Snogging

 Before you begin reading, practice your best British accent and use it as you read the post. It's meant to be that way for the full experience.

Snogging. What is the first thing that comes to mind?

Two men wrestling in the mud? Smacking
dough into a thin crust? Throwing a punch and missing as you fling your body to the ground?
Maybe you think of two people having a full out PDA, hands, tongues and all?
This word is a British word for kissing. Just kissing, not necessarily sloppy, it sounds sloppy doens't it? So juicy.
One time I had a friend ask if I wanted to snog and I thought he was asking me to go snorkling or pig riding. I looked at him quizzically then his lips spread into a cute/exasperated smile. He leaned toward me and I jumped which bumped my head into his and he started laughing. "What's snogging?" I asked. "Let me show you."
He gently held the back of my neck and placed his smooth mouth on mine.
I started blushing and he kissed my pink cheeks.

I later wondered if all cross-cultural snogs happen in a similar fashion.
Does every first snog have to be so cute and awkward. I think it's better that way. Puts away the pride.
My current boyfriend and I had our first snog when we were high from MaryMuffins. I'm not sure he entirely remembers it but I do. We layed on the top of Observatory Hill on a warm June evening. We both were glazed over and melting into the dark grass. We looked into each others eyes and it just happened. My throat felt as if I had just swallowed the kiss we shared. It wasn't much action but there was a lot of energy circulating between us, the charge was high and the shyness was saturated.
The bashful energy lasted between us for a long time. I still experience it on occasion.

I think that being shy is a blessing. For me it is the moment of high intensity that arises uncontrollably. It reveals new desires and parts of oneself that were unexpressed and undiscovered previously.

What is a snogging memory that you remember vividly?
What is one time that you were shy to snog?
What was the first thing you thought of when you heard the word snog?
PLEASE SHARE!
Have a blessed day*

Existentialism vs Monotheism

Can the two coexist and both be true?

Can a person believe they have full creative power over their thoughts, their feelings and their life while believing in a higher power that created the universe down to every single miniscule detail??

Where's the line between 'I did that' and 'God did that.' Maybe 'God did that because I let [Him] do it through me' is more true than both of the above. 

If God exists, does [He] respect our personal boundaries and choices, did [He] the creator of everything give us our free will to choose whether we wanted to be as Holy as [He] or defy the creator as bodly as a misbehaving child?

Learning of the Law of Attraction has given me questions more detailed than these. Did the Creator of all the universes implement Universal Laws to govern our lives while making us think that we are totally free to do whatever we want or are these mysterious Universal Laws our guide to actually receiving the desires of our hearts and minds?

Maybe the Laws are the pathway back to the Source of Creation Itself.

Maybe the Universal Laws existed before God and gods. Is there really one all seeing eye that witnesses and observes all the things happening in the universe simultaneousy? Is this eye only witnessing or is this consciousness directly experiencing? 

Is this consciousness God? 

Is it experiencing with us, or AS us, or both?

Is God not only the infinite pool of wisdom love and creativity but actually the experiencer of life itself? In this notion there is no separation between Creator and Created. There is an intimacy between the thinker and her thoughts.

If you have ever dwindled in the world of psychodelic plants then you may be able to grasp this next one easier:

What if everything, not just every 'living' thing, but EVERYTHING, All matter, Is inseperable from consciousness. All things contain and are birthed from energy that is moving, vibrating, breathing even, FEELING. 

So building upon that, God has somehow stitched [Himself] into every fiber of existance and continues to expand with awareness of expanding. 

And we are a part of that expansion. We are a way for this consciousness to express Itself in new ways that bring expansion to the heart of Creation.

And if we are made of the fibers of Intelligent Creation (God) then we must have creative control as well because we are One. 

So I do create my life then, and I do choose my thoughts and emotions and responses and I am an all powerful creator. 

Not because I believe in God, but because I AM GOD... 

I am a woman not plastic

A story from my childhood:

I was about 3 years old, living in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh where I attended a private Christian school. I grew up in a quiet neighborhood and loving atmosphere. I had friends on my street that I used to play with everyday. 

There was a hot day in the middle of summer, year 1999. I was wearing a two piece bathing suite as I walked outside into the heat. 

Across the road a neighbor saw my adorable self and said something like 'her chubbiness is so cute!' 

I heard her and became immediately self conscious. I ran inside and didn't want to be in my bathing suite anymore

I was this appearance oriented already at the age of 3. I'm sure that any little kid can be shy but I feel like this situation was directly linked to the media's portrayal of women and even girls. 

People focus so much on how we look and always comment on our hair our clothes our makeup our looks that we start to focus on them just to get approval by others. This happens even to tiny children!

And I'm getting really bored and fed up with it. I do not want to be acknowledged for my fashion choices as the main facet of my being lol. I am a woman! I am a sensitive empathic creative human that is loving! And thats what I want to be noticed for.

I have really been soul diving and allowing myself to stray away from the media's ideal of a perfect body. I am adopting myself the way I am. 

The truth of the whole matter is, if you feel good you will look good. Not the other way around.

Superficiality is appealing temporarily but it will never satisfy our need to be accepted and loved unconditionally.

If you are a woman who dresses up to look good, if you do your hair and makeup everyday, if you feel naked in public without those, realize: you are beautiful without those things. You can feel confident without adding anything.

You don't have to try!

Please encourage girls and women in your life that they are beautiful just as they are. Even if you are around women who are self assured and seem put together, trust me, they really need to hear it. 

The most beautiful women in the world tend to not realize just how beautiful they are because they are trying to reach a standard. Please tell your mom, your sister, your girlfriend, your best friend just how beautiful and unique and amazing she is. Tell her at a time when she would least expect it, like in a pair of sweat pants with her hair up, or after yoga. 

We need to change the way women see themselves. This is truly an epidemic that I have personally fallen victim to. 

Men, you too! You have the ability to change this mindset just as much as women do. 

Share this with a woman you love. And keep encouraging young girls to be themselves. 

Practice not looking in the mirror so often and see how it changes the way you see yourself. I like you just the way you are, I hope you do too.

Try by Colbie Caillat:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoZLPSw8U8

YES WOMAN!

Last August I left my house intending to go on an epic adventure with my friend.
We ended up at our friend's house that night and the movie Yes Man was on tv. If you haven't seen this movie, PLEASE watch it. Not only is Jim Carey smashingly handsome but this movie taught me to take risks and I ended up going hitchhiking the next day.
The premise of the story was to say yes to all offers and opportunities that present themselves and don't hold back on taking chances. This doesn't apply to ALL situations, but it does to most.
Think about it, if you said yes to everything that was asked of you, you could do everything you want and discover things that you love that you didn't know you loved! You don't know what you don't know. The best job in the world could be waiting for you that you may have never heard of.
You could be vacationing in Hawaii if you decided to enter the free sweepstakes offering a luxury trip. You could be having a date with your soul mate if you decided to make an eharmony account like your mom suggested. You could be eating the best meal of your life if you decided to try a new restaurant this weekend. You could be making the best song ever if you decided to go over and talk to that cool dude who just happened to own a recording studio..
Anything is possible!!!!



Don't let that little voice in your mind hold you back from trying new things. Life is too short! Don't grow up with regret. It's never too late to start, no matter what age you are.

Not only can we accept the offers given to us from other people, but also the suggestions inside our minds. When we get an idea to do something, the best moment to do it is then! Don't wait.
Even the tiny things can lead us to life changing experiences.
 Let's say you are walking down the road and you pass up an intersecting street. Something inside you says, go back and turn down that road. So you go back and do it. As you are walking you see a bicycle sitting on the side of someone's yard with a sign that says "for sale. name your price." This happens to be the exact bicycle you wanted. Same color, frame, brand, and style!! You buy the bike ride it to your friend's house and they end up taking you to a concert in the park where you met to meet the band that is now your favorite band.

This is the way things work. So go watch that movie and see what happens :D

The Intentional Awkward Pause

The Intentional Awkward Pause is a very effective tool in becoming a better listener and conversationalist. Usually we try to avoid awkward silences at every chance, but here's a way to become comfortable with pauses and use them to our advantage.
So often we think we are listening, but we're not. We have a person talking to us, voices in our minds talking to us, opinions blaring about this or that, all the while our friend thinks they have our full attention. It can be tricky to fully pay attention to someone, especially when you are bored with what they are saying or if you are so excited you can't keep your mouth shut.

Have you ever been in a situation where someone was telling you something you could completely relate to and after every sentence you wanted to interject with an excited agreement or point of advice?
This is where the IAP comes in handy. Here's how it works:

A person is talking to you and once done with their sentence they pause. (This is where you would normally come in.) Instead of saying something right away, intentionally wait ~3 seconds before replying. By not saying anything right away, the person speaking might continue to open up to you. They might realize the solution to their problem on their own, or feel a desire to connect to you deeper because they can feel you are listening. This gives you the chance to see them, not just for what they are saying but how they are saying it, the emotions underlying their words.

For me, using this tool keeps me patient and present in the conversation. It makes me appreciate the other person's expression and their perspective rather than force my own onto them.
I suggest you try it and see what happens, comment below if you see any differences in your interactions ^_^

I found this cool trick from a woman on YouTube named Marie Forleo. She has a show called MarieTV where she talks about creating a life and business that you love! Check her out!
http://www.marieforleo.com

I can't say no to love

Sitting in my basement is making me depressed. Not because it's dark, or smelly or dusty. This is the exact place where I used to sit all night and talk for hours, laugh about the smallest things that seemed like the biggest. This is where I've been spooned and kissed and loved and made to be the most important person in the universe. And that's gone now. The very person who I shared these fantasies with ignores me, is angry at me, probably wants to wipe me from his memory. All because I couldn't say no to love.

I was barely 16 when he confessed his love to me. He was 24. He was a traveling rapper with red flaming hair who could probably have any girl he wanted, and he wanted me. I had never had a real boyfriend before. I didn't know how to kiss. I barely knew how to talk to him! But I wanted to know. I wanted to know what it felt like to be held and adored and in love. On the golf course that night, I felt like my heart was beating so loud it was distracting me from thinking. All I could do was listen to him communicate his feelings and absorb. I was a sponge, full of a mysterious liquid and I liked it. This was the first time we were ever alone together...

Over the next few months, we started to have 'a thing.' It became more serious over time and we truly were falling in love. This is what I wanted. This is what I had never had before.

Time challenged us to be what we had become. Were we just friends who happened to love making out and sleeping next to each other? Were we in an open relationship? Did we want to just be together? When did monogamy mean kissing the other's best friend on her birthday? Did I want to be in a relationship at all?..

We were in a cosmic dance, I became him and he became me. We shared ideas, feelings, desires, beliefs, fears. We slept under the stars together, made love in the forest, hitchhiked across the country, motivated each other to save the world and become our best, we asked questions, provided answers. The lines blurred and my heart was tied up to all these feelings and dreams, intentions and promises. It was beauty to the point of tears. It was romance to the point of heartbreak. It was sensational to the point of bursting.

The past couple of years, my mind has revolved around him and me. What we created and what we were going to create. As we grew closer, as we discovered our similarities, marriage came into the future picture. My 17 year old mind couldn't think of saying no so I said yes. It wasn't formal or concrete, but it was spoken. It was committed and proclaimed. And if I said no, pain was inevitable, right?

How could I hurt the person who says he loves me more than anyone else in his life? How could I hurt the man who says that he has never felt as connected to anyone more than he does to me? How could I take that away from him? How could he give me the power to do so?!

I couldn't say no to love. At the beginning of this relationship, I was so innocent, so unexperienced, I didn't know what I was getting into. I had no way to conceive of what my heart would go through, how I could be shaped and molded by this man.
At that age, I wanted to be with him for the experience more than I did to be with him specifically. I had nobody to compare him with, no ideal to reach for so I had no reason to say no.
He on the other hand had plenty of past experiences, one night stands, fights, heartbreaks and sex that he knew exactly what he wanted. He knew what kind of girl he wanted to be with for the rest of his life!
I was just happy to be exploring myself, to feel this much affection and pleasure and share it with another human being.

We gave each other our hearts, but I decided I wanted to take mine back. I needed to. I can't stay the 16 year old girl who craved romance now that I know what he wants, what he is seeking, and who he is. It's not fair. I don't have what he wants, I don't want what he wants. I had to let him go so we could be set free. I need to make my own decisions, learn life lessons from my point of view and not what he had done or regretted not doing. I can't share all of my desires and feelings and beliefs with anyone! I need to give myself the time and patience to grow, to compare, to understand, to listen.
It's hard to let go of someone you relied on for so long, someone you trusted would be there for you, would be your provider.
I am still shaken and heartbroken and messy, but I'd rather be that way then pretend to be solid and strong and stable. I can't pretend that I know exactly what I want. I can't pretend to be satisfied.
There's so much in this infinite world for me. There are so many people to meet, places to visit, ideas to consider, and feelings to share.
 I simply can't say no to love.

They way we treat them.

The way humans treat animals. From our perspective, we would love to think that we treat them kindly. We give them homes, we play with them, we pet them, we take them on walks, we make nature documentaries celebrating their beauty, we breed them and cross breed them, we make idols out of them even. 

But, from their perspective I don't think we come off very nice. We lock them in cages, we force feed them bland pebbles of dehydrated meat, we ride on them for entertainment, we force them into zoos where they have little space, we cut down their habitats to create farms where we put them into factories to be raised for food, we cut up their bodies and eat them, we take their eggs and babies, we take them out of the oceans in mass quantities to make money off their carcasses, we do scientific experiments on them, we attach images to them to justify the way we treat them, and so much more.

Now, I know that sounded awful. And most people haven't been to a slaughterhouse or behind the scenes of a circus elephant's life, or in a laboratory testing tumors on cats so we don't think about it often, or ever. But, as a species, we are destroying the other species of this planet. And I think it's time to take some Response Ability. Because we can change it. 

We've all seen commercials for the endangered life of polar bears or pandas on tv and wanted to cry. We've all seen the little tags for the WordWildLife, an organization that funds conservation action around the globe. So we know that things can change, we see these changes and want to help because this planet is beautiful! It's so rich and abundant, the biodiversity is a joy and it brings us happiness to learn about new species. So let's keep it that way.

So my question is, why do humans feel the urge to dominate over the other creatures on this planet? I thought we were stewards, not slave masters! It's sickening to see a man kick his dog for barking excessively. When animals get hurt, we can physically feel it. We can feel the suffering of animals. If you have ever seen a slaughterhouse video (which I recommend everyone should to know the truth) then you know that animals do suffer. And we can feel their suffering.

I'm done hearing the pish posh about how animals aren't sentient creatures. OH REALLY? Well then, tell me why a mother cat stays with her babies, teaches them how to defend themselves, feeds them, cleans them, LOVES them. Dolphins are shown to have a better social memory than we do. They remember the sounds of their companions, even after they have been separated for 20 years! When one dolphin dies, their family stays with them and honors them, like a sort of funeral. Animals have the ability to express intentional behaviors, they have complex nervous systems, detailed communication centers in their brain, they have the ability to express emotion with their voices.

Animal sentience is a fact that we can no longer argue. There is profound and large evidence proving it. Coming from that basic understanding, we can take action to protect them, make sure they have what they need to live full, healthy lives and die a natural death- not caused by our violence and technological misuse. 

For me personally, realizing the sentience of animals was enough to make me stop eating them and their products, stop buying leather, buy products only if they are 100% cruelty free and not tested on animals, etc. This motivation was caused by me being EXPOSED to the truth. 

If you have not yet seen it, please watch the documentary Earthlings. You can find it free on youtube below in the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4DJh-L7Ys

This is not about going vegetarian/vegan or becoming an activist, this is simply about respecting the life on this planet. Honoring the free will of animals and saying Yes to their life. Humans are very powerful and we have the opportunity to destroy this planet or create paradise. The choice is in your hands.