Lifestyle
For the lives that we love, and everything that comes with it.
Child Victim of a Sexual Predator
Cue immediate shame with self-identification: I was a victim of a child molester. I was also a witness to my sister's molestation. Our experience is a shining example of how child predators often manifest as "wolves in sheep's clothing." Though we warn our kids to avoid the creepy guy in the park, or the man driving a van who's trying to show them his puppy or offering free candy, perpetrators are more likely to be trusted friends than oddball strangers.
By Amanda Karenina8 years ago in Viva
Why I Spent a Saturday Being Craftsy for Animals I've Never Met
It was an oddly warm Saturday morning in September, and I was trekking to the same neighborhood that my 9-5 office was in. What was wrong with me? No, this had nothing to do with my career. This was something completely new, and entirely because I'm a sucker for animals in need (but let's be honest, who isn't?). Let's back it up a bit.
By Kristian Romero8 years ago in Petlife
What My Mother Would Have Wanted?!
If you've ever seen the movie Raising Helen then you know there's a scene where when they go to buy a turtle and John Corbett's character is giving Kate Hudson's character a lecture on what her sister expected when she left her the kids. Kate's chatacter tells him bluntly not to talk about her sister, a sister he didn't even know. I understand this so much now it hurts. Every stranger I meet has decided they know what my mom would have wanted more than I do. I spent my entire life with her, we talked about everything. They think in my grief I no longer have any rational thought, but my grief has actually made me think more rationally than before. I've always seen the world differently, more clearely in a sense. I see more of the possibilities of what could happen, I see more of reality. I never saw the world through rose-colored glasses, never pretended it was better than it was. Perhaps that's why I've always hated it so much. Disliked people so much. I've seen so much of the bad. My mother and I asked each often where are these good people who are supposedly out there? We never found an answer, no matter how hard we tried. Never found the good people. We just had each other.
By Shannon Hummell8 years ago in Families
Hilarious Truths About Cats Will Make Every Cat Owner Laugh Out Loud. Top Story - October 2017.
Owning a cat is an experience that is hard to describe unless you have actually lived it. They can be your best friends, biggest embarrassment, and the most Instagram-worthy cat buddy you could ever ask for.
By Mackenzie Z. Kennedy8 years ago in Petlife
Free the Boobies
In December 2016, I went to a party. I got drunk. Very drunk. But somehow, I remember one thing in my night: I met a girl who wasn’t wearing a bra. I remember hearing her say it while I was walking and I just stopped, turned around and asked her, “How can you not wear a bra? You have big breasts!”
By Camille Péloquin8 years ago in Viva
Why I'm Sick and Tired of Feminism
When you see someone like me on any given day, your first thought would probably not be feminist. You might see me in a jacked up truck, or rolling around in my 4 door car bumping any G-Eazy song singing "Man, she's got the deepest throat, yeah shes blessed..." (Say Less by G- Easy) and smoking a cigarette. In fact, feminist is probably the last thing you might think. But, if you saw my Facebook page, you would think I'm a certified SJW (Social Justice Warrior). You would see a wide array of posts talking about sex worker rights, videos from Hasan Piker (Total SJW BAE) and Philip Defranco, and posts discussing the injustices of POC (People of Color) and LGBTQIA+. However, since discovering my feminist mindset at 14, (6 years ago) I have learned of a lot of shit that I am sick and tired of seeing within the feminist movement.
By Hope J. Nas8 years ago in Viva
My Journey In Grief
The one thing I've realized in the last 26 days since my life was destroyed is just how many misconceptions surround you when you lose a loved one. Now for me, I didn't just lose someone I loved, I lost the person I love most, the person I need most, the only family I have left, and the only person I can depend on. To put it mildly, I lost my entire reason for existing at all. Of course, people being the lovely creatures that they are, cue sarcasm, they have treated me like my mother's death was meaningless. Even going so far as to say so to my face. Almost everyone I tell has decided to push their own ideas and opinions onto me of how I should handle my grief, if you listen to most I'm not doing it right. Fortunately, I've learned over the years to never listen to people, never to let them make choices for me. To never follow a crowd. This, of course, makes them angry, then it's always there's something wrong with me. Their opinions mean less than nothing to me, especially now. But their cruel words would have easily driven another person to suicide.
By Shannon Hummell8 years ago in Families
