Beauty Itself

        

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”Ashley Smith



What comes to one's mind when he or she is thinking of the definition of beauty , or maybe just the mere thought of it? Some think of a lover they have, once had , or maybe would like to hae as their love. Some may ponder on nature the beauty that lies within its gates. Others might tend to think of the inward part of one's self; tha very thing that makes a person as beautiful as he or she is. Beauty can be seen in many different ways. But one thing most people fail to realize is that outward beuaty fades away. The beauty on the inside is what really counts. Just as a plant's beauty on the outside may look bad and fade away, so does the outward appearance of a human. One good thing about inward beauty of a person is that if it has the right ingredients to keep it alive and going then the things that which are bad will be overweighed by the positive ingredients that come from the root of the beauty inside the person. I hope I'm not getting too deep for you. Sometimes I feel that we all need to take a deep look at ourselves and how our beauty really appears to ourselves as well as others. Beauty does not just happen. It takes time. It evolves. It depends mainly on the roots of which it comes from and made of. Beauty brings about peace, love, joy and excitement. Beauty can be seen in nature, relationships, and much more What do you think about beauty? How does beauty make you feel? Here is another quote about beauty that I found interesting.

“Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.”

~Ralph Emerson

Hidden Agenda..

                                         
The topic " hidden agenda" came about one day as my grandmother and I were watching television. She said in such a gentle, yet stern voice, "Television sure has changed." I looked at her and asked her what she meant by that. She told me that television today seems to have too many sublimanl/hidden messages. My grandmother also said that tv use to have a lot of truth, value, and real meaning to what was going on in shows and commercials that come on tv. She said that nowadays tv portrays a handful of messages that sound as if they have hidden meanings. I asked her what shows and or movies has she seen that supposedly have hidden messages. The list of shows and movies she told me were the following: Spongebob, Aladdin, and even reality shows. She said that there are parts in Spongebob 's shows that portray innappropiate things little kids should not see. Such things she said that were in this show were curse words, sexual tendencies, and more. I told her that yes to a certain degree, I believe that there are a lot of shows and or movies that have hidden messages. I said that I knew this to be true to some disagree because ofthe research I have done on certain shows. I found out that Spongebob producers and writers wanted to make the show enjoyable for not only the kids, but also the children. What has really happened to morals that our country was founded upon? Kids are now growing into old people at young ages, because of what is being shown on tv. This is just one show, but that is all it takes; one show. My question to all of you out there is what do you think about this? Are there really hidden messages that politics and and people in high authority want certain groups and ethnic groups want to follow. Now be honest. I would like to see what you think.

Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving     What a day!

Have you ever took the time to break the word Thanksgiving down? Look at it. There are two words that came together to form one important word that is now a Holiday; thanks and giving. Most people I know, whether they would choose to admit it or not, tend to stay with the comfortable mindset of receiving thanks from others and leave it at that. They have failed to realize that Thanksgiving day is not just about being thankful, but in that, giving of yourselves or something to others. Think about it. If no one ever gave anything, then no one person would be thankful for anything. It's a principle that the forefathers of the U.S.A. have taught us to do. That principle is give, receive, and be thankful. The Pilgrims shared what they had, received what the Indians had, and were thankful. They set aside all differences to celebrate the joy and principle of having thanks, and giving. What are you thankful for? Who have you given anything to this year, or who do you plan on giving something to? The famous phrase comes to mind, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It's as simple as one two three. If you would like to receive something from someone, then give something. I strongly believe that Thanksgiving should be a year around thing that all people take part in. As much as it feels great to receive, so does the feeling of giving. Work the principle and see what happens to you in your life. Happy Thanksgiving all year around. If you never remember anything else I say, then remember this, “Give generously and with a grateful heart, be thankful for what you have and who you have in your life, and receive with a kind heart.”

I want to know your thoughts on what Thanksgiving means to you. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Why and or why not?

What's the Point...

The topic, "What's the Point...", came into play when I sat down to think of what my purpose is, or if I even have a purpose. Everybody goes through tough situations in their lives in which they do not feel like  even pushing through to get to "the other side." When I say " the other side", then I am referring to a better place and or state than one was at before hand. As of right now, I am currently going through a "storm" in my life and to be honest, I do not feel like fighting through this storm to survive. I have had nights of crying, tears of pain, and sighing. One day I came to realize that Im still alive and well. I still have a roof over my head, food to eat and people who love me. Then I also realized that there is a legitiment reason as to why I'm still alive. Its because I have a purpose. My life is worth living. I'd rather live everyday purposely smiling ,regardless of the challenges I may face than to live life feeling depressed and dead on the inside. I finally came to my senses. Life is much more than me, myself. Others that I surround myself with, others that see me, or come in contact with me in any shape fasion or form are affected by all that I do, say and or think. I know that my life is worth living, because I have something worth living for. My morals/belief, family, friends, myself, and for someone who may need me to survive one day. My question to you is this, "What are you living for and why?" I want to leave you with this quote I came up with, "Live life on purpose. Purposely think of those things which are good and possitive in order to build yourself up."

A Lover From Another

     



Living a life filled with a purpose of some sort is a life worth living. In this purpose driven life, most people have  a significant other, or wish to have someone special in his or her life to love, encourage, admire, and cherish them through life's journey of purpose. Sitting in my dorm room, thinking of the love of my life, I realized something. This love of mine is one of the main motivations that I have that helps fuel my purpose in life. I call this lover of my mine “a lover from another mother.”


 He gives me hope, advice, unconditional love, attention, aspiration to do better, and the list goes on. In the words of Lynnette Young, “In truth, I believe that when asked what is most important in a person's life, "love" would be high in the rankings, if not first. People yearn to feel the glow of love, to know that someone understands them, to be supported, excited, filled with myth, sensually satisfied, and spiritually connected. Love is present in each of those needs. Love is our highest purpose and reward.” http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/16803/finding_lifes_purpose_in_love.html


Don’t you just love how that special someone can make you feel and it pushes you to do everything you always wanted to do and better? A purposeful life that includes a significant other truly does make all the difference. Instead of sharing all of your complaints, personal thoughts, and or feelings with various others who may or may not have your best interest, you can share them all with that special someone; and know that your personal and most inner thoughts will not be shared with anyone else. This “lover from another mother” has been my backbone, best friend, challenger, lover, and much more. I love being in love and having this lover helps bring the best out of me.

Why Ignore It When You Could Address It?

I decided to write this post on an issue regarding a Black female lesbian feminist. I do not neccessarily agree with her viewpoints and such. This woman's name is Babarra Smith. She faced a world of literature and harsh realities of being a female critic, Black female, and a Black lesbian. I found out about this particular woman in my Modern Critical Theory Class. I had to read an essay that she wrote entitled Toward a Black Feminist Criticism. A few students in my class strongly believed that this woman was being offensive with forcing others to believe how she believed. In my opinion she simply was passionate about her viewpoints and wanted to make a statement that would make a huge STATEMENT.

I feel that when people are passionate about certain viewpoints and or issues then sometimes when trying to get out what they want to say may seem a little offensive or even harsh to  some. In reality, one may just be very adamant about what he or she is passionate about that it comes off in a way that is offensive, but meant to be portrayed in another way that makes a huge statement. Babarra Smith wrote her essay in efforts to educate people about the life style of a Black woman, Black feminist, and a Black lesbian.

I agree with her about how others need to acknoledge and address the issue of such rather than be ignorant of it. It is just common sense and common courtesy to give place to what is reality regarding being a Black woman, Black feminist, and a Black lesbian. Barbarra Smith's criticism in her essay is good because it allows people to express themselves, come together and to support open-mindness. In the words of Susan L. Taylor: You don't know what you dont know. To know more is the key to understanding things and people better. If you would like to read more on Barbarra Smith then go to
://www.mountsaintvincent.edu/628.htm

Using Music as inspiration

                        





Music & Using It as Inspiration to Make It Through Life...

Using Music as a source of inspiration is truly powerful. Music itself has been a way of life and a way in which people can escape. I can attest to this greatly. There have been numerous times in my life in which I have used music to get away from the challenges and worrisome issues of life. I can recall a time where I was contemplating about discontinuing an extra-curricular activity involving dance. In this particular case, I had such a passion for this, but this extra-curricular activity was taking up a large portion of my day almost every day, during my sophomore year of college. I was struggling with balancing my course hours, study hours, and personal downtime along with the extra-curricular activity that I so longed to continued to be a part of. I began to stress out and got overwhelmed with all that was going on at the time. Because of my strong beliefs and foundation in what I live by, in such situations in which I am stressed and troubled, I usually choose to listen to Gospel/Inspirational music. One night I remember going to the Student Union on campus and heard such angelic tunes coming from a band playing a few Gospel tunes. I began to sit down and meditate on the melodic tunes and the inspirational life giving lyrics. Listening and meditating on positive things helps me get my mind off my situation and onto what I could be doing to further enhance a positive way of thinking and living life with a smile. The average person will most likely choose to think about how bad of situation they are in rather than focusing on the negative. If a person wants to enjoy life then enjoy it on purpose; even when you do not feel like it. Sometimes you have to speak yourself happy. They key is to redirect on preparing a better outcome rather than enhancing more of sadness and negativity.

Here are a few quotes that pertain to music being a great way to get through not just one day but everyday :

Just as Jesus created wine from water,
we humans are capable of transmuting
emotion into music."
~ Carlos Santana ~


"Music is a higher revelation
than all wisdom and philosophy.
Music is the electrical soil
in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents." ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

                                      http://www.sapphyr.net/songlyrics/quotes-music.htm

What keeps you going?

            
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – tat’s why we recommend it daily.”
~ Zig Ziglar

          There are times in life in which we all feel that there is no way possible to make it through the day. Some have given up on making it throughout the day. Therefore, they do only the minimum versus the maximum. It is a given that all of mankind will go through some type of hard struggle, but the key  is to find some type of motivation, maintain a positive mindset, and remind yourself of the end result you are pushing towards. Everything begins in the mind. Since everything begins in the mind, with a thought, we have to be conscious of what we feed to our brains. Have you ever wondered why you feel mad after listening to a song about rage, or ever listened to a love song and felt good all over? Well, words are powerful whether you choose to believe so or not. Remember that everything begins in the mind, and by knowing this, we have to keep our mind set on those things which encourage /motivate us in order to be bale to live vibrantly throughout the day. 

Here is a website that will give you numerous, encouraging/motivational quotes to be inspired to make it throughout the day.  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/motivational-quotes-to-keep-you-going.html






Also, if you want more advice as to how you can make your day an extraordinary day with less negative thoughts, complaining, and misery, here are some more helpful tips from the website: http://www.ehow.com/how_4792292_make-through-day.html

· 1

I like the saying "half of life is just showing up". Sometimes we need to "just show up" for our every day lives. Most of the time you will feel better and less tired once you get going.

· 2

It always helps me to plan in my head what absolutely has to get done in the day and what can be procrastinated. It is not necessary to do everything. It is better to release some pressure by giving yourself a break.

· 3

Let yourself dream a little. Lie in bed for a few more moments and dream about how you would like things to be. I like to set my alarm clock for about 10 minutes before I actually need to get up. I can then take my time

Read more: How to Make it Through the Day | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4792292_make-through-day.html#ixzz117K1BXo3