Officially a Tough Mudder. 

Cross that off my bucket list

Minneapolis Half-Marathon sounds a whole lot easier now. Two weeks until that race. 
Wish me luck peeps.

<3 

chalkboardnails:

Urban Outfitters black creme
NYX Enchanted Forest
(Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love) 

huffingtonpost:

“The winning photo shows a poignant, compassionate moment, the human consequence of an enormous event, an event that is still going on,” said chairman Aidan Sullivan. “We might never know who this woman is, cradling an injured relative, but together they become a living image of the courage of ordinary people that helped create an important chapter in the history of the Middle East.”

The woman is almost completely concealed under black robes as she clasps her relative, a thin man whose torso is bare, grimacing in pain.

Samuel Aranda Wins World Press Photo Of The Year Award For Arab Spring Shot

The stuff of my nightmares. f$%#.

(via ravenstjohnson)

from now. 

I will be on a different continent, making a difference. this is my goal.

resettle your focus. often we get way too bent out of shape due to the conflicts and battles we have with other people. the notion of proving yourself to be in the right can be a very self-destructive force. we start to lose perspective as we immerse ourselves in a sea of unaccountability built by our own design.

we usually remain floating this way, holding hands with people that choose to swim in the same sea. that is, until something shakes us. wakes us into realization, that our so-called sea is actually a puddle. one stamp of the foot makes us realize how small we really are.

the glints of the human condition are apparent and at its best when the world is at its worst. when people live in war-torn territories, absorb death at their doorstep, witness brutality at its cleanest- they tend to overlook the smaller inconveniences of life.

we owe it to people who constantly struggle with those category of perils, to refocus our will. to move on, make the most of what we are given.

nothing is guaranteed and that very fact should make us quicken the pace, just slightly.

kqedscience:

Meet the incredible smiling seal!

How an intrepid photographer crawled across the ice on his stomach to get these amazing images

SJAHFJDFHSDFHAF FFFF*#@**$*!!

(via npr)

A several years ago, I felt as though I had gone through some sort of spiritual awakening. Like a dam whose barriers had crumbled, my mind became inundated and immersed in the beauty of Islam. I felt as though a new realm of intellect within me had been unlocked, the world looked like a completely different frontier in my eyes.

Coming back into the present, my practice is much dimmer than lackluster. Whether my practice became jaded or more familiar, I started taking it for granted. Prayer became consumed by the hectic ongoing of daily life even though dhikr (remembrance) remained. I lost the practice and got caught up in the theory of it all, thinking I’d execute someday.

Prayer in Islam is required to be done five times a day, each one at a certain time. For a long time I often looked at prayer as a vessel for worship. A place to release my gratitude and acknowledgement of Allah (the Creator). I was so absorbed in the mechanics of prayer and its purpose that I forgot to embrace the biggest purpose of prayer: its ability to impart tranquility, to help me make my life better. I felt silly for underestimating the sincere purpose of things that are prescribed to us in worship. 

Much of Islam in its truest form, is healing. Its properties promote healthy benefits to add longevity and vitality towards the human condition; which is the purpose of spirituality in a nutshell (imo). I soon realized prayer is meant for me, not for proving my worth. Prayer was meant to promote peace within me, to give myself a 10 minute block five times a day to reflect and get my ish together and continue on. Prayer at my worst, has been my backbone. At my best, it has been my springboard. 

That is why I encourage anyone to take a few moments and reflect on your life each day, how we got here, why we’re here and what are we going to do for the rest of it. Creator or none, whatever you believe in, you owe yourself that much. To bear more fruitful thoughts to chew on. 

<3

p.s. for anyone like me, that wants some motivation, this article was wonderful. - cheers.

bored. took me 2hrs to figure out nano, only to realize I had the outdate vers. either way, goldpanda inspired.