The Mundane & The Beautiful

bod·y im·age noun noun:  body image ; plural noun:  body images 1.     the subjective picture or mental image of one's own body. I think we can all agree that body image is a huge topic floating around the music industry, blogs, magazines, you name it. Everywhere we look we seem to be bombarded by someone’s opinion on what constitutes a beautiful female. There seem to be two polarized views. 1)  Thin is beautiful. This view stems largely from the media. From movie actresses to pop stars. From runway models to clothing advertisements. The message: Size 0 is the normal. Size 0 is hot. Size 0 is the only beautiful size. This message prompts girls to strive to obtain a size 0 figure by any means possible. It is a terrible message. It teaches women to be ashamed of their bodies because their thighs touch and their waists are not paper thin. I’ve known people who were personally driven to eating disorders and obsessive exercising in order...

As noted by my post yesterday, the stress of college and campus life can prove overwhelming at times. In such occasions, it is perfectly acceptable to simply run away from all your problems and forget they even exist. No, in all seriousness, a detox from the business of life is necessary at times. Luckily, my Grandma lives only an hour away in Nashville, TN. So, in a spur of the moment decision, my good friend Jordan and I threw some clothes in a duffle bag and hit the road. We were in desperate need of some relaxation, home cooked food, and the comfort that only comes from being at ones Grandma's house.   marvelous sunset on our way from Bowling Green  After a peaceful night of sleep, we woke this morning to the smell of freshly cooked bacon coming from the kitchen. This morning made me realize one very very important part of life: Home-cooked food is the greatest thing in the universe. No, seriously. Compared to my normal routine of chowing on a granola bar on the...

You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of us.             Sitting in the library, sipping on an iced coffee, listening to worship music, and reflecting on this crazy thing called life. My current mental and emotional state: stress. Stress over my classes and my grades. My crazy busy schedule. My social calendar. You name it. At times, I feel so incredibly overwhelmed. I so very often think to myself, “ If I just make the perfect routine and stick to my schedule I’ll be peachy. If I do X, Y, & Z on my list I won’t ever be stressed and life will be perfect. ” Well, life doesn't work like that. I’m human and my life is messy, stressful, and chaotic. But it is also beautiful .   My life is not beautiful because it is organized or glamorous. It’s not beautiful because I have everything in order; it is beautiful becaus...