Day Twenty Five. Write about confidence and how people can achieve confidence.

If I could give everyone I know the confidence they deserve, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Tips on building confidence.

1. Don't leave the house without putting some effort in your appearance. I started noticing that the days I was especially critical and hard on myself were days that I just rolled out of bed and threw on clothes. Now, I love being lazy as much as the next person and maybe this just happens with me. But I would feel like crap all day when I did that. When I actually take a little bit of pride in my appearance I always feel better about myself.

2. For every insult you throw at yourself, think of two compliments.

3. Surround yourself with people that bring you up instead of tear you down.

4. Accept your flaws. You are not going to be perfect. That's what makes you human.

5. You are allowed to feel sorry for yourself and even dislike yourself. What matter is that at the end of the day, you eat some ice cream (or drink some wine) and realize that you are still the best damn person you can be. And move on.

Day 24. Are you a feminist?

Well, I am majoring in Women Studies.

In today's world, which self-respecting woman isn't a feminist?
I know the term has a bad history of being associated with the women who burned their bras, hated all men, and were quite extreme in their beliefs.
That isn't what feminism is about.
Feminism is the belief that women and men are equal.
Why is that such a radical idea for people to support?
If you believe in human rights you should believe in feminism, because it's just a category of human rights. It's really that simple.

Some people that I have talked with don't like the idea of women's studies, because we don't have a men's studies. To them I say this:

We wouldn't feel the need to learn more about women and celebrate our accomplishments, differences, and history if we hadn't been tossed aside, ridiculed, and treated like nothing for centuries. 

Day Twenty Three. Must see movies.

1. Moulin Rouge

2. Phantom of the Opera

3. The King's Speech

4. Atonement

5. All Disney animated movies. ALL OF THEM.

6. Howl's Moving Castle

7. (500) Days of Summer

8. I Love You, Man

9. Robin Hood, Men in Tights

10. Pride and Prejudice

I already wrote a blog a year ago about my two favorite movies (How to Train Your Dragon and Slumdog Millionaire) so that's why those aren't on here.

I really love movies, so I have a lot more I could recommend... But that list would probably be about 50 films long.

Day Twenty Two. A letter to your parents.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for always supporting me, like during my years in theatre, or when I decided to switch majors halfway through college. 

Thank you for loving me through all of my crazy, irrational, angry, and harsh moments.

Thank you for giving me a very happy childhood.

Thank you for for blessing me with four younger siblings.

Thank you for teaching me the meaning of hard work, patience, forgiveness, and love. 

Thank you for all the hugs and kisses.

Thank you for the advice, compliments, encouragement, and sarcastic comments.

Mom,

You are the hardest working woman I know. You are the rock in our family and one of my best friends. You always know what to say, and you give the best hugs, even when I don't want one. 

I only hope I can be half the mom you are.

Daddy,

Despite every disagreement we've had over the years, you are my biggest supporter in everything I do. You've never once given up on me or stopped helping me achieve my goals.

I could never, ever thank you enough for everything you have done. 

Thank you for giving me the world.

Love,

Teaspoon

Day 21. Must read books.

EVERYONE MUST READ THE HARRY POTTER SERIES.
And the Hunger Games trilogy.
Obviously.

1. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hasseini. I read both books in high school and they both left a huge impact on me. Their stories tell a lot about human struggle and triumph, as well as true friendship.

2. Looking For Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. All of these are Young Adult literature, but the best on the shelf right now. All have their own very different stories and cover topics ranging from child prodigies, cancer, road trips, and falling in love for the first time.

3. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. One of the most twisted novels I've ever read, but also one of the top five best books I've ever read too. If you don't like drugs, sex, alcohol, religion, the mentally ill, or Medieval Germany you might not want to read this book. Otherwise, you better pick it up right now.

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I already wrote a blog about the movie and the book is just as fantastic. SO READ IT.

5. Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. I've never laughed so hard reading a book before.

Day Twenty. What is your opinion on gay marriage?

I should rephrase this question to "What is your opinion on marriage?"

My response is simple: 

I believe that everyone should have the right to marry whomever they love. 

People often use Christian morals to back up their belief in that marriage is only between a man and a woman. When it comes to our government, we can't involve religion in order to decide what is right and what is wrong. People might turn up their noses by me saying that, since I am a Christian, but Jesus told us to love everyone. His message was never about hate. It was one of loving our neighbors as ourselves. How would you feel if heterosexual marriage was viewed as immoral and unnatural and your marriage was deemed illegal? We are not a theocracy, we are a democracy. This shouldn't be a religious issue, or even a political one! I believe that it is a basic human right to marry and by placing laws against gay marriage, we are denying a basic human right to many people in the United States.

I have many friends that are gay and it really upsets me when I hear people say that they don't have the right to marry their loved one. In fact, a few months ago I told one of my best friends that I can't wait for the day that I get to watch her marry the woman she loves. And I know that she is just as excited to see me marry the man I love. 

And since I love to quote my favorite Green brothers, I'll end this blog with a quote from Hank Green from this video that he posted 6 months ago.

"This isn't a political issue. It's just deciding that we're going to treat some citizens of our country differently than the other citizens. And that's wrong." 

Day 19. What makes you unique?

I would say one of my physical features that makes me unique is my curly hair. Curly hair isn't extremely popular and mine can be kinda weird sometimes. 

The above picture doesn't count because I curled my hair with a curling iron... 

I also think that being relentlessly optimistic makes me unique. I won't deny that I have my bad days, but I really try to maintain a happy outlook on life.