The Little Things You Do Matter

Apr 28th, 10 / 0 Comments

People don’t understand the impact they have on other people. I know this, because people often don’t realize the impacts they’ve had on me. When I explain it to them, they’re often surprised, because they just don’t see it. That might just be because I’m an introvert and don’t always express things the way people expect, but I suspect it’s the same for most people, and they just don’t understand how much they influence people.

Here are some things people have done that have had a big impact on me, even though they are small things:

-I’ve been asked me why I was angry all the time, and what I was going to accomplish by it. This person was concerned about me and how I dealt with things, and wanted me to be able to express what I wanted productively. Thinking about it, I realized I would accomplish nothing by lashing out the way I used to, and it would be more constructive to do something about the reason I was angry instead of just yelling.

-Invited me out to a gathering of people and engaging me. I’m an introverted person, and I don’t talk much unless I have something to say. By talking to me and pulling me into the conversation with others present, they pulled me into the group and included me, making me realize how much I valued relationships with other people. Since then, I’ve realized it’s good to put in a lot of effort to make good friends and spend time with them, and do so often.

-Told me all the good things that they saw in me. Let’s just say it was a rough time in my life, and hearing that gave me a much needed confidence boost to realize I could push on and make things better.

-Invited me into the dorm community at college. Three people in particular went out of their way to make me feel included in the things that were going on in both our dorm and around campus at large. That made me feel like it was safe to put myself out there and get to know people, which helped me make a lot more friends and get to know people better. Not only that, but it makes social situations easier for me to this day. It probably helped that a lot of us were huge geeks anyway.

-I’ve thought about doing a few things just because it’s assumed you should by society at large. Then I thought about what a couple close friends would think of it and realized it would be really stupid to follow through. Just by being friends with me and accepting of me, they stopped me from doing some stupid things.

So yeah, those are just some examples. They’re all small things, and a lot of people do these kinds of things without even really thinking about it. But they really do matter. Sometimes, if one person doesn’t do it, someone else will. Other times, it really takes someone close to a person to get the message across, and just being close to that person is significant all on it’s own. In any case, don’t underestimate how you’ve effected others in your life. You’ve probably done more than you know, unless you’re extremely aware of how people react to you. So if you’re wondering what you’ve done that’s worthwhile, just think of the little things. They usually matter more than you realize.

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Soda Without the Corn Syrup

Mar 30th, 10 / 2 Comments

I don’t drink a lot of soda. Most of the flavors don’t appeal to me, and the ones that do (such as lemon-lime and orange) can be had much better through actual fruit juices. Now, there’s even more reason to avoid the stuff though. A recent study showed it’s likely that corn syrup causes more weight gain than normal table sugar. The linked experiment was done using rats, which is why I say it’s likely to cause more weight gain. The rats who had access to corn syrup all gained weight while those who ate table sugar did not.

So, what’s a soda lover to do? Make your own! You may not be able to get all the flavors you’re used to, but you should be able to find something you like. You only need two things to do it too: some carbonated water and a fruit juice that doesn’t use corn syrup. Sticking with 100% juice is probably healthiest, though if I’m making soda I usually worry about flavor first after being sure there’s no corn syrup in the drink. I like using martini and margarita mixers as they usually have enough flavor to still have some kick after being diluted. I just dilute them with carbonated water to make soda instead of the relevant alcoholic drink.

The high quality mixers usually have fruit juices and cane sugar rather than corn syrup, and they are completely worth the extra dollar or two. With juices, it might be worth picking up a concentrated fruit juice to mix with the tonic water, though it also might be harder to find a concentrate that doesn’t use corn syrup. If you prefer fresher juices, by all means stick with those, as they’re likely healthier anyway, and the trick is to try to make it as healthy as possible.

If you really want to stick with more familiar flavors, you can probably find some recipes floating around the internet, then just substitute healthier alternatives, most notably table sugar for corn syrup. You can also leave out all the food coloring not already in your ingredients if you go this route. While not appreciably healthier, it at least kicks some of the stuff out.

Still, I prefer making my own flavors from juices and heartily recommend you try it out. They have more tang to them than colas do, and they’re as simple as mixing tonic water with juice or a mixer of some kind until you have the taste you want.

In any case, if you’re a soda lover or just looking to try something new, I hope this gives you some ideas. Happy mixing.

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