Addario talks about her time in Darfur and how she simply should’ve carried more water. As she walks through the desert there are instances where she regrets her decision to carry only a few things of water and expresses how she thought she was going to die of dehydration. This is such a simple regret that we all face frequently in our lives. “I should’ve done this” or “I wish I had done this” is a thought everyone has. But I think her point was to express the gravity of simple decisions and actions like that. How something so thoughtless and little could lead to such a grave consequence.

I am often conflicted with these kinds of “regrets” now more than ever. Reflection gives you the power to recognize and acknowledge these when they happen but they also lead to dwelling on them. What we can learn from Addario is how she made it through despite not having a lot of water. Her regret was very much a physical consequence that threatened her life and health. The ones I am thinking of in my personal life are not quite that dangerous to my health but more my mentality. We make quick decisions, sometimes without thinking, and the consequences are very painful but with the will to carry on it is amazing on how little we can actually survive, just like Addario.

In my passion blog, I talk a lot about “pushing yourself”. For example, I will do sets where I am lifting my max reps or max weight and I carry out the exercise through the pain because that’s the whole point of exercise (to work your body so it gets stronger) and there is a feel good release that is actually quite chemical and neurological. It sounds a little messed up to do something painful because then it feels good but mentally knowing that you are stronger because of it or “survived it” is what motivates me and gives my body the strength it needs to increase the intensity to get even stronger.

At the end of the chapter “You, American, Are Not Welcome Here Anymore” I found the last paragraph rather compelling. The idea had just been presented that she was needed in Istanbul. Her response was, “I knew nothing about Turkey. Within months I had moved to this country to which I had no ties and whose language I did not speak. It didn’t matter. I would be there for the next war.”

To end a chapter on such a suspenseful note is a great writing tool. She drew me in and left me wanting to move on to the next chapter. She explained the choice that was presented to her and reacted to it despite not having any background in the country. She simply made a fearless decision and shut down any idea of arguing with her.

You go into a situation not knowing and are determined to stick it out and be there for your original goal. That is essentially how I would implement this in my own writing. I love her style of short choppy definitive sentences. It is similar to how I have written in the past and I think it gives a blunt edge that resonates with your audience.

Personally, I have also made decisions and gone through with actions without knowing much about the subject at hand at first. There are many days I go into the gym not knowing how to do a specific exercise but I put it on my routine because I know I will have to learn it. I joined water polo never having swam competitively. I was never on swim team and had no idea what you did in water polo. But I had the choice to get involved and push myself through the discomfort and in doing so I think I could write like Addario and lead my audience through these decisions.

Nana’s love story is a reminder to us all that we will never know the life we didn’t choose and the path we didn’t take. Fate leads us where we need to be and our action and inaction is all a part of life. There are things we are passionate about, sometimes even people, that play a role in our lives but only for so long. They are meaningful, impactful, and special as everything that happens to us serves a purpose. The things that happen to us good or bad are meant to be accepted, learned from, appreciated, and reflected upon.
In Lynsey’s case… maybe it is her career that she can compare it to. Just because her passion is dangerous and risky doesn’t take away from how much of an impact it can have in her life and of others. Just like her nana and Sal, although they didn’t end up together doesn’t take away or erase how passionate they were.

For me my passion is fitness and my health. I think back on all of the years that I spent struggling with my weight and all of the diets and exercise plans I tried and failed at. Without, I don’t think I would have discovered this passion and strength I have. I second guess decisions a lot. Nana’s story is an ode to trust the process. I can attest that putting in the work and trusting in yourself will lead to better things. My blog is about who I am today. How I am pushing myself, growing, and learning more about fitness and health. In terms of fitness when you lift weights you are literally making microscopic tears in your muscles that will grow back stronger. That is how you make progress and get stronger. So figuratively and literally my blog is about putting in the work in order to build yourself up… stronger.

I read Lynsey Addario’s It’s What I Do a year or two ago and had sought her out along with other authors whose work centered around global conflicts. They have brought to light some of the darkest situations our world faces and have made impacts in communities that are suffering. Something I am passionate about is aid work. I have traveled to multiple countries to do community service work and have been everywhere from Central America, the Middle East, to Southeast Asia.

I am majoring in Global Conflict with a minor in Arabic because I do not want to be a bystander in today’s conflict-ridden world when I could be taking action to aid those affected. I could blog about the stories I have from those countries or current humanitarian issues. But the problem with that is those events are far away (either already have happened or they are geographically distant), making it hard to gain material to write about.

However, something more mainstream along the lines of passion (and worth blogging about) is my love for fitness and exercise. I am an avid weight lifter (Mon-Fri 5:30 am-7:00am), I participate in fitness/sports oriented clubs, and I train with a personal trainer. In addition to the exercise component I enjoy leading a healthy lifestyle that includes being outdoors and eating clean. I love finding new nutrition and supplement ideas as well.

This is something vital to who I am today. I revolve my everyday life around my health and fitness and it gives me motivation each day. I care a lot about the health and fitness of others in addition to myself. Blogging about this part of my lifestyle would give me the chance to share that passion with others. I feel that this idea would have a lot more substance to it.