Laura Smith Writer

Category: Nonfiction

  • Resolutions, after all, it is a new year

    I am going to lose twenty pounds, meditate everyday and work out five times a week. I will give up sugar and caffeine and feel great. It will be a fresh start. The gym? Here I come.  Wait a minute…this is a set up for failure. I used to teach fitness classes at our local…

  • Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater

    I work in a high school and have been particularly disturbed by the prevalence of cheating. It seems as if it is the norm rather than a last minute “I forgot my homework” decision. What has become of our culture that the end product has become more important than the learning process? Look at our…

  • Habits and Procedures

    A wise man once said there is a group of habits and procedures he does regardless of the way he feels on a daily basis. For him, “I don’t feel like it” was no excuse. This I am hoping to make a part of my life. So far I have been eliminating substances which aren’t good…

  • Bucket Lists

    Creating a bucket list… I worked this summer with teens in a leadership program. We did different exercises on setting goals and even made bucket lists. The kids were amazing, some knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish, but others didn’t and had to put effort into creating a list of future endeavors. Sitting here…

  • After The Storm

    Sitting here after a rainstorm, the water is loud and falls from the mountain behind my house. Usually there is a small trickle but today the recent storm has turned this quiet section of woods into a powerful sight. I am sitting on a rock in the middle, wondering why I am so sad. There…

  • Life's a Beach

    It is my annual trek to the beach, such a strange custom. Everyone has their own temporary space. We get to see just how many of us have beer bellies and stretch marks. We get to see how our own bodies will look when we age and how they looked twenty years ago. We get…

  • Boston

    The recent (today) explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line has had a deep effect on me. Not only as a runner, but as someone who has completed a marathon, who knows that if I work hard, I too can someday qualify for Boston. Today I ran a little over 6 miles, I have a…

  • Just Words

    It has been a while, a long while. I have been student teaching and finishing up my Master’s degree. One of the courses I am teaching this semester is Advanced English Projects. Each of the students has their own blog, a list of these can be found on my teacher site, Twelfth Site. That said,…