Thoughtful Thursday [wk.11]- "1-T" DAY

No quote today. I'm not reflecting; I'm engaging. Today is the day where student loan debt reaches $1 trillion. Yes, that's 12 zeros.

My generation grew up being told that we needed a college education to get a stable, good paying job. Unfortunately, we had to take out loans to pay for the increasing costs of tuition. Not to mention pricey books in the science, engineering, and medical fields. "But no worry," we were told. "With your degree you'll get a good job and be able to pay off that debt in no time."

Yet the news is telling us that 1 in 2 college grads are jobless, or in positions that don't require the knowledge they gained while earning their 4 year degree. Many of my friends who have graduated with a bachelor's degree are working as waiters or in grocery store delis. It's a sad, sad outlook.

Source

Fortunately people see the injustice in the conundrum so many young people find themselves in after graduating college. Robert Applebaum started the Forgive Student Loan Debt movement. I really believe that this is a movement worth following, as it affects all of us, not to mention the future economy of this country.

I normally don't post about social issues, but this one just makes me sad. $1 trillion of debt? To educate the future of this country? It's backwards, it's offensive, it's killing the country. It's practically indentured servitude! Young people can't start businesses or buy houses because of the weight of their debt. And the only reason they have the debt is because they were told they could only get a good a job with a college degree. Which, by the way, I don't fully agree with. However, I do agree with and believe in education. This is incredibly sticky and messy. But please, lets keep up with this issue so we can all have a brighter future!

Review: THE SOULMATE EXPERIENCE

Source

The Soulmate Experience

by Mali Apple & Joe Dunn

I broke a promise to myself in order to read this book as quickly as possible and for free. It was worth it. I first heard of The Soulmate Experience about 6 months ago, and it peaked my interest because it focuses on how to keep the love alive in a relationship. Sounded interesting. So when I saw that they were giving the Kindle edition away for free in honor of their one year book anniversary, I caved and downloaded the Kindle software onto my Mac. Then I read the book. In 2 days.

It was a fun, easy read. The authors provided A TON of anecdotes, which at first I thought was annoying but they really helped to illustrate the points they were trying to make. Honestly, I didn't enjoy the beginning of the book because it was very similar to another I have read and I thought "no duh" a lot. However, as I progressed through the pages I realized that these two beings have some very helpful advice and insight!

For instance, there is an entire chapter on how to deal with jealousy, and it's not in the conventional way that you'd think! (i.e. nagging, guilt-trips, restrictions) Actually, nothing about this book follows the "conventional relationship model." As such, it was a very refreshing read. Some of the topics even sound a little scary [however, if you're in a relationship where two people are willing to work, nothing should be scary or off limits]. They gave tons of examples of fun dates, communication techniques, and easy ways to adopt new habits into your life.

Positivity was the sonorous bell throughout this book. It starts out by asking you to apply positive changes to yourself, thus making it easy to handle your relationship in a positive manner. I'm glad I have this book, because I'm sure I will reference it when my date ideas run dry! [And especially when my monkey brain gets the better of me!]

Thoughtful Thursday [wk.10]- FORGOTTEN VIRTUES

I'm only posting a quote today, because I think this speaks for itself.
I don't need to expand on this; it's perfect the way it is.

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.

Without them humanity cannot survive."

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Earth Month

To celebrate:

April Photography Walks.

[I need to figure out how to put a watermark on my photos so I can confidently post them on my blog without fear of someone stealing them from me! Yes, I am slightly technology illiterate.]

Thoughtful Thursday [wk.9]- SHINE

“When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad.

For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet

most of the audience still sleeps.”

-John Lennon

I love this quote. It reminds me that kindness wouldn't be kindness

if it came with conditions or expectations.

The sun shines, day after day, without any expectations.
We can be like the sun. We can shine and bring joy to others, even be overlooked from time to time, but we must still shine to make the world a happier, healthier place.
We can shine solely for ourselves; to warm our own heart and lift our own spirit.


Shine for others.
Shine for your Self.
All that matters is that you shine.

Saturday March 31, 2012

On this day in eastern Idaho, the sun was out and warm and offered the first hints of spring. I think it got up to 72 degrees F in Pocatello, where I was spending the day with my boyfriend. I needed a perfect day like this. Badly.

I slept in. That's a feat in itself! Since it was so warm, I was able to wear a skirt for the first time since moving back to Idaho! I was so happy to get my legs in the sun and feel my skirt fluttering around. I have to say, I looked really cute. And my guy even wore his nice buttoned shirt! We took a walk downtown and we poked around in some stores. After our walk, we were pretty hungry, so we tried a pizza place by his house that we have never been to before. It's called Bigfoot Pizza and we had heard good things about it. The pizza was MASSIVE! The toppings were stacked on and it made me feel like we really got our money's worth! We got a half & half since I'm veggie and he's not. I gotta say, the old cliche is true: opposites attract. My half was covered in veggies, while his had a bunch of meat.

We took the pizza back to his house and watched The Boondock Saints 1 & 2. I missed out on those movies when they were new and popular so I decided to play catch-up with him. I really enjoyed the movies! And my pizza! And my company!

Days like this are always a bit monumental and very memorable for me. People think that you have to spend a ton of money and have all these grandiose plans to have a good time. The bottom line is that that is just not true! My man and I walked downtown, we window shopped and browsed stores without spending a dime, but still enjoyed the atmosphere. We looked nice for each other. We soaked up the sun. We watched DVDs he already owned. The only money we spent was on the pizza-- food, sustenance, a necessity of life. AND we even got the daily special, so it was a couple dollars cheaper than it would have been. We enjoyed the day, and each others' company fully without making a big deal of things or blowing a bunch of money.

When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter how much money is spent. The only things that matter are the memories and feelings, the bonding and building of relationships, that are cultivated during the time we share with others.

April Commitments

Spring cleaning. I love making new space in my life, and spring is the best time to do that! (Plus, I know I have clothes in drawers I'm not wearing, that are in good condition, and will probably make someone else happy.)

Manage my stress better. This includes taking deep breaths, drinking herbal tea (I'm a big fan of Traditional Medicinals organic blends right now), nature walks and/or singing. (I don't have the best pipes, but I can't deny that I LOVE singing. It makes me feel good!)

Cut back on caffeine and sugar-- and junk foods in general. Working in a cafe where I'm surrounded with freshly ground beans, sugary drink flavors, cookies and ice cream is going to be quite the challenge! But I really need to start eating healthy again. I've had my reckless-winter-health hiatus and I'm ready to be back in control.

Exercise more. Yoga, long walks, cycling, maybe even some weight lifting. I've been feeling very skinny lately and I want to see if I can't tone up and get some extra pounds on me this summer and be a little more curvy!

I've had a lot of support and encouragement from my friends and family lately. I can't express enough gratitude to them for continually inspiring me to be the best me! I know I'm stronger than I give myself credit for most of the time. I'm ready to embrace my power :)