Project-People

Wakulla Manatee

A manatee from the Wakulla River. Taken with an underwater camera.

They disguise themselves 

among the rocks. 

Swaying with the current, 

showing off their plump, 

round bodies, 

only to the reverent eye. 

Their backs scared due 

to the motors trolling by. 

Along the riverbeds 

which their bellies prick. 

Majestic like the mermaids

that they mimic. 

-K.S.

My Favorite Romantic Films

Here is my top 5 favorite romantic films. Click the pictures to watch the trailer. Enjoi:)

 

Poem of the Day

Now Touch the Air Softly

William Jay Smith

Now touch the air softly, 

Step gently. One, two...

I'll love you till roses

Are robin's-egg blue;

I'll love you till gravel

Is eaten for bread,

And lemons are orange,

And Lavender's red.

Now touch the air softly,

Swing gently the broom.

I'll love you till windows

Are all of a room;

And the table is lad,

And the table is bare,

and the ceiling reposes

On bottomless air.

I'll love you till Heaven

Rips the starts from his coat,

And the moon rows away in

A glass-bottom boat;

And Orion steps down

Like a diver below,

And Earth is ablaze,

And Ocean aglow.

So touch the air softly,

And swing the broom high.

We will dust the gray mountains,

And sweep the blue sky;

And I'll love you as long

As the furrow the plow,

As However is Ever,

And Ever is Now.

 

This book is blowing up my life in so many ways. You should really just read it for yourself. It has 94 pages. It is a collection of spiritual insights from brother Lawrence who lives in a monastery. He gives his advice on how to be in the presence of God every minute of your life. 

The first of many things I want to share from this book is a section on repentance. A topic so simple to the Christian, but brother Lawrence brought me to a new understanding. 

"When he sinned, he confessed it to God with these words: "I can do nothing better without You. Please keep me from falling and correct the mistakes I make." After that, he did not feel guilty about the sin." (page 14)

 As Christians we get to this point where we think we have "overcome" a certain sin we have been struggling with. We have to remember we are naturally sinful creatures. It is our nature to sin. We will NEVER get to a point where we are "good". I like when brother Lawrence says, "I can do nothing better without you." Often we give ourselves the glory, thinking we overcame temptation, but in reality the Lord was pouring His grace over us.

A Poem for the Day

The Crazy Woman

               Gwendolyn Brooks

I shall not sing a May song.
A May song should be gay.
I'll wait until November
And sing a song of gray.

I'll wait until November.
That is the time for me. 
I'll go out in the frosty dark
And sing more terribly.

And all the little people
Will stare at me and say, 
"That is the Crazy Woman
Who would not sing in May."

Plastic Is So Last Season

Hopefully there are some Eco-conscious college students out there like me. Recently, I've been feeling convicted because of all the plastic I have been using. I said I would never buy plastic water bottles, but in college it's so hard not to. I am even using paper bowls and plastic utensils. I NEED to make a life style change! I have been recycling when I use these items, but I feel like not buying them will same money and the earth. I have been researching ways to fix these bad habits and I would like to share my discoveries.

10 Ways for College Students To Use Less Plastic

1. Use stainless steel water bottles and stop buying plastic water bottles. Also if you already have several water bottles lying around just fill them up with water again and stick them back in your fridge! No one can tell they are reused, use them again once or twice, then RECYCLE! Then you can cleanly make the switch to stainless steel.
2. This next point actually covers many. Buy dishes! ...not plastic ones...It may cost money at first but it will save you money in the long run. This includes plates, bowels, cups, and utensils.
3. Buy glass jars and use them as Tupperware. You can store candy, rice, beans, grains, sauces. You can also drink out of them. Heating plastic causes it to release harmful BPA that contaminated your food with chemicals. You can save salsa glasses, pickle jars, spaghetti sauce jars, and mason jars are easy to find at thrift stores.
4. Use reusable shopping bags. Plastic shopping bags are incredibly wasteful and totally unnecessary. The solution? Bring your own bags with you, especially to the grocery store. Also, use old plastic bags for trash bags.
5. Quit using to go coffee cups. I'm a college students, I know how important coffee is, but see if your favorite coffee place will fill your to-go mug. While the company’s plastic to-go cups are recyclable, they still require energy to be produced, energy to be broken down, and are often thrown in the trash anyway when someone can’t easily find a recycle bin. So, it is best to bring your own reusable mug wherever you go.
6. Make your own cleaning products. You might have seen some of these ideas on Pinterest. You can reuse the plastic cleaning bottles you already have, or keep the product in a jar. These include: a cleaning spray, detergent, teeth whitener. 
7. Stop using plastic straws. McDonald's alone still passes out about 60 million straws per day. They are all used one time and tossed into the trash. That huge number, combined with all of the other fountain drink serving restaurants, adds up to an immense amount of plastic waste just in the form of straws each day. 
8. Buy box soap instead of body wash. Bar soap is less expensive per wash, and it comes packaged in less plastic. 
9. Find recycling bins! If there are none make them! I made some for my dorm room with old ramen noodle boxes. (You can paint and decorate them too)
10. GO THRIFTING! It's the best kind of recycling. Plus, things aren't packaged in plastic. 

Ps- Upcycling is the new green.