You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
                                                                                            - Gandhi

            Those words have always resinated with me. As if from the first time I read them, something pulled from deep within my soul, outward. That's where my purpose lies, that's who I'm meant to be. Whatever this change is in the world that I seek, whatever desire I have to be positive impact, no matter how small, is found in these words.

            It all rests on my actions. Before anything I'm a truth seeker and probably a bit of an empath, too. These truths don't lie in what can always be seen, but from what can be felt and experienced. Empathy has taught me not only to see things from other perspectives - the joy, pain, and chaos of others no matter how different they are from me - but to also realize the alternate paths. There is a path that I am not on that is necessary. It's easy to live within my comfort zone, to do what I've always done because after all I've survived that way and the world does not seem to be effected negative by it.

            But how can I possibly want better things for myself and for the world, if I'm not willing to change myself? Leo Tolstoy wrote,

                                   Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

            I've always had a calling towards caring about the earth and it's creatures, I think we all innately do, I think that's very much a part of being human. I've stumbled upon a whole new entire way of living in which by making small decisions every day I can greatly impact the world, all while actively and consciously loving the world and it's creatures as I've always claimed I do. My choices have an effect on the world and hopefully they might inspire others to change, to..

            I'm on a slow, intentional path towards a vegan lifestyle. It isn't my first experience with this way of living. In high school I was a vegetarian for the right reasons but unfortunately I also had a horrible relationship with my body and with food so I went about it entirely wrong. Then about a year ago I decided to go vegan, for the same reasons that I'm on this path now, but I went about it, again, the entirely wrong way. I cut everything out at once and I placed a lot of pressure on myself to be all or nothing. That if I were going to have a vegan diet, I couldn't fail and meanwhile should be taking all other steps towards a vegan and sustainable lifestyle. This is unrealistic and unhealthy, especially in one step. Completely changing your lifestyle, I've learned from both experience and research, is a process. I'm learning to be patient with myself, forgiving, and as a result I'm becoming passionate about this journey.

            This realization came to me about a month ago and not entirely on my own. I watched a lot of vlogs and read a lot of blogs of people's experiences with their transition and with almost all advice I received was to be easy on yourself and to take it slow. I decided to first focus on my eating habits. Before I did anything else, I cut out foods that I knew were effecting my health. Primarily milk and cheese, that I already suspected made me feel sick. As soon as I cut those things out, I felt so much better. Next I cut out red meat and pork and eggs. I almost never ate pork anyways and even though I ate red meat and egg sometimes, that transition has been fairly easy, too. Next I want to slowly remove poultry from my diet as well as cut out unhealthy drinks.

            Following that I will continue to cut food groups out until I'm eating entirely plant based. I'm taking this journey slowly and I'm really learning to listen to my body. That's another thing I've discovered in all my research and listening to  advice about adapting to this lifestyle, not only is it about connecting deeper with the world, it's about connecting deeper with yourself. There's an intuition you build from it that leads you to a better understanding. This decision, I'm learning, is entirely life changing, but mostly in the ways that you don't expect. There's so much to learn by stepping out of your comfort zone and by following your heart. I'm so excited for this journey and to share it with others.

            When I dream, I dream impossible things.

            Sometimes at three a.m. I'm still awake. Wide eyed, thinking. Sometimes it's anxious, overthinking, sometimes it's imagining impossible things like standing in front of a glacier, publishing a book, standing in the Louvre in Paris, starting my own sustainable, vegan business.

             So I dream impossible things, I can't help it. I can't imagine doing just one thing, I want to serve people, I want to make art, I want to travel, I want to try new things, I want to build a business with my best friend, I want to build a darkroom and teach the dying art of film photography to as many people as I can.

             A few months ago I had a string of nights where I couldn't sleep and it got to the point where I couldn't rest until I got everything that was in my head onto paper. I rationalize things better when it's on paper rather than just stuck in my head, and everything I wrote down that night were things I wanted to do...

- adopt a plant based/vegan diet
- take yoga more seriously, become a certified instructor
- own a holistic wellness store with my best friend - also make it sustainable, eco-friendly, vegan
- start shooting in film again, build a dark room, teach others film
- learn spanish
- learn sign language
- travel
- travel
- travel
- see a glacier
- blog more
- make lots of art
- love others
- run a gallery, or sell art, others and my own
- flip a house
- learn to cook and bake
- learn how to use chopsticks, properly
- have a healthy relationship with my body (and my mind)
- save money
- drink water only
- write a book
- publish a book
- go to Alaska
- go to Spain again
- truly, truly love myself and others

            I also have dreams for others, for fortitude, perseverance, love... I have dreams for the world, that we can save it, work against the damage we've created. These things sometimes seem impossible, too, to me, but I'm always going to work for them, even if just to keep the sleepness nights away...

            And to quote Taylor Swift: don't you see starlight? don't you dream impossible things?
                                  So what are some "impossible" dreams of yours?

            The special thing about hammocking though (and it's not something you can quite discover until you try it yourself) is where it takes you. And not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally, too. And that is something I full-heartedly believe...

• climbing into a hammock is spending time with mother nature.
• fresh air is one of the best medicines out there. I swear it's like an entire detox for your whole body when you can get outside and away from the noise.
• it's a perfect opportunity to meet God than right in the middle of His creations, you can see all the beauty and effort He put into every single thing out there, including you.
• there's no better place to pull energy from than the eternal source that is nature. There is no finite source of good energy in nature. You can pull and pull and pull as you need and be fully rejuvenated the moment you find the way in which you need to spend time in nature. For some people it's hiking a mountain, others a walk through the park, some a coffee on their porch in the mornings, some tending to a garden, and some from their hammock with a good book. Whatever it is, it's out there among the trees and the wildflowers.

            So what takes you outdoors? For me it always involves a camera, a notebook, and a hammock, but I'd love to hear what you've found to be passionate about out in the wilderness... Let me know in the comments below!

            Don't mind me, over here jumping up and down for joy that it is finally September. I feel as if I finally find myself again when September hits and I find that spark I've been searching for all through the hot and humid summer months (I am not a summer person, if you can't tell). Anyways, today I felt really encouraged to set some intentions for the next few months, intentions that I hope will already be apart of my routine by the new year.

• read more. I don't want to put a number on it, but I really would like to make an effort to always carry a book with me and always give a part of my time each day to read some.
• write more. I also definitely want to put more time into this little blog as well as the stories that are inside my head.
• a hundred days project. If you haven't heard of the hundred days project, it's when you pick a skill you want to improve on and you work on it everyday for a hundred days. I have a few ideas, but I would really like to start on it in the next few months.
• drink more water.  I would love to get in the habit again of choosing water over other beverages, which I know if I set my mind to it for just a few short weeks I'll be back to being a full time water drinker. 
• dive more into natural, intentional living. I'm slowly but surely getting rid of all the toxic products in my home and replacing them with natural and healthier alternatives. By the new year I hope I can look at my home and truly see that I've been intentional with this goal.
• join young living. If you haven't heard of Young Living, from the sounds of it and from what I've researched it's a pretty incredible company all about essential oils and natural, non toxic products. I'm currently in the midst of saving up the extra money to invest in it.
• paint more. I actually painted and completed a painting this week for the first time in I don't know how long, and I can't put into words how filling it was. 
• practice gratitude. I want to be more mindful of the things I'm blessed to have in my life and practice gratitude as often as I can. Gratitude = Joy.
• work on my relationship with Christ. I want to be more intentional with my time with the Lord and how I let that shine out in my actions.

            I am a big time essential oil enthusiast. Not only do they smell heavenly and have so many ways to utilize them, they also have so many benefits, too. The last few weeks I've been using a new blend I decided to throw together one day, it instantly blew me away how much I loved it so I decided to do some deeper research on the blend and the oils it consisted of.

            Where do I begin with this recipe!? It's calming. Peaceful. Uplifting. Anxiety fighting. It smells good and it's only made with three essential oils.


            I typically do equal parts for each essential oil with this blend, whether I put it in my diffuser or use it with my favorite way to "wear" essential oils (my homemade necklaces made of hemp string and stones). Breaking down this oil recipe, I wanted to share with you a bit on what each oil brings to this blend...

Lavender

Sweet Orange

            - it acts as an antidepressant
            - it's uplifting

Peppermint
            - it fights anxiety
            - helps fight pain, nausea, and other forms of discomfort

            And those are just a few of the things each oil does! But I wanted to focus on the properties that make this blend so incredible so I limited it to those benefits. Let me know in the comments below if you plan on using this blend or if you've ever used any like it! And if you do try it, let me know what you think!

Listening: to this playlist full of worship songs
Making: stone wrapped hemp pendants
Welcoming: the last weeks of summer, happily
Eating: garlic hummus and pita crackers
Drinking: lots and lots of La Croix
Watching: Criminal Minds
Reading: Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist 
Wishing: desperately for a good thunderstorm
Smelling: lavender essential oil
Praying: that I may find my own place in the next few months
Loving: how connected I feel to this blog I'm creating
Playing: my guitar, when I'm feeling inspired to
Thanking: God every day for his love 
Missing: a lot of my good friends and family that don't live so close to me
Writing: almost everyday, which I'm loving, and I really have this blog to thank for constantly inspiring me to pursue my writing
Discovering: how incredible natural products are working in my skincare routine
Thinking: a lot about traveling
Feeling: faithful that God will provide in this next chapter of my life

             Last week I went to the Tennessee Aquarium, and looking into the salt water tanks and watching the schools of fish, the sharks sea turtles, and stingrays swim by, I overheard a conversation between a father and his son. The father was describing how (certain types of) sharks had to keep swimming in order to live. Their whole lives and they never still... How wild is that? Sharks physically have to keep moving in order to live. If they're not moving, they can't produce oxygen.

            I kept going back to that idea, and I very quickly began to find a lot of symbolism in it. And I fully believe that if you look hard enough, God leaves us knowledge and advice to equip us, and not only in prayer and the bible, but guidance that can be found within his creations. It reminds us that if we're not moving: growing, changing, or evolving, then how could we possibly be living out our lives to the fullest?

            Keep going, keep moving forward. Even if you're scared. There's always room to grow and there's always new and exciting places around the corner. We weren't made to stand still. God created a far better legacy for us.

             Sometimes I let fear immobilize me, but real talk: you're never gonna grow inside your comfort zone. I think we sometimes have this fear of being defined by our failures. But in all honesty, I've discovered that we're defined by our actions, by our character, by our story, and failure is a part of that journey. And then sometimes it's not even about fear, it's about settling. Sometimes I just get used to things and before I know it, time is passing and I really didn't grow during that time. Carry that reminder, to always seek opportunities for growth. Don't let your goals and passions become a concept for the someday. Do something today, move today.