It's been coming for a while now. In a sense, I've been building up to it ever since I first began blogging. And now, it's finally here...

My 100th blog post!!!

Yes- that's right. You are reading the 100th Walk In the Rain With Me blog post... Honestly, it's a little hard to believe. In many ways, I feel like it was just yesterday that I decided to start up a blog.

100 is such a big number, you know. It means 100 pages of words I wrote. It means 100 times putting myself out there. It means 100 attempts to shut out everything else so I can just finish writing.

But most of all, it means 100 little pieces of my heart. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- when I write, it's not just words on a page. It's me sharing a part of myself. I tend to be a very guarded, private, sometimes even distant person. Sure, I disguise it well. I smile a lot, laugh a lot, and do my best to make small talk. I'll tell you about my day, and I can even get pretty worked up when I start talking about something that's close to my heart.

But it's a struggle for me to really open up to someone, and with most people, I never do. I have to work at it, because I naturally want to keep things to myself as much as possible.

But this is me... letting you in. 

100 times.

So to celebrate, I've compiled my Top 10 "Top 10" Lists. I can think of no better way to spend this 100th post. (No- seriously. I've tried.) Unless otherwise noted, these lists are in no particular order. I'm just putting stuff down as I think of them.

So without further ado... Let's get started!


My Top 10 "Top 10" Lists


Top 10 Songs I've Been Playing

1. It's Not Over Yet by for KING & COUNTRY

2. Message in a Bottle by The Police

3. Meant to Live by Switchfoot

4. What I Wouldn't Do by Serena Ryder

5. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World by U2

6. Hello My Old Heart by The Oh Hello's

7. Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

8. Love Love Love by The Mountain Goats

9. Feel Again by OneRepublic

10. Talk by Kodaline


  Top 10 Favorite Things About Blogging

1. Getting to meet so many other bloggers.

2. Participating in challenges like 31 Days.

3. Comments!

4. Putting my time and effort into creating and maintaining a "website".

5. Having a place to share my thoughts and struggles.

6. Looking back at old posts and seeing how I've improved.

7. Seeing that people from all over the world have read my words.

8. Hearing that people I know are reading my blog.

9. Sharing relevant pictures- not just words.

10. Connecting with other blogs via Facebook.


Top 10 Books On My Shelf

1. Sherlock Holmes Boxed Set, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This one's actually part of my e-bookshelf. I honestly do not remember the first time I read a Sherlock Holmes story, but I do know that one of the main things to get me interested in this iconic character was listening to an audio-recording of "The Speckled Band." Since then, I have made it my goal to read every single Sherlock Holmes story written by Doyle. I'm not there yet, but well on my way!

2. The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Because all three of these books were originally intended to be one, I have decided to list them as such. My dad was the one to introduce me to these books, and I am so thankful he did! In fact, my first memory of The Lord of the Rings is actually my sister and Imaking gingerbread houses in the kitchen while my dad was watching The Two Towers in the living room. I think I may have been five at the time, and I was trying so hard not to be scared by it because I knew my older sister was. A few years ago, he read the entire series to us, and I fell in love.

3. A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle. Once again, my dad was the one to introduce and read A Wrinkle In Time (as well as its sequels) to me. It was one option on the list of assigned reading for 6th or 7th grade literature, and because he loved it so much, we all read it together. It's such a great story, and I think I love it even more now than I did then.

4. The Giver, by Lois Lowry. This has been on my list of favorites ever since I read it at age 11. It's so thought-provoking, and different... Or, was. But really, it was dystopian-literature before dystopian-literature was cool! Also it's just really well-written.

5. Perelandra, by C. S. Lewis. This book is absolutely one of the best and yet weirdest books I have ever read. One of the most remarkable things about it was that Lewis took the unimaginable and made it imaginable. The whole concept of another planet's salvation is mind-blowing, and it's so well-written that I was practically glued to the page!

6. Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is another piece of dystopian-literature that was written before dystopian-literature was cool. I came across this book after reading Because of Anya- another book by this same author. After liking that one so much, I checked-out three or four more of her books, and Among the Hidden happened to be one of them. So began the obsession with Margaret Peterson Haddix...

7. Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. I loved this book, and am in the process of reading it for the umpteenth time. I was first introduced to this series because we got the movie, not realizing it was based off of a book. I thought the movie was pretty cool, and when I found out there was a book, of course I had to read it! Especially because it was 500 pages long, and at 11, it was the longest book I'd ever read. So obviously I read it in one day. (Then the fourth book came out- and it made me so mad! But that's a story for another time.)

8. 2BR02B, by Kurt Vonnegut. Pronounced "2 B R Not 2 B", this is another addition to my digital bookshelf. I read this for the first time during 10th Grade literature, and loved it so much that I've read it at least once since then. The ending was so jarring and the premise so eery that... well, how could I not love it?! Is that weird? Probably. Do I care? Absolutely not.

9. The Last Battle, by C. S. Lewis. Yes, he's the only author to be featured on this list twice, but his books are so amazing that he definitely deserves it. The Last Battle is hands-down my favorite book from The Chronicles of Narnia, and since I felt I could only share one from the series, there was no question which it would be. I love how this pulls everything together in one heart-wrenching finale. I still listen to the audiobook on a semi-regular basis, and even have bits and pieces memorized.

10. The Unauthorized Autobiography of Lemony Snicket, by Lemony Snicket. This book is a wonderful addition to the world he created in The Series of Unfortunate Events. Although this isn't a technical "continuation" of the original series, I love how he remains so true to the books, and even answers questions you were left with after you finished the others. And you've still got that wonderful sense of humor and eternal stating-of-the-obvious.
   

Top 10 Lessons I've Learned Through Blogging

1. People care about what I have to say. I tend to be one of those people who thinks the worst of themselves, so it continually amazes me that people care.

2. The hardest ones to publish are usually the ones that mean the most. Almost like clockwork, if I feel hesitant about actually publishing the post, someone really needs to read it.

3. It really is possible to publish a blog post every day. Participating in the 31 Days challenge taught me a lot about myself, and you can read my full post about that over here.

4. Don't wait to be inspired. Don't passively sit around if the words won't come. Sometimes, you just don't feel like writing. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't! It just means you need to work for it.

5. I really like "communicating!" Originally, I wanted to be a nurse. Now, I want to major in communications. Blogging has enabled me to get a little bit of a taste for what that would be like... and I love it!

6. Bold text makes a difference. It's so much nicer to read on a computer screen when the entire page doesn't look the same. Just try not to overuse it.

7. There's always more to write about. No matter how much you've written, you can always find something else.

8. I really am becoming a better writer. There's a noticeable difference between my old blog posts and my more recent ones. I've developed my own voice, it looks better, and there are generally less errors.

9. It's not about the views. It doesn't matter if two people read it or two-hundred, my worth (and the worth of what I'm saying) isn't defined by a number.

10. Life isn't as nice without writing. Stories, blog posts, journals... It all plays such a vital role. Words are like windows into other worlds.


Top 10 Greatest Blogs I've Found

 1. The Minimalists. Seems the title says it all.

2. Cranberry Tea Time. An incredible lady who also lives with a chronic illness, and who writes about coping with illness, supporting those with an illness, etc.

3. Happy Little Somethings. Possibly the first blog I ever started following.

4. J + W. Started following this blog during her 31 Days of Minimalism series, and now I'm in for the long run.

5. Lens & Pens. Another blog I found during her 31 Days of Living Like I'm Dying series.

6. My Fight. My Story. A blog written by another teen who lives with dysautonomia.

7. Be More With Less. Another minimalism blog with some really great ideas.

8. Moogly. A great crafting blog with some awesome free crochet patterns!

9. Living With Bob. Hands-down, one of the best blogs from a dysautonomia patient.

10. Debi Stangeland. The blog for all bloggers! Another one that I found during her 31 Days to a Better Blog series.


Top 10 Reasons I'm a Nerd/Geek (And Proud Of It!)

1. I read Shakespeare for fun.

2. I own not one but two bow ties... And have worn both.

3. I readily admit to being obsessed with Doctor Who.

4. I'm homeschooled, which may not be nerdy on its own, but certainly gives me an edge.

5. Nerdfighter! (If you don't get it... Google it.)

6. I can get really worked up when talking about books. (Especially Perelandra.)

7. I have worn suspenders, and at least once it was because I needed them...

8. I've been to an anime convention... in costume.

9. I stubbornly refuse to upgrade to a smartphone.

10. My dream is to someday own my own Sherlock coat... And I will wear it. All the time.

Top 10 Things You Need to Know About  My Illness(es)

1. I have two confirmed illnesses- Ehler's-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).

2. One is genetic, and one is considered chronic. This means I don't appreciate being asked if I'm "better now."

3. I also don't appreciate unsolicited medical advice. I know you're trying to be helpful, but... it's just not.

4. Another thing- neither illness was caused by stress, anxiety, or depression. However, they can both cause stress, anxiety, and/or depression.

5. Both illnesses are associated with a decrease in energy, so please know that I'm trying.

6. Both illnesses are also very unpredictable and vary from day to day. I may be fine today, but tomorrow is a completely different story.

7. Another symptom of both illnesses is pain. Severe pain. So if I'm a little out of it, please try to be patient with me. My brain doesn't always know how to process it all.

8. Never ever attempt to say that you "get that too" unless you have been diagnosed with or may have a medical condition. Ever.

9. I get tired very easily. This could mean that I go to the mall today and spend the next day in bed recovering.

10. I don't mind answering questions about my illnesses. If you're curious, just come ask me!


Top 10 Favorite Past Blog Posts

WARNING! You are now entering the world of archived blog posts, where mis-types and funky-formatting are running rampant. Please step carefully, and suspend all judgement. Thank you.

1. Chronically Hopeful

2. The Problem of Slavery

3. Dear POTS...

4. The Things We Fear the Most

5. 5 Skinny-Girl Myths: Debunked!

6. When All You Have Is Fishes...

7. The Teeter-Totter

8. 30 Things About My Invisible Illness

9. On Getting Over Myself

10. Inspirational People: Corrie Ten Boom


Top 10 Cool Places To Go (In My Opinion)

1. Anywhere in Ireland. Hopefully I'll stay in a bed & breakfast... And see a castle.

2. Missoula, Montana. I really want to go to Montana, so Missoula seems as good as anywhere else.

3. New Zealand. Where you can tour Hobbiton.

4. Lisse, The Netherlands. Particularly so I can visit Keukenhof- a huge garden with lots of tulips. And tulips are my favorite flower.

5. London, England. Because... Sherlock!

6. Cardiff, Wales. Because... Doctor Who!

7. Istanbul, Turkey. The only reason I want to go there is so I can sing the song.

8. Oneonta Gorge, Oregon. Have you seen pictures of this place??? It's absolutely stunning!

9. Edinburgh, Scotland. So much history... and gorgeous grass.

10. Skagit Valley Tulip Fields, Washington. More tulips, guys!


Top 10 Things On My Bucket List

1. Complete a novel.

2. Ride on a roller-coaster.

3. Visit a foreign country.

4. Start a Youtube channel.

5. See the Northern Lights.

6. Road-trip from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast.

7. Build a tiny home/cob house.

8. Drive a car.

9. Do a "Random Acts of Kindness" challenge.

10. Have a pet.

So there you have it! My Top 10 "Top 10" Lists, and the 100th blog post on Walk In the Rain With Me. There are quite a few changes happening and lots of exciting news coming up, so keep your eyes open! I plan to have a post out within the week just kind of showing you guys what I've been working on.

There's a quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson that says "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." As someone who is relatively (read very) new to the world of photography, I'm inclined to agree...

Ever since I started considering Communications as a possible future career, I knew I needed to get more familiar with photography. The visual aspect of an advertisement, magazine article, or blog post is just as important as the textual aspect, but it's not one I have much experience with.

The first time I was ever really happy with a picture I personally took was two or three years ago. I had found a beautiful, purple flower growing in between the slats of our fence, and it absolutely begged to be photographed. I took our little point-and-shoot out and spent the next half an hour in our backyard trying to capture the beauty of this little flower.

I was so pleased with how this picture turned out, but the next time I picked up the camera, the end result just didn't seem as good. I'm one of those people who hates to be seen doing anything they're not already good at, so after a few disappointing attempts, I sort of gave up.

At the time, I didn't have much motivation for improving. My plans were to study nursing, not communications, and as far as I know, being a skilled photographer isn't required for a nursing degree.

Then my plans started changing...

As my vision for the future began to evolve into something resembling what it is now, I started looking at the camera again. I noticed how much better my blog posts looked with images to accompany them, and I began to consider the idea of taking my own pictures.

My first blog post to be accompanied by my own personal photos was a recent one about decluttering my room. The pictures were quite obviously nothing fancy- half of them were taken on an iPad and set to black-and-white to mask the weird quality.

But it felt so good to have a blog post where everything belonged to me. The pictures, the editing, the post itself... I loved the experience of broadening my horizons and trying out new things.

So obviously, when I went with a friend to the arboretum, I brought the camera along. We were there for a few hours, and I got to take lots of pictures. 

While we were there, I never really had the opportunity to look at what I'd taken. It was quite sunny out, so I couldn't see the display screen. Additionally, we were trying to keep up with a fairly ADHD nine year old... So as long as the picture didn't seem too blurry or dark, I moved on. 

As a result, I had really no idea if I would actually have any usable pictures.

So you can imagine how happy I was to get home and find that I actually liked what I was looking at. Were they all winners? Not by a long shot. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely! But even my incredibly perfectionist self could appreciate that there were actually some OK pictures in there- especially for being an amateur with a point-and-shoot!

And then I discovered the wonders of editing...

That branch sticking up out of her head? If I crop it down right, it's not so noticeable. Too dark? Adjust the exposure! Slightly blurry? Make it black-and-white and suddenly it's an artistic statement! Add text, and I've got a great blog graphic.

I can take these little moments that I loved and capture them in a single frame of time so other people can share in them, too. All those times my dad made me stand still for a photograph or made us wait so he could take a picture of that flower... I finally get it.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the arboretum-

Some highly photogenic flowers.

A pumpkin tower.

My little sister being cute.

My little sister being... cold. And still cute!

This is me figuring out how to use the "close-up" mode.

I definitely have a lot to learn about taking consistently good pictures. For instance, don't forget to look and see if there's a tree sticking out of your subject's head! But now that I've discovered how much fun it can be, I'm actually looking forward to it.

...

Today, my question for is which of these pictures is your favorite? What tips would you give me for improving? Be sure to leave your response in the comment section below or over at my Facebook page! It absolutely makes my day to see that one of you lovely readers had something to say.

Because I've gotten a lot of questions about it this week, today I want to tell you how I packed up all of my stuff... (And why!)

In a my last blog post, I shared with you the idea of a Packing Party, which was first introduced to me by The Minimalists.

Basically, you spend a day (or two, if necessary) packing up all of your stuff as though you had to move. Over the next week, you unpack your belongs only as you need them. At the end of your set time, you see exactly what you use over the course of a week, and you go through the unopened boxes using them as a starting point for getting rid of stuff you don't really need.

Before my sister and I packed, this is what our shared room looked like...

This is the view from the doorway pre-packing. In the bottom right corner, you can see our stack of empty boxes waiting to be filled. It took about ten minutes to find enough boxes for us to start. I was worried we wouldn't have enough, but we ended up finding quite a few more than I expected!

Every shelf in our room has something on it.

The closet was one of the best (or worst) examples of the storage crisis, and the space that bugged me the most. In fact, it was while I was looking at our very sad closet that I decided everything must go! (Well, not everything, but you get my reference, don't you?)

Monday was our big packing day. We started around noon and worked until "lunch break" at 3:30. I worked by myself for the next three hours, then my sister took a shift after that. We decided to stop for the night just after 9, and had gotten nearly all of our stuff packed.

 The next day- which also happened to be yesterday- we finished up what we hadn't been able to get done already. There were just a few shelves that still hadn't been packed up Today, I have declared that we are 

Officially done packing!

Now, I realize that we aren't actually moving, and I know that none of this was mandatory... But I'm still excited and relieved to have everything done! It's been a really long and busy two days, and I'm so glad we're able to move on to the next stage of the proceedings.

Unpacking.

Thankfully, this isn't nearly as intense as the packing was. Actually, the point is to not be intense. The point is that we really aren't focusing on getting things out of the boxes- we just get them out when we need them.

Until then, this is how our room looks...

Here is the view from our doorway! You can see that the floor is completely clear except for the area holding our boxes. The bed- which was a temporary landing place for the boxes- is also nice and clean, now.

For the moment- to get them out of the way- we have all of the boxes piled on one side of the room. In the original Packing Party by The Minimalists, a whole house was packed up and they were able to devote a full room to holding the boxes. Because we only have one room and so much space, we're making do with what we've got.

 We had more boxes than would fit in the one corner of the room, we put the rest of our boxes on top of the dressers. Since the dressers obviously wouldn't fit in any box we've got, we covered them both up with sheets and did the same thing for our beds.

There's something very humbling about looking at pretty much everything you own packed away in boxes and stacked in the corner of your room. Nothing's hidden away behind doors or in cabinets- it's all out in the open.

I'm definitely gaining a new sense of perspective about how privileged I really am, which was just one of the many reasons I decided to pack my stuff away.

...

Did this answer any questions you may have had about The Project? Were there any misconceptions you had about minimalism that have been cleared up now? If you have anything you'd like to ask about The Packing Party or minimalism, just leave me a comment below or over at my Facebook page! I always love to hear from my readers.

There will be more pictures to come next week when we go through the boxes again, so be sure to subscribe over --> you'll never miss another post!

I don't know about you, but I think a lot about the mark I'm leaving on the world. I mean, I want to be remembered and make a difference. I want to make an impact on the people (and the world in general!) around me.

But not too big.

I think I'm also starting to see that simply making a mark on the world isn't good enough. Because there's more than one kind of mark you can leave, and they're certainly not all what I want...

What mark is this? You may have guessed already. I'm talking, of course about my footprint. I'm talking about all of the things I would leave behind. And I'm now realizing that if I were to die tomorrow I would be leaving behind a lot of stuff.

source

And I've decided that this is a problem.

I talked about this self-safe issue in a recent blog post (which you can read here!), and it encouraged me to look seriously at how I was going to weed out the things I don't really need.

This led me to doing some serious online research, where I found The Packing Party.

I first heard about The Packing Party through a very interesting blog called The Minimalists, and I was immediately drawn in by how drastic it was.

Basically, you take a day (or two) to pack up all of your belongs as though you had to move. Over the next week or so, you unpack things only as you use them. After your set time, you are then faced with the reality of exactly how much of your stuff you actually us e.You go through the unpacked (aka unused!) boxes and get rid of most of it.

Yes, it's crazy. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, it's drastic. 

But that's what I liked about it.

So that's what I've been doing, today- packing. We started at about noon, and as of 6 pm this evening, we're still not done. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm actually going to get everything packed today. When we do finish, possibly tomorrow or the day after, I'll be sharing some "before & after" photos to give you a good idea of what's happened.

Seeing everything out of the cabinets and in boxes around the room is really hitting home the fact of just how much stuff I have. Until recently, I had never thought of myself as having a lot of stuff at all. Now I can definitely see that my idea of "too much" was a bit skewed, and I could benefit from a good kick in the pants.

...

So... what do you think? Is this crazy? Would you consider doing this or something like it? I always love to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your thoughts below in the comment section or over at my Facebook page!

This is Day 31 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

Here it is. The very last day.

For the past month, I've been participating in something called the 31 Days challenge. The goal was to choose a topic and write one blog post about it every single day of October. I chose to do 31 Days of INSPIRE!, and in spite of the many obstacles (including an illness, trying to memorize lines to be the main character in a play, and dislocating a finger!), I am proud to say that 

I did it!

That's right! I managed to generate 31 unique blog posts about inspiration, all on their appropriate day. It's quite a feat for someone who has (historically) only blogged when she felt like it. 

Honestly, I'm still in shock over the whole thing. I keep going back through my posts and counting them to make sure I didn't miss a day! I know I haven't but I really just have to see it to believe it.

Now, in my post yesterday, I was looking back at what I learned from this month. Today, I want to look forward at where I am going from here...

I've been trying for a while now to decide exactly what I want the future of Walk In the Rain With Me to look like. Without a doubt, I want to continue writing on here. It's something I love doing, and this challenge has only rekindled the flame! 

But it also encouraged me to think more about why I'm doing this, and what am I going to do in in the months or years to come.

The first question- why am I doing this?- wasn't as easy to answer as I certainly thought it would be. 

On the surface, it seems fairly obvious. Because I like to write.

But is that it? Is that the only reason???

And when I look closer, I realize that I'm not just doing this for myself. While it may have started as just a way for me to express myself and get outside my comfort zone, it has become so much more than that.

This series has been about inspiring people, and that's what I want my blog entire to do. I keep writing here, I keep getting over the fear of putting myself out there, and I keep hitting that publish button with the hope that someone out there will be inspired and encouraged because of me. Because of this humble little blog.

I can't say it wouldn't be really awesome if my blog went viral. I can't say I don't hope to have hundreds or thousands of subscribers one day. Because of course I would love for tons of people to read what I've written!

But if it can inspire just one person, than that's enough...

___

And now... The next question- what am I going to do?- actually took some thinking as well.

As I mentioned earlier, I typically write only when I feel like it. And as any writer knows, this fluctuates a lot. One week, I have multiple topics bouncing around in my head just waiting to get out! The next, I can't think of something to write to save my life.

There's no real consistency to it.

But this month, I've had a lot of practice meeting deadlines and writing even when I don't feel inspired. I've come to realize that it is possible and even beneficial to push myself. To set deadlines.

I never really considered myself to be someone who thrives under pressure, but I have seen that sometimes having a deadline- a limitation, if you will- increases not only productivity but creativity.

Unfortunately, I can tell you right now that there's absolutely no way I can keep doing a blog post a day! It's just not going to happen. I have school work that needs to be done, rooms that need to stay cleaned, projects I want to work on... And pretty much all of that has been somewhat neglected this month.

So I've decided that, going forward, 

I am going to write a blog post every Monday.

In the past, I wrote a blog post about the fact that Mondays are so underrated. People are always hating on Mondays, and I admit that it kind of frustrates me.

Since I am always looking for ways to inspire and encourage people, what better day to do it than on the one people hate so much?! I would love to be the bright spot in your otherwise dreary day!

There's another aspect to this question that I'm also exploring, but I'm not quite ready to make that announcement, yet. So just know that there are big changes happening here at Walk In the Rain With Me, and keep your eyes open for more information!

...

My question today is what kind of stuff would you like to see more of in the future? Be sure to leave your suggestions in the comment section below or over at my Facebook page!

Also, I just want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this series, both my old readers, and my new ones! I also want to give a special shout-out to all of the other 31 Day bloggers I was able to connect with. You guys were amazing!

If you just found my blog, I'd love to encourage you to say! You can subscribe to my email list over there --> so you never miss a post. Check out my About Me page to get to know me a little better. That also includes a list of a few of my most popular posts to get you started!

This is Day 30 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

Tomorrow is my very last post in the 31 Days of INSPIRE! series, and now that I'm faced with the final days of the challenge, I've really started looking back to appreciate how this month has been for me.

When I first started this project, I had no idea just how much work it was going to be. I didn't know I was going to get really sick in the middle of it and struggle finding something to write because I felt so badly. I had no idea I would resort so much to simply sharing a picture or song because I had nothing to say...

But I also didn't know I would meet up with so many amazing people who were also participating in the 31 Days challenge. I didn't know I was going to have the opportunity to connect with different blogs throughout the month. I didn't know I would become so much quicker at writing, editing, and creating graphics for a post. And I had no idea I would be ever able to generate a post every day for the month of October! 

I have learned a lot about myself and about others during this month of blogging every day. 

I've learned that there are tons of supportive bloggers out there if you take the time to find them. I've learned that it's alright to not always have something huge to contribute- even little things can be meaningful. I've learned that it's possible to make two custom graphics in under five minutes. I've learned that there are people out there who actually read my blog.

And I've learned that 

I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for.

You see, I'm one of those people who often sells themselves short. I see myself as such a small, insignificant being in the big picture of creation... 

But that's not true. 

I may be small, but I'm not insignificant. I may be just one person, but I can make a difference in people's lives. I may be only a "hormonal teenager," but I can still inspire people. I may be little, but in the immortal words of a certain asparagus-

Today, I want to remind that no matter how small and insignificant you may feel, you are capable of so much more than you think. Because no matter how little we are, we serve the One who spoke the world into being. And with Him, all things are possible.

...

Today my question for you is have you ever been surprised by something you didn't think you could do, but did? What would you tell someone who was feeling insignificant? I always love to hear what you have to say, so be sure to comment!

This is Day 29 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

 

 

In this day and age, it seems so much stock is put in being productive. There is so much that needs doing, and if you're not getting one of those things done, you're being lazy.

 

But it seems we have made ourselves too busy. We've lost the art of simply enjoying life because we're so worried about getting things done. We make a to-do list, and if we happen to finish with time to spare, we move on to tomorrow's list.

 

But it's never enough. The list never ends...

 

And I have to wonder how much we are missing in life because we have our eyes glued on our to-do list. We're so stuck in the "go go go" mentality that we don't take time to enjoy what we've been given.

 

And it's sad, really...

 

 Today, I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and just breathe. Stop cleaning, leave the dishes in the sink, turn the cell phone off, and allow yourself to enjoy a few moments of simplicity. Read a book, listen to some music, take a walk, or play with your kids.

 

 

I know it's hard. I know there's probably "better" stuff you could be doing. But trust me- these are the moments we need to cherish...

 

 ...

 

My question for you is do you think we have gotten too busy? What are some steps we can take towards de-cluttering our schedules? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below or over on my Facebook page!

This is Day 28 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

While I was doing my school work yesterday, I came across a quote that really got me thinking. 

 I have seen this to be true on more than one occasion. Society attempts to fix a problem, and in doing so, only creates a new one.

An area I've noticed it in the most is when we're talking about beauty.

You see, society has this warped idea of what it means to be beautiful. When we see beauty portrayed in movies and magazines, it's always skinny and flawless. On every TV screen and billboard, there are products aimed at turning you into that perfect person.

Recently, a lot of us have started to realize how messed up this idea of perfection is. So we decided to fight back. 

But the way we've tried to do it isn't right.

There are so many blog posts and Facebook statuses dedicated to attempting to correct the beauty myth, but almost all are at the expense of someone else. 

"Skinny isn't beautiful!" "Real women have curves!" "It doesn't matter if you're pretty." "Skinny girls are for wimps!" "Skinny isn't sexy- healthy is!"

This sounds all well and good- we're trying to tell people that they don't have to starve themselves to be beautiful. But do you see what we're doing here? The problem still remains, we're simply coming at it from a different angle. 

It's like a seesaw or a teeter-totter: bouncing up and down but never going anywhere.

In spite of our "good intentions", we're still perpetrating the myth that you are defined by what people see on the outside. That your beauty and worth are somehow found in what you look like...

But you are not your face. If you were to wake up one day and somehow not have your face, you would still be you. You are not your body. If you someday lost the ability to walk or talk, you would still be you.

Because you are more than what people see on the outside. There is so much more to you than any perceived beauty, regardless of what society sees you as.

If you're not considered skinny or beautiful, you are more than that.

If you wear a size 0 and are seen as just another pretty face, you are more than that.

Because this isn't about what you look like. This isn't about society's definition of beautiful. This is about the fact that everyone deserves to be treated with respect regardless of what they look like.

 
Just because they're not "good looking" doesn't mean they aren't beautiful. Just because they've got "the perfect body" doesn't give you the right to treat them like property.

As one of those girls who was given a naturally skinny body, I can tell you that it stings to hear people say "Skinny isn't beautiful." It's demeaning to see that "real women have curves." After all, what does that make me?

But I am not my body. I am not an object created solely for the purpose of satisfying some guy's desires.

I am a person. And there is so much more to me...

Today, I challenge you to look past appearances and really try to see who people really are. You might just find yourself surprised...

...

My question today is have you ever found yourself judged because of your appearance? Have you ever made assumptions about someone else only to find that you were wrong? Share your story in the comment section below or over at my Facebook page!