Prompt 4

Paradise

            It is an inevitable fact of life that at some point you will be stressed out. You will want to just throw in the towel and give up. There will be days somewhere along the line where you know that you can’t take anymore. These are the days that you probably just sit back and wish and envision your paradise. The dream vacation place that you know you will probably never get to, but that fact aside you still think about it. Well, at least that is what I do.

             My vision of an ideal vacation would be first off a place where I am alone! That is the number one rule. It will not, and I repeat will not be a family affair. This vacation is an Ashley by herself thing. Secondly, I would like it to be sunny and warm, not scorching and hot, just sunny and warm. My day would start with breakfast in bed, something new each morning. Then I would spend my days lying on the temperate white sand (even though I really don’t like sand) reading a book or something or just listening to my iPod. After a while of that I would go swimming, more or less floating, in the clear cool ocean water. In the afternoons I would enjoy a wonderful meal lunch and then go take a nap. When I awake from my refreshing nap I would go to a beach party or some type of entertainment and stay out all night long. I would repeat this pattern everyday, well for about a week because after that I would be so bored and lonely. But the point is for that week I would have had the most relaxing and enjoyable time of my life.

           

Prompt 5

Don’t Be Like the Dinosaurs

            My mom is always telling me “Girl you better be able to change and adapt, ‘cuz if you can’t you going to end up like the dinosaurs.” I usually just say something along the lines of “Yeah, mom okay”. But her words hold a lot more truth than I give her credit for; one of the reasons the dinosaurs are said to be extinct is due to the fact they couldn’t adapt to the changing world. The inability to be able to move with the times did the dinos in, and has also been the downfall of many people and civilizations over the centuries.

            Sometimes unexpected trials come up, you didn’t plan for them and it totally throws your whole agenda. But hey, that’s life what else can be said. Nothing in life is certain but death, meaning every thing from now till then is susceptible to change. If you can’t deal with that then you are just plain out of luck, because that is how it’s going to be.

            I think a personal example will do this prompt good. Okay so when you travel by plane there is this standby system called “buddy passes”. Buddy passes are literally passes given to airline employees that allow them to let a buddy/buddies fly free of charge on standby. Sounds too good to be true? Well you’re right it is, buddy passes are based on seniority scale. Meaning the longer the employee has been working on that airline the, more legit the pass is and the better chance you have at getting on the flight. So, my mom and I were going to Atlanta earlier this year and we were flying on buddy passes. The guy who we got the passes from had been working on the airline for 15 years. You would think that put us closer to top priority, it didn’t. We had been waiting for hours and the plane had already boarded, we were just about to go check on another flight when one of the ticket people said “all remaining passengers quickly go find a seat” . Now in all my years of flying I have never experienced anything like that. All the remaining passengers were rushing to get on the plane, the attendants were taking our carryon’s because there was no more space for them so they would have to be shipped. Complete chaos, but in the end we got on the flight and everything was good. Point of the story being we had to quickly change our plans from what we originally decided. If my mom and I had become too flustered and frustrated we would have probably missed our flight. But we stayed cool and collected; we were not going to be the dinosaurs in this situation.

Prompt 3

Fat Nation

Obesity has evolved from a little problem effecting a few people to a huge (no pun intended) problem effecting a lot of people. Not only is it bad for the individual, but it also takes a toll on us as a society. 

When a person is obese it means that they have a much higher level of body fat than is considered healthy. Obesity causes major health risks including but not limited to, heart disease, liver disease, bone and joint fragility, gallstones, diabetes and also certain cancers. Not only does obesity effect a person physically health wise, but obesity can harm a person mentally. Obese individuals tend to have psychological and emotional problems, according to Dr. Arthur Schoenstadt of www.MedTv .com.

As for the effects of obesity on society that is more of an economical downfall. When you are obese you are bound to have serious health issues, these health issues are going to require more doctors visits than the average person. With more doctors visits insurance rates are going to rise. Insurance companies have no choice but to increase the premiums due to the fact that obese people need more treatment. As consumers we feel this rise in the insurance rates in our wallets. Also we are hit as a society when the manufactures of, let’s say, seats -cars, planes, trains, etc. - have to increase the size of the seats they are making. Yes, each individual seat is not being increased all that much, but when you put it all in perspective you can see the big picture. The big picture being that that Ford that was once $6,000 just rose to $6,050 (www.weightofobesity.info). 

So you see obesity isn't just a personal issue, not anymore at least. It has become a societal problem that needs to be addressed and reformed for the sake of everyone in our nation.

 Bibliography

The Effects of Obesity on Society as a Whole.

Web. 7 January 2009 <http://www.weightofobesity.info/obesity/the-effects-of-obesity-on-society-as-a-whole-17/>

Health Effects of Obesity. “An Overview of the Health Effects of Obesity”

Web. 28 April 2009 <http://weight-loss.emedtv.com/obesity/health-effects-of-obesity.html>