Simply Sincere Sentiments

Identifying mentors is not something unfamiliar to me. I have even gone as far as to thank my mentors before and let them know I consider them a mentor. I think this is important in order to develop a deeper relationship with them and establish their place in your life.           The whole concept of mentors can be complicated. In my novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the grandmother Nanny is a mentor to the protagonist Janie. When Janie doesn't want to marry who Nanny advises her to, Nanny forces her into a loveless marriage. When I first read this I was immediately appalled. I would never let someone do that to me, but when you see Nanny's point of view and perspective you can discern that she did it out of loving and protective reasons. Nanny simply wanted Janie to be financially secure and well taken care of as soon as possible. Unfortunately, back in the day, women weren't seen as capable of becoming those things themselves. An...

I have grown up so much in the past year. I've been told my whole life that I am mature for my age, but this year I really feel like I'm seventeen going on forty. I just feel like I've gained so much wisdom. I got my first job over the summer and having a job, making your own money, and filing taxes is the definition of growing up. It's the most real-world experience I've had so far in my life that I wasn't sheltered from because I was a kid. It opened my eyes to how stressful a stereotypical adult life can be. It opened my eyes to how much my parents do and go through to provide me. It opened my eyes to how well they handle and balance it all so that my entire childhood I never knew how much stress and pressure they were under and how much they had on their plates. Now I tell my little sister not to beg for things she wants because I understand the concept of money so much better. Now I'm not picky about what my mom makes...