The 4th of July

Dear Reader,

I spent my 4th of July grilling with my family at a park and as I smelled the scent of burning charcoal in the air while walking through the soft, moist soil, I began to ask what put me there on that soil? It was a question that had been burning in my head since the day my AP American History teacher elaborated on every detail of his research into the United States in the Revolutionary Era through more than a quarter of my junior year.

What made it possible for me to walk this land with my head held high, even as an immigrant member of the middle-class? Hell, what made it possible for me to even blog about this after I had returned home from the park?

The force of over 230 years of bravery, commitment, honor, and sacrifice from the combined efforts of everyday men and women fighting to protect our rights and our freedoms, have made a huge contribution to making not only this, the annual celebration of the day of independence for the United States, but also for making every waking moment spent on our soil a true blessing. As we gaze into the night sky to watch the fireworks aglow, whether if you’re watching from the banks of the Hudson River, or if you’re watching from the comforts of your home, please spare a thought for these individuals.

Yours,

NL

A Season of Recovery and Rediscovery

Dear Reader,

After a mini-monsoon season here in Long Island, it finally feels like summer now. It hasn’t felt like summer for the longest time in my life, since I had started this mad dash to work to my potential from the end of my sophomore year of high school.

From then on its been a hectic time for me. My family’s collective workaholicism (combined with my own) meant that I’d rarely get to sit and talk with them and I’ve basically turned myself into an insomniac through all the nights I’ve spent staying up late during both my junior and senior year. Through all of the completed deadlines, the tests taken, the nights studying, the auditions completed, the rehearsals attended, the shows played, the arguments made, the colleges visited, I’ve finally found time to relax and do more of what I want to do.

Which is exactly what makes this summer so much more special to me. The only problem is that I’ve spent so much time in my own gigs, tests, projects, and whatnot, the feeling of being at ease seems foreign to me. And I still cant seem to sleep until 3 AM. Its really starting to scare me. I really need to snap into a summer rhythm before college life in the city picks up the tempo again.

Reader, if there was ever any good piece of advice I could give to a student, it would be this:
Work as hard as you wish to, just don’t lose sight of how comfy a beach chair could be.

Yours,
NL