A new beginning

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Looking around, nothing is familiar,

A face, a feeling...

Nothing.

All brand new.

It's lonely, scary, and sometimes sad.

Quietness surrounds me

You can hear people coming and going

Footsteps, the sound of footsteps

every now and again.

No one to joke with

No one to laugh with

No one who knows you

A foreign language being spoken all around you

Endcaps, sidecaps, and other things you can't even

begin to remember.

But all of this is good

It is very good

Gaining experience

Meeting new people

Learning new things

Everything is new

A new chance

A fresh start

And who knows what the future will hold, but

for now it is in my favor

New adventures

New chances

A new beginning.

Love Notes to Kelly

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Love Notes II

, originally uploaded by

Jennifer Belthoff

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I  made these little love notes to leave  around my town. I carry them with me, and hope that where I place them they will inspire someone or make someone's day.

I left my first note last night. I placed it on the windshield of my friends car. I think I was more nervous about leaving it with someone I know then just leaving it in a random place. "what if she found it creepy? what if it freaked her out?" Those and many other questions were zooming through my head. But none the less I left it there. I hope it made her smile.

The Warming is real...

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Green trees, beautiful oceans, falling snow, penguins, polar bears, plant life.  Everything in this world is connected by our amazing ecosystem. Working side by side, working together, working to keep this planet functioning in an amazing way. Yet here we are working against this system, making it work harder, and destroying it. We need to change. We need to realize the truth of what is happening, and we need to take the steps to stop going against but working with.

It is really scary to look at the facts and to see what could potentially happen. But we must face this truth. We must stop destroying our beautiful planet. A planet that has offered us so much. We must respect it, work with it, and correct our wrongs.

Today I was at the grocery store trying to decide which laundry detergent to buy. One brand was on sale **buy one get one free** Trying to save money I picked it up and was about to buy it when out of the corner of my eye I spotted this Seventh Generation detergent. On the back of the bottle is says "In our ever deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." And even though it was more expensive I put down my money saver detergent and decided to buy the planet saver. I think saving the planet is a lot more important than a few bucks I would waste somewhere else.

So today I am taking the pledge to continue to make a difference.
I am going to continue to:
**turn off my lights
**use reusablegrocery bags
** not take a bag when I don't need it
**buy products that are good for the environment
**keep appliances unplugged unless I am using them
**walk instead of drive and carpool when I can
**recycle
**and try to keep others informed.

Are you willing to take the pledge? What other things can we continue to do to save something that is so precious to all of us?

Happy Valentines Day!

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I have never been one to celebrate Valentines Day, to me it is a "Hallmark" holiday. And although I do love cards, I feel they are more special when they come as a surprise and not when one feel's like they must give one. Surprises are a lot more fun! (Although people rarely try to surprise me.)

Today I thought about all the people who I love and who love me. I thought about the amazing connections I have made over the years and how certain situations have brought these people too me. I thought about how sad my life would be if I never met these people, and how simply amazing it is that I did. Life is funny like that... connecting you to people.

The one person I am so glad I connected with is Christian......

Happy Valentines Day mi vida. May we smile forever like we are smiling today!

What we are here for

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Diets. There are a bunch of them out there. They make many claims. Saying you will have a better life if you are thinner. Making you feel uncomfortable with the way you look now, and question what you should look like. Why are we so consumed with dieting, and forcing our bodies to compete with unrealistic images that we see on television or in advertising?

The one thing I love most about this wonderful medium...blogging...is that we are not competing with those unrealistic expectations of body image. Instead we dig deep into our hearts to uncover what is truly there. Creating, writing, photographing...all of these things are building our spiritual center and healing our hearts.

No one here is concerned with how much you weigh, what you look like, if you have the latest fashion trends or hot new car. Rather, we are concerned with what your heart is saying. We are concerned with connecting with other people whose hearts are singing the same tune and being understanding, listening, and supporting those who are struggling with a matter of the heart. We are not here to judge. We are here for support. we are here to help one another, guide one another, and make each other not feel so alone in a world that is so large and intimidating at times.

This is a sacred community of the heart.