Brandon bernard

Our justice system is messed up.

Brandon Bernard, may he rest in power, was executed on December 10, 2020, at 9:27 pm by lethal injection by the federal government of the United States. This was murder, just because it was government sanctioned, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it was murder.

Brandon Bernard was 18 years old when he was sentenced to death for a crime committed in 1999, the government and jurors had an incomplete picture of Brandon and what he did. Stacie and Todd Bagley were the couple who was shot and murdered by Christopher Vialva (executed on September). Bernard was tasked with getting rid of the evidence by burning the couple’s car. He didn’t have a leading role in the crime. The couple was dead before this fire. I’m not excusing what Bernard did, it was wrong, and it was bad. However, Brandon did not deserve to be put to death.

Brandon was a father of two daughters. He was a son. He only saw his family through a glass wall. Throughout his 20 years of incarceration, he demonstrated positive behavior, he changed his behavior for the better, and helped at risk youth with the intention of leading them away from going down the wrong path. 5 of the 9 jurors (the same ones from 20 years ago) regret their prior decision to sentence him to death.

“Bernard’s last words, which were more than three minutes long, were directed to the Bagley family, according to the pool reporter present at the execution. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day.” ( CBSNEWS )

If these are my last days… I hope that my death will bring a meaning other than destruction and it will ripple through generations positively.

– BRANDON BERNARD

It’s important to remember that Brandon Bernard’s case is not a one time thing. It’s the system that we currently have that make POC in this line of fire of injustice and inhumane treatment. We need to keep on fighting and keep on putting our voices out there to change this. We need to keep educating ourselves and helping each other in whatever way we can. Spreading the word, sighing a petition, making a call, being vocal, keep on keeping on to help in creating a positive change. There’s already so much pain and hurt and hardship that’s been affecting everyone especially this year. Your voice is heard and what you do is important. No justice, no peace.

· 16 lessons I learned at 16 ·

Might have turned 16 a couple months ago but it’s never too late to do something. So here goes this blog on 16 lessons I learned at 16. It gets a Lil deep and some of the lessons are pretty awesome: so, grab your blankets & tea and let’s get this going. 

LESSON 1:

 – messy Room = messy mind – 

Yup, you get the idea. The state that I leave my room in usually equates to the state of my mind. It doesn’t help with thinking when your environment isn’t tidy. Have you ever tried doing your homework, or tried finishing a project but distraction just keeps seeping in from all the silent noise which we call mess? I know, very annoying. Set aside time to give your base (a.k.a ur room) some appreciation and CLEAN. IT. UP. Also, just a heads up, this does not mean stuffing everything under your bed, in your closet, a backpack- you know what I’m talking about. Apart from being a good habit, cleaning up your room helps with mental clarity, too.

LESSON 2:

 – if it takes 5 minutes to do it, DO IT – 

AND I ACTUALLY MEAN DO IT. This is a lifesaver and applying this helped me so much with putting on my armor and defeating procrastination. You know you have that homework that would just take 5 minutes or less of your time if you really just put your mind to it? DO IT.  Do you see that small pile of dishes that would take barely a smidge of your time? DO IT. You’re going to thank yourself later. Think about it, if you just keep pushing off all the small tasks aside for “later”, they’re going to add up to an overwhelming amount. So, just to remind you: tackle that task, get it done, & just DO IT (now).

 

LESSON 3:  

 – fleeting pleasure < long-lasting happiness – 

It was kind of funny how I got to say that this lesson reached the list. There was just a random morning when I was walking with my sisters when this truth got knocked into me. This is what hit me: when we try reaching our goals, as innocent as it may seem, fleeting pleasures pop up luring us over to miss the opportunities we get for long-lasting happiness.

I repeated to my sisters saying “we keep choosing FLEETING PLEASURES OVER LONG-LASTING HAPPINESS, we. MUST. end. this.” Yes, I was very dramatic as I came to my conclusion.

Fast forward a couple days later: I was walking around the supermarket when my sisters and I reached the chips aisle. Yumma, Chipppps! I jumped in the air throwing some punches into the vastness as I waltzed my way to the Cheetos. I can confirm that my sisters shared my enthusiasm, however, as I attempted to grab a bag, my sisters, in unison, shouted in repeat: “FLEETING PLEASURES OVER LONG-LASTING HAPPINESS”. Ooooh, sweet mother of apple crumble pie. I continued to grab the chips anyway, looking at it intensely. I took a breath in, placed the chips back, and waltzed my way out. I muttered under my breath, “hahaha, you shall not win this time, fleeting pleasures…”

MY LONG-LASTING HAPPINESS: Improving my eating habits, and keeping my body healthy

(One of the) fleeting pleasures (that discreetly pop up): Chips

Okay, I know that this might not seem like such a big deal. But, IT IS. It represents fleeting pleasures that people choose which sabotage their plans for something more awesome. I learned that when you find yourself grabbing that bag of chips (this can be that drink, that slice of cake, that misdeed), take a breath and say to yourself “I want long-lasting happiness over this (silly) fleeting pleasure” and walk away. When you start this with the small stuff, you’ll be able to do it with bigger things in life that you face.

 

LESSON 4:  

– don’t take it personally if they don’t know you personally – 

There will be many times in your life when people choose to judge you without even thinking. They might say hurtful things that don’t make any sense to you, some people are just like that. You know yourself, and you are worth so much. So, don’t let what someone says about your bring you down and stay strong warrior.

 

LESSON 5:  

– guard your heart – 

“Above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” ~ Proverbs 4:23

Going off from the previous lesson it is so important to guard your heart. Your heart matters most of all. When we guard things (like a cute puppy we just adopted, for example) we protect it. Why? Because it is valuable. We guard things that are valuable. Your heart is the essence of who you are. Make it your top priority to guard your heart. What does guarding your heart mean? It means knowing your worth and believing it so much that whatever somebody else might say, YOU KNOW YOUR VALUE.

 

LESSON 6:  

– good music is good for the soul –

Music is amazing. Music is goooood. Good music = good vibes = happy soul. Sing out loud and dance, dance, DANCE.

 

LESSON 7:  

– don’t become the person who hurt you –

Be you, and be mind. I know it hurts. Don’t change who you are but learn from it. Please, remember, you are not the person who hurt you, you are a million times better than that. Not everyone has the same heart as you, so choose kindness no matter what others may show. The way someone acts is a reflection of themselves and not you. It’s okay to not be okay, but show the good human that you are.

 

LESSON 8:  

– you are who you surround yourself with –

Surround yourself with people who will be a positive influence in your life. Be around those who are kind, who support you, and bring out the best in you. Surround yourself with people who keep you smiling and that keeps you laughing until your tummy hurts.

 

 

LESSON 9:  

– saying “no” doesn’t mean you aren’t kind –

You have to learn how to say “No”. I know how hard it is. There might be someone asking for a favor from you but you really can’t or you don’t want to. I will tell you this, it’s okay to say “no”. The problem is, sometimes, when people know that you are kind, they try to take advantage of that. Saying “no” just means that you care about your own boundaries and limits, it does not make you a bad person.

 

LESSON 10:  

– you aren’t missing out if you decide to stay home and fix your life –

You need time for yourself. You need time to heal and get your life together. You’re not missing out if you decide to stay home, wear a face mask, play your favorite music, and skip the football game. One of my favorite self-care remedies is mixing together my peppermint and lemon oils and smelling them. It helps with distressing the stresses that life has. 

 

LESSON 11:  

– smile & give back –

Everyone has their story. Everyone is going through something. Sharing your smile with someone can go a long way. Giving back is so important. It’s your way of helping out in the community, making an impact, and so much more. Giving doesn’t always mean money donations, but it can also mean by your time. Volunteering and helping out around. Volunteering just brings me great joy as I help in any way I can to those who need it, and I’ve met some of the most amazing people, too.

 

LESSON 12:  

– a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor –

I know it’s a tough season that you might be going through. You will get through this. There is a reason for these things that happen and it can help us to grow, to grow in our experience, faith, maturity, and even relationships with other people. The tough seas will help as more adventures, seasons, and storms come at us. 

 

LESSON 13:  

– we are a team –

What happens when you’re in a team? You look out for each other. When someone is falling behind or needs a chance at shooting a shot, we help them, we cheer for them, we motivate them. When one of our team members makes a mistake we stand beside them and show them they’re not alone. That’s how a real team roles. They with each other and for each other. 

In reality, though, we are all in a team. Whether it’s that group of people you were placed with during your math class or a bunch of people you decided to have lunch with one afternoon. We are all in this together (yes, as famously quoted by High school musicallllll), it’s true. So, love what you are doing and love who you are doing it with. Help one another when one is struggling. Be the team player with everyone, and don’t give up on anyone.

 

LESSON 14:  

– character > reputation –

I learned this year that you need to stop investing so much time and effort into controlling other people’s opinions. It’s not possible. Be fully and unashamedly who you are. 

LESSON 15:  

– you might not be able to control what others do, but you can control how you react –

You can watch every step you do but there’s just going to be someone out there trying to make things unreasonably hard. Although we can’t control how others treat us, we can control our reaction to it. You can choose to pop like popcorn and scream your anger out like a kettle, or, you can take a walk, collect your thoughts, think about the reasons why that person might be acting that way, and respond kindly and move on.

 

LESSON 16:  

– family, always & forever –

Family, it’s so important. Whether it’s your birth family, your blended family, your chosen family, the health of your relationship with your family is important. Family isn’t always about being biologically connected. Family is so much more than just bloodlines or last names. Family doesn’t see race, color, differences. Family sees heart. Family are those people in our life who commit to love and support despite your shortcomings or mistakes. It’s secure, like roots, that help us through tough weather and is there holding us up. Family, keep them close and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for choosing them over others.

I’m still learning every day, and, I know some days may be tougher than others, but keeping these lessons in mind helps me to keep moving forward knowing that there’s a reason and that I will become stronger because of the storms. 

 

hope your monday was filled with endless laughs 🙂

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

 

Lucid Dreaming, Time Well Spent ☁️

Quote of TRUTH: “If you must sleep through a third of your life, why should you sleep through your dreams too?” ~ Stephen LaBerge

An average human spends about 33 years of their life in bed; 26 years of the 33 will be spent sleeping while the rest is used up in trying to get oneself to sleep. The average life expectancy ranges from 75 to 80 years. During the time of sleep, the average person normally experiences around 4 to 8 dreams per night. Looking at the numbers, a person undergoes roughly more than 100,000 dreams in their lifetime. Dreams, where the dreamer is aware and conscious that they are dreaming, is known as lucid dreaming. Although being able to control the dream is sometimes not attainable at the start, this can be achieved in the future with more exercise. There are many benefits that the dreamer may get when they lucid dream. With this practice, one would be able to add to the list of experiences they’ve had in their life, overcome fears, discover new things, and so much more. I believe that if more people were to practice lucid dreaming they would be benefitting themselves more in every way.

 

Lucid dreaming is a gateway to opportunity. And, because of this reason, many get drawn to the idea of lucid dreaming. It allows you to do what you couldn’t or wouldn’t normally do when you are awake. Flying, tasting the clouds, planet hopping, running with lions, and the list goes on. Your mind is a powerful tool; the things it may imagine are endless. Many have practiced this and had the ability to walk when they couldn’t walk and so much more. Lucid dreaming is truly beneficial. For my experiment, I got 10 different people, half of the group boys and half of the group girls. The ages are ranging from 14-18. For a whole two weeks, after explaining to them what lucid dreaming is, I asked to practice and achieve lucid dreaming. Then, I recorded what they had experienced and if they thought it to be beneficial to them as well.

 

For the first week of the experiment, a majority of the group had a difficult time getting to lucid dream. It does take some practice so I had told them to keep trying until they had done it. The experiment took a week or so longer than I had anticipated because lucid dreaming was only properly achieved during the end of the second week and the beginning of the third week. Although not always possible, more than half of my dreamers were able to achieve lucid dreaming in less than 4 weeks, fortunately. During the third week of the experiment, this is when I started to record the results. After lucid dreaming, the group had reported feeling they had more determination as they fell asleep with their new discovery with sleeping. They also said lucid dreaming was really entertaining and had benefited with some things they had always wanted to do. One example, Chloe, age 15 and one of my volunteers in this experiment, has done modeling before but still had the lingering stage and people fright as she walked the stage. During lucid dreaming, she practiced repeatedly going up and down the stage for her modeling. When Chloe had another modeling session, she said that her confidence was noticeably better and she didn’t seem to have much problem anymore with her stage fright. This is only one of the examples from the whole group and I think it really helps prove that lucid dreaming can be really helpful when trying to solve these problems, like different fears.

 

I didn’t know the proper advice to give, at the start, to let my dreamers acknowledge they were in a dream and start lucid dreaming. However, I was able to gain good insight eventually on ideas to give my dreamers as I read a study that was done. This study was conducted by a group of researchers at Stanford who was helping their subjects they were testing to remember they were dreaming. One of the writers of the book had claimed, along with the backing of “thousands of other lucid dreamers” that lucid dreams are truly a wonderful, vivid, exhilarating, extraordinary, and intense experience. With their study, they were able to aid a few dreamers on how to achieve this. The experiment was using cues to remind the dreamer that they are dreaming. The first thing that they did was cue the dreamer as they slept with a tape-recorded message that repeatedly said: “This is a dream”. The results of this first test gave feedback on the proficiency of the tape-recorded message as a cue. Some of their subjects were able to lucid dream with this, however, the first few attempts showed the problems: it awoke the dreamer with the sound or the dreamer completely ignored the message. The next test was using vibrators strapped to the subject’s ankles. Throughout the day, as the dreamers were awake, they would practice telling themselves that they were in a dream whenever they felt the vibration. The results showed that the 11 out of 18 dreamers were able to lucid dream with the vibration cue. However, they tried another kind of cue as the vibrations “…posed a number of technical difficulties”. Finally, they tested a cue using lights. There were more results to their subjects who hadn’t even yet got to lucid dream. This research resulted in the fact that using sensory cues are useful and effective when helping to lucid dream and that the dreamers may really benefit from it. (LaBerge, S., & Rheingold, H., 1991)

 

The health benefits of lucid dreaming are also included in these lucid dreams. It is proven that those who frequently lucid dream are higher on the LOC scale (Blagrove, M., & Hartnell, S. J., 2000). LOC stands for the Locus of Control. In the 1950s, Julian Rotter brought up LOC to the surface. It is said that one with an internal locus of control believes that he or she is the one in control and have the influence to their outcomes and goals. However, those with an external locus of control believe that everything that happens to them is by fate or nature, and the only thing to blame for an inconvenience would be the outside forces. This means that with more practice of lucid dreaming, the person doing this would have a higher standard of being and have more positivity, which is good.

 

In another study conducted in Vienna by Doll, Gittler, and Holzinger (2009), they had a total of eighty-nine subjects. There were 42 women and 47 men who volunteered to be in the study, the mean age of the group was 36.25 ± 10.42 years. The purpose of the study was to see the health benefits that lucid dreaming had to those who practiced it. As the study went on, they were able to prove that the frequent lucid dreamers were able to show better mental health than those who were non-lucid dreamers. These researchers were able to make known that truly just by lucid dreaming, the mental state one is in, has the ability to become better and more improved.

In conclusion, lucid dreaming is possible to achieve and when it is achieved there are so many ways that it benefits. Although it may take some time, practice, and patience to reach that goal, it’s still out there possible to do. There are already thousands that practice it for pleasure and health benefits. I would say that my hypothesis is proven to be true as lucid dreaming is truly beneficial in so many ways and that it’s time well spent once you do master it. And, as time goes on, hopefully, lucid dreaming will be practiced by more and more people and use all their time sleeping in a better more efficient way.

 

Do you agree?

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria