Have courage, dear heart. 

20 seconds of courage. Turn around and talk to that cute guy in line at the coffee shop.  20 seconds of courage. Call up that girl who you have been wanting to ask out since you met her. Do it. Because what do you have to lose? The worst that could happen is she says no. The worst he can do is ignore you and continue to fiddle with his phone, (which in that case, thank gosh he ignored you, because who wants to be with someone who can’t hold a conversation and is addicted to their phone????)

 

¡SIDE RANT!

FOLKS. PUT DOWN THE PHONES AND TALK TO EACH OTHER. PLEASE. The worst thing I see out in public, is when a couple or friends are out to eat and they are all looking down at their phones. Try something the next time you are out with someone. Put your phone away and don’t touch it the entire meal or activity. If your date is attached to their phone, notice how absolutely rude they are being by being on their phone while they are supposed to be in person enjoying their time with you. Try it.

Again. I’ll be the first to admit I love my phone a bit too much. But we all know how draining it is. Do you ever realize how low you feel after scrolling on Instagram? I feel that way a lot. I follow a lot of travel accounts and different people who all they do is go to music festivals and have a great time…. Although I love my life and where I am, it still makes me a little jealous because I’d kill to be lounging on a beach in paradise. Wouldn’t you?

Like my pictures? I love them. Go check my good friend, Mitchell Phelps’s (no… not the swimmer) website and hit him up for some AWESOME pictures.

http://www.atopticmedia.com/home

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“I am not scared of stone walls built between us. I am scared of the walls built between our hearts.” -Dr. Shirin Ebadi 

 

The other night, I went to see one of the distinguished lectures that the University of Arkansas brings to town for free for the public. I had the honor of seeing Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, a Iranian lawyer, former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights and hearing her lecture on the role of women in world peace. First off. She is literally five foot nothing and spoke only in Persian, and had help from a translator. Small but mighty. She was absolutely brilliant, explaining her mission of  helping women experience peace within themselves.

“Peace is a culture. Women are a big part of this culture because they raise the children of this culture….How can we expect women who have been violated and oppressed for so long to cultivate this culture within themselves?”

-Dr. Shirin Ebadi  

Amazing night and I also met some really wonderful people. I will also admit that I showed up an hour early and was the only one there for a solid 30 minutes or so and got in the front row. I was excited, don’t judge.

Song of the Day: (If you don’t know Abba, what rock have you been living under? If that’s the case, educate yourself and enjoy!!!!!)

Abba – Take A Chance On Me – YouTube

TODAY MANTRA: 

“I am approaching every each moment with Gratitude. I AM grateful.”

We are so blessed to have the lives we have. This doesn’t mean we need to stop growing and being better, but if you find yourself upset today, sit back and really consider what is upsetting you. In the past year, I have changed certain things in my life such as taking a step back from a situation and really analyzing it. Why am I upset? Can I change this situation? Is it my fault? If not, why did this other person or thing do something like this? How can I go about by fixing this situation? We can only control ourselves, (and if you want to get into a discussion about free will, HIT YA GIRL UP because I live for conversations like this.) Be the better person and take a step back to assess.

My personal goal for today is to smile at people more. Being on campus and getting stuck in the rush of fighting the crowd, I find myself frowning more than anything. I am becoming Kanye.

Let’s spread a little bit more love today.

blessings, A