I have a monkey. Well, she's a dog but her name is Monkey. Her name is actually Hazel Grace, but she has lived up to the nickname Monkey. She is a 10-year old Basset Hound mix who is energetic but lazy all at once. She was born on April 18th, 2012 and I adopted her from the humane society when she was 4. My mom to this day says that, "she chose me." It was a typical afternoon, I was 14 at the time, and we had just lost our Basset Hound, Dayzee, to cancer. My mom was scrolling on the humane society website and came across, "Jessica:" 4-year old basset hound who had been returned to the humane society because "she didn't get along with kids." She showed the listing to me and my dad, she said, "look at this dog, isn't she cute? Let's go get her." I later found out that she was joking, but as she said this, I looked at my dad, then looked back at her and said, "yeah lets go get her." A couple hours later we were in a meeting room at the humane society waiting to meet her. As she bursted through the doors of the meeting room, she was screaming with joy, she wouldn't stop whining. I remember my mom looking at my dad and saying, "I'm not doing another dog that whines constantly." Hazel, who was named Jessica at the time, wouldn't stop trying to give me kisses. It felt right, like we were meant to be. Hazel was put back in her kennel while we discussed the decision as a family. My mom was very hesitant while my dad was care free. After an intense discussion of begging and an attempt to convince my mom, she said to me, "lets go walk by her kennel just one more time." It was a moderately busy day at the humane society and a few people passed by Hazel's kennel before we did. She sat still, and quiet. As we got closer, the second she noticed me, she went ballistic. Spinning in circles, screaming with excitement as if she was saying, "take me home, please take me home!" It was in this moment my mom knew, she had chosen me. She came home with us that day, and the rest is history. I am an only child, and over the years I have struggled with feelings of loneliness. I had never had a dog of my own and once I got Hazel, I never felt alone. We went together everywhere. She loves car rides, and throughout high school I would go on late night drives to cope with overwhelming emotions. She always went with me and stuck her head out the window, reminding me to appreciate the moment. Hazel never liked toys, but one day I saw a Monkey and I got it for her. This monkey was the first toy she attached herself to. The nickname, "Monkey," was born, and it stuck. Monkey has always been there for me, and when she's not there, I have her on m wrist. I got a tattoo for her, so she'd always be with me, even when she's not. Having Monkey reminds me of what's really important. To always live in the moment and that life isn't that serious. She reminds me that there's always a reason to push forward. Even when she's long gone, she will never be forgotten.

What is considered to be "healthy eating?" I've asked myself this question my entire life, mostly in the last year. As a type 1 diabetic, having not only healthy eating habits, but a healthy lifestyle is crucial. My disease revolves around everything I consume physically and mentally. Being a 20-year old who works full time and goes to school full time, upkeeping a healthy lifestyle sometimes falls short of being my number one priority. Nonetheless, it doesn't change how it important it is. Living a healthy lifestyle is important for anyone, not just someone who suffers from an auto immune disease, like myself. As humans our mental health is reliant on our physical health and vice versa. I myself sometimes forget that food and water is sustenance for our body and brain, it's energy. Think of it this way: a plant. It needs water, and soils. Water is hydration, and the soil is food. Without these elements, the plant will die. The same goes for humans. Without food and water, we will die, slowly, but surely. Now, when it comes to eating healthy, why should it matter right? Who cares if I want to eat fast food 10 times a week? Well, my body and brain does. Lets refer back to the example about the plant. If you give a plant soil that is rich in nutrients, it will thrive. Rather than giving it dollar store soil, and it being "just okay." This relates to humans in the same way. By providing our bodies with nutrient dense foods, our bodies thrive. Which in turn promotes benefits for our mental health statis. A few months ago, I started getting extremely conscious of my body and how I looked. I got so concerned with how unhappy I was with the way I looked. My eating habits at the time were poor, to say the least. I began working out, everyday, for about 10 minutes a day. After a month or so, I still wasn't noticing any changes, and was just unhappy as I was when I started. I then shifted my focus on to my eating habits. I tried to consume more water, and became conscious of what I was putting into my body. I realized that I only get one body, it is the vessel of my existence, and I need to take care of it, I need to cherish it. Present day, I am more focused on how I feel, rather then how I look. I am still not completely satisfied, but I am not negatively obsessing and I've felt happier about my body and health in general. Going through this process, I realized how important and necessary it is to give my body what it deserves. My mental health has improved tremendously and the way I perceive myself has become more positive. Implementing healthy eating habits and strategies early on is crucial, because one day, the realization of this, may come to late.