Below is a listing of "This I Believe" essays submitted to the EVPL, ordered with the most recent at the top. Click on an essay's title to view.
Essays were accepted from June 20 through November 2.
Submitted Essays
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Today
- Lynn Powell, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Sunday, November 2 2008, 10:47pm.
I just got back from yet another trip to enjoy the ambiance of the fall season. It was such a lovely day to just be out in nature. The blue sky as the background and the beautiful yellow and red hues of the leaves made me feel glad to be alive. A distant hawk flying overhead with the occasional familiar formation of geese, made for such a feeling of appreciation to be a witness to the scenery. We ...
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I Believe in Rough Roots
- Bryan Cortez, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Sunday, November 2 2008, 6:31pm.
I believe in Rough Roots
I am proud of my Salvadoran background. I used to think it was a bad thing because of society's judging. It used to get annoying fast. People that noticed or tried to communicate with me automatically had an “idea” of who I was. I was instantly Mexican. When I stated their errors, they replied, “Well, don't you speak Mexican?” From then on I just became more frustr...
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Fact of Life
- Jessica McQuillin, Boonville, IN
Submitted on Sunday, November 2 2008, 2:52pm.
I believe in hairy toes. Hairy toes. Everybody has hairy toes. Black, wiry, long hairs sprouting from greasy unkempt toes.
We all know about each individual hairy toe that we possess. We know that the pinkie toe of our right foot only has one hair, but that single hair grows and grows--faster than the hairs on all of our other toes put together, no matter what we do to try to stop it. And a...
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I believe in crying over spilt milk
- Hiram Hoffman, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Sunday, November 2 2008, 2:15pm.
I sometimes wonder why people say “don't cry over spilt milk.” To me it is just a nice way of saying “I don't want to blame you so just don't worry about it.” I much prefer others to tell me where I have gone wrong - not tell me not to cry over spilt milk.
I stood before the fridge one Friday evening preparing to have my pre-bedtime snack, milk and cookies. I had craved them all week long and it ...
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"Take Time to Listen"
- Ellen Klein Cerling, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Sunday, November 2 2008, 12:19pm.
Studs Terkel died today. His death might not have made a difference in my life had I not spent a significant amount of time with one of his twenty-two books a few years ago. To write WORKING he traveled across America interviewing hundreds and hundreds of people about how they worked, where they worked, and why they worked. Eventually the book was made into a stage musical.
Working was the fi...
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I Believe in Print on Paper
- Stephen Cochran, Bufkin, IN
Submitted on Thursday, October 30 2008, 4:32pm.
In the age of the Internet and ubiquitous information, we've been told that it won't be long before we'll be able to store the sum total of human knowledge digitally, and have it accessible anywhere in the world instantaneously. But I believe that the best way to preserve and transmit human knowledge from age to age is print on paper.
First, there are very few human-made things the behavior of w...
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Powerless Not To Act
- Paula Boenigk, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Thursday, October 30 2008, 12:02pm.
When I was young I believed vehemently that the actions of people and events were beyond my ability to control. The first lesson in this belief system occurred around my eighth birthday far from home. I was enjoying our semi annual vacation visiting relatives in Montgomery Alabama. I was shocked to learn that we were going out to lunch. In 1958 families rarely ate out. I remember every detail of ...
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Meaning in Action
- Matthew Hummel, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Thursday, October 30 2008, 11:21am.
I believe actions here are all that matter. I derive meaning from my experiences since each one of them represents a truth about my life. My battle with depression nine months ago lead me to this idea.
Nothing could prepare me for the state of utter decay in which I found myself during my second semester of college. I stared in the mirror on my dorm room door and witnessed the ever-darkening cir...
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I Believe in Reading
- Don Crankshaw, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Thursday, October 30 2008, 10:49am.
As children we begin to read and we revel in the wonder of learning about letters and words. The first time I could read one of those cardboard children's books, I walked around for days with that book tucked protectively under my pudgy little freckled arm. All I remember now is that there was a tiger on the cover; I am sure the tattered remains were dispatched to the dustbin decades ago.
So...
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The Power of a Smile
- Alyssa Benton, Evansville, IN
Submitted on Thursday, October 30 2008, 9:04am.
I believe that a smile can brighten anyone's day. Smiles radiate happiness from a person's face and pass it along to another. They are contagious from person to person. I know that everyone has bad days, even tragic days where people feel like their world is crumbling down around them. I have had bad days just like the next person, but a smile from a friendly face can help make that bad feeling di...
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