Only if I could run as fast & could drink as much Dr.Pepper as Forrest...

“My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.’” explains Forrest (the ever so talented Tom Hanks), in the film Forrest Gump, to a random woman on a bus bench as he begins his life story. You know I had to write a blog about this movie, of course I did, because it is about life… to the extreme… maybe, but nonetheless every aspect of growing up and growing old. The upbringing, the loving, the family, the falling, the hurting, the truth and the deaths, all so real and so emotional to watch (I cry every time). We live a life full of possible adventures, its wether we take the opportunity to live it or sit in the shadows determines who we are. 

For the longest time I watched this film and just observed it as a rom-com between Forrest and Jenny. As I grew up and saw the desire of life, I now watch it with a sense of  passion. A man with a slow mind but a big heart lives life through; college, football, the army, running across the country, opening a shrimp boat, and marrying the women he has loved since he was a little one with braces on his legs. He is (pardon my teen slang) #GOALS. You know what made him a role model? Something so simple yet a lot of us don't do… the ability to not stop and think, but take action. As we grow up we tend to over think situations which causes us to not take as many risks in our lives, we “play it safe” because of all the “wrong” that we conjure in our heads of things that COULD happen. I agree, we have more to lose when we grow older, but we also have more opportunities to explore, to invent, to see. Did Forrest hesitate to do any thing in the movie, or did he just go and do it? He then had a life that would be memorable to many viewers for years to come. Though fictional it reached many peoples hearts, I know it hit mine in many ways.

I’m not saying after watching a movie my life changed, but because my life is changing I start seeing things differently. After college I fell into a family business, though I loved the business and the people I worked with, it wasn't something exciting or made me feel alive in a way. So I did something that scared me, a career change. Though when you're in your 20’s everyone always says that you're young enough and you have so much time to figure out what you want… we never think that way though, we just know we want to get our life started. Therefore a career change in my mid twenties is scary, and I love it! I am learning so much in my course, the thought of starting a new career that allows me to travel and spend more time with loved ones is surreal, and the best part... I did not hesitate or think I just… did! I am now in the happiest state of my life I have been in for a very long time, though a minimal change of action, it is a start.

I challenge everyone to start doing stuff that scares them, stuff that takes no thought but just action. Not something everyday, but every once in awhile so you can start living your life like Forrest. Little by little, chocolate by chocolate, you'll start seeing things in a brighter light about this world. It’s like Gump said, “I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.”. We may have an ending spot in our own destiny but we can make the path to that point. Floating in the breeze, randomly landing places, beautiful places, until we land where we need to be. 

Love;

Rachel

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He ruined her roommates towel...

Josie Grossy was a smart lady…

“That thing. That moment when you kiss someone, and everything around you becomes hazy, and the only thing in focus is you and this person, and you realize that that person is the only person that you're suppose to kiss for the rest of your life.” Josie Geller (the beautiful, classic 90’s girl, Drew Barrymore) explaining the feeling of a kiss, in her “teenage” rom-com Never Been Kissed. If you have not seen this movie… you have not lived my friends! Well you've lived… but without feeling so in love with a kick-ass movie. When you were growing up, in elementary school primarily, a kiss meant everything. A first kiss with a first boyfriend on a first date, nothing was more romantic or more “cool” (or gross depending on the age and maturity level). We assume it was because we had a sense of what growing up would be like, feeling as if we are matured enough to know what “love” is and kissing would prove all. As we grew up however, we realized all of that was bull-shit, right? A kiss really means nothing and we knew nada about love back then when we were impressionable little ones...but I now see, we should listen to some of the things we said back then, because as impressionable as we were, we were also care free and for the most part, happier. 

As we grow up we tend to lose sight of the small important things in life. A bright sunny day, smell of fresh cookies, new clean sheets, and a simple beautiful kiss. We get caught up with work, school, money, tasks, everything in life that may be necessary but distracts us from the beauty of it. Just remember how those small things made you feel though; the air hitting your face while running through the waves of the ocean, the feeling of rebelliousness staying up late on a school night, or the butterflies in your stomach while going on a date with a cute boy. Sometimes we simply just don't recognize these things… until we realize we are missing them. These last couple years I've done just that, realize I've been so consumed with everything going on around me with work, savings, other stress related things, where I’ve mentally missed so many small moments… my last dance performance, my graduation, my first trip to gorgeous Cuba, so many where I didn't take in the feeling I should of absorbed. Now, my life is the same, but how I feel has completely changed.

When I shared that kiss, the kiss Josie explained; so personal and so real, with the man I am now in love with, I felt fireworks, literal fireworks going on inside me. True happiness and excitement filled me and I knew something just felt right. As sappy and mushy you may think this is… a kiss means a lot to someone whether you realize it or not. Whether it is with a companion, a family member, a friend; when you embrace someone and show them you care, that right there is the small thing that you should hold onto, that feeling of happiness, realness and rawness in your life. 

Next time you share a kiss, or a hug, or any way of embracement with a loved one, take a moment to take it all in and just see how much you've actually been missing to make you feel that exact way you'll be feeling, true bliss. 

Love;

Rachel

More feel good shit is on my Instagram page, follow true20something or search the hashtag #true20something! MUAH

Thats the kiss man...

I, like The Grinch, also only eat because I’m bored.

“Hate hate hate, double hate, loathe entirely!” The Grinch (ever so talented and crazy Jim Carrey) says while looking at The Who’s telephone book. Say what you want, but this movie will be watched for decades because of its creativity from the original, the make up, the scenery and the actors. Most importantly however; people from the teens and on will constantly love this movie because the way we can now connect with the emotional stability and actions of The Grinch. Sounds stupid, but think about it... the way he looks at the telephone book can be the way we look at our high school year book, mostly with hate. Or when he has nothing to wear to the Holiday Cheermeister so he claims he is not going... me every night I try to go out. Along with more examples throughout the film, it finally ends with The Grinch realizing the true meaning of Christmas while seeing The Who’s come together to celebrate the holidays as a big family... us as a society follow the same route as when we finally come together, the strength shows what life is truly about loving and living together. 

In my last post about terrorism and hate crimes, I brought up the point about coming together during rough times will show the meaning of the saying “love will trump evil”. The thought of being together and being a strong force as one can not be any more true then around the holidays. 

I love Christmas movies as much as many of you do I’m sure. You ever think of why we love them? Is it the small spurts of humour like when Brad from Four Christmases (Vince Vaughn) gags when seeing a baby up chuck on his girlfriend? Is it the cute memorable songs that we grew up with like Frosty the Snowman or Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer (classic cartoons I love)? I personally feel it’s actually because the warm feeling of family and closeness we get at the end of each holiday themed movie. They always end with it on Christmas morning, or sometime special in the holiday season, with families hugging, children being born, kids opening presents, happiness and memories... and that’s what makes us want to re-watch them, we love that feeling! It makes us feel grateful for life when sometimes it can push us down. 

Love with trump evil, and that is why I started watching Christmas movies November 1st and recently just put up my Christmas tree. HOHOHO 40 days until the big day! 

Love;

Rachel 

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Me doing my daily schedule...

Love is even more important than Jack and Rose could even show on the Titanic.

“I’ve got these images in my head. They won’t go away.” cries Tommy Saunders (the ever so talented Mark Wahlberg and so perfect for this part) in the movie Patriots Day, based on the Boston Marathon bombing that occurred in 2013. Images shot through his head of fallen limbs, several dead bodies, and scatter of bomb shards everywhere in his home town… who wouldn’t have nightmares after that. The fact that we all wake up almost every day to hearing about a killing, a terrorist attack, a hate crime or just terror in general, creates a lot of wonder in citizens heads no doubt. How could this world be so hateful? How could this beautiful life we are given rip people a part? I question these things too. It is hard to praise the light in life when facts are shown to show the darkness. I am 23 years old and have already witnessed in my life time; 76 recorded mass shootings (3 fatalities or more, SOURCE) and over 20 known and major terrorist attacks world wide (including 9/11 in New York, SOURCE). The total amount of fatalities and people injured is too much for me too add up…and just that fact that I don’t really want to know the number to be honest. So hate, makes people question a lot. 

I do watch the news frequently, to learn more about the world, see the latest gossip, etc., so nothing was different for me this past Sunday, November 5th. When viewing the daily news, a title that showed “Mass shooting at Texas Church” came up…and honestly surprised wasn't my feeling at the time, just rage and wonder. 26 people were killed in the shooting, 8 were related including a mother of 3 who was also pregnant at the time. I want to make a point that the shooter was a middle aged WHITE man. Terrorism has been shown on media for years (more specifically after the events of 9/11) to be a Islamic based reference… how far from the truth this can be. I do agree many terrorist attacks have derived from South Eastern countries, such as the GROUP Isis (I emphasize group as it is only a group and should not be directed to the whole Islamic population). However, the amount of “terrorist” attacks, or hate crimes as they may be called for different reasons, are done by many cultures, by many races, by a variety of people, and for many different reasons. Some are for religion, some are for hate, and some reasons that are really unknown. 

From my last post, when I was talking about the media and how they show that video games were creating “psychos” and all, I referred to the point that those individuals may just be born that way and whatever…this just shows even more that media can twist the truth. The truth is terrorism is all around us and is conducted by many different people for different reasons. It is even on our social media with hate posts about different races or body sizes. It is everywhere. 

I know I may be depressing a lot of you, but keep reading I am actually trying to make a point, just with some real life shit to back me up. This world has a lot of hate in it, no doubt, but the amount of good, strength and love we all possess needs to prevail it and hopefully create a safe place to live. “Boston Strong” became a phrase after the marathon bombing. The Boston Red Sox even wore different jerseys in their following game after the attack to just read “Boston”, showing the true strength a community can have to bring people together even after a horrifying event. The reality is, “When the devil hits you like that the only way to fight back is with love…That’s the only thing he won’t touch.” Tommy says in the film. I don't mean to sound like a 70’s hippie chick, but love really does trump evil. If we all can keep loving each other and everyone equally, we can finally stop hate and see the true beauty life has given us.

Yes, I will always question and have anger towards terrorism and hate crime in this world, but the thought that people can come together, like Boston, like New York, like Paris, like Las Vegas, like Orlando, like Texas, and like many more, has to prove that there is still love here and it can make us stronger. 

Prayers and well wishes are sent to the family and loved ones in the Texas shooting.

Love;

Rachel 

More real life shit and funny and true GIF's on my Instagram page, follow true20something or search the hashtag, #true20something. MUAH

Love is strength <3