Surviving

It's safe to say we've all felt alone at one point in life. I have. Do you know the feeling? It's a sort of insecurity in the pit of your stomach, you're not sure where you belong, and you feel as though the world is avoiding you. Maybe it only comes out occasionally, when you're in a new place or with people you don't know, or maybe it's a constant, nagging, perpetual pressure deep down inside you. Regardless of the intensity, this feeling can be nerve-racking, daunting, and unwelcome. What is it about being alone that we fear so much? What exactly does the term mean, to be "alone"? I believe deep down in the core of our being lies the innate desire for acceptance, a term that perhaps we have come to more accurately define as love. When we feel alone, we feel unloved. 

Ahaha! This picture is great. 

I wonder, is love an instinct? Do we have a choice but to love and desire love? I compare my desires to animals’ natural tendencies. For example, the mother bear. She would risk her life to protect her cubs. Does the mother love her cubs, or is it out of instinct she would sacrifice her life for them? Also, consider geese. Once a goose has found a partner, the two stay together for life. Is that love? Is that commitment? Do they have a choice or is it something they were born with, something hidden in their genetic code? There are also many animals who do not share such tendencies. Alligators and turtles lay their eggs and leave. Most animals have several mates over their lifetime.

As I consider this, I find there is a connection in which everything comes together: survival. 

Animals act the way they do in order to survive, to continue their life, their species.  


Humans are social creatures. We desire to be together, and it's not just because of the way we were raised, it's in our nature. I think love is instinctive, in fact it is necessary. I believe humans were given the ability to love in order to survive, and not just as an individual, as a race. 


Consider humanity with me. The concept of humanity holds a vast definition. Humankind is so different in every sense of the word. Think about the different cultures from continent to continent, nation to nation, family to family, person to person. And yet, we are unmistakably connected, undeniably united by our humanness. No matter where we come from, we come in groups, groups connected by a bond. Perhaps that bond is love, perhaps it is survival. I believe it's both. 

If animals use their inherent abilities for survival, isn't it safe to assume that humans do or should as well? Yet, as humans, existing is more elaborate, more confusing, and much more extreme. 


For example, we possess the ability to create complex thoughts. We have the ability to not only survive, but live on a completely different plane of metaphysical concepts. We question things outside ourselves. We advance, we invent things. We question our purpose for existing, where we came from, and how we came to be. 


If we have so much complexity, so much knowledge not necessary for our physical survival, then whey is it there? I think I'm beginning to understand. As a global studies major, I study different cultures. Last spring I took a cultural anthropology class. During the class I learned that there are certain "cultural universals" shared with all people groups everywhere on the planet. One of the cultural universals was the belief in a higher power, or a force greater than humans. Could our advanced ability to think be another tool, another inborn necessity for survival? Not physical, bodily survival, but survival of our soul? Why else would we maintain such knowledge? 


I believe people are eternal, not physically, but on a different level we barely understand. We were given our ability to consider higher powers and the concept of "eternal" in order to survive. 


And just as we have a desire to be loved by others, to not feel "alone" in every sense of the word, we innately desire something greater too. Perhaps the desire for love is born from something far beyond ourselves, a deeply hidden, subconscious passion. A bond, not between humans, but between the human and the Eternally Divine. Maybe this is a longing that cannot be completely fulfilled in this lifetime. And as one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, put it: 

        ::::

These are just my thoughts recently. I tend to be a deep thinker, topics like this fascinate me.

Share your thoughts too if you'd like!

{dm}

Health. Health. Health.

Generally speaking, everyone could stand to be a bit healthier. Health is kind of a big deal because it not only effects your body, but your mood as well.

Today I will share with you some quality advice for healthier living. As a disclaimer, I'm not a registered dietician, but I am a runner. If you know anything about runners, you'd understand we'll do anything to become faster, including making healthy lifestyle choices; this has been my goal over the past several years. I hope you find my thoughts helpful. Sometimes healthy reminders are necessary!

1. It is better to eat constantly. 
Eat snacks (about 150-200 calories each) in between meals (350-400 calories each) rather than going several hours from one meal to the next without eating.

When you don't eat for more than three hours, your blood sugar drops and your metabolism slows down. This means that when you do eat again, your digestive system takes longer to absorb the nutrients, therefore food sits in your stomach/intestines longer and is more likely to effect you negatively (turning food to fat instead of energy).

2. Sugar is the enemy. 
We all know candy isn't good for us, but that's not the only thing that contains ungodly amounts of sugar. Check the nutrition label for the sugar content in your cereal, granola bars, canned items, drinks, bread, etc. Cereal shouldn't have more than 6 grams, bread no more than 2 or 3. Think as low as possible when it comes to sugar.

Foods and drinks high in sugar spike your blood sugar (your goal should be to keep your blood sugar levels even all day). When you have a high blood sugar levels, you get a buzz (sugar high) but then you crash and feel hungry soon after. This leads you to crave bad foods that are high in sugar and calories which begins a vicious cycle that sets your blood sugar levels on a crazy roller-coaster ride.

3. Eating fat isn't bad.
There are certain fats in food that benefit you, in moderation. However, check the nutrition label for saturated fat %. It is better to choose unsaturated fat because consuming too much saturated fat raises your cholesterol, and that's trouble for your guts! Here is a link I found extremely helpful in understanding the different kinds of fat: Dietary fats: Know which types to choose.

4. You probably eat too much sodium. 
You like your occasional dash of salt to add a little flavor to your food, but trust me, whatever your eating already has plenty. Quite frankly, your body doesn't need so much sodium.

Usually, your kidneys eliminate access sodium in your pee, but if for some reason there's too much, it begins to build up in your bloodstream. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases, which makes your heart work harder to pump blood to every part of your body, which increases pressure in your arteries.

That's bad. 
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day. Read more: Sodium: How to tame your salt habit now. 


5. Drink before you eat. 
A lot of the time when you think you're hungry, you're actually just thirsty. Drink a glass of water before you eat anything. In fact, always drink more water than you think necessary. 8-10 8oz. glasses a day (that's basically 3 camelbak water bottles). Why? Let me give you an analogy:

Imagine you just took a dump (sorry for the graphic mental image). It's time to flush, but there's no water (or very little). The toilet is working perfectly but without the water, the crap isn't going anywhere.

You need water to flush your food through your system. Enough said.

There are also a ton of other benefits to drinking water, it helps everything. Water is just great, you need to drink it. Ok? Ok. :)


When it comes to mealtime. 
Also, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind when choosing your meals:

Breakfast. 
It's the most important meal of the day!!! Also, it should be your biggest (most calories). Think high in carbohydrates (Yes! Carbs!) and also protein.

Suggestions:
- Low-sugar cold cereals (Kashi has great stuff!) or oatmeal

*Sidenote: personally I'm not a fan of milk (skim or otherwise) because of all of the unnatural hormones added in. Also, milk is relatively high in sugar. Instead, I drink unsweetened Almond milk with my cold cereal. It has much more calcium and vitamins and made from all natural ingredients. 

- Banana with Peanut butter or a handful of raw almonds
- 2-4 eggs/egg whites on two slices of whole grain toast or two whole grain tortillas



Lunch
A balance of carbohydrates and protein

Suggestions:
- Peanut butter and jelly on whole grain (always a classic)
- Spinach salad with chicken
- Baked potato
- Tuna sandwich
- Egg salad sandwich (1-2 boiled eggs chopped+mustard+light mayo on whole grain bread)

Don't forget to include vegetables (especially green) like green beans, peppers, celery, carrots, broccoli etc.  

Dinner
Think less carbs, more protein.

Suggestions:
- Chicken and rice
- Spinach salad with chicken
- Beef with baked potato

And again, don't forget to include vegetables raw or cooked.

Snacks
- Fruit
- Yogurt (especially greek!)
- Toast (whole grain)
- Boiled eggs
- Trail mix
- Nuts

Dessert
Just think moderation and you'll be fine

Suggestions:
- Dark chocolate

Welp. That's all I have for right now. I hope you find this helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Happy Thursday.

{dm}

Quotes

Thoughts on beauty today. 

{dm}

YOLO!

It’s Sunday! This week has literally flown. Do you ever feel like that? Like every day is like a blur, weeks fly by, and time has a way of racing like a cheetah with its tail on fire? That’s how my life feels. And I know it’s only going to get worse as I grow older. 

That’s why I need to stop. Right now. At this very moment. Before any more time slips away, before I live any more days, or even blink. 

I need to be still. I’m young (booyah!) but that doesn’t mean my life is going to last long. I might not even finish this blog post. I might not even wake up tomorrow. Those are heavy, heavy possibilities to think about. 

I don’t want to live my life fearing death, but I also don’t want to live my life pretending it’s never going to happen. Eventually I will die, whether it’s in ten minutes or seventy years. 

YOLO. Have you ever heard that acronym thrown around? Well, if you don’t know what it means, I’ll spare you the embarrassment of asking: you only live once. 

One shot. 

One adventure. 

One life.

Just one. 

It doesn’t matter what country you come from, or who’s family you’re in, or what you believe. Heck, it doesn’t even matter how many people follow your blog! We all get the same number of lives: the one we’re living right now. 

It’s not the life you’ll have tomorrow, or the one you had yesterday. All you have is right...now. 

So what should we do with it? One of my biggest fears is wasting my life. I used to think: 

I need to get involved in as many religious things as possible, and volunteer. I need to help starving people around the world, I need make a difference, I need to rescue lives, I need to...I need to...I need...I...I...me...me...

No doubt good does come out of this approach, but recently I realized: isn’t that just another form of selfishness? Isn’t it just as selfish to do things for other people so I don’t feel guilty when I’m lying on my deathbed? I think it is very easy for people who think like that to get burnt out. They’re caught up in serving and saving the world. They have dreams and fantasies of how fulfilled they will be and how much of a difference they will make. However, they soon find out it is difficult, they get sucked dry. They lose their joy. 

So what? We live selfishly because in the end it’s no different than a life of servanthood? 

Heck no. 

I believe Jesus Christ was a real person. I believe he is God, who came down and walked around in a human body. 

I want to be like Christ. When I stop and evaluate my life, this is what I realize. It sounds so noble, so honorable, doesn’t it? No. Perhaps this desire is the most misunderstood of all. 

In this life I will be called to suffer. I think that there will be many people offended by what I say, and indignant by the hard questions I will ask. I might even lose my life because of it. 

Yet, that is a reflection of how Jesus lived. Why shouldn’t I expect anything different for my life?

But what about right now? What do I do?? Am I failing Jesus because I’m not suffering? This is my conclusion to all this: 

I need to listen to his voice. I will be still. I will rest in the peace of knowing that God is calling me, he will speak into my life...but only if I seek him with all my heart. I can’t just chill out here in my peaceful little world. He needs my whole heart. Not part of it, or most of it, but every last possible doubt, fear, anxiety, and insecurity I cling on to. 

So when he does call me (because he will. In fact, he is right now), 
I will not act out of guilt, or fear of wasting my life, I will act out of love. 
Because at the end of my life, nothing is going to matter if it wasn't done out of love for him. Nothing.

To love the Lord your God. This is his first, his greatest commandment. 

{dm}

Things I Love

The Ultimate Cure for Dehydration ;) 

Happy Friday! I'm heading out soon; some of my lovely cross-country ladies and I are going camping. However, first, let me share with you one of my favorite things.

Camelbaks. God bless whoever invented them. They hold 24 oz. at a time. I try to drink at least 5 full bottles a day. Usually I'm able to. It's an easy way to stay hydrated. I probably wouldn't drink half as much water without it. If you struggle getting the necessary 8 cups (or more) of water every day, I highly recommend this. It's worth the extra cost because it lasts a long time, and well, let's be honest, you use it every day. I love it. I literally couldn't live without it! Ha.

Not sold on water? Do you find it's hard to drink more than two or three glasses a day? Here are a few benefits to keep in mind when it comes to staying hydrated:

{Information taken from this link}

The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water, depending on body size. A rule of thumb: 2/3 of the body consists of water. In other words, it is the main component of your body. Your tissues and organs are mainly made up of water. Here is the %:

• Muscle consists of 75% water
• Brain consists of 90% of water
• Bone consists of 22% of water
• Blood consists of 83% water

The functions of water in human body are vital. The water:

• Transports nutrients and oxygen into cells
• Moisturizes the air in lungs
• Helps with metabolism
• Protects our vital organ
• Helps our organs to absorb nutrients better
• Regulates body temperature
• Detoxifies
• Protects and moisturizes our joints

Every cell in your body needs water from head to toe. So drink up! 

Have a great weekend!

  

{dm}

So Many Books

Ok, I'll admit it. I love books. Not just any kind of book though, it must be well-written. Nerdy? Definitely. Ashamed? Absolutely not. Books are a way of escape; to stop being yourself for a while and cross over into the mind of the writer. And if the author does it right, it's quite entertaining. It's like a movie, except it requires your own imagination and possibly more time. Maybe I take too much pride in the fact that I enjoy books. Probably. It is one of my many quirks. Regardless, I embrace it.

Argos Bookstore {Yes, that is Spiderman on the window--vintage style}

After discovering the quaint, old-world bookstore in Saugatuck on my birthday, my mom and I decided to check out other charming old used bookstores nearby.

We came across two in East Grand Rapids.  

Redux Books {Check out that ivy!}

Shelves upon shelves of tattered, torn, worn, and treasured old books. 

Maybe my books will be in this section of bookstores one day.

I bought a book. It is creative non-fiction, a memoir from the author. It's called A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I know, the title itself is ironic. "A cheap kind of joke" the author calls it, as it is his own writing he calls "staggering genius". This eludes to the type of character he presents. I read the first chapter. I love it so far. Dave Eggers has a distinctive voice: sarcastic, sophisticated and witty.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I took a fiction writing class last semester. One of the things I learned was how difficult it is to publish a book. If you have ever considered writing/publishing a book, prepare to be turned down! My professor explained it takes up to 70 tries before you land on a publisher. That's sixty-nine rejections! Still, Thomas Edison didn't invent the lightbulb after the first attempt...

I also learned in the class that, when trying to sell your novel to a reputable publisher, you'll need to write a book proposal including the following: 

1. Identify a publisher (or seventy)

2. Write a query letter (one-page letter of inquiry introducing and selling your novel)

3. Prepare a three-page synopsis of your story

4. Select a sample chapter of your novel

5. Create your author profile (your resume)  

For guidelines on how to create a proposal, I recommend Googling it. :) Also, click here for a link that I found helpful.

If you ever aspire to write a book and publish it, I wish you the best. 

Know that we're both in this together. 

{dm} 

Meet Nate

Pensive
Adventurous
Fun-loving
Easy-going
Creative
Spontaneous
Thoughtful and
Tender-hearted.

These are words that describe him best. He was one of my biggest role models growing up, and has always been a good friend throughout my life: meet my big brother, Nate.

Ladies...he's twenty-two and single. ;) 

Nate and I get along quite well. In high school we had the same circle of friends, and now we still keep in touch, even though we're both in college.

The fact that both of these pictures have the number 22 was possibly not an accident.

He took me to a classy restaurant on a lakefront for my birthday! We both had delicious grilled salmon (quite costly too!), he said not to worry about the price, it was his special treat. Isn't that sweet??


The restaurant was on the east side of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's a little place called Rose's.

I told him he would have to take me back sometime. The food and service were great!


After our meal, he asked me what I would like to do. I told him I wanted to go into downtown Grand Rapids and walk around. Grand Rapids is one of my favorite places to visit.






On the way, we came across an adorable little antique shop located right under the owner's house! I wanted to go in, but they were closed. I had to take a picture anyway.


When we arrived downtown, we stumbled upon several hipster-ish shops and studios selling anything from modern art, antique knick-knacks, or furniture created out of street signs.


Unfortunately, almost everything was closed. Nate knows I love books and he wanted to show me around the huge library that looks like a European castle, but I guess even libraries aren't open on Saturday nights.





















Nate is an artist. He's studying to be an art teacher, only one more semester to go! He wanted to see the mural that took second place for Art Prize (an art competition that happens every year in downtown GR).

< Her hair is made out of shards of glass!

The mural was so big, I couldn't capture the whole thing. It's located in front of the Devos Children's Museum. I liked that children's artwork was included in the mosaic. A special touch.

What a special night. I definitely don't take this guy for granted. He's great.


I still have several memories as a little kid playing Legos and drawing pictures with him. We were best buds back in the day!


In all seriousness, I'm truly thankful for my brother and the difference he's made in my life.

SHOUT OUT TO BIG BROTHERS! 

Little sisters look up to you guys, whether they can admit it or not.




{dm}