What We Like to Forget About Grace

Before I begin, let me say that I am a 22 year old college kid who is about to graduate and still has a lot to learn about the world. But this is one lesson that I feel God has been harping on with me lately. That's the lesson of grace: true, perfect, amazing, grace.

Typically when we think about grace we think of it in terms of ourselves. We think of the mistakes that we've made and the regrets that we have and how perfect our God is because He forgives us for every bit of it. Not just forgiveness though, He completely washes us clean as if it never happened. AND He sent His son to die brutally on a cross so that He could do that for us. Wow, right?

Grace is a beautiful thing to realize and experience it. I thank God daily for His incessant love and forgiveness. And it used to stop there for me. It actually stops there for a lot of us. That's our human nature kicking in. Our flesh likes to tell us: "It's all about me!" No, it's not.

It's one thing to receive grace, but another to extend it. It's easy to forgive your sibling when they irritate you. It's easy to let something small that a stranger does to you slide. But what about when someone knowingly and honestly hurts you? What happens when someone decides that they no longer owe you anything anymore? What do you do when you have to make a hard decision that you know is right but you get treated like a villain because of it? We're talking Taylor Swift Bad Blood type of hurt.

How did I use to act? I got mad. I chose to be angry because that was the easiest thing to do. If they're going to be cruel and hate me then I'll do the same to them. We're told to turn our cheek but I feel that I rarely see it in action; myself guilty as charged. We are so willing to accept God's grace when we mess up, but when someone else messes up or does something we disagree with, we judge, we get mad, or worse; we hate. That makes no sense. How can we be so quick to accept His forgiveness, but so unwilling to forgive others?

This is what we like to forget about grace. We like to keep it all about us because it's easier not to forgive people when they have hurt us. We are humans after all. We have feelings and emotions. When another person does something that cuts us so deep, we want to protect ourselves rather than feel vulnerable. We don't want to make any kind of acknowledgment that maybe we were wrong, too.

While there are some relationships that are better left untouched in our lives, just being able to let go of the hurt and anger is enough. Try instead of cursing that person's name, praying for them, because they probably acted that way for a reason. Every person has a story and has some kind of hurt in their life. It's wrong of us to believe that our hurt is greater than another's.

We are given one command: that is to love your neighbor as yourself. That means forgiving the unforgivable. This is where real grace lies; where we are able to let go of the sin that makes us human and see one another as God sees us. I choose to think of grace like a present; it is better to give than to receive.

2015: The Year Things Change

      Anyone who knows me well knows that there is one thing I hate more than anything: change. I'm a rather simple person who takes pleasure in knowing that the next day will be the same as the last. Or at least I was. After this past semester, I realized that change is not as bad as I always made it out to be.

      I learned more about myself in my fall senior semester in college than the first three years that I spent at the University of Georgia. Blame it on maturity, knowing I only have a year left in school, or certain personal life events, but I decided to live this semester for Hannah. It has been the best decision that I ever made and changed me for the better.

     One of the best pieces of advice someone once gave me was to be selfish. It sounds awful at first but let me explain. My entire life I had lived to please others before myself. I gave up the real Hannah to be who people wanted Hannah to be. One day this last summer, I woke up and realized just how unhappy I was with my life and where it was going. It wasn't what I wanted for me. So I decided to finally take that piece of advice, and be selfish and chose to change my old ways to live for who I really was. Because in their own words: "If you don't live for yourself now, you'll never get the chance to do that again."

      So I did just that. I finally grew out of self-conscious, shy, and non-confident high school Hannah and embraced life the way I had always wanted to. I drove through Atlanta for the first time (I had a real fear for interstates once upon a time), I spent a weekend in the mountains backpacking, I realized just how great my friends are, I went out and had fun, I learned to drink coffee black, and I didn't hesitate to take the chance to make myself happy. Those all sound like such small unimportant things, but one by one I was learning how fun life could be once I stepped out of the box I had trapped myself in. Ultimately that was the change this semester, I found my happiness in just being me and stopped underestimating myself.

      As you can imagine, as a former change hater New Years was a holiday that I loathed. Now, not so much. The second half of 2014 turned out so well for me, that I have no reason to hate change anymore. In 2015 I get to graduate from the best university in the nation (yes I'm biased), move to Atlanta, start my business career with an incredible company, and whatever else God has planned for me.

     2015 is the year of big change for me. I'm going to learn to love myself even more through treating my body like the temple that it is, further dedicating my life to and trusting in God's purpose for me, and saying yes to what makes me happy. So in the words of Taylor Swift, "I think I am finally clean." Here's to being perfectly and unapologetically happy with the person that you are.

Until Next Year,

Hannah

What You Need to Know Before You Shop this Holiday Season

I've mentioned before that I work retail and love my job and coworkers. However there is one time of year when I don't: Holiday. The time of year that so many people look forward to, retail workers start dreading in September. There are multiple reasons that Holiday mentally and physically drains retail workers, some more obvious than others. For those who have never sat on the other side of the register this is what you need to know:

We hate Black Friday.

I used to shop Black Friday sales. I used to love the feeling of the hunt. Now you couldn't pay me to take a shopping trip that day. Black Friday completely mars Thanksgiving festivities for many retail workers. This year large department stores are opening earlier than ever Thanksgiving afternoon, ripping workers away from precious family time. Thanksgiving is about being thankful and grateful for our family and what we have. But then the entire country takes part in mass consumption, fighting for products, and yelling at retail workers when something accidentally rings up wrong. Not to mention that the people behind the counter have been awake just as long as you have, but still have to muster a smile about it.

Please don't kill us.

Please don't be rude to us.

Since sophomore year, I have spent most of my Christmas break away from my family alone in Athens to work. Unlike other college students who get to go home and relax, I won't be getting a break until summer. On top of that, I get to go to work where someone complains to me that if I don't ring up people faster they'll be late to their family dinner. It goes back to the old saying that you don't know everything someone is dealing with. Is it worth yelling at a 20-something cashier and demanding a manager simply because we can't honor your expired coupon? Should you really scoff at us when we ask for an e-mail? Yes our job is to make you happy, but don't get mad at us when we're trying to follow a company policy that is beyond our control. It will ruin our day and you'll forget about us within an hour.

We hate holiday music.

You may get in a joyous mood about the music playing, but don't ask our opinion about it. We listen to the same songs, on repeat every 2 hours, for nearly 2 months. We associate these awful remixes with long lines and customers everywhere. Just don't mention it.

Don't talk to us when we're on break.

I have been at the food court before and had people come ask me about store deals because they see my store name tag. Please just stop. If you see an employee outside of their store, they're taking a much needed, very short 30 minute break, and we don't want to spend it working. Think how you would feel if someone used up your break time to talk about work.

We're human, so we will make mistakes.

We've been on our feet for hours trying to help each customer find the perfect gift. We will get something wrong once in a while. How you choose to react is everything. Yes there are always a few bad apples but a real retail worker will go out of their way to make something right. Sugar gets a lot further than spice. I had a customer once who I had forgotten to honor their discount. Once I realized this, I did everything I could to fix it. This same customer came back later and brought me a bottled water because she could tell I was losing my voice from talking so much. It's people like this who make working holiday bearable. 

Keep it clean.

You may not realize this, but employees have to stay later than you when the mall closes and clean the store. When you stuff those jeans you decided not to get somewhere they don't belong or destroy an entire stack of perfectly folded thermals, someone gets to clean that up. One time last year we closed at 10 but were scheduled to be done cleaning by 11. We did not leave until 1:30 because the store was so destroyed. If you don't know how to navigate a pile, ask an employee for help. We would much rather help you than spend 30 minutes later refolding the mess you made in search of a large.

You touch it, you die.

If you need more retail eye-openers check out this article on Buzzfeed that is on point: 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/29-struggles-every-holiday-retail-worker-knows-to-be-true

The Walking Dead Coming to Life on Twitter

This post may come as a surprise considering most of my other blogs revolve around fashion and advice for social media outlets. But despite loving all things pink and girly, I'm secretly a nerd with a passion for The Walking Dead. Going beyond the typical zombie apocalypse script, The Walking Dead provides incredible acting and character development that has helped to weave an even more interesting story line. While staying alive is of foremost importance in the show, the theme of how far the characters are actually willing to go is most prevalent. Every new episode shows how at least one character gives up another small piece of their humanity in order to survive.

While the "walkers" and show's main character's may display hopelessness and like there is no way out, luckily for us we have Twitter to vent our thoughts. The Walking Dead is very alive on Twitter and introduces a new hashtag days before the new episode premiere airs. Most recently, the show utilized #WhereIsBeth to promote the latest episode that aired last Sunday, November 2nd, "Slabtown."

@WalkingDead_AMC does a fantastic job of starting hype early in the week for an upcoming episode by introducing a hashtag that resonates with viewers. For those who do not watch the show, Beth Greene is a central character who was abducted by an unforseen group last season. For months, the show's characters nor viewers knew what had happened to her, until last Sunday night. #WhereIsBeth was introduced  mid-week last week and continued until the show started. Once it did, the hashtags immediately changed to #Slabtown, #TheWalkingDead and user generated #Bethisode.

The Walking Dead twitter account live tweets during the entire course of the show but even better, they are constantly retweeting followers. This keeps fans engaged and excited about the show throughout the week. The result?

The Walking Dead is trending EVERY Sunday without being promoted along with other references to the show (notice Beth at the bottom). Tweeting before, during, after and engaging followers has proven to be a winning strategy for The Walking Dead and one that is easily adaptable for other television programs. So until next Sunday, #CAROL?!!

Check out The Walking Dead on AMC at 9 o'clock Sunday nights. And if you want to catch up, episodes are available on Netflix.

Are you a Facebook Narcissist?

We hear the lectures all the time in class to keep our Facebook's clean and professional for when employers check them. But have you considered what message you might be sending without even realizing it? While social media has completely reshaped how we connect with those around us in positive ways, it has also come with its pitfalls. Including the rise of Facebook narcissism.

Facebook is a magnet for narcissists everywhere. It not only attracts them, but can also turn people into one without even realizing it. The following are a few signs that your Facebook may be giving of a narcissist vibe.

1) There's only one person in your profile picture, that being YOU, for the majority of your profile pictures. Don't fret if your profile pic is of just you at the moment. Narcissists typically take great care with this forefront of their page. The pictures will most likely be filtered to hide unsightly features or add a tan. Poses will be made to highlight the best attributes of the narcissist, sometimes in a seductive way.

2) In the words of a song that I am not quite fond of, the narcissist lives by the "but first let me take a selfie" mantra. Narcissists love to update their selfie collection daily. They may have upwards of 2 or more selfie pictures a day. Captions on these pictures usually relate back directly to the person, how they changed their hair, their feelings on the day's events, or even compliment fishing for an extra boost of attention.

3) Having over 1,000 "friends" is another sign of Facebook narcissism. Which is actually slightly terrifying to me considering over a 1,000 people have access to your information. Narcissists love to put on a show that they have a huge network of loyal followers. They will accept almost any friend request as well as send them. Their Facebook may even have lax privacy settings to make their profile more visible to people who aren't even friends.

4) The narcissist will brag about their life in one post and put it down in another. The first tactic meant to put on a show, the second to get people to respond. If reading through status updates on a narcissist's profile, one might be confused as to whether the person is bipolar based on the wide array of positive and negative posts. 

The worst part about the Facebook narcissist epidemic you ask? Most narcissists are not even aware of their actions. The culture of social media and sharing can cultivate this mindset by accident. If you meet these criteria, you are not alone. Those aware of their problem can then work to actively prevent it from occurring again. 

Embracing Your Weekend

As a college senior, I've decided that it would be shameful to spend my weekends sitting at home watching Netflix. A quick description of my weekend adventures since Fall started.

Football Games and County Fair Treats

All of Bulldog nation will tell you that nothing is better than a meeting between the hedges. (Side note: #FreeGurley) I've made it a point to make sure game day Saturdays are spent in Sanford as compared to work or studying at home. After all, once I graduate I will be paying way more than $60 for season tickets. 

Making memories with my amazing friends

After a great game, me and the roommate made a spontaneous Sunday trip to the Perry Fair. My first time going since I grew up in north Georgia. To say that my life was changed by turkey legs, bloomin onions, apple dumplings, and fried cookie dough is an understatement. But it was great to spend the weekend with friends and country cooking.

Family Getaways

After weeks of school and the stress that naturally occurs, I was ready to get away from Athens. Fortunately, my aunt had planned a weekend trip in Big Canoe, a mountain community in Jasper, GA. My immediate family, aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandparents all met up to spend some quality time together for a peaceful lazy weekend. Even though it rained most of the time, we spent our days catching up and just enjoying each other's company away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. 

Big Canoe, Jasper, GA

Mountain Hikes

One of the best pieces of advice I was given as a freshman was to wait until senior year to complete my PE requirement. With the stress of graduating and finding a full time job for afterwards, my backpacking and hiking class has been a welcome outlet. This past weekend I said goodbye to social media and civilization and carried everything I needed on my back for a 3 mile hike up Black Rock Mountain. 

While my muscles are sore today from carrying a backpack up and then down the mountain, the solace I found was great. Some of the views were amazing and the pictures do not do them justice. Even though "roughing it" may not be for everyone, I think I may have found a new hobby.

Black Rock Lake

The best parts of my adventures is that I have been able to share my experiences on social media. Especially with those family members and friends who live far away. Instagram has been my go-to outlet lately and has been the definition of a picture is worth a 1,000 words.

@AEOProblems

"Hi, welcome to American Eagle! Did you need help finding anything today?"

For the past two years I have had the pleasure to work for American Eagle Outfitters as a Stylist (basically a sales associate but slightly different). I have been able to create friendships and share life with my amazing coworkers. That includes surviving Black Fridays, the entire holiday season, and typical retail problems as well. Part of me believes that because retail is such a demanding and taxing job that it is what leads coworkers in the same store to become so close. 

After I joined Twitter (2 months ago to be exact), it didn't take long until I found what has become my favorite Twitter account. @AEOProblems. That's right. While the said problems can be found in most other retail stores there are certain tweets that as an American Eagle employee I directly relate with.

The sentiments of all retail workers right now.

American Eagle inside joke right here.

While I was vehemently against Twitter for so long (for some reasons that I still believe to be true), I have enjoyed taking part in interacting with the @AEOproblems account. It has created a community beyond that created in-store between coworkers to American Eagle employees across the nation. You can share those retail stories that other people can actually relate to, rather than annoying your roommates with another story about a rude customer. Just another example of how people enjoy taking part in a social network and sharing similar experiences.

So here's to you American Eagle employees! #LiveYourLife