My Happiness Jar

 

I got crafty today and decorated my happiness jar! I really wanted it to reflect me. I wanted it to be something that makes me smile when I look at it. I'm quite pleased with my final product!

A happiness jar is a great way of staying positive. Throughout the year, you write down good things that happen and put them in the jar. It can be good thoughts, things that you're thankful for, moments that made you smile, daily thoughts, or anything that you think is special that you want to remember. On New Years' Eve you open the jar and read all the notes you put in there. I think that this is an amazing way to stay positive. It's a reminder that there can be good in every day and we should remember that.

Vote No on 6!

(The Great Mia and Myself Letting Voters Know the Deal)

"Vote as if your life depends on it."

Newsflash: It does. It did and the way things are looking, it will. I had the amazing opportunity to stand up for women's health and reproductive rights. I volunteered with the Feminist Majority on the "No On 6" campaign against Amendment 6. If Amendment 6 had passed, it would place restrictions on access for women to abortion and would have deleted a right to privacy clause from the Florida constitution.  Thankfully it didn't pass. I don't believe that there should be any limitations on the decisions people make over their own bodies.

I was able to work with some amazing people during this campaign and I got to talk to a lot of people. What I've learned about volunteering with campaigns is that not every one is going to be on the same page with you and there's nothing wrong with that. You can't change everyone's mind. The goal is to let people know why this is important to you and to all of the people that are impacted by the issue and hope that they make the best decision. Not everyone will have a peaceful and calm conversation with you but I learned that you can't let those people get you down. I had to decide in those situations that I was not letting anyone keep me from standing up for what I think is right!

While volunteering I was able to talk to voters while tabling on campus and phone-banking. The above photo was taken on campus near one of the polling centers. We high-fived so many voters that day. I was only able to phone bank once for a short period of time but it was a real memorable hour of calling voters. A lot of us phone banking spoke to at least one older woman who had already seen this fight for reproductive rights and could not understand why it's something that's still being voted on. I spoke to several older women who sent me good thoughts and praises for fighting the good fight. Messages like those encouraged me to keep going and made it easier to deal with people who aren't so nice over the phone.

This was a great experience for me--one of the best from this last semester. I believed I grew as a person seeing how my small contributions can really make a difference.

Fall Semester = Over

I made it! This semester wasn't as hard on me as my spring semester but I'm glad that I made it through. The last two weeks were pretty rough but it looks like I made it! I'm actually really proud of myself for this semester. It's not like I got straight A's or anything but I really do feel like I'm growing as a person and as a student. I handled my battles this semester very well. I was able to better balance my academics and my social life while still getting the hang of taking care of myself. I got work done. I experienced new things and I put myself out there. I'm trying my best to make sure that I continue to do that.

I'm getting closer and closer to graduation so I'm finding that school demands a lot more of my attention and commitment. I'm learning to prepare myself for life in the real world. It's scary but it's also exciting and frightening.

This past semester, I tried to take advantage of every opportunity that allowed me to do what I love. I spent a lot of time standing up for what I believe in while also building my resume and gaining experiences that will help me later in life when I'm helping others. I've felt really empowered doing what I love and knowing that I'm helping people. By standing up for what I believe in and what I know is good, I've been standing up for people whose voices need to be heard. I know that I still have some more growing to do. I'm still healing and finding myself but I think I'm getting better at this whole "calm and carrying on human" thing. I see what I want to do and I'm taking steps toward that. I'm going to write about some of my experiences from this past semester individually but I wanted to quickly list the amazing things that I feel empowered me this semester.

• Coalition to End Rape Culture
• Fitsmi Internship
• No On 6 Campaign
• Volunteering for the Obama campaign
• LGBT History Month internship
• Community Service

I'm learning more and more that if  focus on what I love without losing sight of the reality of my school work and how it relates, I can keep afloat. I can make a difference. My Women's and Gender Studies major reminds me of the importance of activism and advocacy and I'm finding ways to incorporate those things into my daily life and it's keeping my heart happy. I like that.

 ♥

make a happy face?

peace. love. unity. respect.

The future depends on us. Our children and their children can be born into a world of love and happiness or they can be born into a world of hate and despair.



What has happened to the things we strive for? We're starting to stray away from the importance of education and self-esteem and overall happiness. We can get so much out of life if we appreciate our surroundings, people and things. We are loving creatures. We need love to survive. I that people forget about everything that love means. Love and belonging includes loving yourself(body, soul, and mind), accepting others for themselves, loving others, respecting yourself and others....it's a big deal and it's so lacking in this world right now. There is nothing more heartbreaking to me than the lack of love and respect in the world we live in.



It starts with us and it ends with us. What's holding us back? It's not fair to the future that we ignore the love and respect that is supposed to be uniting this world. Step out of the box and love one another and yourself so we can all be happy.

I love you, whoever you are.♥

books♥

I love Books!
They are so exciting and wonderful.
I always save recommended book titles.
I just have to find a bunch of free time so I can read them all.
At the moment, I read Chemistry in my free time.
It's not that I hate chemistry, it's just that I don't love it the same way.
I can go to different worlds in my chemistry book.
Reading introduces me to so many different things.
I'm not a child anymore but my imagination is still at work.
I read to make my heart happy.
It never fails.

be impeccable with your word

"What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are will be manifested through your words. Your word is a force, it is the power you have to communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life."

wooo!!! this is my 200th blog post! The picture doesn't match the quote and the quote doesn't match the rest of the post. But I loved them all so they're all here.

Earlier, for some odd reason, I was thinking about my laughing problem. I tend to laugh at everything. I remember a few times when I would laugh nonstop for 2 minutes and fall off my mom's bed. My head hurt so much after all the laughing that I was afraid to go to sleep. I love it though. It's awkard at times but I can deal with it just because I'm cool like that. I also love hearing laughs especially when they make me laugh too. I just love it. When I laugh, it's like i can escape from all my worries even if it is just for 2 seconds or 2 whole minutes :)

random but awesome images

Went on a search and kept finding these pictures that I fell in love with so I had to share. They all send a beautiful positive message! =] ♥

[http://whomcwhat.tumblr.com/ and http://matkatha.tumblr.com/]

lalalalalalalalalala

I just don't feel like myself anymore. I miss crying. I miss being sad but I love being happy. I love it. I love the confidence that I carry now but sometimes I just think I shouldn't have it, like it doesn't belong to me. I miss all the tears and I miss being in the darkness. I haven't felt like killing myself in what feels like forever but why do I miss that feeling? I should be happy that my smiles are meaningful and that my heart is always happy. Why do I want to be so sad? Why do I crave all the tears? I guess truly, I feel really empty inside now that I'm not as sad all the time. My head is really coudy and I'm just confused about it all. Sometimes, I feel like I need some darkness in my life. Why am I afraid to be so happy?

I want us all to crave happiness and for us to ultimately achieve it. No one should be in the darkenss. Don't be afraid of happiness. Be brave and embrace it. We all need to. I hope that we can all smile meaningful smiles and that our hearts stay happy. I hope that we can all feel better in the light and no longer fear it. I wish we were all fearless and knew how to love ourselves to the point where we could achieve happiness and freedom all the pain. I believe that the sun will one day shine for all of us. I really do.

you are beautiful.

in every single way...

• you are beautiful
• vous êtes beaux
• 您美丽
• u bent mooi
• Sie sind schön
• siete bei
• أنت جميل
• είστε όμορφοι
• 美しいです
• 당신은 아름답습니다
• wy jesteście piękni
• você é bonito
• вы красивейши
• ustedes son hermosos
• du är härliga
• Moc ti to sluší
• Du er smuk
• אתה יפהפה
• เธอสวยจัง
• jy is pragtig
• ikaw ay maganda
• sinä olet kaunis
• se é fermoso
• आप सुंदर हैं
• ön gyönyörű
• þú ert fallegur
• kamu cantik
• tá tú go hálainn
• tu esi daiļa
• tu esi graži
• ти си убава
• and cantik
• inti sabiħ
• du er vakker
• شما در حال زیبا
• eşti frumoasă
• ти си леп / а
• ty si krásna
• lep si
• wewe ni mzuri
• คุณสวย
• ви прекрасні
• bạn thật xinh đẹp
• ydych yn hardd
• أنت جميلة.
• דו ביסט שיין

in 46 different languages. you're beautiful in every part of the world even if they speak a language that isn't posted here. the point is, we were all created beautifully.

Don't be ashamed.

I saw a girl earlier today who had a very cute tote bag that had a picture of what is most likely her favorite band on the front of the bag. What made me upset though, was the fact that she hid the side of her bag that had the picture. I thought the bag was cute and I want one just like it but I also know that people probably made fun of her for having it because they don't approve. How sad is that? Why do people have to be ashamed to wear or use the things they like just because their afraid of what other people will say? I don't like lime green pants but I'm not going to tease someone if they choose to wear them. It makes no sense!

No one should have to live their life according to other people's views!

We don't have to agree on everything and we don't all have to like the same things but we do not have to tease others for liking something that we think is "uncool." Not everyone handles that well and why would you want to make anyone cry? Why would you ever try to hurt someone for having views that are different from yours? It is just stupid!

We need to make progress! We need to find a way to make sure that no one gets hurt for wanting to live their own life and not the life that has been set as the "cool way" by others. To everyone who has every felt that they couldn't be who they really are because they were afraid of what others would think, live the life you think is "cool." Be the person that makes you happy and not the you that others think you should be. You are important. Your thoughts and views are important. Be a reflection of the the most beautiful and special person you could ever be, yourself!

reasons to smile (:

I challenge you, whoever is reading this, to get a sheet of paper and keep it by your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, write down something that happened that day that you were thankful for, or something that day that made you smile. Maybe it could be something that you noticed about yourself for the first time or a compliment that you recieved. Or it could be song lyrics that you heard that made you feel really happy inside. Keep that list as a reminder that a smile can last forever. That even when you're feeling really low, a smile is always possible. And maybe if it'll help you more, you can take the list around with you. Hopefully, you can use this as a way to smile more. It works for me and I hope it will work for you too. The world will always love a smile.