You Don't Know You're Beautiful

A few weeks ago I heard a commercial that seriously disturbed me. There I was, getting opening things done at work, rocking out to pandora as I usually do before work, when I hear a commercial for a tanning salon that I couldn't even believe. I wasn't really paying a whole lot of attention, because let's be real here, I obviously don't give a rip about tanning salons. Anyway, I caught part of the commercial and the part I caught said something along the lines of, "When you're tan, you'll feel better about how you look and the outside. And when you like what you see on the outside, you'll like what's on the inside better." So what I took from that was that in order to feel good about myself as a human being, I need to focus on my outward appearance first. Because how could you have any problem with you if you look pretty? After all, that's what's important, right? What we look like on the outside. Why take the time to learn to love yourself no matter what and focus on what your inner voice is saying to you about you when you can simply lay in the tanning bed and make yourself prettier?

It amazes me a little bit that we as a society seem to understand what's so very wrong here, but it continues to happen. We continue to tell generation after generation that they aren't pretty enough so they must not be good enough. We continue to create an unrealistic ideal that turns into nothing more than a general dissatisfaction with how we look. And sometimes general dissatisfaction turns into something so much worse. People's lives are ripped apart because they learn to hate themselves because they will never be as pretty or as skinny or as perfect as society tells them to be. It simply isn't acceptable that this is a reality.

In thinking about all of this, I found something I wrote a few years back and it fits rather well:

 Today in my writing 1 class we watched the Dove Evolution video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U) and were asked to analyze it. When asked what claim Dove was trying to make this old man in my class had the audacity to raise his hand and say that because the girl wasn't really pretty to begin with, Dove was saying that using their products will make you beautiful. This seriously pissed me off...first of all the freaking video says that it's pointing out why our standard of beauty is so unrealistic. He was seriously trying to argue that this girl was ugly and Dove was trying to pimp their products. Guys like him are the reason girls hate themselves and develop eating disorders! I grew up watching my mom ruin her own body by being anorexic because she has an unrealistic view of what it takes for her to be beautiful. Trust me, it's not pretty. I think guys like the one in my class and also the beauty industry as a whole should be ashamed for pushing such unrealistic standards on women. Little girls see advertisements or even hear adults talking and think they have to look like models for people to think they are pretty...I applaud Dove for trying to change this. Yeah, they're a business and are trying to make money, but they are also trying to make the world a little better for women everywhere and give little girls a positive start and the self-esteem they so desperately need.

And to all of the girls reading this...You are all beautiful ♥

I still stand by everything I said that day. But what will make this better? That Dove video was new 4 years ago and today I don't see anything changing. I think we as women perpetuate the problem at times. We buy into it. We turn to the right clothes and the right way to do our makeup and best way to get a bikini body to make us feel better. But is there a real solution in any of that? Isn't all of that just fleeting? What about when you wash that makeup off and change into your sweats? Do you still love you? Or do you only love the you that you allow people to see out in the world? If that's the case, how terribly tragic.

In my mind, change will happen only when we all learn to look within. When we train our inner voice to speak with kindness. When we learn to be more gentle with our selves. As much as this is a societal ill, I think there is a problem that lies within each of us as well, one that won't go away until we can truly learn to accept ourselves and love ourselves each and every day no matter what. On bad days, guess what, you're still living! And just living can be hard enough sometimes. Why make it any harder on yourself?

One of my yoga instructors said something in class somewhat recently that has stuck with me ever since...she said, "Practicing non-violence with others is usually second nature to us, but we often forget to practice non-violence with ourselves."

Moral of the story today? Um, I'm kind of all over the place I suppose. But as a society, we have got to stop telling people that their worth is only skin deep. And as humans, we have got to stop believing that our worth is only skin deep. Then and only then will positive change happen.

My two cents on the matter...

I've been trying to decide if writing this was worth the waves it would inevitably make. Trying to decide if I wanted to potentially put myself at odds with the church and, most unfortunately, members of my own family. I don't like to speak up, I prefer to fade into the background and let people do their thing while I do mine. But this time, I decided that I would be doing some people who I love very much a disservice if I just stayed quiet. So I shan't. Be warned, many of you probably won't like what I'm about to say, you might want to leave now. Though if you know me at all, you likely already know where I stand.

While I am not really surprised in the least, I am ashamed of my community today. Honestly, I don't understand why in 2015 we need laws to tell us to treat other human beings like human beings...and I REALLY don't understand why anyone would fight to take such a law away. Oh, that's right, it's totally ok for you to be an ass to other people in the name of your religious freedom, but it's not ok for people to be gay. And heaven forbid those gay people expect you to treat them with the same decency that you treat straight people, that's asking too much of you! After all, you don't agree with their life style so you shouldn't be forced to treat them like other people.

Let me just start in on this whole "religious freedom" argument that I've heard. I'm really not sure what to say besides that it's utter nonsense. First of all, you do realize that by law no one can be discriminated against based on their religion, right? You can't be fired or denied housing just because you're a Christian. So why would you want to deny anyone else those same protections? Oh, right, because they're gay. How dare they! It's not your religious freedom you're afraid of losing, it's the right to be an ass and claim that it's because of your religious convictions that you're afraid of. Because if it isn't a religion issue, that would just mean that you're a crummy person who wants to treat people as less than because they're different than you. Furthermore, if this truly was a religious freedom issue (it's NOT), why should your "rights" as a Christian trump some else's as a human being? Please, do tell.

And here's another question for you: why is this what we're fighting against so hard? Why have we picked homosexuality as the sin that we want to attack? See, I've heard this scenario about how it isn't fair to expect a Christian owned bakery to bake wedding cakes for a gay wedding...but what if an unwed mother wanted to get a cake for her kid's birthday? Would people be clinging to their religious conviction then? She made a choice to have sex before marriage so shouldn't you deny her business just as you would the business of that gay couple? What about that employee that just cheated on his wife? You should probably fire him because he's making choices that you don't agree with. Read that Bible that's clutched so tightly in your hand, you'll find out that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That doesn't make someone else's sin worse than yours or mine.

And can we PLEASE stop saying that we "love the sinner but hate the sin" because trying to deny someone a job or a home is not loving them. Telling them that you should get to decide to treat them like you treat everyone or turn them away is not loving them. Seeing them as anything other than human beings is not loving them, because once you've lumped someone into a group that you hold preconceived notions about, that's all you see.

What this comes down to for me is the fact that human beings are human beings, point blank. That's all there is to it. To be fair, I realize that I'm hating on people for hating on other people. BUT let me assure you that I don't think you should have any rights taken from you just because you don't agree with me.

This is a subject that hits home with me so it's hard not to rage about it. Because it affects people that I love, it says that in Springfield, Missouri my cousin, great aunt, and many friends don't have the same rights as me. You see, my cousin Ashley is one of my favorite people in the whole world and I have looked up to her my whole life...she is super smart and she moved out to Boston from small town Iowa after high school to pursue her dream of becoming an architect. These days, she is indeed an architect and is also taking flying lessons and has plans to buy and renovate properties around the Boston area so she can get into the rental business. Then one day she wants to spend some time living in Europe, and I have no doubt that she'll actually do it. And in October I finally got the opportunity to meet Ashley's wife, Jamie. And you know what? She's awesome! They are amazing human beings who opened their home to me and my best friend and were more than hospitable to us.
But I saw the pain on my cousin's face when the conversation came back to our family, most of which has decided to pretend she no longer exists. It was awful. No one should have to say that their grandmother has gotten better because she actually calls on their birthday now rather than just ignoring it. And let me just tell you, if anyone ever tried to deny Ashley and Jamie jobs or housing just because they love each other, I would lose my shit.

Human beings...not a general label of "gays or homosexuals or whatever else you may come up with"...but someone's brother, sister, daughter, grandkid, son, best friend, cousin, aunt, uncle, mother, father, etc, etc.

Human beings are human beings, end of story. Let love win, guys, that's what it's all about.

...

People tend to balk at me when I say I don't believe in love. They say I just don't understand yet, that one day the right guy will make me believe in it. And the thing about it is...I suppose I do believe in it, but to me, it isn't worth it.
Argue with me all you like, you won't change my mind.
Because you see, when I think of love...I don't think of hearts and kisses. I think of the pain I saw in the eyes of my father so many years ago as he lay on the floor next to me, crying because, "it was almost over." It being my parents' marriage. When I think of love, I remember my big sister crawling into my bed sobbing late one night because she and her then fiance had broken up again. And then I think of how helpless it felt to watch her walk back into that relationship that I knew was bound to keep causing her pain.
In discussing all of this again today, my darling big sister told me that it didn't matter what people said to her, she was in love and she knew what she wanted...so why listen to anyone on the outside of that?
So where did that leave me? Constantly worrying.  Not knowing if or when she'd turn up crying again. Not sure of what to do if she did. Angry. Angry at someone for making her cry. Angry at her for being dumb enough to go back to someone who would treat her like that. A rift formed between that couldn't heal until she could finally see that all I ever wanted was the best for her. All I ever wanted was her to be happy. All I ever wanted was someone to love her like she deserved.
But she was in love, you see. And who ever listens to the little sister who doesn't believe in love when it comes to matters of the heart?
To quote that sister of mine, "Love is terrible, it blinds you to a lot of things." It's hard to be on the outside looking in, and I don't claim to really have any idea what I'm talking about. But I can tell you that the worry that comes from seeing someone I love walk straight into potential heart break is one that keeps me up at night.
But maybe I just don't understand yet. I can certainly tell you that I don't want any part of understanding if it means laying my heart out there to be stomped on. Go ahead and call me callous and jaded, I already know that I am.

Namaste

There is an amazing peace that washes over me every time I step onto my mat.

Knowing that all I have to do for 80 minutes in breathe, is absolutely freeing.

No thinking. 

No talking. 

No worries.

Just breath and focusing on what happens on my mat.

Just me.

No matter how many people are in the room.

No matter how my day has been.

No matter what's to come.

All that matters is that I breathe, listen, and respond.

And I love it.

I was introduced to Sunit's Hot Yoga 5 years ago. And at the time it was just another workout. Just more calories burned. I loved it, but it was nothing more to me than time to build strength. Through the years, I returned off and on to yoga classes here and there but I never made it a priority. 

Recently though, I returned to class and have made it a point to make it to my mat as much as I can. But it doesn't matter to me that it's a great workout. Obviously, that's a benefit, but that's not really what I care about when I step into that 105 degree room. 

What matters to me is feeling centered.

What matters to me in feeling balanced in a world that so often feels unbalanced.

What matters to me in feeling grounded in the moment and not letting my mind run wild as it so often likes to do.

What matters is not feeling like a crazy person because my brain isn't running wild.

What matters to me is knowing that I can push through any difficulties in life if I just slow down and breathe through it.

What matters to me is dealing with each day and what it brings as it comes.

What matters to me is learning not to look back or look ahead, just to be in the moment.

What matters to me is learning to love what I see in the mirror that I'm staring at for 80 minutes.

There's not much than can get me out of bed, happily, at 7:30 in the morning when I could totally sleep until noon if I so chose. But yoga does. And I'm so glad it does.

Being Afraid of the Dark

"You have to deal with the bad times because they make the good times so much better."

"We wouldn't know how good the good times are if it wasn't for the bad ones."

These are the things people say...these are the things we believe. 

I think this is nonsense. 

And maybe I'm dead wrong about that, but in my head the bad times don't make the good ones seem better, they make them terrifying. 

They make every day feel like you're standing on the edge of a black hole that you might just topple into at any moment. 

The bad times become comfortable. 

We learn how to navigate the darkness, how to do life normally when we feel anything but normal. 

But then when there's light? 

Well that's a different story. It's something that can so quickly slip away. 

And if you've embraced the little bit of time in the light...well the fall back into the dark hurts like hell. 

And it leaves you wondering how you ended up there again. 

Why you can't just be a normal human being who can embrace the gift that life is and love it on a day to day basis. 

But that's what you begin to accept. 

That's life and you press on hoping beyond hope one day it will be better. 

But the better days are difficult to grapple with when you're always afraid of the darkness coming back.

So can I tell you what I think needs to happen?

I think we need to stop telling people that their pain will be worth it one day, that some mysterious time in the blind future, what hurts right now will make it better later.

I think we need to be people who accept the fact that other people are people too.

And I think we need to make an effort to make it better right now instead of telling them it will be better later.

I think that even when we don't understand things, it's our responsibility to take people's hands and let them know that we're there and we aren't walking away.

I think we need to do what we can to make them smile and make them laugh on those days when smiles and laughter seem impossible.

Because here and now is what's important, not the inevitable better days in the future that seem eternities away.

And when the days are good?

For the love of all things good and holy, embrace them!

They are fleeting and they are far between some times. 

So acknowledge that.

Know that they might not last but don't let that knowledge scare you into loving them.

Let that knowledge push you to live and love it.

Don't let the fear of falling back into the dark turn into an even greater fear of the light.

People Need Other People

This print hangs right at the foot of my bed, it is the first thing I see each morning and one of the last I see each night.

And I love it.

But do I believe it?

Because for some time I know that I didn't believe it. I knew in the back of my mind that it was true, that people really do need other people. But I didn't think it applied to me.

I thought that I was different.

I thought that I could go it alone and take everything that life could possibly throw me, on my own.

But that life is hard.

That life is lonely, even if we'd rather not admit it.

The thing about putting walls up around your heart is that they keep people from hurting you, but don't let the people in who can keep you from hurting yourself.

Please don't freak out over that last statement, 

I don't mean physically hurting...I mean the type of hurting you that your brain can do when it runs free. 

The kind when you get lost inside your own dark and twisty places with no one to share that pain and confusion with.

But people, man, people take that pain and confusion and they ignore it. 

They don't treat it like they should when you let them in. 

They pretend it's not a huge deal.

They take the trust that you gave them and stomp on it.

So you just stop trusting people.

And that's when the walls go up.

And you start resenting the world and every single person outside of those walls.

But then, someone cares enough to break down your walls.

And maybe that was the whole point of the walls in the first place, to see who would care enough to break them down.

Have you seen Grey's Anatomy? Grey's introduced the notion of someone being your person. Meredith and Christina are each other's person. They are there for each other through thick and thin, no matter what life throws at them. 

I used to think that was silly.  

I've had some great friends over the years, don't get me wrong, but never before have I had a person.

And now I do. 

I have a person who I can tell everything to.

I have a person who really cares.

And I am beyond thankful for that.

I can't describe to you how amazing it is to know that another human being cares about you even when they may be going through storms of their own.

Moral of the story?

People really do need other people.

I understand if you have walls up, I really do.

But take a minute and look at who's still there despite your walls.

Because, those people, they're the ones who will hold your hand through whatever life has for you.

Those are your people.

Never let them go.

I wrote a poem...

Sometimes, during my 3 hour night class, my brain wanders a bit. Here is the product of tonight's wandering...I haven't played around with poetry in a while so sorry if this is awful.

So What Will You Do With Your Life?
Someone once told me I could be what I want to be.

I told them, "I want to be free."

But as I grew older, things started to change.
They told me to be realistic and stable.

I told them,  "I'll go anywhere I'm able."

They said go to school, get a job, and save money.
They said find a man to love you and call you honey.

I told them, "That's not for me."

They frowned at me and shook their heads.
They said my dreams were much too grand.

I told them, "I can do it, just take my hand."

So here I stand, feeling wild and free.
Wondering if they ever really meant to be what I want to be.