Happy Sunday Everyone! A surprise topic.

And by "everyone", I obviously mean the 26 very nice people who have viewed my page. THANK YOU! That was such a surprise, and it's especially awesome because I haven't done any advertising for the blog yet (I've been working up the courage!).

I'm sorry it's been a while. I've been trying to come up with something worthwhile to write about. Believe it or not, my life tends to be excruciatingly average sometimes.

I was going to spend today talking about cruelty-free cosmetics and share products and brands, but then I went to BRUU (Bull Run Unitarian Universalist in Manassas, the UU church I mentioned in my intro post), and the message today really resonated with me and made me feel inspired. So why not share?

Today the reverend talked a lot about how we as human beings create lots of unnecessary dividers in order to classify ourselves and others. Things like religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and even things like clothing choice and preferred genres of music are all things that divide people who should otherwise get along and be harmonious.

Not that it's a bad thing (at all) to be yourself and take pride in what makes you unique. What's important is that we do not allow petty labels to overshadow the most important label  - homo sapien. Human being. We are all people that are entitled to give and feel love and live a fulfilling life.

He said that even among UU churches, which are SUPPOSED to be open-minded and accepting of the fact that everyone is different, there is sometimes conflict and butting heads over small differences in belief.

The solution is very simple: replace but with and. Instead of saying "I think this but you think that," or "I believe God is ______, but you think god is _____," or "I'm from _____ but you're from _____," we should say "I think this and you think that." Plain and simple.

It works for a number of reasons; linguistically, the two statements flow together because "but" is harsh and "and" is smooth, and psychologically that means that you will equate the two thoughts with each other on an equal plane, as if they're the same thing.

The message today really resonated with me, mainly because this is one thing that I believe to my very core. It's also really interesting how well that one simple linguistic change works! I recommend trying it the next time you have a disagreement, it will really change the outcome.

Now, because I can't resist, and because I'm proud of myself, I shall bore you with my outfit choice of the day:

Nothing too crazy, a lot of basics thrown together. Literally thrown together - 5 minutes before I had to get out the door, I realized it was too cool and cloudy to wear my original outfit, which was more fun and colorful. So I had to put it together fast. But I'm pretty proud of how it turned out :)

Cardi & Leggings: Forever 21
Tshirt: just a plain white v-neck
Flats: Target
Necklace: Charlotte Russe
Bag (can't really see it): Marshall's (only $35 for Steve Madden! Normally $90! Obv. faux leather)

Thanks for reading! Why not comment on how the solution provided above worked for you in a conflict? Did/does it help you gain insight and keep calm when confronted? And, as always, leave feedback!! This is for others to learn from as much as it is for me to express myself. Want me to talk more or less about myself? More or less about issues? Any topic suggestions? I'd LOVE to hear from you!

I'm trying to get on a schedule for posting, but with the semester about to start, I'll probably get into one that's based around my classes and such.

Until next time!
<3, Ali