You Are Not Unique

  by  futurowoman 

I hate to break it to any of you reading this, but you are not unique.

Seriously.

Your mom may have told you that you were special. Your teachers may have said you were their favorite. But they were wrong. All of them.

You see, right now, you're probably going through something. A challenge, or a speed bump, if you will. You probably feel lonely and confused and like you're the only person who this is happening to. You may think that no one else understands what you're going through or how you feel. You think your situation is unique, just like you are.

But you are wrong.

There are so many times we are afraid to talk about our struggles, our hurts, our challenges, our bad times. We want everyone to think that everything is fine and that nothing is really weighing us down. There's something to be said about sharing, though. Just this afternoon I had lunch with a co-worker, and as we sat in her office talking about how things are going lately, I realized that she articulated exactly how I've been feeling about some things lately. I felt a hundred pounds lighter after she and I talked!

So, the next time you're feeling just a little off or like things are about to come crashing down on you, remember that you are not unique. Somebody, somewhere has gone through the same situation and can offer support and advice to you. Don't suffer alone; reach out and talk to someone, and you'll see how un-unique you really are!

A Review of Dove Advanced Care deodorant

This post is going to be the pits...

Ugh, I know, I know.

(Well, how would you start a review of deodorant? Exactly...)

As part of the Influenster program, I was recently sent a full-sized Dove Advanced Care deodorant to review. Since I've been going to the gym a lot more lately, this was great timing!

The box grossed me out a little:

36% of what you remove while shaving is SKIN?!? Ewww!!

But, thankfully, there weren't any other disturbing facts on the actual deodorant container:

The Dove website says that the Advanced Care deodorant can deliver 48 hour odor and wetness protection. Since I shower more often than 48 hours, I can't verify that claim, but I can say that it does make me feel less gross during my workouts. Also, since I usually go directly to work after the gym, I'm always concerned about smelling funky, but no one has ran away from me in horror yet, so I've got to give Dove some credit here. 

The deodorant itself smells good. It's not overpowering or overly floral smelling. It doesn't go on clear, but I haven't noticed any marks in any of my clothes. I'm not sure what the retail price on this is, but I'm definitely pleased with it and will be buying it when this tube is empty.

Disclaimer: I received this product free as a member of Influenster, but all opinions are entirely my own.

Lurve

Fill in the blank- Valentine's Day makes me:

A. So happy! I love love!

B. So nauseated. Get. a. room. happy. people.

C. So sad. Is it any coincidence that the acronym Single Awareness Day spells SAD?

D. Huh? When is Valentine's Day?

As a newlywed (when does the statute of limitations on that word expire? We'll hit a year next month, but I still feel like that's new), I'm more likely to choose A, but that hasn't always been the case. There were many years where I was convinced that I would never meet that special someone. We even had "Anti-Valentine's" parties in college. But, I'm here to tell you that Valentine's Day isn't as bad as you think it is.

I know that as a married person, it's easy to dismiss what I say. You may even be mumbling something about how it's easy for me to talk about love since I'm married. I get it, I really do. I've even said that a few times myself. However, what changed my mind was realizing that Valentine's Day isn't just about romantic love. I wrote a post about this on my Thankful 366 blog a couple of years ago, and I think it's worth revisiting. Read, enjoy, and eat lots of candy on my behalf tomorrow! 

"Love comes in many forms. The most obvious form of love celebrated on February 14 is romantic love, but love (and Valentine's Day) is much more than that. As Chris, a student that I know from work, posted on his Facebook this morning: [Valentine's Day should be] about the love you have in your heart for another person. It should be about people that make you smile and feel confident and strong. He's absolutely right! Some people are in romantic relationships with people that don't make the smile or feel good. Some people are single, but have wonderful families and friends that continually build them up and make them feel great. I'm blessed enough to be in a fantastic relationship, have an outstanding family, and great friends, so I do have the best of both worlds. That's just my side note for those I love! ;)

The point of this day isn't to make you feel even more single than you do (and as someone who spend 27 years being single, I'm qualified to say this...ha ha) but to show appreciation for and be appreciated by people you love. It's also about God's love for you. John 3:16 is hands down, unequivocally, the most well-known verse in the Bible, and it's also the greatest example of love that any of us will ever see. No matter how great the people in your life are, they will let you down. There will be harsh words and misunderstandings, simply because we're all humans with emotions. But God will never let you down. His love will always be there on February 14, 15, 16, 17, and beyond. Be thankful for that and never forgot how much He loves you."

(And for those of you who remember me saying on Tuesday that I was going to post a product review today, just change that date to this upcoming Tuesday in your head. I know you're just chomping at the bit to read it!)

Back On Track

Hello again, world!

I didn't intend to be gone for close to a month, but after the last post, I've just felt like I couldn't shake the winter blahs and writer's block. I had planned to start another book posting series like the 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life series from November, but I've been having a lot of trouble figuring out which book to write about. I've read a couple of books that I haven't really loved, but maybe if I write about them, I'll appreciate them more. If anyone has read any good non-fiction books that they would like to see a series about, or if there's a book that any of you would like to read about, please let me know!

I've got a product review coming Thursday, and I had an author named Sarah Coleman contact me about reviewing one of her books (can't wait to start it!), so I feel like my writer's block is over! The winter blahs, on the other hand, seem to be dragging on and on. How many more days are there until Spring?!?