I was born and raised in Boise Idaho. Though most of my childhood was spent in Cascade Idaho. I think that I was raised in a small town friendly environment with people that would give a stranger the shirt off of their back. The family and the people they chose to have around me influence me as a person for the better. I was aloud to see the people I never wanted to become and those I aspired to be like.
I always really loved reading fictional mystery books. Or those books that depicted crazy hardships of teenagers, such as drug abuse. I read plenty of non fictional books school. As I got older I enjoyed reading autobiographies or biographies of people that had really hard or different lives then I did. Stories from other countries, the wars on human trafficking, drug king pins in the US.
I think friends and family is where I would get most of that information. Some times I will read news articles and websites that I know might be biased, like MSN news. As much as I should I don’t keep up with everything going on. If there is something I hear that I want to know more about or find out the unbiased facts, I will go looking for answers. I don’t take time every day to go over what is happening.
I spend all of my off time with family, riding dirt bikes, hunting, camping. I know that there are injustices happening all around the world everyday, but my priority is my family here and now, any free time I have is spent with family, I choose to focus on them rather than the other things happening around me. Obviously I know there is an importance in being aware, but I only have one life and have no idea how long it will be.
I don’t think I have a religious or spiritual journey. I do have the view that as long as what you are doing doesn’t harm me or another living creature it doesn’t hold any weight in my life.
Both my parents came from the same culture.
When I was little I can remember have night terrors about flying to see family after 9/11, I was an extreme worrywart. No doubt do live in a bubble in Idaho unaffected by the injustices happening around me, and I think there is a lot of bad in our world, but in mine, here in my bubble its good.
Growing up I was not aware of the animal abuse and injustices that occurred. I wasn’t aware of the amount of dogs euthanized because of overpopulation or how society chooses to ignore it because they don’t having voices to scream for help. Anywhere that I can give dogs a voice I will. If that means telling the people that are looking at the puppies in the Cabela’s parking lot about the genetic deformities that land these dogs that were bred by back yard breeders in our human societies I will. If it means calling some one out for abusing animals in public I will.
My parents were essential to shaping the person I am now. Giving me a chance to have a voice even on something we might disagree on. I was never silenced as a child for speaking on a topic I believed in or against. My parents allowed me and my sisters to experience things that some parents might have otherwise sheltered their children from. That alone helped shape who I am and what I stand for.
petewcook says
Hey Lindsay! Wow it does sound like we come from very similar backgrounds and have some of the same small town ethics and values! It sounds like you have had a very interesting and fun life! Dirt bikes huh? I love to ride snowmobiles! Look forward to reading more posts!
Pete
Leslie Madsen-Brooks says
Thanks for speaking up for the dogs, Lindsay. I <3 my dogs. Jake, who just turned six this week, came to us from a family whose dogs had puppies--he's a Lab/Golden retriever mix, but he looks like a giant Lab (120 pounds!). Our other dog, Jasmine, is an adult rescue (now 5 years old) from the Humane Society. We think she's a Malamute/Lab mix. Neither of them are especially bright, and around the house they stick to me like glue, so my spouse affectionately calls them my morontourage.
You can see photos of Jake and Jasmine by clicking on their names.
lindsayhaskins says
They are adorable!! I love that your spouse calls them your morontourage thats really cute! My boy looks just as dopy as them!