Worth

With a new year and new resolutions, I think this is always a good time to focus on why each and every one of us deserves all the goodness and happiness in life: for each of us to understand our own worth, regardless of circumstance, time of year, looks, intelligence or financial means.

I have been thinking about this for many reasons unrelated to the new year. First, I finished the podcast, "Serial" (which OMG YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT IS AMAZING AND I WANT TO TALK TO MORE PEOPLE ABOUT IT!), which for those of you who haven't seen it, is about a teenage girl's murder and the man who was convicted and all the discrepancies related to his conviction. This brought up questions not only about if he was wrongfully convicted, but how he has lived his life in prison when he (seemingly) is innocent (maybe) and how his outlook has rationalized his life and what people think of him- mainly his family, church and other prisoners.

Secondly, I have been watching Netflix like NO OTHER. And I am watching some awesome shows that are no longer on because I don't like watching new things when I know I LOVE the older stuff (gosh, this Netflix/roku business is changing my life...goodbye cable!), and I have been so impressed with the take charge actions of the females characters and how they don't apologize for anything. It sounds silly, but they reinforce the notion of being true to who you are and knowing your self-worth and value. I really identify with movie or TV episodes/shows that connect with me on emotional levels about life and situations. There are a few episodes that stand out for me- maybe someday I will compose them into a post about why:)

Thirdly, I think great friends are those who make you realize what you are worth. They take you for who you are, let you talk about the deeper things in life, show you things you hadn't thought of before, reinforce your strengths and help you improve upon your weaknesses. Over break I missed so many of my Richmond friends, but I loved getting to see my out-of-town friends, who always help life seem a bit brighter and more fun! I am thankful for all of them and how they help me be a better person.

Running always makes me think of my self worth. Mainly when I get "in the zone" and have some awesome jams on my iPod, like One Direction...There is nothing like a good run to get your confidence up!

Finally, dating...ahh. I don't talk about it much because this blog ain't my whole life (minus the whole running, reading, friends, food and traveling part), but one thing I take away from dating is really valuing your worth. It is SO important not to be ashamed of who YOU are- your quirks, your flaws, your preferences, and what you do and do not deserve. It can be hard to stand up for yourself when you are unsure of someone else's thoughts/feelings and worry you will ruin something or make someone not like you, but you need to value you. If something feels wrong, it probably is. If someone is pissing you off, tell them. Stand up for yourself. If they are right for you, they will value what you have to say. Remember, DO YOU. Know your worth. It can be hard at times, but makes all the difference.

*I also had to get my garbage disposal fixed today after I put too many potato peels in at once on Sunday when I cooked a million sweet potatoes. I know my worth is clearly NOT related to home improvements or any of the construction trades.*

In case you care, the white pipe coming from my disposal is what was clogged up with potatoes!

And then a great quote to sum up the New Year, resolutions and worth- because happiness RIGHT NOW is key to being your best self. Always.

For a long time, it had seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. But there 

was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, 

some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

-Aldred D. Souza

This was a hodgepodge of a post...I blame it being the first week back to work!

Do you think you know your worth? What are areas of your life that reinforce your views on yourself? HAVE YOU LISTENED TO SERIAL?! THEORIES?

I believe that

1. I am in control of my life
2. Friendship is the true epitome of happiness
3. Traveling is as important as the air I breath
4. God may or may not be real, but kindness and acceptance are undeniable
5. What I do is important, but it is not important enough to be my whole life
6. Alcohol does not taste very good (nor do hangovers feel)
7. No one can fill my own needs but me
8. The grass will always be greener, but it is up to me to not believe that's true
9. I need to live more in the moment rather than plan my life away
10. Everyone makes mistakes because we are constantly learning
11. Life will not go as planned, and I should just accept it rather than try to change it
12. Music makes everything (literally) better
13. Sadness will come and go
14. Money cannot buy happiness
15. What I want will not always be what I need, and what I need with not always be what I want
16. Looks will come and go, but how you make someone feel will always linger
17. Finding your passion can take most of your life, but the key is to keep looking until you do
18. I am only as old as I feel
19. Heaven is a beach
20. Everything works out in the end, so if it hasn't worked out, it's not the end

"The art of living lies in the fine mingling of holding on and letting go."

Losing My Religion

So an interesting thing happened to me today. I have been staying at my parent's house to take care of my diabetic cat while they are out of town (insert cat lady jokes here), and the doorbell rang. I figured it was a salesperson (because who ever comes over unexpected anymore?) and was greeted by two women from an area church. Now, I usually just nod when church people come to the door and let them talk, but today as I was going along with my normal nodding the woman asked me to justify what I was agreeing to with an example of "how I knew I was going to Heaven." Well, I was not prepared to have to validate my head nodding, so I kinda fumbled without being able to justify what I was saying, and the conversation went downhill from there as she started crying and told me she would "pray for me."

As I shut the door, I thought of numerous things. Firstly, I am all for religion. I think it's great- people believing in something greater than themselves that gives them guidance, comfort and love in this big life. Obviously there is much more to religion than than, but the point I'm making is, I get it. I grew up going to church every Sunday, and while I do not go regularly anymore, I do consider myself a "spiritual" person. To me this means that I do not really affiliate myself with a particular religion because there are so many great aspects to all different religions that I try to live by, and I think that the good 'ol Golden Rule never hurts anyone either. That all being said, I do take offense when people try to push their beliefs on me, when I do not ask for their opinions, and then take pity on me or worry about me (someone they don't even know) when I do not share their beliefs. My beliefs are my beliefs and I don't feel that anyone has the right to tell me they are right or wrong. I don't judge other Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists or Scientologists for their beliefs, so I don't feel they should judge me based on mine. This woman could have approached this conversation with me in a much more appropriate way as opposed to basically telling me I was going to hell and putting me on the defense. She knew nothing about me, so I am insulted that she passed judgement on me in less than a minute. That doesn't seem like acceptance and tolerance to me.

And secondly, as I closed the door, I thought, I really should have just told her I was Jewish.