I am proud of my strong love for the Bachelor. I’ve been cuddling up on the couch every Monday night next to my mom for as long as I can remember, so my dedication to each and every season of the show is pretty unwavering.

For my fellow fans, and for the curious, there is one contestant that has particularly earned the love and respect of all of Bachelor Nation. 

Madison Prewett, a 23 year old Alabama native and classic southern sweetheart has made an impression since night one. With her job as a foster parent recruiter and her strong profession of her faith from the beginning, she stole Peter’s heart as well as the viewer’s. 

Peter, however, has been the one to raise some flags about his intentions throughout the show. To me, it’s become so evident that Madison deserves better than a man that rewards drama and intentionally goes against her wishes for his own selfish desire.Peter rewards drama

Not just once, but MULTIPLE times we have seen Peter reward drama on the show. 

Madison was taken on the first one-on-one date, where she met the parents and dazzled the whole family, especially Peter. She caused no drama, and laid low while she watched all of the other girls fight over Peter. 

A lot of this fighting included contestant Alayah, who was accused of being fake and having bad intentions.

Upon Peter hearing about this, he continued to ask about it during each time he spent with one of the girls and even gave Alayah a rose when she came back after being sent home.

Peter has also had significant issues in his relationship with Victoria F. 

Victoria told him that he was in a “mood” every time that they talked and threw a temper-tantrum when issues arose during her hometown date. 

Victoria failed to effectively communicate with Peter, and have real, mature conversations that showed promise of being marriage-material. Despite this, Peter sent home two well-rounded, mature, and beautiful women for Victoria, showing her that he would put up with her immature behavior and once again reward the drama.

Peter slept with two women after being asked not to

As I mentioned, Madison has been adamant about her faith and her values since the beginning of the season. 

Part of this is that she chose to save herself for marriage. In expressing this to Peter, she told him that she doesn’t judge him or anyone else for not making the same choice and simply asked for her choice to be respected as well.

Before the fantasy suite dates (where contestants get a night alone with the Bachelor), however, Madison told him that, personally, she would not be able to continue a relationship with him if he chose to sleep with the other women that he was also dating.

She did not give him an ultimatum, and even told him that she did not want to tell him what to do, but simply told him that that was how she felt. 

I also think that it is a perfectly reasonable thing to not want your possible-future-fiancé to sleep with two other women a week before getting engaged to him, but that’s just my opinion.

Following this conversation, Peter slept with the two other women. Two nights in a row. And Peter most certainly would’ve slept with Madison the third night if given the chance.

While I don’t understand what being the Bachelor is like, I feel pretty certain that Peter did not have to sleep with all of them in order to know which one he wanted to send home. 

Peter knew that what he was doing would hurt Madison, and then tried to apologize when she found out.

Madison deserves someone that is certain about what they want, and deserves someone that wouldn’t intentionally go against her wishes and then try to make up for it after the fact.

The whole concept of the Bachelor is pretty messed up, I’ll admit it, but I believe that Madison is a genuinely good person, and deserves better than Peter.

Many of us know how powerful music is; it can change our mood in a matter of minutes, bring us closer with our friends through car ride jam-sessions, or make us feel euphoric through the entrancing energy of concerts. Most of us have that specific playlist for singing in the shower, or crying over a breakup. Music can take our emotions to the extreme, and exaggerate whatever we may be feeling in that moment. Your favorite artist might even know how to express your emotions better than you do. 

Music and Stress

Music is always helpful after a long day, and, especially for me, hits right at home on my drive home from school after a rough eight-period math test. Music is great for the everyday stressors of life, but what about something more serious, like surgery?

One New York trial studied two groups of people having the same surgery. One group was surrounded by silence, while the other listened to music before, during, and after their operation. The trial found that the group listening to music had significantly lower blood pressures than the group that underwent the surgery in silence. This group also reported feeling better and calmer throughout the process.

So what does that mean for us?

As high-schoolers, it is fairly rare that we undergo a serious operation, but that doesn’t mean that we should discount the stress that we go through on a daily basis. Like I said, those eighth period math tests haven’t always been so hot for me. I’ve definitely walked out of school a decent amount with a quickened pulse and a heightened blood pressure. 

We all experience the daily trials of a presentation, homework, or college applications. Some of us may even be going through something at home, such as dealing with the loss of a loved one, or not getting along with your parents as well as you used to. 

Stress affects us in real ways, and it’s important to find ways to cope with this in a healthy manner. 

Music is one of these ways.

Whether it’s playing or just listening, the power of music is undeniable. One of the easiest, and most beneficial things we can do for ourselves is to pull out our phones, go to our music app of choice (I personally prefer Spotify) and pop on a calming playlist to bring down those stress levels and treat ourselves to a little brain food.

Music and Connections

After playing an instrument for nearly ten years, I think that I can speak a little bit to the effects that music has had on me.

Sure, everybody likes to talk about how playing an instrument makes you smarter, makes you better at math, heightens cognitive functioning, but, in my experience, what music boils down to is human connection.

Music can give us an outlet for saying things we may not be able to otherwise say. For example, one of my best friends goes to school at Loyola University. She is off doing amazing things, but I miss her tons and our facetime calls will never be the same as our sleep overs and late night talks. I met her through being in curricular band and extracurricular music groups with her, and because of this, music has always played an essential role in our relationship. Keeping with this theme, she will often send me songs when she thinks I would like them, and has even made me a playlist titled “for Kyra”. 

Our connection began through music, and has only brought us closer throughout our years of friendship.

Music has brought me some of my best friends, and the opportunity to do what you love and play music with your friends is invaluable. It gives us an excuse to hang out at least five times a week and gives us an outlet to blow off some steam with some of the people that you love the most. 

That being said, you don’t have to play music or be a part of band to get the same growth in your relationships. Music is an incredibly powerful tool to let someone know you are thinking about them, and gives you an opportunity to connect with someone over shared feelings. 

Like I mentioned, those car ride jam-sessions can become a cherished memory of a time once free of stress. Music is an outlet to take some of the weight off of your shoulders and build relationships, simply by the press of a play button. So gather up some friends, and go put that playlist on repeat.