Commercials To Be Proud Of

I don't want my blog to be a platform for my feminist rants but I couldn't help but post these commercials. I am so glad these companies are promoting strong and intelligent women and girls. The pessimist in me thinks that companies like Version and Pantene may just be promoting an image to sell products rather than truly standing for equality... but I am not going to do the research right now,  just to break my spirits. For now, ignorance is bliss, and these companies are thankfully representing women well!

Pantene- Sorry not sorry

Verison- Inspire her mind

GoldieBlox- Girls gab your toys

Death Be Not Proud

One of my favorite singers was inspired by one of my favorite poets. This is beautiful people! 
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Death, Be Not Proud By John Donne  

"Death, be not proud, though some have called theeMighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrowDie not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,And soonest our best men with thee do go,Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,And poppy or charms can make us sleep as wellAnd better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?One short sleep past, we wake eternallyAnd death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die."


Death Be Not ProudBy Audrey Assad  

"Death, be not proud, though the whole world fear you:mighty and dreadful you may seem, but death, be not proud—for your pride has failed you— you will not kill me.Though you may dwell in plague and poison, you’re a slave to Fate and desperate men—so death, if your sleep be the gates to heaven,why your confidence?You will be no more — you will be no more — you will be no more.Even death will die.Even death will die. "

Emerson

A dear friend of mine, Rose, bought me a book two years ago. She said I’d love it. Sadly I put it on my desk where it got cover up by dust, old bank statements, and expired coupons. It wasn’t until I moved this month that I found it once again and finally got to appreciate it.  I’ll tell you what, Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, does not belong on a desk collecting dust! It was inspiring and challenging and Rose was right, I loved it! It is all about nonconformity and listening to your inner voice. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a philosophical challenge! I was hard to narrow it down but here are some of my favorite quotes...

“There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.”

“It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”

“'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”

“These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower there is no more; in the leafless root there is no less. Its nature is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in all moments alike.”

“I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching. How far off, how cool, how chaste the persons look, begirt each one with a precinct or sanctuary! So let us always sit.”

“Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view. It is the soliloquy of a beholding and jubilant soul. It is the spirit of God pronouncing his works good.”

Atmosphere

My church kicked off the year with a season of prayer and fasting. I skipped the fast part, because I’m an awful person without food, but I really leaned into the prayer portion. Since then my pastor’s sermons series “Atmosphere” has been about prayer, pray like you breathe, writing for your soul, and spiritual warfare. So far it’s been very influential.

I realize how much of my life is lived in this cloud of anxiety and fear.  I get ahead of myself, plan too far out, panic about things that most people never even think about and rarely seek the Lord first. What would life be like if I did? The perspective, focus, and boldness that can transpire from the atmosphere created by closeness with God. Damn, how great does that sound! I long for that.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Ruminate: to chew the cud; to muse; to meditate; to think again; to ponder

Ruminate is a magazine I found while perusing the poetry section at the Matter Bookstore. Ruminate is local and simple. It explores the complexity an truth of the Christian faith though art, poetry, and non-fiction. Page after page I was captivated and moved. It didn't take much time at all to notice that I  had stumbled upon quite a gem! A magazine thats essence was everything I am.... or wish to be.  

The featured short story, Counting Apples, by Michelle Webster-Hein resonated with the deepest parts of me. It spoke of tragedy, and the connection between siblings during the healing process. It reminded me of my sister and I. And there I was, standing in the poetry section,  reading a magazine, with tears filling my eyes. I decided then it was worth it, whatever its cost was!

I read on to find a poem. Again, hitting me deep. It was like I had found the words to describe my experience but instead of  the words coming out of my own mouth, they were filling my eyes and over flowing.

Best Coffee Shop for Beer

Most people know about my love for all things local. I'm a believer that where you spend your dollar matters. I like to think that every time I choose to buy locally I am participating in strengthening my communities’ economy, environment, and relationship networks. I’m a small town girl who happens to live in the fairly big city of Fort Collins, Colorado and through my local purchasing, I am able to feel connected, and significant.

Here is a list of my personal Fort Collins favorites! I encourage you to make a list of your own!

Farm: Spring Kite

Lunch: Spoons

Dinner: Coopersmiths. Three words… Red. Feather. Sauce.

Coffee Shop for Community: Mugs

Coffee Shop for Reading: Bean Cycle

Coffee Shop for Beer: Crankenstein (only in Fort Collins would this be a category)

Music: Ginger Whale

Park: Spring Canyon

Swings: City Park

Summer Activity: Kite Fest

Darling: That's What She Said

Darling is a magazine that I want to recommend to all young women! It does a killer job narrating the art of being a woman. I am grateful for my friend JoAnne showing it to me, and also for my sister forwarding on their video series to me.

Darling partnered with Soulpancake(The people who made the viral Kid President video) for a series that followed a panel of women’s discussions on, Power and Purpose, Aging and Death, Parents and Parenting, Perception and Confidence, and  Beauty and Body Image.

All of them have gotten my wheels turning. I have done a lot of self-reflection and reflecting on society and culture. 

The video on ageing and death really stuck a chord with me. I have always looked forward to ageing, as strange as that may sound. Mostly age 32. That’s the perfect age if you ask me. That is when I will have it all together. The job, the husband, the home, and the confidence. But truth be told, none of that is guaranteed. The vulnerable side of me admits that I share many of the fears that the women in the video have.

I connected most strongly with the woman who worries that as she ages she will no longer be desired.  It too, scares me that I will never be as young, or pretty, or sexually desirable as I am now. And if this is my peak of sexual desirability and I’m not with anyone now,  am I going to end up  32 and alone? A real fear. But what scares me more is that being a sexual object is paramount in how I define being desirable.  Ladies, there is so much more to be desired within in us!  This is truth! But societies mistruths have such a strong grip on our hearts and minds.  How do we overcome this?  I'd make a much better blogger if I had the answer!

The videos have inspired me to have more meaningful conversations with the people around me. Why just observe them? We should be having them friends!!  Let’s get real… what scares you about aging and death, when has society told you that you aren’t enough, what will you do differently than your parents in your lifetime?! I want to know the hearts of the people around me, and not just the hearts of women. Gentleman? I desire relationships where our time together is  an open forum where there is honesty, curiosity, humor, and growth!