Dear straws, 

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the role you play in my daily life.

Though often overlooked, straws have proven to be incredibly useful and convenient tools that enhance our drinking experience in many ways. 

First and foremost, I thank straws for helping make drinking beverages easier and more enjoyable. Whether it’s a cold soda, a smoothie or a refreshing iced tea, straws allow me to sip comfortably without spilling or making a mess. This simple convenience is especially important when I am on the go, in the car or at social gatherings, where carrying a cup carefully can be challenging. 

Straws also play an important role in accessibility. For individuals with disabilities or limited mobility, straws provide a means to drink independently, promoting dignity and self reliance. This aspect of straws is often overlooked, but it highlights their importance beyond just convenience. 

Straws can also add a touch of fun and style to our drinks. From colorful plastic to reusable metal or bamboo straws, they can complement the presentation of a beverage, making it more visually appealing. This small detail can enhance celebrations, parties and everyday moments. 

However, I am also aware of the environmental concerns related to single use plastic straws. It’s encouraging to see the growing movement toward sustainable alternatives, such as biodegradable, reusable or compostable straws. This shift reflects a positive awareness and responsibility toward protecting our planet, while still enjoying the benefits that straw offers.

Overall, I want to thank straws for their practicality, accessibility and the little joy they bring to our drinking habits. Your presence, though often unnoticed, makes life a little bit easier and more enjoyable. I also appreciate the ongoing efforts to innovate and create environmentally friendly options, ensuring that straws can continue to serve us without harming our earth. 

With appreciation,

Kylie Mccullough (Staff Reporter)

Dear Dr. Hernandez,

You probably don’t remember me; maybe I never even registered as someone you did know. But I know you. I see you every day in the miracle of my mother’s life. 

I see you when we hunker down every Saturday to watch college football, cheering for Georgia, crossing our fingers Alabama will lose. I hear you when my mom sings along to Tupac and Fleetwood Mac on our way to the grocery store. I smell you when the scent of homemade chili wafts up the stairs, and I know dinner is on the way. I feel you when I’m annoyingly poking my mom’s arm to show my love, when we both cringe at physical affection.

I know that I don’t cross your mind; but you cross mine every day, whether directly or inadvertently. Because every time I think of, see, hear, smell, feel my mom, it’s also you. 

When my mom’s Stage Four Melanoma seemed to reach the end of its road, you plowed a new path. When chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy pills, radiation, long plane rides across the country weren’t enough to shrink the tumor eating away at my mom’s livelihood, you did what nobody else was brave enough to do; you took a risk. 

“Surgery isn’t an option,” every doctor at every institution told us. “The tumor is too big… there’s two tumors… the cancer has spread too much.”

But you decided to take on my mom’s case as one of your self-proclaimed “orphan cases.” I never thought I would be so elated to hear the word “orphan” in relation to my family. 

“The surgery was a success,” you told my family and I in an NIH waiting room. 

Because of you, I no longer have to pretend that my mom isn’t an inch away from death. Because of you, I get to see, hear, smell, feel my mom each and every day.

With love,

Claire O’Connor (Editor-in-Chief)

Dear reassurance,

Thank you so much for always guiding me temporarily back into sanity. But disappointing me in your repetition of the same unhealthy cycle. OCD loves you, but I’m starting to see your bad qualities. 

Reassurance, you never truly reassure me… isn’t that your one job? All you do is make things worse, but when I remember those times when I really needed you, in a healthy way, I remember why I’m grateful for you.

You really freak people out, when I have to ask for you up to ten times. It’s exhausting, and my OCD won’t get better with you here.

I think this is more of a send off; somebody may actually need you right now.

Reassure a family who needs some money. Reassure a mom who had a hard night with her toddler, and she just wants some sleep. Reassure a teacher that they will get their grading done. 

That’s when you shine, that’s when I carry the most gratitude for you. Just please, as much as I’m grateful for all the times you gave me a clear mind (for only but a small period of time), I know you belong somewhere else. 

So as much as this is a gratitude letter, it’s also a breakup letter. I want you when I need you, not when I need to go tell my mother I was joking about a playful dig four months ago in the middle of the night. Not when I need to look up the symptoms of food poisoning. Not when I’m scared I subconsciously took my meds twice without knowing.  

With reluctant love,

Will Ruscitella (Staff Reporter)