Tag: Advice/Encouragement

Re-imagining Creativity

We need more creativity in the world. I believe that creativity is dying in a lot of ways. More and more often people are extinguishing the fires in their heart, the burning ideas and passions for life that they have, because society, religion, and family all tell them that it isn’t sustainable. They tell them that they need to make money, they need to be safe, they need to be wise, they need to be educated, they need success and I will admit that sometimes the motives behind these claims are armed with the best intentions for the individual. However, I think that pursing the creative passion that is in everyone is so valuable not only to one’s own self, but to the world. The actual definition of creativity is “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.” I think this is great, but the way I see creativity is as an outlet, a mode, to put forth your passions. It is a way to express your passions, who you are, for the world.

Creative works take on many forms, and I have often asked myself what the best way to express an idea is. For me, I have considered video games, drawings, paintings, pictures, film, animations, poetry, prose, and short stories among the many options. What I have found is that through each form I have learned more about this idea in my heart, and through creative experimentation I have found out more about myself and others. I have seen people express this same idea in a different form and felt the powerful connection of two people with the same burnings to understand something in their heart. It is through pursuing creativity of your passions that you begin to see the connection you have with so many others. When people find the perfect creative template to a raging passion it provides a universal message to people. It is real, personal, and vulnerable. We need more of this in the world. It helps us to remember we aren’t alone, but on the same token we are our own unique self.

I know what some of you might be saying, I don’t really have a creative side or art isn’t really my thing. I would beg to differ though. Everyone has creativity in them, and they express it differently. Creativity can be a mindset. Creativity looks like being a problem solver, taking risks and looking at things differently, and being okay with being different. There are limitless forms to creativity and you can implement that mindset right now, where you are. In work, with your family and friends, and in your personal life. However, I would urge you to really listen to your heart for the embers you still have flickering in there that are waiting to be kindled. I urge you to listen, and then act, all while applying a creative mindset to that passion that, with some nurturing and attention, will be erupting into powerful and life changing differences in your life. I believe that you can be very successful and happy in life when you fuel your passion with creative power. We need to continue to invest in creativity, to spend time pursing it in our own hearts, and help to encourage and facilitate it in others.

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The Unbound Journal 5: The Finishing Touch

Welcome to the final post in The Unbound Journal. I appreciate you going through this series with me while I experimented with writing about something a little different than usual. Hopefully you have started to think differently about what your journal can be and ways in which to make your journal something valuable that you can cherish for years to come. In this final post I want to go back to basics of journaling and the core foundation behind it. You should write things you want to remember, real things, or write down everything, and keep it simple, or make it elaborate, do lists or write paragraphs, the point is your journal is yours and everything I have said are just ideas. What you write, how you write, that is you and your voice, and I encourage you to continue to listen for it as you journal. Don’t be afraid to be creative, messy, and fun. Some small additions that I like to add are dates, which are nice to look back at later, color schemes with colors representing certain things (I have also used charcoal, highlighter and sharpies aside from the normal pencil or pens), or even drawing a picture to represent an idea rather than words. A journal is a canvas for creativity and remembrance that represents you, your life, and your voice. You should already enjoy the process of journaling, but if you follow all the advice I have given you, you should have a journal that you will enjoy for a long time. Thanks again for reading and being a part of this community. As always, much love!

The Unbound Journal 4: Down to get Dirty

Another week, another tip to make the most of your journal. This post builds off the previous one in the series, before the break, so if you haven’t already read that it might be a good place to start. Last time we talked about adding more than just words to your journal and treating it almost like a scrap book. This piece of advice takes that a step further. Today I want to share with you something that I haven’t experimented with too much myself, but I find very intriguing and know will definitely make your journal unique. This is not for everyone, but some people might enjoy it. The idea is to encapsulate your environments into your journal. In the last Unbound Journal this was accomplished by adding items, but now I want you to take your journal and get it dirty! That’s right! This is a really strange idea, but I think some people might enjoy it. Some examples of what this might look like are; splashing water from a river on a page, laying the journal flat and putting a nice footprint on there, or even spilling a friend’s perfume or cologne on a page. They can be small like a smudge of dirt from your hometown or a stain of your favorite food, or they can be something big that takes up the entire or page. Trust me when I say I understand how weird this sounds. As I am writing this it feels wrong, but I wanted to try it out before I recommended it. I did this by spilling just a little coffee from my go to café in London on the page. I also wrote a note saying what it was and why I did it as well. If you can get over how bizarre this is and try it, I think that you will find that it adds character and color to your journal. The goal behind this is that you start to take your journal with you and start thinking outside the box on how you can incorporate important things onto the page. And worse comes to worse you will see the “blemish” on the page and be reminded of that silly time you took a bloggers advice.

Health and Fitness Abroad

UPDATE!

Hello all! It has been so long since I have posted. It was an absolute blessing to serve all the kids at camp and meet a lot of amazing people. I am thankful that you were patient with me as there were no posts during that time. Good news is… I am back! I will be returning to a post every Friday, also I will be posting soon about my experiences at camp and I will be finishing up the Unbound Journal Series. Those posts might be published before Friday since I kept you all waiting so long, so stay tuned! Lastly, I have been thinking a lot about the direction and vision for this page and what I want it to be about. SO, I might be changing the direction and re-orientating my channel to serve a slightly different purpose. All of this is still in the works and in consideration. If you have any input as a reader (things you like about my page, things you want to see changed) then let me know. MUCH LOVE!!

Health and Fitness Abroad

Traveling is extremely fun, but often it can be a hassle for any gym goer or people trying to eat healthier. For me personally, I usually follow a pretty specific workout plan and have intentionality with what I am eating to achieve a certain goal. I like my routine and traveling for any period of time means welcoming in a new routine. If you are like me and are someone who wants to still workout and eat a certain way, then you have come to the right place. In this post I want to share with you how I have been managing my health and fitness abroad, and tips and tricks you can use to keep yourself happy and active while traveling.

Before we get into the heart of this post, I want to first give two pieces of advice right off the bat. The first being, embrace the change. Understand and accept that you are more than likely going to have to change a good portion of how you approached health and fitness back home, and that’s OKAY. This is a good chance to experience new things and get outside of your normal routines. Take this as a time to get to know yourself and your body better, and whatever you do, do not let these things stop you from enjoying your time away. This is my second point: Don’t stress! I want you to be healthy and active, but I also want you to live your life and enjoy all the amazing experiences of traveling. Odds are you won’t be gone long enough to mess up all the hard work you have accomplished and whatever you do lose… or gain… can be amended in half that time once you get back. Also, if you follow my advice and put in a little effort while away you can maintain your current physique, or even improve upon it because you are giving your body a break while exposing it to new things.

Exercise 

If you don’t mind the cost, then the simplest and best solution to working out is going to be finding a gym near you and continuing on with your normal workouts. With this option, you very well could keep your workout routine unchanged. However, I would advise against this approach because odds are you are going to be busy, well, ENJOYING WHERE YOU ARE! You’re not going to want to, or may not even have the time, to go frequently enough to get your gains for you bucks and you should be trying to find every way possible to maximize your time doing fun things and soaking in your travels.

The best thing I would recommend doing is aiming for twice a week, at home body weight work outs. You don’t need any equipment, it doesn’t take very long, and you can do it anytime where you are staying for free. Believe it or not, you can train pretty much every muscle without any equipment! If you want to see specific exercises, then check out the video I linked at the end of this post to my YouTube channel which shows you an example of exercises to train muscles that are more difficult to train with just body weight. In that video I show you how to train everything besides legs and abs using only body weight. I left those two out because I feel that training them without weight is a little more obvious (ya know, lunges and crunches and such), and already touched on by a lot of people than those other muscles.

Now, I said the best thing to do would be to do body weight work outs twice a week, but I don’t even follow that advice even though I wholeheartedly believe that it’s effective and sufficient. The reason why is that I have access to a playground, and I have found creative ways to get some weight into my hands. For example, I have been loading up my backpack with things and then doing some of my exercises with that. There are plenty of things you can find to use as weights. Not everyone will have access to these things, but you can definitely find things to challenge yourself a little more than just body weight, and if not, body weight will do just fine. Prioritize the big muscles! I still aim for two workouts a week and on each one my goal is to workout the big primary movers with compound lifts (legs, chest and back). Working these in this manner is going to also hit the secondary movers (shoulders, biceps, triceps, calves). So, try and do those first and if you have time and energy do some isolation exercises. Just to clarify for anyone who may not know compound movements are going to involve multiple muscles working, think bench press, deadlifts, squats while isolation movements are going to work mostly a single muscle, think bicep curls, calve raises, and shoulder raises. Here are some of the things I have been doing.

  • Pull up variations (at the playground)
  • Push up variations (at the playground or at home)
  • Lunge/Squat variations (at the playground or at home)
  • Calve Raises (at the playground)
  • Hand stand press (at the playground or at home)
  • Bicep Curls (with backpack at home)
  • Tricep dips (with backpack at home)
  • Shoulder raises (with backpack at home)
  • Abs (at home)

That is it. These are the exercises I have been doing. Your goal for these should be to try and improve your repetitions or work your way up to a harder variation of a lift. For me, a workout has never taken more than an hour to do, unless I mess around.

Food

Managing what you eat while abroad can sound like a very daunting task. I try my best to not use the terms “eating healthy” or “dieting” because I think that they suggest not getting to enjoy yourself or eating in a way that is unsustainable which are both not how a relationship with food should be. So if I use those terms just know that when I refer to a “healthy” way of eating I’m referring to foods that nourish your body, AND includes things that you enjoy because doing that will lead to sustainability in the way you eat and long lasting health. I think that remembering to enjoy yourself applies more to food than to working out while traveling. Please, do not let food stress you out while you are away. If you are bulking up then food shouldn’t be to much of an issue, and if you are trying to eat to lose weight you have options.

Whether you are bulking up or leaning down you most likely will need to get some groceries. When shopping for food I would say prioritize getting protein. Carbs and fats will come easily in most dishes around the world but getting adequate protein to maintain your muscle will be more of a challenge. So, look for protein dense food items while shopping. If you have access to a place to cook then go for lean protein options such as seafood, chicken, and other lean meats. On the other hand, if you don’t have access to an area to prepare foods look for things like protein bars, beef jerky, or any sort of already cooked meat. What’s nice about protein bars/powders and jerky is that you don’t even have to worry about keeping them in a fridge. The only other thing I would say to get at grocery stores is some fruits and veggies to make sure you get all your micronutrients as well.

Bulking up, or eating in a caloric surplus, will be easy to do because wherever you are you are going to want to indulge in the culture and experience new dishes and I highly recommend you do! Eat some of your protein and fruits/veggies each day and the remainder of your macro and micro nutrients will easily be filled while eating out. Your goal should be to save the good stuff, carbs and fat, for eating out.

Now, if you are trying to lean down (eat in a caloric deficit) while traveling you may be concerned that you won’t be able to enjoy those good foreign and genuine dishes without sacrificing your goals. Not true! My first recommendation would be to really think about how long you have been trying to lose weight and consider giving yourself a break from the strains of being in a caloric deficit and eat at maintenance at least. You would be surprised how the body responds to moving back into maintenance for a period. You may even lose weight while eating more. If you have been trying to lean down for a good period of time then this will be a very refreshing recharge for your body, especially your metabolism. However, if you are set on still getting leaner then I would say that intermittent fasting is going to be your best friend. With this tactic you will be able to enjoy big meals and stay in a deficit without too much of a hassle. To do this, you fast from when you wake up into later in the day and you save yourself for eating out or a big meal. Coffee is a great option to help you fast from calories and if you bring some of the groceries you got (fruits, veggies, and protein) to eat later in the day it is not to unreasonable to make it to the end of the day for a nice and filling meal. Lastly, you could incorporate both ideas into one, taking some days to eat at maintenance and fasting on others. This is what I have been doing and it has made enjoying foods and staying leaner so easy and enjoyable.

I want to conclude with reminding you that above all you should enjoy your time away and not let eating and exercise hinder you from an amazing trip. Furthermore, I want to remind you that there are very applicable ways to not completely ditch health and fitness while abroad. If you have any questions about anything at all, want further examples or more details, or want to see more health and fitness related content on this blog let me know. Also, go check out the video I made, linked below. It goes very much hand in hand with this post and may answer some of the questions you have. As always, thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope it helps you with your fitness journey while away from home. Stay healthy and stay happy!

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jinThDzlXD8

One Awfully Good Day

So, today was one of the more stressful days in my life. Today challenged me in new ways. It was one awfully good day in fact.  A cold that I thought I had finished fighting off the last 3 weeks decided it wanted to go into the 12th round with me AND has come back with a second wind and vengeance. But I’ve beaten it once before! Partly because I’m trying to cough up my insides, and partly because I am lacking on sleep, I obviously didn’t want to leave my bed, and I definitely didn’t want to see people. However, can’t do that because I had a project in school that I had to be there for. Despite feeling tired and sick, I still found a way to get up. It took everything for me to roll out of bed, leaving me with no time for breakfast and an uncomfortably quick walk to the tube. I started my day with some exercise. For those of you who don’t know, the tube is an underground railway system in London, which is exactly what it sounds like; a tube crammed full of sweaty people all trying to get somewhere. Now, early in the mornings the tube can be crowded. I knew that, BUT I did not expect it to be this crowded. People were so smushed together that we practically all became family or looked like we were trying to start one. I met a lot of new people in one day and we all got to know each other pretty well. At one point I was in the middle of a crowd with no rail to hold on to and I was just bouncing along with everyone like I was in a mosh pit at a concert. Multiple bags, briefcases and purses slapped against my butt from unknown sources and when I finally bobbed my way out of the middle, I found myself in a worse position; my face pressed against the glass window looking like a fool. It was an interesting ride full of lots of experiences that I’ll remember for a while. This was just one tube of 6 that I would ride on this awfully good day. All day it felt like I never left the tube; crammed next to people in a huge city with no space to think or breathe. Even though it felt a little crowded at times, I got to meet a lot of different people exploring London as well. I felt hot and irritable all day. I still wasn’t feeling the best but that wasn’t stopping me. The project that I had to be there for went terribly well, and for my other class we were in a museum, which was essentially just a stationary tube with prettier sights. However, that’s when things peaked for my day as in the middle of class I felt my gut turn over inside me, as if kindly letting me know that it was giving me about 5 minutes before it ejected everything from my stomach. Sticky heat was clung to me. I felt pasty and desperate and knew I had to get out of there. I tried my best to play it cool and let a classmate know I wasn’t feeling well, and as soon as I did, I took off. Sprinting passed confused museum-goers and horrified faces as I held my hand over my mouth forcing myself to keep everything inside. I burst into the bathroom and practically dove into a stall and let it rip. There I sat for a moment, listening to my stomach to see if there was more, and reflecting on my life and how I got there. In my rush I left the stall door open so that other men could see me clung to the toilet looking exasperated and defeated. I got sick and threw up, but the good news is I made it to a toilet and felt a little better afterwards. It could have been a lot worse! Finally, I left there, and the day ended slightly better and how most nights end; with my favorite house guest, Procrastination, leaving and Reality coming back to remind that despite how tired and sick I am, and how awfully good of a day I had, there’s a lot to do. Today was assurance that perspective matters.

The Unbound Journal 3: More Than Words

We are at the halfway point for this series on finding the full potential of your journal. After this week, the series will take a break for a while (I will be posting other things during this time) and then the final two posts will be published to wrap it up. I hope that you are enjoying these tips on journaling so far. These types of post aren’t my normal, but I think it has been fun for different. Alright, with logistics out of the way, on to the post!

Your journal doesn’t have to consist of just your words, or the words of others. In fact, you should think of it more like a scrap book to some degree. Additions beyond just writing can really make your journal come to life, capture special moments, and allow you to hold on to cool keep-sakes. One of my favorite features of my last two journals has been that they have a pouch like a folder in the back. My journal is mostly used as a prayer journal and so during my times of travel I have been trying to keep little things like pamphlets, or service cards from churches that I’ve visited around the world so that I can add them to my journal. What you keep in there is up to you. I also have kept movie tickets, bus stubs, odds and ends, drawings from friends, pictures of family and friends, and notes. Now, if you don’t have a pouch in your journal don’t worry! There are tons of other ways to add physical things to your journal. One time I didn’t have my journal and I wrote something on a piece of paper. I forgot about it and kept writing in my journal only to stumble upon it later. I really wanted to add it in so I stapled it into where I would have been chronologically. The point is, you can staple things, tape things, or glue things as there are a bunch of ways to get keep-sakes on the page. This is a tip that I have found fun to do and really takes your journal to another level. As always, much love!

The Unbound Journal 2: The Space In-between

Once again, we are talking about how to make the most of your journal. Your journal is more than just pages, and one of the biggest ways to drastically increase the fullness of it is to start looking at the space in-between. Go beyond just writing on pages and start looking at all the other areas you can add to. For example, my current journal has a band to hold it closed and a book marker attached to it. This space to be taken advantage of! Don’t let it go to waste. On the band and book mark I wrote encouraging words that are easily visible before I even open my journal. This adds flavor and makes your journal exciting. I have written all over every part of my journal and it makes it so much more stylized than just uniform writing on each page. The inside of the covers are great places to write things as well, and one of my favorite places to write things is along the sides of the paper when the book is closed (the image for this post shows what I mean). Don’t let any space in your journal be overlooked. Look for creative places to add more character to your journal. This will fill your journal with lots of little nooks and crannies of things that take it above and beyond and make it a little more unique and special. I hope this short and sweet tip helps you create a journal that is truly your own. Best of writing, and Much Love!

The Unbound Journal 1: Those Around You

I have explained in previous posts the importance of reflecting and how journaling has impacted my life in so many incredible ways. So, before we get started, I would recommend checking those out and to just start writing because it can be extremely beneficial. You don’t need a journal, just something to write with and something to write on. I would highly suggest physically writing out things, and not typing them on your phone or on a computer because there is something different about writing without technology. To me it feels more personal and relaxing. I have been recording things for a while now and there are some really fun things that I have done that make my journal very special to me. This series is for those of you who have a journal, or those of you who are looking to get one, and how to make the most of it. First off, journaling is whatever you want it to be. The advice I give is just interesting ways I have found to spice things up and add new and creative ways to express yourself through writing. They are not standards or demands, merely suggestions for making the most of your journal. Through this series, my goal is to help you create a journal that truly captures your personality and feelings; something that when you look back upon will bring you right back to important memories in your life. With that said, let’s get started!

The first piece of advice I would give to bring your journal to the next level is share it with others, don’t just let it be your own words. Let those in your life speak through your journal. This is something I have done for all my journals and it is probably the best thing you can add. It is so memorable and touching to look back at later. The way I did this the first time was by having my friends and family give me one piece of advice. The things they said were astonishing and are words that I now hold dear. I did this same thing with everyone in my community for my most recent journal, and it is unbelievable the things that people have to say. People are so full of wisdom and it is a shame that we don’t take more time to listen to what they have to say. The different perspectives of everyone really opened my eyes to new ways of looking at the world, those around me, and myself. It is so powerful, and I truly cherish the words from the ones I love and hope to preserve them. If you can, get them to write it in the journal themselves so that you can capture their actual handwriting. This makes it even more special. Now when I write in my journal, I find uplifting words from friends, family, and community and I am reminded of them and my spirits are lifted. This has led to me feeling encouraged, loved, and confident and I can look at them at any time I need a pick-me-up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with what you ask others. Some things I haven’t asked yet, but that I think would be really interesting to have in my journal are; their favorite bible verse, a memory between us, their favorite word, a joke, etc. This is essentially what you might have someone do in a yearbook, but I promise you that you will be thankful for it in the future. Open your journal up to the voices around you and let your journal become something bigger than yourself, something much more meaningful.

 

One of My Biggest Struggles

There is something that I struggle with that has impacted my life in lots of terrible ways and is something that I feel a lot of people deal with to some degree. I want to share with you my experience with trying to respect my body. Body image issues can be extremely devastating and have so many grueling impacts on life. In writing this, I want to be open and real with you about how it’s affected my life, and the ways I have dealt with it.

Appreciating my body was hard. Everyone can always look at themselves and see something that is “wrong” or “ugly”. I used to look at myself in the mirror in the mornings and my eyes were drawn to all the imperfections of my body. I focused on the negative things and this influenced the way I thought about my body for the rest of the day. Over time this led to so much insecurity. Constantly worrying that one day others might look at me and see what I saw in the mirror. Stress would fill me when I thought about having to take my shirt off or change in front of others. Body image issues led to comparing myself to everyone, and when I would do this, I would find everything I didn’t have in other people; The way their clothes fit them, their height, their slenderness, always ignoring any of their imperfections. This drained me of any confidence. I became timid because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Participating in things was a real challenge. I couldn’t live my life comfortably. The biggest thing I felt, and the most devastating affect of negative body image, is shame. Part of the definition of shame is “a painful feeling of humiliation”. At one point I believed that the way I felt about myself was no longer just my own opinion, but a confirmed understanding of everyone; a fact. So that’s how I lived for a while. Going through school shy and scared. I lacked confidence and like the definition says, it was painful. I was on the outside of life looking in at others enjoying it. Something inside me knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to be, that I shouldn’t feel like such an outcast. To be honest, I wasn’t at my worst when I was at school or outside the house. Things were the worst when I was home by myself, just me and the mirror. All those negative feelings escalated to new degrees and I started eating a lot. I guess at the time I didn’t realize why I was eating, or maybe I did, and I just didn’t care. I can’t remember. But I do know that it made me feel better and my mindset was that if they see me as this nasty, imperfect blob already, then why not eat and enjoy. I found sanction in food, in books and video games, and in solitude where I could escape and didn’t feel judged. It was around the end of middle school and beginning of high school that I started making more of an effort to make a change. I’m not sure what inspired me to start working out, but that’s where I started. I had one dumbbell at home, and I would use that to do mostly curls. Along with those were the occasional sit ups. I had some friends that I felt comfortable enough with and we would play outside a lot as well. I was active and working out, but my diet stayed the same, and I remember feeling discouraged because I wasn’t changing. Some of my friends and those around me never really worked out and here I was feeling like I was busting my ass and really trying to get into better shape but results just weren’t showing. So I decided that I just wasn’t trying hard enough. My workouts got a little more advanced, I ran more, but still the consistency and proportion of my diet was ridiculous, and I still wasn’t seeing a difference. I remember one time running on the tread mill for what felt like forever, and then getting Taco Bell on the way home. I was stuck in a torturous cycle. Nonetheless, it was right around the middle of high school where I really felt like I started seeing some differences. I had gained some muscle and got a little taller. I was still working out 6 times a week, which is exhausting and no way to live your life, and didn’t really have a clue about nutrition, but things were starting to look up.

From then until now (my sophomore year of college) I can assuredly say that the three biggest things that helped me to get control of my body image problems are; my strong support group of family and friends, fitness, and my faith.  Everyone around me gave me kind words and loved me for me, no matter what! My mom was always willing to get me good foods and paid for a gym membership and workout equipment. I learned so much more about working out in a healthy way and how to eat in a way that is enjoyable and nutritious. I learned how to give my body rest. And my faith, man my faith taught me that no matter what I am loved by the God of the universe. He sees me as perfect, complete, and lacking nothing. I have stopped searching so hard for other’s opinions of me, stopped listening so much to my own opinions of myself, and have been constantly reminding myself of the opinion of the only one who matters. My faith has led me to become surround by so many people who love and support me. These things have helped me to feel happy in my own skin… for the most part. Honestly, I still struggle at times. When I look in the mirror, I still sometimes see things that need improvement, but I also understand who I am in the eyes of friends, family and God.

I believe that social media, film, and advertising are just a few of the things that set the standards for what is considered “beautiful”. Unrealistic expectations are constantly being portrayed in multiple ways and platforms which are accessible to everyone, including children, so that from a young age it is very easy to get the wrong mindset on your body. The truth is, there is no mold that can contain you, no model that could mimic you, and that is something that you should cherish. Your body is perfect in its imperfectness. You should be proud and respect that your body is yours, and yours alone. One thing I have learned is that part of dealing with something like body image, is enjoying the journey and understanding and accepting the ups and downs. Some things aren’t in your control when it comes to your body. Life happens and if you focus on the things out of your hands it will drive you crazy. Also, working out can be tricky if you struggle with your image. It can easily turn into an obsession and quickly become unhealthy. As long as you don’t let it get to that point and don’t let it control your life, then I think that exercising is one of the best things you can do. Not only are you working on your body, but you are helping yourself to become healthier and it is a great way to relieve stress.

Not everyone has access to friends or even family that are there for them. You may not have that support group that encourages you and reminds you that you are loved despite your body. You may not have the ability or resources to pursue fitness. It may just not be realistic for you to find time and finances to eat a certain way or work out. Maybe you’re even dealing with a hindrance in some way that limits your body in physical ways, or mental issues that leave you too fatigued to exercise. But everyone, everyone, has access to a God that loves them just the way they are. I really hope that you don’t live in shame and insecurity, battling this on your own. Don’t give up on yourself. The fight against body image negativity is one that may never end, but you don’t have to do it alone. I am more than willing to be someone that you can talk to. It can get easier, and it will. It is a journey and it’s super important that you realize that because if you keep trying to reach some end point of perfection you are going to be constantly disappointed. I really encourage you to reach out to me if you need, and if you are at the end of your ropes, I can’t give you any better advice than to try reaching out to God, the one who made you out of love and sees you as beautiful.

Different Perspectives on Consuming London

1

When in London, I can’t help but overindulge, especially in Covent Garden. Before my eyes is a feast of colors, culture, and people. Yes, the people! I love the them the most. I’m fully entranced by the street performers putting on magic shows, executing magnificent acrobatic feats, or making music. I am absorbed by the swelling crowds of tourists who swarm around these performers with their camera phones pointed at the action. An ocean of swirling dialects and diverse colors crash around me like waves. Swimming through them, I am eventually channeled out into open space spotted with the more local folks who are on a mission in the city. They walk with purpose, with determination, with confidence. Lining benches and any free steps are groups of visitors from where I can only imagine to be every corner and crevice of the world. Some groups are shaking in the brisk air, unprepared for the chilly weather, while others gather at coffee shops for some liquid gold to warm them. The people provide the tone and their culture, the flavor, against the grey backdrop of London architecture. Brick roads meet stone buildings and blend effortlessly into a matching sky. There is the occasional splotch of color on a building, usually clay reds but sometimes vibrant blues or pinks. Crisp corners and defined outlines shape the structures, breaking form only by the supporting round pillars that reach up into arches. Flowers in crates like garnishes dot the paths and nature can be seen on doors framed with foliage. But another treasure lies in the heart of the square. It is in the apple market where past and present combine. The market seems to beat with intensity and throb with opportunity. The old style of the outdoor market has found its way inside in a space that produces a feeling of openness as well as crowdedness. It is here where all the smells and sounds seem to gather and present themselves like a main course to me. It is here that I smell fresh cookies mixed with Chanel perfumes and the odor of sleep deprived travelers. It is here where the calls of children and hollers of street performers blend over the low rumble of conversation. Every sound takes on vibrant colors that swirl around me, and every sight I can feel move through me. Each sense tingles inside, overwhelmed after being starved for so long. It is here, among these senses and the people that I feel at the heart of London and finally satisfy my cravings.

2

He often wonders, if it’s obvious that he is not from here. His look, his walk, what will give it away today? Hopefully, he believes, that one day the only foreign sign will be the reflected wonder that flickers in his eyes as he looks in awe at the city of London, trying to comprehend its novelty. The same glinted gaze that only he knows about when reading a book on a park bench in Brenton Cross. When quiet hangs in the open like fog, trapped between emerald green grass and the smoggy ash sky. Or the same senses that tingle through him when he finds himself just enjoying his walk down Oxford street. With no destination, no concerns, absorbing every detail, and feasting on everything the city has to offer. Walking through puffs of cigarette smoke, past pubs bursting with the clamor of conversation and clanks of business, and by the brightly lit signs of theaters, he begins to fade into the people. He acknowledges the beauty and bliss in all these moments. As time goes on the mundane actions of his old life like transportation, shopping, studying, working, all become lively and exciting adventures in his new environment. He begins to wander less. He starts to know his way and walk with a more determined step and confident gait past confused tourists and stride for stride with the locals. Finding his way to his usual coffee shop for a steaming cup of tea or his favorite pub for a cold beer and chips becomes routine. He keeps beat with the city. However, it is not above him to occasionally ride the tube to an uncharted destination and get off. Here, he explores with a naïve composition. He gets lost, resorting back to unsure movements, but along the way passes the fresh smells of restaurants undiscovered by him, extraordinary and breath-taking architecture, and he begins to become over-taken by the feeling, the spark and tingling of his senses, as if he is uncovering the city for the first time.