The Clock Never Stops

         I woke up on 11-11-11 almost expecting something unusual to happen.  I went to work, sat at my desk and drank my coffee.  Later I went to lunch with my husband and watched all the big wig Kansas executives have their fake conversations in their nice suites as they brush off their waiter.  I thought to myself how awful it must be to have to sit at their table and pretend to like them. 

The rest of the day continued as normal but my awareness was higher than usualy. I found myself watching the day and every little detail... knowing this day would never happen for me again.  My thoughts then turned to how we should live everyday as if we will never have it again. 
If you know me at all, unlike most people my age who can't wait until the next phase of their life, I find myself missing the past and even in happy moments feeling sad that it will end all too quickly... which it does. 
I truly do cherish each day and the time that I have with the ones I love and even on 11-11-11.  It was beautiful weather for that time of year in a time where we remember our veterans who have ensured our freedom. 

I was blessed to wake up and live another day and to spend it with my husband.  I was blessed to have a job to go to and to have the money to go out for lunch.  I'm blessed to live in America with the freedoms I have.  We should not have to have one day of the year to remind us to appreciate all of the others, and if nothing else, that is what 11-11-11 did for me.

Giving Up with the Kardashians

      I am so tired to hearing about Kim Kardashian, but I had to see what all the hubub was about this show of hers.  I got sucked in for a moment looking at their perfect looking family on their exotic vacation on the beach.. but then I snapped back into reality and turned off the tube.


          What happend to quality television and qualitify entertainers?  People used to have to be talented to have a show.  The sad thing is that these shows would not continue to pop up and air if there was not an audience for them.  We, Americans, keep watching the rich and famous become more rich and famous and it needs to stop.  All I heard over the summer was Kim's wedding this and Kim's wedding that.  Now she's getting a divorce.  How is this suprising? Enough is enough, people!

Not As Ready for Some Football

Hank Williams Jr.'s song has been a classic on Monday night football.  Hearing it makes me think of fall as a kid, getting a cup of hot chocolate and gathering with the family to watch Monday night football.  I have mixed emotions regarding the removal of the song.  I don't think removing the song was necessary, although I do think Williams behavior was a little immature and unprofessional. 

His joke regarding Obama was inaprropriate even if he did not mean it to come across the way that it did.  His overall demeaner from the start did not help his case by making a comment about the female host, arms folded with sunglasses on as if he was too good for the interview.  Unfortunately many celebrities tend to get full of themselves and think they should share their political views.  I personally don't usually give a hoot about celebrities political views.  Most of them have less education than I do!  I am sad that the song is gone, I wish it wasn't.  It seems a little drastic to remove the song completely. 

Peace & Yoga

When people hear the word “peace” it may bring about thoughts of war, hippies or even Christmas.  For such a little word, peace can bring a lot of different meanings, feelings and definitions.  In our current day and age world peace is probably one of the first things that come to mind.  World peace is a desire felt by many, but how attainable is it?  World peace starts with one person and while it may not be possible for you alone to change the world, you can make a difference by striving to be peaceful both in your thoughts and actions about yourself and others.  One simple way many achieve this inner peace is through yoga.

Yoga began in ancient India as a disciplinary practice to meditate and focus.  Yoga still is used the same ways today although there are many different variations.  Whether you go to improve your health, maintain flexibility, meditate, or just relax after a long day, you will leave yoga feeling a sense of peace and clarity. 

Yoga is not just for your parents or their generation.  In fact, the “Yoga in America” market study found that 40.6% of people who participate in yoga are 18-34 in age.  The study also stated that nearly 14 million Americans have had yoga recommended to them as medical therapy by a therapist or doctor.

One of Avila’s best kept secrets is that it offers a yoga class that is free to students.  This class meets on Wednesdays from 4:45-5:45 and is the perfect way to release your stress from a day filled of classes.  Yoga is taught by Tom Jacobs who has been teaching yoga since 1987.  Jacobs has taught over 6,000 students at 10 different Kansas City locations including Avila. 
Jacobs had the following to say regarding peace and yoga:

“At the heart of yoga is not just "finding peace”, but "becoming peace". All spiritual practice, whether it's prayer, meditation, yoga or others, are meant to align you with God's energy inside you. These practices help you remember where you come from, what sustains your life, and what purposes you have on this earth. There is a part of each person that is totally unshakable, strong, stable and serene. Nothing can destroy or upset that essential part in you. Call it your soul, your spirit or your core, that is the presence of God within you.  All spiritual practices re-align & re-connect you with that! Then you live in a wakeful state and can share your infectious love to transform hearts and heal the world.”

World peace starts with you and your heart.  The decisions you make today for yourself can impact everyone tomorrow. Living intentionally and taking the time to learn how to accept yourself and love others will always bring a peaceful change.

Stamp of DISapproval on Celebrity Stamps.

        After hearing that the US Postal Service is attempting to add hip celebritiess to their stamps in order to generate new business from young people, I can only roll my eyes. I am 25 years old and will admit that this new campaign will not cause me to buy more stamps or start mailing letters instead of sending emails.  My generation wants everything now.  We are not patient and we are cheap.  We love emails because they are instant and free.  I have even started paying bills online to avoid buying stamps whenever possible.  I send out Christmas cards which is probably the biggest check the post office will ever recieve from me.  Unless they are going to put Bing Crosby on the stamps at Christmas, I will probably never buy a celebrity stamp.  Don't get me wrong, I like celebrities, but if I have a need to see one I will simply turn on my television.  I understand these are rough economical times for the post office, but they should consider if it's bad for them, how bad is it for the poor college students who can't get jobs?  In my opinion, a better improvement the post office could make would be to hire some people who possess some manners and don't look like they just rolled out of bed. I would be highly suprised if any new business would occur from these changes. 

      The post office just dismissed their rule that stamps cannot feature people who are still living.  I thought it was a good rule, almost like you had to be a living legacy to be featured on a stamp, just like the presidents on the dollar bills.  So now when we go to buy stamps will we have the option to choose Mary and baby Jesus or Justin Beiber?  It just takes the significants away from legacies like Dr. Martin Luther King, George Washington and Marylin Monroe.  My stamp of disapproval is smacked down on this new idea.

Silence is Golden

      After watching multiple interviews of Tupac, I noticed both his flaws and his talents.  While his record was not always clean, he felt deeply about his music and the positive affect he was having on others through it.  This is similar to Jimi Hendrix although Jimi did not care about fame, fortune or money; he just wanted to use his gifts and talents to do what he was called to do.   Both artists were very deep on a spiritual level and personal level.  They believe in the power of healing in what they were doing.

      I feel Tupac and his music started a trend expression among artists that trickles down to the youth.  My generation is consumed by music.  So much so that we are afraid to hear silence.  We hop in the car and turn on our radio, and wear our headphones when we’re not in the car.  Music is playing in every store we venture into and we stream it from our computers at work.  We seem so focused on distracting ourselves with other’s words that we fail to hear our own or God’s.  I believe music can feed the soul and bring us back to places in our past.  A certain lyric or verse can bring back an emotion, place or time.  It can remind us of those we have lost, great memories or even feelings we forgot we had.  I believe this is the goal for artists like Tupac and Jimi.  They sing to remember, they sing to forget.  And as we enjoy their music and music from others like them, we need to also remember to take time to turn the music off and not be afraid of silence and what we might hear.

War, Peace and September 11th

I remember September 11th like it was yesterday.  I was fifteen years old and was packing my gym bag for my competitive dance team practice.  Like every other morning, my parents had the news on.  They seemed to always be concerned with the world and what was going on, unlike me.  This was probably good since I was a teenager without a care in the world.  I tossed my bag over my shoulder and slid my feet into my jazz shoes.  As I walked into the living room the news announcers were silent and the television portrayed The World Trade Center’s burning.  

       At the time, I had no idea what these buildings even were.  I yelled at my mom to come look and she ran in the room holding my baby brother.  I remember the concerned look in her eyes, one of fear and disbelief.  She returned to my brother’s bedroom to quickly change his diaper.  I continued to watch in horror as the newscaster began crying saying they believed this was a terrorist act.  Although I knew nothing about the buildings, I remember telling my mom I thought they were going to collapse.  She then told me this was impossible. No sooner had she said this then the buildings started crumbling and sinking to the ground.  The news announcers screamed and cried in disbelief and my mother’s jaw dropped as she clutched my brother tighter. I just watched, unsure what this meant for our country and why someone would do this.  My mom grabbed the phone to call my dad who was a government worker who had been ordered to go home.  I continued to watch the screen for hours.  The building soon became engraved in my mind.  The plane sinking into it, the collapse, the panic of the usually calm people.  Did this mean war?

       10 years later I still remember it ever so clearly.  I am, by nature, a peaceful person.  But I do not think a terrorist act can go without retaliation. Although I didn’t completely understand the significance of the event in the moment it occurred, I remember knowing that life for America would never be the same. Whether this war was waged with the right people or the right way is a completely different issue, but for someone who does hope for peace, I also believe peace is not always possible.  The world is full of sin and hate, and while some people remain peaceful, not everyone does.  Without everyone being like-minded there will always be hate and always be wars.  Peace must be a two way street. War is always a tragedy.  Innocent are killed, lives forever changed.  But I am so thankful for the men and women who fight for our country to make it what it is, free and for the most part, safe.