I have noticed lately, as I am sure many of you have as well, that our country is drowning in a wave of paralyzing negativity. The world I live in, on a college campus is no exception. This past week's events have certainly changed the climate, mood, and tone of conversation on campus. There's been plenty of protesting and many violent occurrences around campus. I’m sure you’ve realized it’s impossible to go on the Internet, read an article, or go on social media without negativity popping up somewhere. I've been feeling so suffocated by the helpless array of negativity around me that lately I've been desperately trying to be more positive than I usually am. To be positive for everyone who feel like they can't be. I have been trying to stay away from Facebook and it’s arguments and avoiding violence on campus to the best of my ability, but it's really hard when it's all around me.

And I've also been thinking, a lot actually, about what we can do to stay positive if we are afraid. What we can do to stay positive if we're upset. The truth is, if you are unhappy, there's nothing we can do to change what has happened. It is what it is. Maybe that's unfortunate for you, or maybe you're happy about it. Either way, we're still all American human beings and we still have to live in peace and harmony. I hope we can all find positives in a dark time.

I hope you know that you are beautiful. That you bring wonderful things to this world. I hope you know that you are loved. I hope you can take a deep breath and smile more. I hope you can think of the positives if you are feeling down. I hope you can think of things you can do to change the world. To make it something that isn't filled with violence and negativity, but positivity. I hope that can happen for our children. I Hope we can Make this world a place that they will be happy and safe in. I hope we can always find things we love, even if we feel like there's no way out. I hope you become addicted to saying things that matter. To people that matter to you.

This past week I was inspired after listening to a Broadway cast recording in which I heard these words I've been writing them on my hand every day: I hope you become addicted to saying things that matter. It's about saying things to help make people happy, to spread love. Whatever you're doing, or however you're feeling right now, I hope you become addicted to saying things that matter. Because in my heart, when negativity is surrounding me like a black cloud, the one thing that pulls me out of the deepest part of my mind is my words. I've become addicted to writing things, to sharing my words, to saying things that matter. A lot of people have grabbed my hands and read the words on my left hand and smiled this week. I hope that smile isn't something that just lasts for a second, but much longer. Become addicted, spread positivity, don't say things to hurt others or be negative. Say things that matter.