Anything.

There’s anything we can do.

So we go on the internet because we think it holds everything we want to,

And we pick a site where answers may be found

But we end up watching cat videos for four hours,

During which we create and nourish the idea that

There’s anything we can do.

To be understood.

I once saw a quote (on tumblr I believe, apology for the lack of source) which read "I think what I want most in life is to understand you the way you understand you"

 One of the worst feelings has to be feeling misunderstood. Perhaps all we really want is for someone else to comprehend us completely. Love arrives with an understanding and maybe when we get people the way they get themselves or even more than they've achieved, then we embrace them. After all, it is ignorance which breeds confusion and thus hate, never mind when we briskly decide what we choose to take from people. 

There's a mystery about us all which may never be unravelled. Sometimes an understanding can form between two people with an instant connection and who knows why? Just imagine if there was someone who totally got you ; who knew why you were so passionate about that subject and didn't just assume you were a hot-headed, overly opinionated individual, when you did something wrong that you're not proud of they could grasp your intentions and motives and not just see you as a bad person. They could tell why you make your decisions. They get the "why". I feel that understanding someone is to know their purpose, their goals, their quirks, fears, thoughts, what makes them laugh, their past and people in their lives, events that have shaped them, what makes their eyes light up, their insecurities, what they want to hear and what they need to, and how, as well as everything else to know!

There could be no pretending.

 It would free you.

We're all searchers on some level and our determination to seek out the truth makes us yearn for our own to be discovered. We don't want people to give up on us. We know that there's so much more within us than what people often conclude and that part can scream on the inside but not know how to escape and name itself, compose itself into direct and fathomable information for the other person. Maybe it can be released indirectly through art, writing, eye contact, tears, silence... But it cannot put itself on a plate, ready to delivered and possibly once brought into the physical world at all, loses some of its meaning.

We close ourselves off a lot of the time too and either consciously or not, give people a version of ourselves, a behavioural pattern or whatever, that steers them off course and keeps the "real" us protected and a mystery to others.

I guess,

Truly understanding takes time and patience. It takes a whole lot of listening and perceiving. It takes losing the ego. It takes being real. It would be really hard.

But just imagine...

Love,
Rachel! :)

Me, Me, Me!

A realisation...

Its true that whenever we see a fellow person who is extremely beautiful, confident or has a particular talent we admire, we nearly always want it for ourselves. Am I right? We read someone's excellent piece of writing and become envious of their ability, why can't I be as good as them? Why don't I look like that? Why can't I do that?

I'm not even going to try and pretend like I don't think like that because we all do it, all the time. I feel like its been ingrained in us, probably from birth, to want every good thing in the world to come from us. 

Why is it that when we look at a beautiful person we don't think wow, isn't it incredible that someone so attractive is in the world, like a piece of art to be captivated by, and I have the opportunity to witness it? Why is it that when someone does exceptionally well in the science test you barely passed you don't think its great that that person is going to go on one day and make incredible discoveries in the line of science, and may even improve our world? Why is it that when we hear someone with a stunning singing voice who can reach notes far surpassing our range, we don't sit back and enjoy the way their voice makes us feel and be grateful for such a gift being brought into the world?

More often than not we don't see the magic in these people's abilities because we want them for ourselves. We become envious and even can come to dislike the person. Another interesting example is the idea of unrequited love. You love someone, they don't love you back and instead of being delighted that there is someone on earth who can make you feel such a remarkable feeling, who is very near perfection in your eyes, we're really upset because we don't have them for ourselves.

I've never met a person who hasn't had something beautiful to give to the world, not one. We truly are all different. I can't fully understand the concept of "identical" which is a fabulous by product of being human. Where did the idea of "me" come from and why do we feel it so strongly? Praise seeking and craving love and attention could be it, the whole idea of survival of the fittest from evolution or taking a Freudian approach it could just be mysteriously built in our egos.

I don't have all the answers, just a desire to really appreciate beauty in all forms, to look at someone's talent with awe and gratitude, not jealousy and bitterness.This thought has been a muse of mine and I want it to be a muse of yours. Maybe you'll realise the secret, maybe you'll make a breakthrough. 

Good luck!

Love, 

Rachel! :)

Living Simply.

I was always quite a spender. I mean I wouldn't have made it onto Sex and the City or anything but my impulsive nature certainly enjoyed obliging price tags. Also, I'm a pretty soppy person. I'd nearly empathise with nail polish remover or a broken shoe rack. I would find it very difficult to let go of things. To top it off, I'm highly disorganised, so "clutter" has always been as present a word in my life as "family". 

However, in the past while I've become more aware of this alien philosophy called "Living Simply". I really fell in love with the idea of it and my first experiment to test the notion was to, in a completely radical fashion, tidy my room. Yes, I will accept your applause....

 I didn't throw anything away that wasn't complete rubbish but just gave everything a place that wasn't the floor. And you know what? I felt like during my few hours work I had released a tank of oxygen within the four walls rather than shift a few objects. That's how much clearer the space seemed. 

This was me.

Even better than my respiratory advances, my mind felt like it was processing one thought at a time which was sooooooooooo unlike me, I felt more alive, more productive and generally just happier. The conditions of my physical, external environment had proven to really impact the way I thought and felt. As an extra note, I had a feeling of control over my decisions and the way I lived.
Since then, delving further into this "minimalistic" lifestyle I'd uncovered was always on the back of my mind. A gradual descent I'd made was down the hill of materialism. I tend to become overwhelmed quite easily and I don't know if you ever get this but with all the new trends and even just the immense amount of products out there, I felt like there was so much I was missing out on. I would never have everything and there was something hugely disheartening in that. 

"Living Simply does not mean owning nothing, it means nothing owns you!"-A slightly adjusted quote that I definitely read somewhere, I'm sure of it!!

This was what really pushed me to alter my life in relation to "stuff". I wanted to begin to see objects as things, tools to help me go about life and add to it, not sentimental beings that almost controlled me and were in such abundance that they weren't used to their full potential, if at all.

I did a bit of research on this thing called "minimalism" and though as of yet I would by no means call myself a minimalist or probably even comprehend the extreme lengths some people have gone to to reduce  their possessions, however I did go about getting rid of a lot of things I owned which I had previously thought I needed but when looked at straight on were of no use to me. I don't cling onto "just in case" for dear life and a major leap has been made in my lacking interest to replace these items.



So I guess that's been my little journey so far, by removing three quarters of the contents of my room I've ended up with the feeling of having more. How did that happen??? I don't stress about "stuff" at all really anymore and I feel a lot more detached from the things I own. It really dawned on me when I found it hard to let go of these things I hadn't even realised were hidden away in my cupboard for ten years that maybe that's something I need to sort out from the inside, you know? We invest so much meaning and emotion into inanimate objects but it doesn't really make any sense, does it? I guess this whole thing of simplifying is about eliminating the clutter in our lives so we can focus on what's really important to us. You haven't a tonne of distractions to be looking at but you're faced with the truth of your life and how you're living it, what you're getting out of it and what you could be experiencing.

With all that said, I want to know what you guys think! Have you ever considered the prospect of "Living simply" before? What does it mean to you and do you believe in it? If you have reduced your value for material possessions in your life, how do you feel it has impacted on your mind and being?

Love,
Rachel! =)

Guilty Pleasures.

Guilty pleasure is a commonly used term in our society today. I have guilty pleasures, you probably have guilty pleasures, but have we ever really questioned the origin of our guilt? In this blog post, I'm going to take an everyday guilty pleasure of mine, examine what I feel guilty about and ask the crucial question of why. 

My most recently formed guilty pleasure would have to be "Gossip Girl", the rather popular TV series about the lives (and endless gossip) of New York's elite. 

So what is it about the show which causes me to feel slightly embarrassed and a need to justify my watching of it whenever I mention it to other people?

Its probably because the plot is hardly particularly intellectual. When you analyse and attempt to sum up what its all about you realise its just a lot of very attractive people in beautifully made clothing cruising through the upper east side with so much money that college degrees are just *quote* "accessories".

It represents and glamorises a lot of things that I disagree with. For example, as mentioned above, all of the main characters are filthy rich, practically wear a different outfit in every shot and this lifestyle is made to look super cool and luxurious. You fall in love with characters whose behaviour you really shouldn't grow fond of (I am completely obsessed with a character who attempted rape twice in the series and a girl who is the pillar of mean insecurity and manipulates and verbally abuses practically everybody.) The cherry on top is that the one voice of opposition to this plastic and fake world is made look like a crazily over the top, opinionated lunatic! 

Therefore, due to its vanity, shallowness and severely differing morals, I've put it in the "that's kind of embarrassing" box. But why? Well, I guess its pretty simple when you look at it head on, we seem to care about what other people think of us, our reputation and what we're known for. I'm certain we all have priority characteristics programmed into our heads from life which are the backbone to undergoing and justifying all of our decisions, actions and beliefs. Now what do I mean by that? Well, let's say if someone really took pride in being a realistic person, ( or it could be cool, nice, truthful, courageous, positive anything) from people they've known, things they've seen and experiences they've had, they've unconsciously grown attached to the desire that anyone who describes them, names that adjective. And that is the main reason why, I feel, we have guilty pleasures. Furthermore, if we looked deeper into the reasons why, maybe its not just about our reputation and other people's thoughts on us but maybe we're half keeping it a secret from ourselves. Do we even fully admit to ourselves that we like this thing or do we just justify a reason for the obsession?

So what's your conclusion? Think of your own guilty pleasure in your life, what makes you guilty and why. Do you think we should feel guilty? I suppose it depends. If you're guilty pleasure proves harmful to other people should you still act on it because you want to? And where does the mind play in this? Guilty pleasures seem like a head vs heart debate to me but I don't think it has to be. While there's something kind of nice about a guilty pleasure and all that it entails, I suppose one has to look at their life and ask why they feel they can't be open about this thing they are attracted to and why they're attracted to it. What's missing in their life?
And lastly, I definitely don't think that just because your guilty pleasure may be regarded as stupid or shallow then that instantly means you are. Perhaps you are just curious about another side of life? Difference can be enthralling in itself.

Anyway enough with all the questions, get pondering and form your own conclusion!

Don't repress your feelings because they're there for a reason! Always deal with them mentally or physically!

                                                          Love,
                                                              Rachel! =)

Things to love about life!

                          

I thought this would be a good idea for a blog post, to act as a boost for us all to remember and smile about the simple, yet beautiful things life has to offer. These are a random list of things, feelings and moments which, when I dwell on them, make life worth living and bring me so much happiness.

You know we all think about the big purpose in life, me included, and for us who enjoy it, who says we should stop? However, one very important element to our own happiness is surely the little things, the often unexpected moments which never really pass on but stay with us to hopefully be repeated again and again...

• Cherry Blossoms.....in abundance, everywhere and anywhere.
• Really cold apple juice
• Hitting the pillow after a long, busy and productive day!
• Netflix... simple as... 
• That first bite of a chocolate bar, especially if you're hungry.
• Being called pretty or finding out someone likes you! 
• Finding the perfect temperature in the shower!
• Having a number of things on in one day, and also having absolutely nothing to do for an entire 24 hours...
• Gazing out the window in the morning to a beautiful, sunny day.
• Bouncing a tennis ball on a racket outside, and watching it soar into such an infinite sky with so many possibilities
• Being in an environment where you feel welcomed and wanted.
• Being so captivated, the time flies.
• Getting something done you've been putting off..

• CHRISTMAS!!!!!
• laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing...
• Replaying all the moments in your head where you were with that one person you like, thinking of all the little things they do
• Those times when your whole family are getting along
• Travelling
• Eating out.
• Being inspired, motivated and put in utter awe. 
• Having periods of time where you literally could not give a damn about what others think!
• Receiving kindness from another as well as giving it successfully and genuinely.
• Being inside when its raining 

• The perfect hot chocolate.
• Getting something you've wanted for ages 
• Thinking.
• Watching the elegance of snow falling
• The cinema
• Having really long, deep conversations
• Holding eye contact with someone
• Feeling like you've really helped someone.
• People listening to you, and caring!
• Keeping calm despite someone else's behaviour
• Hope.
• Reading or seeing something that stretches your mind
• SURPRISES
• Gorgeously warm baths...

• Teddy Bears!
• The beach... The sound of the Sea
• The feeling that you've impressed someone.
• SMILES, TRUE AND BEAMING SMILES
• Cake!
• Green Tea (and the peaceful feeling at the end of the mug)
• So- delicious- no -one- talks pizza
• Freezing water to a parched throat
• Being able to relate to something
• Our power to FORGIVE.
• Gratitude
• Technology
• Music
• Long car journeys

• Cuteness
• Art
• Freedom
• Nature
• Scents with memories
• Being completely alone to reconnect with yourself
• When someone has faith in you and doesn't give up
• Imagination
• Dreams
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Dim rooms with elegant lights
• Being trusted
• Colours
• Hearing "God bless you" from an elderly person
• Accomplishing something
• Being addicted to a story
• Cloud watching

• Canopies
• That feeling that you're making a difference
• Feeling completely comfortable around someone else
• People getting your joke
• Receiving respect
• Having your mind blown
• An exciting text 
• Fast internet
• Songs with a killer beat
• Settling down to watch something or read a great book
• Learning a new skill
• Being greeted by your dog
• Feeling really cleansed
• That glimpse of good in even the most cruel seeming folk
• Winter
• An idea pops into your head
• That moment when everything is surreal
• Holidays abroad

Share some of your favourites from the list in the comments below or let us know what additional "little things" give a spark to your life!

                                                Love,

                                                                          Rachel! =)

Forgiveness

I recently had to forgive someone, I had to push away the pride and the temptation to hold on and think over and over again of all the things that had happened before, the temptation to immerse myself into the injustice and the anger and the pain and the frustration. Right after I had done it, I tried to sum up my feelings in words and this was the best I could come up with...

"The necessity of forgiving is one of the most energising yet peaceful things I've ever experienced. It shines the light of prosperity on the future and remains one of the largest leaps in moving forward."

I believe forgiving is very much necessary. I would hope that no one, including yourself, has ever done anything that's hurt or made you angry towards them, but I realise that is very unlikely. Because with all the pain and confusion among humanity, its very easy to hurt people, its very easy to make mistakes and to do the wrong thing, and what's horribly annoying is that its so difficult to forget the wrongs we or others do, you can never go back and change the past. The next best thing to backwards time travel though is forgiveness, and unless you want to forever hold the demons of yesterday inside you, you are going to have to use that power, the power we all possess.

Do you agree with me when I say that you feel so, so energised after letting go of a grudge and forgiving someone for something they've done to you? I felt like I had a new lease of life, all sluggish or laziness had departed and my eyes seemed to stay open more freely. It makes a lot of sense, you're removing weighty chains from yourself and allowing the negative energy and thoughts to be dropped. Not only have you shared compassion and kindness to another by forgiving them (which adds to the positive energy), but you've performed a hugely compassionate and kind act for yourself. The energy makes you feel younger and like you're starting afresh. Its beautiful.

At the same time, I think you feel an immense sense of serenity along with that new found energy.You have made peace with yourself, the other person and what's happened before. And one of the huge benefits of forgiveness is that you have decided that another person's problem will not become your problem. Forgiving them loses all ties with that negative place they were in and the negativity they tried to instill in you. The peace you feel is like one that cannot be stirred or shifted because you took the power and made the decision to go out and achieve it.

You can't talk about forgiveness without mentioning its impact on your future. When you've successfully forgiven someone to their face or even in your mind, you have created a sense of hope in the both of you. And hope is a precious thing. You feel excited and ready for what the future brings after this cleanse and all your worries ease. Essentially, you become happier because you can now move on, and one thing we humans love is progress. Its like taking a deep breath in and continuing to walk down the path you had previously been standing still on, constantly glancing back at a dark and winding road that you could never walk again. "To forgive is to move forward", so if you want to move forward in your life, move on to new and happy experiences then forgiveness will have to play a huge role.

And if you still can't bear to make that other person feel even slightly less guilty or unhappy by forgiving them then remember how vital forgiveness is to yourself. It is not all about them, you are doing it to free yourself from them and what they've done to you. Don't let what they did hurt you even further. Choose to be happy.

On another note, make sure to forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made! We can be so hard on ourselves and since you're always around yourself, its important that you are kind and loving to your human clumsiness. 

So! I'm going to ask you to do two things before clicking out of this post, 

(a) Forgive someone in your life for something they've done to you. Remember, you really need to feel it, if you just  say the words then, well, nothing's changed has it? Words mean nothing without feeling.

(b) Forgive yourself for something you've done in the past. You are only human and should not feel in any way resentful towards yourself or less of a person, for making mistakes.

Try and sum up how you feel when you've done the two tasks and embrace the feeling because its one of the best!

Love,

Rachel! =)