Be More Dog

Animals inspire me- they live simply and without judgement. There is no dwelling on the past and no worrying over the future. They may have to think about where there next meal is or if they are the next meal! But all in all it is natural. I feel as humans we have moved so far away from natural, everything has been made for speed, ease, comfort and pleasure yet our lives are far from easy or comfortable... We live by money and time yet seem to never have enough of either. 
However my dog doesn't know what time or money is, he doesn't need to. He doesn't care what other dogs think of him, and other dogs don't judge him; they just sniff his butt and move on! But I care about what most people think of me, what I do and even what they think of my weird little dog and I have to own up and be honest; sometimes I do make snap judgement on people for no reason.
I worry and regret which I know is unhelpful and a waste of energy but alas; I am human... So basically in the words of O2 I want to 'be more dog' and just have a blast, maybe without the butt sniffing though!
a.g.f

(My little Border Terrier Deano)

Water is Life

I don't donate to charities half as much as I would like to so I will never preach or judge anyone on donating! Last month though, I stumbled across a YouTube page called 'water is life' which is an organisation that provides clean water to the most dehydrated places on our planet. In particular two of their short videos hit me hard! So hard in fact, that it made me write this post.
I will link them at the bottom and even if you don't donate just watching will give views and raise awareness and in turn raise money anyway! It highlights how fortunate we are in the Western world and brought me back to Earth with a splash *pun intended*.
 -on a serious note though after oxygen, water is the very essence of our survival and knowing that millions of people struggle everyday to source it is painful. 
I post this on a rainy day that I can be thankful for.

This first one uses irony and it really does humble you: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxyhfiCO_XQ

The second one made me cry with a mixture of happiness and sadness, very beautiful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYf82F3CHYo

OR head straight to their website to learn more:
http://waterislife.com/

Thank you x

Dying for Fashion

Sometimes when I am shopping I think about where my clothes are being produced but then 'how cute is this jumper?! And it's £30, love it!' I used to think sweatshops were a thing of the past, there's no way that with Government policies and public attitudes they could still be used right? Wrong. 

After just scratching the surface with research, I am dis-heartened to find that the only highstreet brand to use ethical manufacturing is the debt riddled American Apparal. From the -it's so cheap, it's obviously sweatshop- Primark to the -this tie is £50- Hugo Boss, all brands use some form of exploitation of developing/3rd world countries. Zara I thought was safe and was so glad because I could happily get my whole wardrobe from here! Reasonably priced, good quality, beautiful garments that are produced in Europe; Turkey to be precise. Turkey is a developed country and a popular tourist destination so I thought it would definitely meet similar wages and conditions as Britain. So why are people working 60 hours per week in the factory and taking second jobs to make ends meet? HOWEVER Inditex (the company behind Zara) is beginning plans to increase wages alongside mum's favourite M&S so I will continue to support these brands.

But some household brands are really doing nothing to help out their struggling employees: Tesco, Next, Matalan, Nike, even Gucci and Hugo Boss use cheap labour in unsafe work environments. Case after case of factories collapsing or burning down in Bangaladesh and China have been recorded. Isn't the thought of someone dying for a pair of jeans or a jumper absoloutely insane?? But it happens, a lot... look at:

https://www.cleanclothes.org

Now it isn't our fault, we are being exploited too with grossly overpriced products of poor quality being sold to us! So what do we do? The organisation mentioned below has way more information than me and also states **don't stop shopping on the highstreet** for one that is impossible unless you are a seamstress and secondly the people in these countries need the tiny amount of money they earn. The very least and first is awareness, check out this amazing organisation fighting for the rights of workers all over the world:

http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/ 

Maybe even take 2 minutes to sign a petition @ http://www.cleanclothes.org/livingwage/sign or if you're feeling a little flushed, a small donation to either will go a long way! 

This was long winded I know but I've barely touched on this absolutely enormous topic! Knowledge is power, thank you so much for reading! 
a.g.f

Write Off Days

I try to stay as positive as I can day to day but there are times I just cannot shake a mood! On these days even doing things I love like seeing friends, lunching and dancing do not help so sometimes it is better to admit defeat and give up. If I'm working or at college I will finish my shift, cancel my plans and go straight home for bed and a cup of tea (maybe stopping for a bar of chocolate).

This downtime is so important because if we trudge on without allowing the odd lazy day/evening then the deflated, tired mood can fester and be harder to lose. Being completely unproductive can actually be the best thing to do! Allow it to happen without beating yourself up and try to start tomorrow refreshed :) 

Happy sleeping! 

LetsTalk About the Madness of Labels!

Think of all the things others label you as- good, bad or neither. Here's my list: girl, English, white, dancer, student, singer, spiritual etc.. 

Now if you change your list or completely delete it, who are you? Are you different? Someone else? I believe the essence of who you are stays the same. Our very being is not determined by these things so why should our identities?

This probably makes no sense right now and maybe I am going to deep into this but, grab your snorkel because it's too late now! An example... My name is Amelia but I am not Amelia, there's more to me than that. I could be called Helen or Moonrider and nothing would be different. Sure that is just my name and something like religion is much more than that. It might change your actions and choices and where you end up in life. However stripping away all of these layers and names, we are just flesh and bone so why can't we just be? Why must we name something before we feel it, do it or own it? 

Gay wasn't a problem until straight people made it so and Muslim wasn't a bad word until terrorists changed it and non-muslims didn't understand it. I just so believe in the phrase live and let live. As long as it's inside the law what does it really matter what we do in this crazy universe anyway!

Because I am not a dancer, I'm not English, I am not even straight or white. I am just a being that enjoys dancing, lives in England, likes boys and has white skin. These are facts and not ME. If one changes or grows or leaves, my self is not affected. Labels breed hate and confusion and separation and I don't want to get so hung up on whether something has a name or if others have it too. I just want to feel it and be it and live it. 

I think the picture below describes it better than I do...

Soul Mates

I feel that all of our honest, real friends are our soul mates. They are a handful of people

 out of 7 billion we choose to share experiences and parts of ourselves with. 

I love the phrase soul mates- it makes me think of 2 souls just chilling and grabbing coffee, it's a funny thought but a damn sweet one.

Here's a few things my soul mates give me:

L 

is the youngest of my friends but years beyond her age, we share a love for chocolate and she could be a millionaire and not want to buy a bus ticket!! There is never a dull moment because her energy is so positive. You are so beautiful and don't need to change a thing so just accept it!!

B

Such a strong woman, not just with her titles and records in weightlifting but her spirit and attitude to life, she wants something she will go and get it. She has done things that I'm not sure I could and for that there is so much respect! Her self confidence does have it's downfall but you know you'll always get an honest opinion;)

E

Taught me what a friend was, loyal to the last bone and fiercely protective. We are completely the opposite but exactly the same... She is caring and soft and stubborn but I hope she sees and loves herself as we do! Chase your passion , own it and be the true babe you are. 

U 

is so easy to be with, she honestly doesn't care who you are or where you're from. This one has introduced me to new ways of living which I am forever grateful for. You've become awfully soppy in your old age but I'm just about used to it; oh and stop panicking because you are going to be so much more than fine.

The most important thing for me to remember if that no friendship or person (including myself) is perfect. Once you wholly accept this, and get rid of expectations and stop trying to change people, then friends can become soulmates.

Thank you to every one of my friends (some I haven't mentioned) for accepting me exactly as I am and for being exactly who you are.  

BOOK CLUB: The Power of Now

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

I came across this book as I saw a lot of yogi's and spiritual people that I follow quote Eckhart Tolle on Instagram. After more research on the book I found it was a bestseller and popular among well know people such as the one and only... Oprah Winfrey. If you need any more reason than Oprah to read this book then I've listed my favourite points below:

+ techniques suggested are simple and can be used by anyone

+ I found the techniques were slightly effective almost straight away

+ the book showed a very different way to use your thoughts and to see life

However it wasn't perfect:

- sometimes it may take a few reads of a section to fully understand and allow it to sink in

- as the book has no story, it's hard to read for long periods of time

Although my life situation hasn't changed much since I started reading a few months ago, I have definitely started to see a change in the way I approach life and situations. I feel much more positive and less fearful of what is to come and I can appreciate the smaller, everyday things.

A piece of advice I would give is to read with an open mind and not to take each point as absolute fact. Some things I naturally agreed with but others I was more sceptical on. This book might not be for you at all, especially if you're not spiritual in the slightest or if you're completely content with your outlook on life. BUT I think everyone could take at least one positive from this read.