix of spaghetti and chicken rather than the classic spaghetti and meatballs, and I may even say that I enjoyed this combination more. Melani Pizzeria is a great place for inexpensive, large portions, so grab your friends and family and make a visit here!

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Nancy Ma, New York University ’15

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Authentic Chinese Food at Spicy House

June 14th, 2014

Although this recently opened restaurant is small and understated, the food is tasty and worth trying if you like Chinese food. No need to travel all the way down to Chinatown for your Chinese fix. Spicy House serves authentic Chinese cuisine and offers a varied menu with options that could please any palette. The interior, although sparsely decorated, is clean, and the white tablecloths add a nice touch. As is customary of Chinese restaurants, the menu offers many sharing dishes. Don’t be turned off by the restaurant name if you don’t eat spicy food, because they also offer a wide variety of non-spicy dishes.

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My friend and I were greeted at the door and led to our table. The waitress was very friendly and let us know about the specialties and what was best on the menu. We decided on spicy beef tendon as a cold appetizer. The flavor was comparable to similar dishes that I have tried in China, and if you like spicy food it is an excellent option on the menu. Next we had shrimp with mixed vegetables. The ingredients tasted fresh, the seasoning was not overdone or too oily (which could be a concern when eating out at some Chinese restaurants), and the presentation was on point. This dish also came with bowls of rice, of which you can choose between white and brown. Last we had sautéed green beans, which was also very enjoyable.

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The food was up to my expectations and the service was attentive as well, so overall I had a positive dinner experience. If you are looking for an authentic Chinese food experience, Spicy House is an easy stop tucked away at a convenient location on Third Avenue near Union Square. Also the prices are pretty reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food, so if you are a college student like me or just looking to get a yummy dinner without breaking the bank, definitely give this place a try.

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Kristen Toms, New York University ’16

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Healthy Living to a Happy You

June 7th, 2014

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of city life, it can be easy to forget to make the time to take care of your body. But as is well documented in the science world and as I recently discovered through personal experience, regular exercise as well as a healthy diet can drastically improve your quality of life. It was fall semester of my sophomore year and as usual I found that the determination and drive that had powered the first few weeks of my university life was slowly dwindling as the days floated by. I would head directly back to my dorm room after classes and I would spend the majority of my time indoors, simultaneously watching Netflix, doing homework, and eating a plethora of junk food. The increasingly cold weather certainly wasn’t helping my willpower to go outside and get physically active, so I ended up spending a lot of time alone in my room. My roommate was essentially MIA and at times the loneliness was overpowering. I blamed everything from the city life to the weather, before finally realizing that my situation was no one’s fault but my own. After many weeks of feeling miserable and gaining several pounds, I realized that something needed to change. The first thing I did was throw away all the junk food, the chips, chocolate, and the gummy bears. I made a trip to Whole Foods and bought almost every kind of vegetable and fruit they had on the shelves, which I then forced myself to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was not easy and I found myself craving the sugary foods that I had become so used to before, but after the first couple weeks I realized that the new things I was eating felt better for my body and after that I hardly craved processed sugars at all, in fact the very thought of putting those things into my body revolted me. I signed up for three months of unlimited yoga classes and bought a pair of running shoes so I could jog along the river. After just one week of my new improved lifestyle I noticed some significant changes. Not only concerning the health of my body, but also the state of my mind. I was happier and more outgoing. I found myself more willing to participate in class discussions and to independently pursue my interests. Daily exercise and a clean diet helped me regain my confidence and be the person that I had intended to be when I first came into college as a freshman.

Kristen Toms, New York University ’16

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Painting a Self Portrait – thelivingcalendar.com

June 2nd, 2014

Every creative individual designs a self portrait at some point. A piece meant to symbolize themselves, whether it’s through illustrating, singing, dancing, writing, etc. It’s simple to portray oneself as a female with long curly hair and green eyes, however the difficult part comes when we must describe who we really are inside. YOU are the only one who knows the real YOU. YOU decide how YOU want to be displayed to the world. Sure our family members and close friends know us well, but YOU ultimately determine how YOU appear to others. YOU create your self portrait.

As a college & career advisor, I am here to mentor you, to help with this process of self assessment and to further your knowledge base in order to pursue your goals and dreams. You have the skills, you know what you want, you know what you need, we just need to converse, ask questions and together we will find a way to get you there.

I’m sure you are curious about my story, my self portrait if you will.
So let me give you some background on me.

As a graphic design student at the Rhode Island School of Design, I actively participated in several on campus jobs. I found specific listings that drew me in and grew to love these jobs more than my studies. All throughout college, I was a mentor and teaching artist for a program (Project Open Door) that helped high school students with the college process. As a mentor at Project Open Door, I individually assessed the needs of each student. I helped them with their applications for college, assisted with their resumes, and taught beginner and intermediate drawing/paintings classes in order to build their confidence and skills needed to proceed. I gave student specific assignments as they progressed throughout the program to their senior year and then provided one on one guidance to help them figure out what colleges and careers they were interested in. We made college visits, attended fairs, and explored the options.

Despite my passion for design, I knew I loved my work at Project Open Door. However, I graduated with a BFA and decided to pursue it for a few years to see what I liked and disliked based on my experiences. Fast forward to 3 years later, and I am a Senior Graphic Designer, Career & College Advisor, freelance designer, mentor at The Campus Clipper, blog writer, podcast conductor, and Marketing Chair of YES! @Dress for Success. I am still searching for a way to marry all my passions into one career, but I love each and every one of them.

In December, I completed a certificate program at NYU in Career Planning & Development. It gave me the necessary skills to engage with you and help tell your story. Through my dedication to helping people, and my knowledge of marketing and targeting oneself in the world, I truly believe that together we can create your self portrait and show everyone just who you are!

Please visit my blog for more: www.thelivingcalendar.com
With my help, I hope you gain insight into how to pursue your passions, how to draw your self portrait, and how to convey your story.

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At the End of the Day

April 28th, 2014

In everything that I have thus far said about the experience of reading and my own experience of reading, there is only one notion that I want everyone to constantly bear in mind: this is only one possible potential of understanding reading. The analogy of understanding the world as a text may be understood in a plurality of contexts. All I offer is one possible method and whether or not this reader wishes to take it to heart depends on the heart of the reader.

 

“What is given form here is not the totality of life but the artist’s relationship with that totality, his approving or condemnatory attitude towards it; here, the artist enters the arena of artistic creation as the empirical subject in all its greatness but also with all its creaturely limitations.”

—György Lukács

 

The beauty of the analogy of a text is that it allows for the reader to choose between understanding the text as a thing created by a person, taking that person into consideration; or taking the text as its own entity, which only truly comes into becoming when engaged in participation with a reader. Regardless of which text appeals to one’s sensibilities more, both texts are created by language, which by itself calls for the most intricate plurality known. Language is the simplest whole that is simultaneously a multitude of disconnected parts. This idea can be traced back as far as Genesis. When God destroyed the Tower of Babel, he wasn’t destroying mankind’s creation of language and his achievements. He destroyed mankind’s attempt to unify all the languages, because language isn’t meant to be a perfect unification. It urges its own tension and to deny that is like denying one’s own self-awareness. What texts do is they take this language and utilize it in order to create a poetic rendering of the world. And despite the fact that by creating this rendering, this reflection, the image created is merely an appearance, a portrait of what is truly attempting to be represented, and we are able to get more from this image than from anything else.

 

“Why couldn’t the world that concerns us—be a fiction? And if somebody asked, “but to a fiction there surely belongs an author?” —couldn’t one answer simply: why? Doesn’t this “belongs” perhaps belong to the fiction to? Is it not permitted to be a bit ironical about the subject no less than the predicate and object?”

—Friedrich Nietzsche

 

A frequent topic of conversation these days is where the direction of literature is headed, especially printed literature, in this technological Internet age. But what is rarely considered is the fact that literature is merely one medium for language. Similar questions are also asked about poetry, which seems to be suffering a more brutal battle than prose. But at the end of the day, poetry and prose are merely forms for the content of language. If the Internet and technological age are as threatening to the mediums of poetry and prose as people are making them out to be, then what will merely happen is that language will find a new form, a new vehicle. The only reason it’s difficult to imagine the type of vehicle it would be is because we have lived in constant mediums of language since before the time of Homer.  Now we have the Internet, something maybe vaguely conceptualized before its time, and we have absolutely no idea what the potential form of language will be in relation to the world that the Internet has created for itself. We’ve already gone through the times of Leet speak and Internet shorthand (LOL, OMG); but that’s just the evolution of conversation. The evolution of the poetic rendering of the world in the world of the Internet is, for now, a difficult thing to conceive.

 

“A whole world will envelop you, the happiness, the abundance, the inconceivable vastness of a world. Live for a while in these books, learn from them what you feel is worth learning, but most of all love them.”

—Rainer Maria Rilke

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Marina Manoukian, Sarah Lawrence College

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Rereading ‘War and Peace’

April 17th, 2014

When I first read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, I was nineteen, in my sophomore year of college, and wasn’t having my particularly best year. But when I began reading that text, I forgot about anything that was occurring around me and in my own world; so much that I sat in one spot for fifteen hours and read the entire text in one sitting. Afterwards I was in a daze. It had pulled me in to a point where nothing in my own world escaped the shine of War and Peace. In the character of Prince Andrei I found one of the great loves of my life and to him I will owe more than I can know. That year I wrote numerous papers on different scenes, but my final project was on Prince Andrei; on his scenes and his attempt to live in his world. I found him struggling with issues that were on my own mind, and watching him lead his life allowed me to live my own. In that first reading I found reflections of myself, and the words that I put together in the text allowed me to put together images of myself.

After that semester I did not read the entirety of War and Peace again for two years. I would read passages whenever my mind and body needed them, but until my senior year I did not attempt to dive back into the world that had gripped me once before.

When I started rereading it in my senior year, we were only assigned 119 pages for the next class. But from the moment my eyes fell upon the thin black streaks on the first page, the salon at Anna Pavlovna’s, every crystal detail from the world reflected off itself and once more I was in the most beautiful world I could imagine. That night I read 350 pages before a friend convinced me to stop. And when I did, I felt like I was betraying someone I loved, leaving them when I knew that all I should be doing was spending every waking moment in their arms. That’s what reading War and Peace was for me; being in love. But that night I realized that one cannot binge on love. I’d already played the game of throwing oneself into it until there’s nothing left. Now I had to learn how to take in little bits, and then learn to comfortably turn away and participate in another activity.

When I first read War and Peace, I needed it to help me construct myself. Now that I have a construction of myself and understand how I constructed myself, I turn to constructing the world. In my rereading of War and Peace I found not only a construction of the world, but a plurality of methods of constructing the world and one’s own freedom. And it is just as necessary to my thought as it was two years ago. The text itself hasn’t changed, but my own thinking has changed, my construction of the text and what I understand from it has changed drastically. I compare my two copies and passages and I find crucial point which went by unnoticed and without underlining two years ago. Going back to something is not about reinforcement; it’s about rediscovery. You want to prove yourself wrong because if nothing has changed then something is wrong. You are constantly becoming, and if the world is a reflection of you, it should also be in a constant state of becoming.

 

 

 

 

 

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Marina Manoukian, Sarah Lawrence College

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Finding the Perfect Place to Stay

April 16th, 2014

Accommodations

One of the biggest costs of a trip will always be the housing costs.  Food costs, the second biggest enemy to a wallet, will seem small compared to the daily rent payment to a hotel.  This creates a big issue to all travel plans.  So how can one overcome this obstacle?

Hostels

Being a youth and a college student, hostels and guest houses are the cheap option to hotels.  Hostels and guest houses are cheaper living alternatives which might sometimes include shared rooms and bunk beds.  Shared bathrooms, shared showers, old living quarters and poor guest services are sometimes the tradeoff for a discount living accommodation.  Normally, hotels costs range from $100 to $300 per night while a stay at a hostel or a guest house would only cost 1/3 of that!  Although definitely not as luxurious or as comfortable as a hotel, remember that the goal of travelling is not to live in a luxurious hotel but to rather see a new place.  Check out hostels.com to find all the housing options hostels have to offer!

Hotels and Inns

Hotels and Inns can be a viable an option for many travelling.  Although a little more expensive than hostels, hotels are usually more enjoyable and comfortable.   Sometimes there are discounts and deals which might cut some of the high costs which come along with staying at a hotel.  Search for discount deals and promotions online for great discounts.  Call a hotel beforehand and asking the management if there are such options can open doors for discounts and deals!  There are many low priced hotels, usually ranging from $50 to $70 a night, but risk being a very poor accommodation (bed bugs anyone?).  Of course, if there really is a desire to stay at a hotel while being budget conscious, travelling with a buddy or two can easily cut hotel costs.

Your hotel room won't always look like this

Your hotel room won't always look like this

Staying with Friends

Remember that one Swedish exchange student or that person from California in that Statistics class from a year ago?  Well, go and call them up!  A great option to budget travel includes staying at a friend’s house.   Staying at a friend’s place cuts down on so many costs that sometimes it is downright stealing! Not only that but friends can prove to be very good tour guides.   However, remember to be courteous and not to overstay your welcome.   Be considerate of the friend’s own schedule and remember that they have their own lives to worry about.  Even if a friend offers to provide free lodging, bringing a gift and leaving behind a small token of appreciation (like $20 a night) can make a big difference from being a friend and a great friend.

Couch Surfing

Although I have never actually done this before, another option for the budget conscious traveler is couch surfing.  Couch surfing is a way to stay at homes for free by allowing travelers to “”surf” on couches by staying as a guest at a host’s home, host travelers, or join an event.”  Usually free of charge, couch surfing is the least stable of most accommodations as there are many risks associated with it.  Conflicting schedules with the host, potential creepiness, awkward situations or unsafe situations might arise with this method.  However, if this is an option for consideration, check it out here.

This couch was probably more expensive than a bed

This couch was probably more expensive than a bed

With these options to consider for a trip, don’t forget to be flexible!  If the stress of living in poor living conditions or urge to sleep on a really comfortable bed does come up, a plan for 4 nights in a hostel and 1 night in a hotel during a week vacation can be an option!  Don’t forget, travelling is an experience, not a chore!

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This was written by Gary Chen of Stony Brook University

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The Costs of Traveling

April 16th, 2014

Travel Costs and Options: Trading cost for comfort

With a schedule all printed out and plan all prepared, it is time to mark down the expenses.  The first two most important costs will be the travel costs and the accommodation costs.   As a general rule, there is a trade-off between cost and comfort; cheaper options are usually less convenient and less comfortable.

Buses
When travelling within a country, buses are one of the most reliable and cheapest forms of long distance travels.  Although it is not always comfortable, buses are always at least half the cost of other forms of travel.  There is no doubt that trains and cars will always be faster than buses but buses cost much less than other forms of transportation.  Where it would cost at least $100 to travel from Washington D.C. to New York round trip through driving or trains, it only costs about $60 if a bus is taken.  In North America bus companies like Megabus or Greyhound usually have travel deals as well.  If late bus rides are not a problem, there can be even more savings on top of the already low prices!

Peñafrancia Tours and Travel Transport Inc.

An example of a bus company which can take you to far

Car Pooling, Large group discounts

Choosing to travel with a large group can cut the costs of travelling by a huge amount.  Generally the more people there are, the cheaper it becomes to travel.  If there is a good amount of people opting to travel to the same location (usually around 4 people), it can be cheaper to split the gas money and take turns driving.  A trip which would normally cost $100 now becomes $25!  Sometimes, there are bus tours and trips which provide a group discount for larger groups.  Being able to travel with more people provides security and economic safety as well.  However, the more people there are during a trip, the more likely it is for the trip to become disorganized.  Make sure to pick the right people!

Discount Deals-Airplanes

One of the best things about traveling is looking out for some discount travel options.  Once in a while, travel sites such as Expedia.com or Orbitz.com might have discount plane tickets to many often travelled locations in the world.  A round trip from Los Angeles to New York can sometimes only cost $89!  However, the fine prints of these amazing deals come with a fixed flying schedule.  So although there is a cheap ticket option, it severely limits the flexibility of travel dates and forces a schedule around those times.    

Studying Abroad and School Sponsored Programs

Sometimes it is almost impossible to find the funds to travel alone.  That is it can be a great idea to check out what programs a college or school has to offer for travelling!  Colleges often have a multitude of programs which allow students to travel to many different locations for low prices and high security.  Club trips, after school programs, study abroad programs, exchange programs and competitive trips can all be a gateway towards a cheap travel trip!  Although options might be limited on a trip sponsored by an organization, it is still a great option to travel (with accommodations provided) for low costs or sometimes even for free!  For example, I was able to travel to place such as Washington D.C. and Princeton just because I was part of the Mock Trial Team in college.  Not only was it a memorable trip but it was also free!

Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage!

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This was written by Gary Chen of Stony Brook University

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Student’s Favorite Characters

April 16th, 2014

Two resounding characters come up each and every time I bring up the Avengers, Steve Rodgers/Captain America and Tony Stark/Iron Man. Both have successful movie adaptations, very successful, which have raked in millions of dollars in capital, and millions of new fans. There is something about these characters that resounds within my generation of people.

To put it into prospect a Forbes article detailed Captain America’s Second movie debut, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier earned $41.4 million on its second weekend. It’s a good thing the film ended up number one for the weekend, because otherwise it would have magically become a super flop and Captain America 3 would have fled for the safety of a mid-August debut. In all seriousness, the hope was that sterling word-of-mouth and strong reviews would perhaps stem the traditional second weekend bleeding just a bit. But nope, it’s a 56% drop in viewership the second weekend come hell or high water. In terms of weekend drops, 57-60% is the general average among Marvel stand-alone entries outside of Thor (-47%) and Iron Man (-48%), so I guess a 56% drop qualifies as “leggy” by comparison.”

Eighteen year olds, like myself, feel a certain amount of invincibility, and the heroism of the Avengers certainly appeals in that respect. But looked for a deeper analysis, I realized that the Avengers the evil nature of the world as defeatable, and isn’t that reality that everyone is searching for.

We want to believe that our actions are working towards the betterment of society, which both Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark do within their installments. At the root of Avengers is a humanism that I did not expect with all the fantastical elements that surrounds the production. Whether the characters actually cause a difference within our society is what will be the discussion of this series of articles.

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Giving Back: Think Outside the Box

April 15th, 2014

I would like to take a moment to disclose a secretive piece of advice to you. Are you listening? Okay good. Giving back doesn’t have to involve working with an organization. Now I know you’re thinking, okay cool Sam, thanks for making me read all these articles on different organizations that don’t even matter. Well don’t think that. They do, but there are so many different ways to give back and help mankind. Use your own brain to think of creative outlets to show love every day in the city that never sleeps. But as always, if you need some inspiration, here are some ideas from other students.

 

In 2000, the movie Pay It Forward impacted and challenged viewers to realize the importance and effectiveness of doing good deeds for three people, without expecting anything in return. Although viewers were inspired, this challenge was forgotten once the business of life was piled on them. Don’t let this happen to you. Bring it back! As a person who is addicted to caffeine, I need my coffee fix every time I venture into the city, and maybe you feel the same way. The long lines never bother us as we wait for our delicious treat. But maybe instead of using our racked up Starbucks rewards for ourselves, lets “pay it forward” and use it for the person behind us in line. They don’t need to know it was you, as you slip past them with your coffee in hand and out into the city. The point is to help someone in a little way, that can change his or her whole day. Upsizing from a tall to a grande can change my mood enough. Now, if it was magically paid for, wooaaaah, even better.

 

"I see dead people"....no wait, wrong movie.

Wanna help your friends first before diving into helping others? Okay fine. Invite over friends or coworkers to your place for a homemade dinner. It’s a generous way to show them that you care. I mean forget cooking for them, the fact you clean up your house for visitors is a loving sacrifice in itself, am I right? A good meal and great conversation is a perfect way to show you care for your fellow NYC friends.

 

When I was living in Florida the summers were hot, like super hot, like no one should EVER vacation in Florida when it’s August because you gunna melt. So whenever I saw the Homeless Voice newspaper on the side of the road asking for donations I always felt bad that for 8 hours of work they may only have one drink with them. I began buying water bottles and tried giving them out every day on my way to school. In fact one guy saw me so much he called me “water bottle girl”, I guess I forgot to ever tell him my name. Other than the one time I learned, after giving out some water bottles I left in the car, that the water can become toxic once the plastic overheated, and freaked out that I could be the reason of death to homeless people in south Florida, it was pretty much a success. I mean who doesn’t want free water on a hot day?

 

Because I was handing out water bottles multiple times a week, I saw the same workers for the Homeless Voice every day. This allowed me to spark short stopped-at-a-red-light conversation with them. You never know what you can learn about someone until you speak up. Who knows, I might have been the only one to say something more than a “no thank you”, out the window of the car, or a sympathetic nod. So why not try it yourself. You don’t need to seek out the scariest homeless person in the neighborhood, or go into strange areas to do this, just be aware of who you see every day on your commute. More often than not, you see someone that could use your help. Be creative in how you can help them, whether it’s a water bottle in the summer or coffee in the winter, you can always reach out on your own and help one relationship at a time.

 

One of these water bottles is good, one is toxic. You would think it's the fallen one, but no! It could be either, dun dun DUN!

 

Think outside of the box!  Can you knit scarves? Do you have some extra coupons at a burger joint? There are so many ways to give back that don’t require you to serve in an organization. Start now!

 

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Samantha Bringas

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