We Are Better Than This

I tend to not share my political or religious views on social media, or even discuss them with many people in daily conversation. That's not to say I don't have very strong views, that I am passionate about, but I feel that people tend to be quick to judge and I would rather be known for my character, rather than what party I vote for or what god I worship.

That being said, I couldn't help saying something after the election results last night.

All I posted was a Facebook status that read "we are better than this."

This morning I woke up to one response to my status, contradicting what I had posted and telling me that obviously we are not better than this, because if we were, we wouldn't have had the two candidates that we ended up with.

While I agree that we could have gotten better candidates, as I have not wanted either of them to become President since this race began, I still have to stick to my original statement.

We are better than this.

As a woman, I am terrified to consider what having a president like Trump could be like. I am tired of feeling objectified and treated like a second-class citizen. I am tired of not being taken seriously, because it's "cute" when I get mad, and not receiving recognition at work for the same job, or having to work twice as hard for something that a male colleague gets handed to them. I am tired of being afraid to live alone or walk the streets at night, because I am female and that is the only reason someone needs to attack or rape me. I am tired of being told that I am being "pushy" or "bossy" when I'm trying to get something done, when those phrases wouldn't be as likely to be used to describe a man. I am tired of being expected to act a certain way because I'm female.

As a mother, it scares the crap out of me to be raising my children during a time when the leader of our country, who so many people look up to, ran his campaign based on prejudice and hate and just being a bully. We teach our children to be accepting of others' differences, and to not judge and to be kind, yet the man who they will grow up watching lead our country exemplifies none of those qualities.

As a friend and human being I am scared to consider how his presidency could affect the progress we've made towards equal rights. It is 2016 and we have come so far, how did a man who was openly endorsed by the KKK, and who has advocated violence get voted into office?

It's terrifying to think of what could happen in the next four to eight years, and I spent a good amount of time last night crying and thinking about it. We can't lose hope though.

We are better than this.

Yes, Trump may be our new president, but we are in charge of how we react..

As Martin Luther King Jr. said "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." If we are trying to combat Trump, who built his campaign around hate, rioting against him, burning flags, and inciting violence doesn't make us any better.

We need to stop living our lives centered around fear and hatred.

We don't know how the next four to eight years will pan out. We can hope for the best or expect the worst, but we can't see the future, and we have no control over it.

What we do know is that we are still alive, and we still have the same passions and beliefs that we had yesterday. We can still work together and build each other up and make things happen in our local communities. We can spread love and kindness to our fellow man. We can react to what happened and riot and spread hatred, or we can act to do our part in making the world a better place. 

We may not currently have the leader we wanted and the leader we wanted may not have even been running in this election, but we can take the opportunity to rise up and become the leaders that we need to lead the future forward.

We can't just sit around and accept how the world is and not move forward because we are afraid to get outside of our comfort zones. When people come together and support each other, we can do amazing things, and I think it's finally time that we start owning this power and creating the world that we want our children to live in.

We are better than this. 

Photo Challenge

Hello All!

I know I haven't updated my blog in FOREVER, but between my computer breaking a few months ago, and transitioning to a new job, it's been hard to write anything on here.

So. Updates....

I started working in a local bakery last month as a baker/pastry chef, and I absolutely love it! It's hard work, and going to work at 2am is somewhat hard to get used to, but I feel that I am learning fast, and I feel myself getting stronger every day.

Day 1 - My 23rd Birthday!

 

 



My birthday was last month, and I decided that this year I would challenge myself to take a picture of myself every day. Now, this doesn't sound overly exciting, and possibly vaguely narcissistic, but I have my reasons.

First, I want to see how I change throughout the year, since we are not often aware of any changes that occur to ourselves throughout the year, it's only in looking back that we actually see them.

Second, although I know that so far my pictures have consisted of quite a few "selfies", I want to be able to document experiences I have throughout the year, and I am hoping that this will also inspire me to make new memories, and take part in more exciting  experiences.

And, thirdly, I see this as an art project of sorts, documenting both my good and bad days. I have already had a few photos where I am half awake (and look it), several without any sort of makeup, and I am ok with that. I feel that too often we only post the "good" pictures of ourselves, that have been prepared for and edited, and I feel that we lose our humanness through these pictures.
I know for a fact, that most of the time I don't look like that gorgeous picture I posted three weeks ago, after a half hour of trying to get my winged eyeliner just right, followed by 20 snapshots to get the lighting just right, and another 5-10 minutes spent choosing the perfect filter.

And you know why I don't look like that 24/7?

I AM HUMAN

I have scars. My left eye turns in, and up until my teens I was considered legally blind in that eye, because my eyesight was 20/200 and worse. I have flat feet. I am 23 and already am getting grey hair. I have anxiety. I have cellulite and stretch marks, and my boobs sag a little bit. I will never have a "thigh gap", and I am more than ok with that.

But in spite of all of these "flaws" that society makes us think we have to feel sorry for having, I know I am beautiful. So my left eye isn't great? My eyes are both beautiful, and the vision in that eye has improved over the years, and it's better than perfect in my other eye.

Cellulite? Grey Hair? Stretchmarks? Boob saggage? I have two beautiful six year olds to thank for that, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lack of thigh gap? My thighs are muscular and strong, and I know I can count on them to get me to where I need to be.

I look at my body, and my existence as a work of art. Every scar tells a story and every experience I've had, has made me the woman I am today.

So this is why I am really participating in this challenge. I want to share all of those moments, good and bad, to show how very human I am.

That's all for tonight folks!

See you soon!

~ Hannah ♥