Away from the World..

"How much land did she say they have?"
"Twenty-eight acres."
"It's like they've got their own spot in the world, where the outside don't come in."
-The Secret Life of Bees

I really appreciate that quote. My grandmother has one-hundred ten acres and when I'm out there, I feel completely alone, but never lonely. It's like being in my very own heaven, or a dream land. Everything is as it should be, quiet and serene. As the character says in The Secret Life of Bees, it is some where to go to forget about the rest of the world. You can forget about time, money, people, and focus on serenity, love, and peace.

One of my friends and I have discussed the idea of nature, and how it has diminished greatly over the last one-hundred years. Ohio used to be covered in trees and open land, now it is rare to find such an area. We have to have parks to preserve not only plants and trees, but animals as well. We are knowingly and willingly ripping our mother earth of the things that feed her.

What's sad is I can't think of a solution. People keep having babies, babies grow into adults who need homes so they have have their babies, so our population continues to increase. Since we need the houses, I can't say "let's stop building things," but if we don't, we will eventually rid ourselves of the very thing that keeps us alive.

I think people forget that we need plants and trees to create oxygen so we can survive. And people take nature for granted. It's seen as a menace to most people, rather than something beautiful and important.

That's all I have to say at the moment. Enjoy the photos I uploaded. They were all shot on my grandmothers land this year. :)

Still the Same...

I have recently experienced a change in myself. I can look in the mirror and see a seemingly factual image: a healthy young woman.

For the longest time I thought I was overweight and ugly. But lately I've started noticing little things about myself that I like. For example, I actually think I'm pretty! I have never felt that way before.

Long story short, I have a healthy amount of self-esteem for once in my life. I am perfectly okay with everything about myself.

What I find interesting is that when I spend time with my friends that I have known for a long while, we fall back into our old pattern. I do/say something that they think is funny; they make fun of me; I feel badly about myself; I get defensive and try to hide it with a joke about them being jerks; and then they call me one of many names (blond, ditsy, stupid, etc.). I'm working on each of these situations as they come at me. I try not to react in the same way so that they will stop making those rude comments.

I am hoping to teach myself all over again. I believe that if I can accomplish this, my self-esteem will be exactly where I want to be, which is a very exciting idea.

I guess the point of this post is this: try not to fall into your old patterns once you have attained some sense of self-confidence.

As Christina Aguilera said so gracefully, "You are beautiful in every single way, no matter what they say."