Hi, my name is ____ and I'm a Pinterest Addict

As the title may suggest, I'm just a little obsessed with Pinterest. Ok, I'm definitely addicted. But, like most things, it does have its positives and negatives, so here are some things you should know about Pinterest whether you're already an avid pinner or you've never even heard of it.

1. Pinterest is basically electronic hoarding. I'll be the first to admit, I constantly pin things that I wish I owned, but if I ever actually owned all of these physical items I would be concerned if my family didn't hold and intervention and try to get me some help. Not to mention the whole empty pocketbook issue...

2. Pinterest is full of valuable information. This information usually comes in the form of "life hacks." If this is a foreign concept to you, basically "life hacks" are tips and tricks that make life much simpler. These are usually stupidly genius ideas brought to you by someone who's had to think outside the box a time or two in his or her lifetime.

3. Pinterest is also full of interesting but totally useless information. This usually comes in the form of movie trivia! For example, one of the most under-appreciated Disney jokes of all time is in "Hercules" when one of the two boys stuck under the rock slide says "Somebody call IX-I-I." Ha! So clever, Disney!

4. Pinterest is full of wonderful and delicious ideas! See 3-2-1 cake. I think I've made my point.

5. Pinterest can get a little old. This is because many Pinners only pin items that the people they are following have already pinned, meaning that few Pinners are actually pinning new material. So if you're on Pinterest, please, please, please pin new stuff!

6. Pinterest can cause a young woman to start planning her wedding before she even has a boyfriend. When I first joined Pinterest and I saw all of these people pinning wedding ideas, I scoffed and told myself how ridiculous it was and that I'd never do something like that until I had a serious boyfriend. I think that lasted until my brother got engaged and I suddenly knew exactly what all of these pins were talking about, and some of them were actually really good ideas, so I caved... yeah, I'm one of those people too. I guess when and if I ever get engaged I'll have less planning to do then, so this is a good thing, right? That's at least what I tell myself to feel better.

7. Pinterest is an enabler of fandoms everywhere. Sherlock, Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and just about any other fandom out there is ridiculously over represented on Pinterest, allowing fangirls and fanboys alike to share their theories and obsessions with the world. Not that I'm judging. I have a Doctor Who board with over 200 pins.

And last, but not least

8. Pinterest is severely overloaded with pictures of cute baby animals, so don't make an account if you can't handle the cuteness overload.

That's all for today, thanks for reading!

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

I've been thinking  a lot lately about how often we compare ourselves with others and immediately become discouraged or frustrated because we can never be just like them. Growing up it was that I wasn't as smart as others students in my classes, and even now in college this is still a constant concern of mine, but now dating has become involved as well. I've caught myself many times thinking, "why can't I be in an adorable relationship like them," after running into a friend with his or her significant other. This type of thinking is neither encouraging nor productive. So why do we do it? 

Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying “comparison is the thief of joy,” and I definitely feel that he hit the nail on the head. Our society seems to encourage comparison about everything. “Which toilet paper is the best? Which mascara is most waterproof or gives the longest looking lashes? Who can sing or dance the best? Whose personal life is more interesting?” And on and on and on and on; it’s exhausting. We constantly look at what others have that we don’t instead of looking at what God has gifted us with. If we put as much time and energy into exploring and nurturing our own gifts as we do into comparing ourselves to others, we would not only be so much happier, but we would also be closer to becoming who God wants us to be. Comparison will always be there, but we have to make the decision not to dwell on those negative thoughts or devalue ourselves in our own eyes, because we are loved by the King, and that’s all that matters.

First Post!

Hello reader of my blog!

I've toyed with the idea of writing a blog for some time now, because I find that writing helps me process emotions and brings me joy. My blog is called T{ruth} Speaks Life, because my name is Ruth and in this blog I'm just going to talk about life. My struggles, my victories, and the lessons that I've learned.

Well, that pretty much sums up my first post! Thanks for reading!