The Last Seven Days

Saturday my Uncle Rudy passed away.  Then I found out that a classmate of mine from high school has too.  My thoughts have been pretty cloudy. School and work and my schedule in general has been interesting to say the least.

Today I focused my thoughts and prayers on peace. Peace for my friends and family who have been affected and stressed by loss or any troubles. I hope we find peace.

I've always thought that happines is what we should be working towards. This week has shown me that peace is far more valuable. You don't have to be elated to be at peace. You just feel a calm. That second of, "You are going to be fine."  Peace.  Hope for peace.

Natural

Today I looked like this. No hair products. No make-up. Nothing fancy. Au natural.

We live in a society where putting your eyebrows on before you walk out the door is a necessity, wearing makeup at the beach is normal and having "cute" gym clothes is a thing. For most people ages 12-30 our lives are focused on finding love in a world of likes, views and reposts. It's no wonder I feel this need to look like I'm doing ok when I'm not.

I have these days when I tear myself down. For a while I would have men that I was interested in validate that I was a good person, that I was beautiful and smart. It's been a while since I've gone on a date and I've had to turn to the one person I was hiding from, my harshest critic, myself.

Sometimes I forget what it is like to be beautiful on the inside without all the make-up and hair products and other girly things. I forget what makes me a reliable and strong individual. I forget that I can be confident without those extra beauty boosts. So today I didn't do anything special to my face or hair. I went to work in the morning. My day went on as normal. I was around my family. My day went on as normal. I went to the post office and a man called me beautiful so I said thank you and my day went as normal. I went to school. I did my work and guess what...my day went on as normal.

We spend so much money and time on hair and make-up and we don't even need it. It does make us feel beautiful but we have to remember that beauty shouldn't come from a can but from our minds and our hearts. We must be beautiful in our thoughts and actions because that is what matters the most and makes you...you.

Today I felt, beautiful. I honestly hope that you did too.

XOXO.

Bikinis & Actions

I'm fed up with fighting for what "I should" think is modest. I'm tired of hearing people tell me what they believe is appropriate for me to wear at certain times of the day. I am done with feeling ashamed of what I look like and what I want to wear because it can understood as a gateway for men to objectify me. NO. 

Stop saying that women should just wear one piece bathing suits because it promotes promiscuity and makes men lust after women. Will men see a woman in a bikini and think lustful thoughts. Sure. However! Don't you dare say that women will not do the same. Women have eyes and we will objectify men (period) I'm not saying that go forth and run free with no clothes on. I'm saying that it is ok to love your body. It is ok to love other bodies. STOP TRYING TO SHAME PEOPLE. You are teaching young girls that it isn't ok to wear certain items because we are the cause and the blame for the actions of men if they pursue us purely based off of what we look like. How evil! We should be teaching all people to continue to pursue someone of their liking do to their thoughts and actions. We are always going to have urges that attract us to someone. We're animals! We have a mating ritual! And as primitive as it sounds we do chose our mates off of what we believe is going to produce the fittest spawn. 

I would like to believe that we all have the ability to see past material and primitive aspects of mating. I would like to hope, because I am a young single person, that those I do purse see me more as soul and less of a sack of pleasurable looking and feeling skin and bones. 

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Cor 6:19-20) 

He DIED for us and our sins. We should honor him by what we DO with our bodies and our minds. We should not judge by what is on them but rather who they are and what great things they have to offer.