Kindness Matters

Kindness has never really been an important value to me in the past. Though this semester it has become increasingly important to me. Even though it has become important to me, I'm still not all that great at practicing kindness on a daily basis. Honestly, I don’t see many people practice kindness much at all these days. So, I decided to start paying extra attention to acts of kindness I come across.

Within the last two weeks I've only come across two people who, to me, have shown kindness in great ways. First, a sweet girl that I went to high school with. She now attends college in New York. I was never really too close to her, but we were friends. Even though she lives far away now, she still brings a smile to my face. I get on Facebook not all that often, but when I do I always have a comment on a photo or status of mine that always brightens my day. If it isn't me she is commenting on someone else's picture or post. Every time I see something of hers I'm reminded of what how little time and effort it takes to be kind. She has reminded me that it doesn’t take but a few seconds to make some else's day a bit brighter.

Second, there's a guy that I also went to high school with. Though I rarely ever spoke or came into contact with him, I knew him enough to be Facebook friends. So, yet again, I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a post of his. Now this post was one of the sweetest and kindest things I've come across on a social media site that is usually full of selfishness and unkindness. It wasn't one of those generic posts that you see all over Facebook, it was one of a kind. It reads:

Hey guys, if we haven't talked in forever, if we talked yesterday or even if we have never talked before, I got you! If you ever need help or advice or to vent, call me, text me, Facebook message me whatever, I'm here for you! I will always be an open ear or give you the best advice I can. I don't care who you are, what you did, or how you did it, I'm here and I WILL NOT think any different of you. If you need help, come to me and I'll do the best I can! My heart and mind are open and are rarely closed off to people. Don't be shy, I got you!

Now, if this doesn't set an example of how we should all act, then I don’t know what does. It reminded me of how people can still surprise you. It reminded me that kindness can come from everyone. So why doesn’t?

Kindness isn't just something that should be ignored. Kindness should be appreciated and practiced all the time. I shouldn’t be able to get on Facebook and find just two people with remarkable kindness. I should only find a few who aren’t kind. Now I'm not saying I'm perfect, or even they're perfect. I'm just saying that, shouldn’t we all strive for kindness. Shouldn’t we all want to make someone's day a bit brighter. Shouldn't we all want people to know we are there for them whenever they need it, no questions asked. So I'm not saying that we should all do a one eighty. I am just saying that this holiday season and into next year we should all strive just to be a little bit more kinder to those we love, those we are acquainted with, and even those who we may not even know.

Over and Out,

B

Change, Change, Change

Who you are today is not who you were yesterday, nor who you will be tomorrow. Change is constant. Change will always happen whether you ask for it or not. Everyday your reality changes. Your values and ideals evolve or diminish. You can't help this, it's just a fact of life and no matter how much you try and run away from it or ignore it, it's still there. Now this may seem cheesy since we're nearing the end of the year, but the end of the year always gets me thinking. You see all the cliché end of the year posts on social media about who you started the year with versus who you are ending your year with. Have you ever thought about who YOU were when the year began and who YOU are now that it's almost over?

 

I know I do every year. Maybe my appearance doesn't change, but everything else sure does. I know that what I expect out of life changes every year. I know my definition of happiness changes with what each year brings me. I know that the way I value my friends changes every year, and I grow a new appreciation for those that stick around year after year. I know that my definition of love has been altered after the last 365 days. Each year I tend to value my parents more and more. I mature within every year, whether I tried to or not.

 

Everyone makes change sound so bad all the time. It isn't. Every year is full of so many struggles that change you. I've had past friendships fail and blamed on the both of us for changing. I've had my parents compare this years me to the me three years ago, because I am a totally different person. We all evolve and grow into a different person each year. Maybe not all at once, but little things day by day allow you to change. Stop resisting the change. Stop trying to be who you use to be. You are who you have become because of the hardships and even luxuries life has given you.

 

I'm not saying that you should wake up January 1st and decide that you're going to be completely different than you were December 31st. I'm just saying love yourself and who you've fought to become. Appreciate this past year and those before it that allowed you to be where you're at now. If you're currently in a hardship try and embrace because one day you will look back on it and be thankful. Lastly, stop ending your year with the clichés about the people you began and ended with. None of that matters, the people are a part of the change and growth as well. Instead of focusing on the people who hurt you, left you, or were just added to your life in a negative energy, credit them as the ones who allowed you to grow as a person and change as a person. So as the year is ending just stop and think about everything you've done In the past year, who you became this year, and about how all the people and things you went through this year that helped you get to where you are right now.

 

 

 

Over and Out,

B

Define You & Friendship

A lot of the time people let society tell them who to be. What color to dye their hair, what shoes to wear, what kinds of clothes to wear. Even as much as what to eat, when to eat it, and where to eat it. Don’t you get so sick of this? Just for once do you wish you could wear those really out of date shows with bright pink leggings without getting weird, disapproving looks. Without having the feeling of insecurity, no matter what you're doing. Yeah, me too.

I've been thinking a lot about what society says is okay and not okay. I've decided that, society shouldn't tell me what is okay and what isn't. I shouldn't have to wake up in the morning and decide what’s okay to wear. I shouldn't have to think about what I'm about to order from Chick-Fil-A and whether or not I'll be judged because of this choice. I shouldn't have to think about what kind of shoes will be appropriate and get me the least judgment from the mean girl cliques at school. I shouldn't have to have these thoughts of what will society accept because society shouldn't be based on all of these material things.

Do you make friends because of your name brand backpack or designer shoes? Or do you make friends because of the style of clothes you wear and the diet of food you are on? No. You make friends because of your personality and who you are on the inside. So why do we value everything else, so much? Why are people judged because of what size clothes you wear, and how long their hair is, what kind of makeup they wear. Or how much makeup they wear. Why do we value all of these things. Because society taught us to value these things rather than the person you are the person the people are as they come along throughout your life.

Do what you want. Wear Ugg boots in ninety degree weather, eat the biggest container of fries you can find after a bad day, wear pink on pink if that makes you happy. Talk to the woman who wears pigtails as an adult, to the woman who wears too much makeup for your liking, or to the woman who you just haven't ever thought about talking to. Judge people a little less, learn people a little more. Stop labeling everyone according to their appearance and your perception of them. Start accepting. Start learning.

Over and Out,

B

Remember Why You're Here

I am currently about a half way through my first semester in college. When I started this semester I had this cliché in my mind of how college was supposed to be. Man was I completely WRONG. It's not how movies show it to be, but man would it be cool if it were. There aren't friendly people every corner you turn. No group picnics in the middle of the grass like on Pitch Perfect. Oh, and don't even get me started on the whole 'you can skip class whenever you feel like it' crap. The reality is, to excel you show up unless you're lying on your deathbed.

In high school, I had always had an abundance of friends that I had built up over the years. I started college expecting to make friends in each class. I'm halfway through the semester and have hardly any friends from college. Sure, I have a few acquaintance's, but no real friends. My only advantage of this is that I chose to attend a the university in my hometown, which allows me to still attend school with a few friends from high school. So unless you're a shoo-in for Greek life, starting a new social life in college is quite challenging.

I hear about parties and social scenes on a daily basis. At my university they say the weekend starts on Thursday, because the local clubs deem it as college night. Imagine how much of a struggle waking up for a Friday 8am could be like. I'm not who you would call a partier. I do, however attend a party school, or so I've been told. Many people who I talk to, hear about, or even just read about on social media party excessively. Now, I know, partying is essential to the average college student, but too much can be way detrimental your health, safety, and standings at school. So just remember the students on the big screen at your local movie theater didn't have a real midterm or lecture hall the next day.

Now, my purpose of this was just to remind people of what college is for, and why you're here. Yes, you're here to experience life. Yes, you're here to join activities, such as Greek life and other clubs and organizations. Yes, you're here to start a life of your own. BUT you're also here for greater reasons. Yes, you’re here to get a degree in something you love and are passionate about. Yes, you’re here to one day make a difference. Don't let distractions keep you from this. Learn how much partying and how much of a social life you can have without it being detrimental to your school work. Everyday when I walk through campus I hear stories of drunken nights, parties, and many bad choices. It affects your grades. If you think it doesn't, IT DOES.

We all chose to attend college for different reasons. Though we all have the same goal, to graduate and become a better version of ourselves. Today I was scrolling through my Tumblr app and came across a great quote. It read "today my Anthro professor said something beautiful: 'you all have a little bit of 'I want to save the world' in you,  that's why you’re here, in college. I want you to know that it's okay if you only save one person and it's okay if that person is you.'" This quote really ran deep with me. So just remember next time you're out till 4am on a Thursday night, stumbling drunkenly into your door room, that you're here because you choose to be. Because you wanted to change the world, save the world, or even just change and save yourself. Remember why you’re here, and why you choose to be here.

            -Over and Out,

                          B