The American Dream?

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.""
"It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the
destiny of a nation."
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."
"It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail
toward freedom through the darkest of nights."
"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."
"It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and
pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness."
"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."
"It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the
ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land."
"I have a dream."
"Yes we can."

I have a dream: yes we can.

----------------

When asked to define the American Dream, one gets a lot of different responses.
"Success, fame and wealth through thrift and hard work."
"Freedom for all."
"To be what I want to be when I was young."
"For all my dreams to come true."
"To live better than our parents did."
"To be number one."
And however rarely,
"To be happy."

But really, what is the American Dream?
I guess it's different for everyone.

In "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman's American Dream is to be successful - to be well-liked. To come out number one in the hearts of his boys and the heart of his business, a life he never achieves.
In 30 Days on Minimum Wage, Morgan's American Dream is just to survive. To be able to live the life that so many Americans are forced to live with barely enough money to make it, a life he finds himself unable to live.
In Jason Smith's story, his American Dream came true. He went from the depths of the poor neighborhoods he once roamed to the top of the charts for football. He worked hard, and in the end, it payed off - all his dreams came true.
In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris's American Dream also comes true. Like Jason, he goes from the very bottom to the very top - but not without going falling along the way. His hard work pays off, and he ends up a multimillionaire - a life he most certainly deserves.
In Caroline's story, her American Dream fails. She works hard, but she never gets anywhere. Forced to work in a Walmart stock room, being paid less than minimum wage, her American Dream never even had a chance - all because she didn't have any teeth.

So even though the American Dream may be different for everyone, it's obvious that not everyone achieves it. But why? Why don't we? Why is it that only some of us end up being successful and happy, and the rest of us don't?
I think I know why.

We all grew up being told, "You can be anything you want to be, as long as you set your mind to it. Just work hard, and remember: reach for the moon, and even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

But honestly, it's not that simple. Life doesn't always just depend on us. There are things we cannot control, and sometimes no matter how hard you try to overcome them, you just can't.

In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner overcame his troubles. But he didn't do it alone. If you look close enough, you'll see the help and guidance from a thousand different people - the three bosses who gave him the job; the man who told him he could be a stockbroker; his wife, for a while at least. Chris worked extremel hardy to get where he is, and he deserved it more than anyone - but he had help. Some people don't get that help.

Like Caroline. She can't afford dental care, and she has no teeth. She has a family to provide for, and a minimum wage job that's a twenty-minute commute...on foot. She tries so hard...yet where is her American Dream?

My stepmom Shari started out as co-partner of one hair salon. Years later, she was the CEO of Redken Hair Products. She went to a four-year university, and many other workers had much higher education than her. She tells me to work hard, and that my dreams will come true too. She says it happens everywhere - take the Obamas, for example.

Michelle Obama grew up in a house with only one spoon. Now, she goes to third-grade classrooms and says to them, "You can be anything you want to be." Is that wrong of her? To tell third-grade kids that the world out there stops for no one? That sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can't get there?

I guess this brings to my next point: hope. My stepmom asked me today if it is wrong of Michelle Obama to tell those third-graders that they can be anything they want to be. "Is it wrong to give them hope?" she accuses me.

Hope.

"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

Hope.
We haven't had it for so long, but now that we do, can the American Dream become a reality for all?

We had hope once, in the form of a dream. A dream that came true. One man's dream for freedom and equality for all. He had a dream, and it came true not just for him, but for America.

Now, we have a new dream. The dream that everyone can be successful, be happy, be whatever they want to be. It's a dream for the Carolines of the world; it's a dream for the Chris Gardners too. It's a dream infused with hope that someday it will happen - that someday, it won't be a dream anymore. The American Dream.

I have a dream.
The American Dream.
But I can't do it alone.
I need the help of everyone - we all do.
Can we do it?
Can we make it came true?
Yes we can.

I have a dream: yes we can.

i miss you already.

does the world out there revolve around rooms...

You wake these mornings alone and nothing
can be forgiven; you drink the last
swallow of warm beer from the can
beside the bed, tell the stranger sleeping
on the floor to go home. It's too easy

to be no one with nothing to do, only
slightly worried about the light bill
more concerned with how dark day gets.

You walk alone on moist pavement wondering
what color rain is in the country.
Does the world out there revolve around rooms
without doors or windows? Centering the mirror
you found in the trash, walls seem closer
and you can never find the right way

out, so you open the fridge again
for a beer, find only rancid milk and drink it
whole. This all tastes too familiar.

-poverty of mirrors, sherman alexie.

six word memoir.

Dear 2008,

I, I still remember
How you looked that afternoon
There was only you
You said "it's just like a full moon"
Blood beats faster in our veins
We left our trousers by the canal
And our fingers, they almost touched
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I'd have gone whereever you wanted
(I still remember)
(I still remember)
-I Still Remember, Bloc Party

In this year of 2008, we've all come so far and done so much. And this blog, however long it may seem, doesn't even begin to cover half of it. I can't remember every little thing that happened this year, or everything hilarious thing that was said; I can't remember who I was and how I've gotten to where I am. But I do remember that this year has been a year of accomplishments and failures; of ups and downs; and of laughter and tears. So here's to you, 2008. I still remember you...

I still remember New Year's 2008.

"Brianne, we're just going to trape across the lawn, mmkay?"
"WE'RE GOING TO RAPE THE LAWN?!"
And so begins 2008, in the best possible way for me: with my best friends. Elizabeth, Sam N, Sam B, Nicole, Brianne, and I all congregated at Elizabeth's for a full-fledged nerdfest to ring in the new era: along with many other eras, including the era of the TWAPERS (HOLY CWAP!), the era of the epic chalkboard pictures, and the era of the Nerd Posse. What a way to start the New Year.

"How many nerds does it take to open an "easy open" bottle?"
"Six, and that's only after we go and get the pliers."

*door creaks open*
"OHMYGOD, IT'S THE TWAPERS, HOLY CWAP!"

I still remember January 2008.


The first month of a new year - a new start, if you will. And a newer and happier Jordan. Still on a high from making the reader's theatre team and celebrating New Year's with the Posse, I finally took some control over my life and started reaching out for things. A new semester at school started, and teachers who saw my semester one GPA actually started taking me seriously. Speech came full swing; we pwned at districts, leaving with a well-deserved one, and we advanced to state; and from that group of amazing people, I learned so much more than certain acting tactics. The Nerd Posse got together and ran to Fareway (of course), as well as played ninjas in the middle of the street at random hours of the night; and I started to feel like we were bonding again - becoming once again the best friends we were meant to be. At school, my friendships were beginning to strengthen as I spent more time around people and got to know them better. And although my life seemed to be going really well, there was still some parts of it that I had yet to take control of.

"That wasn't considered meeting him. He pulled up, you all screamed, and then he left. "
"You know, that's really funny because you're totally right."

TO THE ROCK WALL!"

I still remember February 2008.


February brought NU's spring musical into the picture: "Snoopy." Yeah...I know. Since I like singing in general, just not by myself, I auditioned for the chorus and got in. Whoo? Rehearsals started and took the place of speech practices. State speech came and went - our reader's theatre got straight ones and much praise from both the audience and some of the judges. We made All-State as a non-performing group, which was good, but most of us were disappointed. We forged on, however, and went to watch All-State just to see the amazing performances as well as the "ASSHI" sketched in the snow. February also brought Waverly's semi-formal Winterfest dance, which I (of course) crashed. This particular dance is when I think I really started to bond with Heidi McNulty - Brianne's friend from Janesville. We got married promptly, and soon we were best friends. Now, I can't imagine the Nerd Posse or my life without her. The month ended with Sam Brooks throwing a hit party, at which there was a hardcore drive-by throwndown at McDonald's, I was asked to prom, and Sam herself was asked out by David Maixner.

"Did he ask you out?"
"Yeah."
"Yay!"
*pauses*
"So, what'd you say?"

"Look at him, he's going to kill the crap out of you!"

I still remember March 2008.

The third month of the year was a busy one. March started off with the NU basketball team winning state (whoo?), which pleased even me - we actually took days off of school so that people could go watch the games. Have you ever had a basketball day? I think not. Anyway, while most of the school was cheering for that sport, I was cheering for a different one - individual speech. With the amazing Scachterles as my coaches, I signed up for a literary program on images and a storytelling about a possum. At districts, there were only a few kids from NU there, and although I enjoyed the company, it just didn't have the same crazyfun feel as group speech did. Ms. Koch, however, was as eccentric as always - "OH LOOK THE STAGE!" "Honey, I don't know if you noticed, but he was totally flirting with you." "THERE'S JOE!" All of us except for SarahD advanced to state (and Rachel on her spurr of the moment improv), which was a little more fun than districts was. I didn't get to stay for very long though - but I made sure that I got to spend as much time as humanly possible with Sam Dorrance when I was there. I ended up with straight ones on storytelling, and two ones and a two on my literary program. In the end, although all the NU kids did well, the only one that advanced to All-State was Rachel, with her amazing acting piece in which she was a little kid hiding away in the attic. Immediately after state speech, we were all rushed back to NU to go onstage for the opening night of "Snoopy: The Musical." I sat in the wings during the show and watched Joni, Rachel, and Tad give an amazing performance. Megan, Leandra, Danny Jo, and I all hung out during the next day's show and made up our lives as the Lemon family, occasionally being interrupted to go onstage and sing for the choir. Faithe, Sam Niles, Nicole, Sam Dorrance, and Elizabeth all came to that performance, so I also got to see them too. So with speech and "Snoopy" out of the way, you'd think my life would calm down a little, right? Well, sort of. Pi Day came around (whoo!), which coincidentally is also Brianne's birthday. The Nerd Posse all went to a Waverly dance that night and had a blast - well, I did anyway. I felt like everything in my life was finally falling back into place. Sam and I were actually having a semi-functional relationship (whoo!), the Nerd Posse wasn't really fighting (whoo!), and I was just plain happy (triple whoo!). Immediately after that, I had to go spend spring break at my grandma's house in North Dakota with her and my mom. After spending the entire break working on History Day there, I came back just in time for another local show at the Waverly 4H Building. With History Day right around the corner, Nicole, Sam Niles, and I worked our tails off right up until we gave our HD performance at the Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. We were pretty much awful, but we advanced to state anyway. Mere days after that was All-State Individual Speech, where the NU kids worked for volunteer hours. I hung around taking it all in and fetching water for the judges, as well as sneaked off to go watch SamD's public address and hang out with my friends. Wrapping up March was the Between the Trees/The Honorary Title/Far-Less/Mae concert at Wartburg, with Erica and I in the exact front. March was probably my busiest month - but it was definitely the most fun. :]

"Jerod...I don't think we can do it."

"I should be Jordan Thomas because Jordan is a bisexual name!"

I still remember April 2008.

April showers didn't really exist this year - at least, not in the month's beginning. Blue skies and sunny days ushered in this month, and I found myself at the Waverly spring play, cheering for Megan Cotter and Sam Dorrance in their major roles. However, April showers, in the form of a light snow, came on the day of Waverly's prom, which Sam Dorrance took me to. We went with Sam Brooks and David, although once we got to the dance, I barely saw either of them. To be honest, prom was okay; but I found it extremely overrated. I much preferred hanging out at Kyle's house afterward with Sam and his friends. As April passed, Day of Silence came and went, as did the many jeers and taunts for supporting gays; my NU friends and I walked to the playground in the middle of the night and stayed up telling secrets and dancing to Bollywood movies; my Nerd Posse and I found ourselves at barn raves and local shows. I started to really get out and have fun again, with all my friends - Waverly friends, NU friends, boyfriend. I was just plain happy.

"Shot up that meth.
up through your veins,
darlin' you give edge a bad name."

"Ur so sweet. Nom nom nom..."

I still remember May 2008.


April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but May 2008 brought me a whole bouquet. The month started off with Choir Contest, which took place at Waverly. I inexplicably had a great time there, having all of my Waverly friends and NU friends in one place. I spent a lot of time with Sam Dorrance, introducing him to my NU friends. Both our choir and band got a one (whoo!), and we celebrated on the way back to CF by impersonating black women singers. Later on in the month, the Nerd Posse and I had some much-needed bonded time at another 4H show (as well as during a viewing of Lake Placid 2), and they actually got to meet a few of my Cedar Falls friends. Nicole, Sam Niles, and I headed out to State History Day and surprisingly placed as National Alternate (!!!!!). As the month went on, though, many relationships ended, including Sam's and mine. Soon the school year ended, and everyone at NU said goodbye to each other until next year. The goodbyes were sad, but laced with the excitement that three months of summer vacation awaited us.

"Hey, is that Devon? What it do, Devon?"

"We went to find something historical...on the roof."

I still remember June 2008.

The beginning of summer brought out what I had been building up towards all year - FUN! From tea parties to capture the flag in the dead of night, and from birthday parties to "magic flying glasses", I found fun wherever I went. However, the infamous Iowa floods slightly put a damper on things. After the floods, though, all my friends and I more than made up for lost time by hanging out as much as possible; and life was good.

"Simplicity is the spice of life!"

"LUKE, I IS NOT UR FATHER!"

I still remember July 2008.

With summer in full swing, I spent most of my summer hanging out with friends and generally still having a good time. Sam Brooks, Brianne, and I started to write song parodies for fun, and the Sams and I baked the biggest cookie ever. My family and I went on a summer vacation out East, where we not only saw 'The Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway, but I also fell in love with an adorable little girl named Lexi Brown. ("I'd rather be Lexi Pink.") When I came home, however, I was greated with not-so-great news: Nicole Mittelstadt, one of my very best friends, was moving to Illinois before the summer was out. After we all cried our eyes out, we pledged to each other that we wouldn't let something as trivial as distance keep us from being best friends; and from then on out, summer held a bittersweet tone.

"I think about him every time my mom wears those pants!"

"I'm gonna be the princess, and Daddy's gonna be the prince...and you, YOU get to be the pumpkin!"

I still remember August 2008.

August holds my favorite memory of the year: the Nerd Posse camping trip. As a goodbye party/summer end party, we hosted a camping trip at Sam Brooks's grandparent's house out in the country. We spent the entire weekend there, stuffing all seven of us into Sam's RV, and having a blast the entire time. It was a great last large group Nerd Posse memory until Nicole would come back and visit us from her new home in Illinois. (And I will never, ever forget the beanfield.) After that, I was carted off the my mom/grandma's again in North Dakota - and I couldn't get home fast enough. August flew by much too quickly, and soon the first day of school loomed in front of us, with a full summer behind us yet again.

"I just had the sudden realization that Brock is an African-American! I mean, all this time I just thought he was really tan..."

"YOU DIDN'T KNOW OBAMA WAS BLACK?!"

"PICK UP THE BEANS!"

I still remember September 2008.

September brought school back on full swing, which I strangely didn't mind. The schedule, however hectic, was comforting, and I loved getting to see a bunch of my friends every day again. In fact, September took Erica and I on a road trip to Iowa City to see The Morning Of/Breathe Carolina show at the Picador. It also kept us at home for CF's Blayhn Fest, a local show with tons of bands that played. Try-outs for the school play came and went, giving roles to me as well as Winky and several of my other friends. I started to connect more with different people at school, now that I was past the whole awkward new kid stage; and I found many good friendships because of it. September's end also packed a nice surprise: NICOLE HOME FOR A VISIT! Life was great.

"Virginia, vagina?"

"Hi, is Derek home?"

"Oh no, he's gone playing Magic."

I still remember October 2008.

By October, my life consisted solely of school, play practice, and friends. It was busy, but it was good. I spent a lot of my extra time (which I really didn't have) volunteering at the Obama Office in Cedar Falls. Nicole came home for another visit (!!!), and the Posse all went to a show in Waverly. And I continued to grow closer with several people, especially thanks to play practice. October went out on a high note on Halloween (for which I was a scenester), which I spent with Winky, Devon, Alex, Mason, and Kyle and found a group of friends that I can sit around around campfires and hum with. :]

"I am ballin', I am ballin'."

"Balls balls balls!"

"OH BALLS!"

"What about balls?"

I still remember November 2008.

If I thought last March was busy, I had no idea what was coming. November was a whirlwind for me - there was school, of course, and keeping up grades as the semester end approached. Then there was NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, a personal goal for writers to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Inspired, I settled down to do it, despite my extreme lack of free time. I did finish my novel "Leap of Faith", though, and I plan on editing it into a real manuscript later on. And then there was the play, "I'll Leave It To You", which came and went by much too fast. All of my Waverly friends came to see it, Nicole sent her wishes, and all of my NU friends were there in support as well. In addition to all of this, I also celebrated my sweet sixteen (whoo?) by going to Chicago to see Wicked (whoo!). Although November was extremely busy, it was extremely fun, and I was sad to see it pass.

"1, 2, 3...PWN! *arm motion*"

"Kyle rushes by, his long blonde hair flowing in the wind."

I still remember December 2008.

December marked the end of 2008; and for starting off in such a good way, it has been ending in a pretty good one too. The month started extremely stressful, what with the semester drawing to close, but as we got closer to the end, it surprisingly got easier to handle. Christmas came, as did my sisters, and went; and I spent a lot of the extra free time I had hanging out with friends. I was forced to say a temporary goodbye to Erica, who graduated early and moved down to Florida, but we got to spend a lot of time together before she left. And just today, I finally achieved something that I said I've been going to do all year - I went and got my driver's permit. All in all, it seemed like a great way to end 2008 - happy. :]

"Hey, that's kinda nice."

"The land of the free, and the home of the brave."

"Yeah, like baseball."

In the space of merely a year, so much has happened - so much has changed. I'm closer to the person I want to be and the paths I need to get there. I'm more accomplished and more knowledgable, and I've seen things that I've never seen before. But most of all - I'm happy. I can't even begin to describe how much happier I've been this year compared to last year; and although there have been some rough spots along the way, I hope 2009 proves to be even better.

Love,

Jordan

Dear God,

Thank you for keeping everyone feeling calm as the wheels skidded back and forth across the icy street. Thank you for clearing my mind of everything as we first went left, then right, then up onto the divide. Thank you for stopping the car's out-of-control spinning right before we crashed into the tree. Thank you for letting us pull out, safe and unharmed, the only damage done a shaky voice.

Thank you.

sweet&sour sixteen.

16) I care about my grades way too much.
15) I miss the Nerd Posse everyday.
14) I have a super low tolerance for being cold and for lack of sleep.
13) I know lots of people, but I often wonder if they know me.
12) I hate the way the Spanish language sounds.
11) I don't have a clue of what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.
10) I find myself using the word 'ballin' as a synonym for 'awesome' way too much.
9) I absolutely hate Hellen Keller jokes.
8) I honestly don't think that any kid in my generation knows the meaning of 'hard work.'
7) I don't get to read as much as I used to.
6) I pray to the God I'm not sure I believe in sometimes.
5) I try not to be easily annoyed.
4) I constantly have cravings for chicken lo mein.
3) I wrote a novel in thirty days.
2) I cried on my sixteenth birthday.
and
1) I really and truly like my life.