Keep Your Heart Open

1. Conversations with strangers are not always scary or awkward.
2. Sometimes you need to be extra gentle with yourself.
3. Real, deep conversations can change a person's way of thinking.

Hello! It's Malyn again. This week was...incredible, and incredibly busy.

Being a political science major who's passionate about a lot of things, especially during an election year, is a blessing and a curse. There is ALWAYS volunteering and voter registering and phone calling to be done (By the way, if you aren't yet registered to vote & you either live or attend school in MN here's a helpful website: the MN Secretary of State's page) ....yeah. Even in writing a blog post I can't truly escape it :)

And actually, I find myself enjoying it. This Saturday morning, instead of sleeping in, I went and did phone calling, working to prevent the "one man-one woman" marriage amendment from passing. I've done my fair share of calling for campaigns, recruiting volunteers and figuring out who people are likely to vote for, but this was completely different: We were sharing our stories and information about the impact of the amendment, and actually trying to change minds with the power of honesty and reflection, and questioning the views you've always held.

It wasn't bad. It wasn't even nerve-wracking. In fact, I truly enjoyed being able to share my story. It felt REALLY good to have an impact.

As I dealt with my learning curve and taking in new information, I thought a lot about letting myself make mistakes, forgiving and learning from them. I've struggled with depression over the past few years, and so the tendency to get angry with myself is still something I'm learning to quell. "Let it go" has become a new mantra for me.

Then, in the midst of being busy and making some mistakes, I caught the cold that's been going around campus. While musing that Voldemort's actually really lucky to not have a nose that gets stuffed, I took things slowly and gently, allowing for the fact that I didn't feel great. I even bought myself a slice of chocolate cheesecake, because the most comforting thing when I'm sick is good food.

Peace and have a fabulous week! :)

-Malyn

Merry Christmas!

1. New PJs are glorious.
2. When watching the last Harry Potter with your mom, be prepared to stop a lot to explain things.
3. Blogging on a phone is hard, but worth it.
4. When it comes down to it, love is all we've got.

Merry Christmas all! I hope you spent your Christmas Eve with those you love.

My mom and I spent our night munching on artichoke dip, crackers, and cookies. We opened gifts (best of all are my PJs and Tangled movie) and then watched Harry Potter 7 part 2. Although I had to stop the movie multiple times to explain things to my mom, it was a great night.

My favorite line from the movie is from Dumbledore: "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love." Beautiful line, isn't it?

On this Christmas Eve, all I want to say is it's all about love. God came down to earth to give us a bundle of love. Even if you don't believe in God, you have to agree that the best thing for everyone is love. So just love on people. As this season ends and a new year comes upon us, maybe our focus should be on love - nothing else.

May your night be filled with love (and hopefully Santa will bring you something pretty cool).

Peace!

-Nicole