Is being yourself really being yourself? Aren't we just a combination of things that have affected us in our lives? Everyone always says to "be yourself because everyone else is taken." We are who we who we are because of our successors, people who affected us, and people who left their mark on us. The books we read, people we meet, and things we experience all shape us into the people we are today. Thus, language and literature play major roles in our development into individuals. Every student may read the same book for a class; however, the influence the book has on every person will be different. I guess you could say that books not only give us insight into life, but they also allow us to form our own opinions and reactions to many events in our lives as well.
 If you really think about each of us is like a math problem. We can all have the same numbers but also have a different answer at the same time. Take me for example. I love sports and let's say that sports is the number two. There are other people in the world like sports so there number would also be two but let's say my favorite sport was softball. Now I have 2+3. They might be 2+4 for sports and basketball. We both have the number 2 for sports but what makes us different is that we each like a different sport. So now, we have a different answer. An answer that makes us individuals with just enough in common to still be connected to one another.

Is snail mail the best kind of mail?

With all the technology we have today, you can write an email anytime, message someone on Facebook whenever, or even text a person in a flash. Don't get me wrong, these things are all great and come in handy when you need to send something to someone quickly. But what about the old-fashioned "snail mail?"

That's right. I said snail mail. Actual pieces of paper in envelopes put in a mailbox for you to retrieve later that day. I use to love getting mail for my birthday, Christmas, or just because. Actually, I still love getting mail. You see, there's something about seeing an envelope in the pile of mail you just lugged inside that makes the day just a little better. It sounds ridiculous, but it's true. The moment you get something hand writtten in the mail, whether it be a card, letter, or invitation, you immediately open it without hesitation. I guess what makes mail so great is that you don't really expect it. I can honestly say that I am constantly checking my emails for updates on meetings, practice, games, etc. Rarely is there ever something that makes me smile or enlightens my day. The reason being, I think, is that we expect to get these kinds of notifications. Mail, on the other hand, leaves us to be surprised everytime because we do not expect to get any most of the time. Being surprised by a letter and knowing that someone took the time to write it and make it perfect, now that's something technology can't give.