A Reminder to be Compassionate

Hello readers, I hope 2017 has been treating you well, or as well as possible considering the state of things in our world right now. While I typically do not write about political matters, tonight I felt especially inspired to speak about Trump's impending Muslim Ban. If you aren't aware of what is going on in the United States right now, I urge you to search up the hashtag #MuslimBan and see just what has happened in the past 36 hours in our country ( or maybe not your country because some of you lovely people are from other places). Anyways, in an effort to stay positive I want this post to be about compassion and empathy-- some words I feel like are extremely important at this moment in time. Whatever your political affiliations may be, I hope you can still recognize when things have gone to far. If you aren't angry or frustrated or saddened by the things going on right now, I want you to take a step back. Let go of all of your pre-existing ideas about races different than your own and just think: what if it were my friend? my brother? my sister? my daughter? my son? or my spouse? Wouldn't you be upset getting on the internet everyday or turning on your tv to watch the news and hearing/seeing people spew racist rhetoric day in and day out about you, your religion, and your racial/ethnic group as a whole? Imagine getting the news today that you are no longer welcome in a country you love because of the God you worship. Wouldn't that hurt you? You see the thing is this ban does not affect me and yet as I am typing this I am brought to tears thinking of my beautiful brown friends who are now afraid for their families and friends. I fear the America we love and cherish is slowly turning into something dark and scary. A place where women, minorities, and LGBTQ citizens are once again becoming pariahs. But, I have hope. One thing I will forever love about being American is that we are so very resilient. In the face of injustice and discrimination, the majority have united together to ensure that this country will not be divided by a government that is pushing the policies of a man who ran, and won, the presidency on a platform of bigotry, racism, and misogyny. To those of you who may have voted for him, all I ask is that you find it in your heart to be kind. When you find yourself wanting to say something negative, discouraging, or divisive, please remember that these are our people. They are our citizens. They belong here as much as anyone else. And while you may not like it, they deserve love and every freedom allowed to you. To everyone, I pray that you find peace amongst the chaos, find love where there is hate, find unity where there is division, find empathy where there is apathy, find compassion where there is animosity, and find hope where there is fear.


I hope you all are having a wonderful morning, afternoon, or night, whenever you happen to be reading this. I appreciate your page views so much.

- Cameron

Hello 2017

Hello 2017 :)

Wow! I cannot believe it is 2017! I also cannot believe it has been almost two years since Haley and I have posted on this blog. I'd like to say sorry for our hiatus and assure so much has changed since then. For one thing, Haley and I both graduated high school in May of 2016 and just completed our first semesters at our respective universities. First semester was a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. From trying to make friends and manage academics with new social freedoms to finding time to relax and step back from my hectic schedule, I found myself exhausted when I finally came home for break. Despite my exhaustion, I started thinking of what I would want to change about my college experience and what I did not like so much about first semester. It hit me then that I wasn't doing the things I loved or studying things I was passionate about at all last semester. Instead I followed a plan set forth for me by people who have no idea what I want because I myself am not so sure, but I know for one thing I was not happy majoring in and participating in what I was. So naturally, I came up with a list of things to change for myself in the new year. I made a list of 17 things that I should do, change, or experience in 2017 and I feel like going in with a positive mindset for this new year will really help me out.

 Cameron's 2017 Goals

1. Be happy. Purely and genuinely happy :)
2. Be  healthy. Strive for clear skin and more energy by eating the right foods. Do not strive to look like someone you're not. Love yourself at any and every size.
3. STOP chasing dreams other people made for me. Follow YOUR heart.
4. Take pictures of everything! (For those of you that don't know I am passionate about photography as an art form)
5. Be present in EVERY moment. Take time to realize where you are, who you are with, and what you are doing. Relish every detail.
6. Find your passion and go after it with everything you've got.
7. Dress how YOU want. Screw what other people think. Your style should be 100% you.
8. Be more Creative
9. Remember Life Happens! When you don't accomplish something you've really wanted to do because life happened remember it is not the end of the world.
10. Go exploring
11. Make the BIG CHOP
12. Be open to new experiences. 
13. Be open to love and new relationships (admittedly a bit of a cynic when it comes to love)
14. Drink more water. 
15. Do more things you love.
16. STOP doing things you hate.
17. Be strong, Be smart, Be kind, and Be grateful

Finally my motto of the year is "love yourself, be yourself, push yourself"! Thanks so much for reading and please expect more posts this year.What are your New Years resolutions or projections for 2017? leave a comment down below.