I will admit it, before working at The Mustard Seed, I knew very little about recycling. My mom was always good about recycling when our neighborhood started a pick up program but the only items that were picked up were paper, cardboard, and bottles. Now be truthful for a second, how many of you really know other items you can recycle besides these three basic items, I did know any others.
The idea behind this week's blog is to inform all of you of some items you would never think to recycle but can. Let's make a fun game out of this, I will describe items and you can guess what it is. All the answers are at the end, so try to not cheat.
Item number 1: This item allows you access to things you do not trust to be left alone. This item always seems to be hard to find when it is raining or when you are in a hurry. There is usually one of these in your house that you do not know where it is supposed to work for.
Item number 2: This item is small and round. If you loss this item, you maybe searching for it in frustration while your friends laugh at you. This item is used for leisure and by professionals.
Item number 3: This item means you are the best, it is shiny. This item has cause friendships to be formed and broken, fights and hugs, honor and jealously. At any age we want this item.
Item number 4: For this item, grass is always greener on the other side. Stress can cause this item to disappear and change color. Millions of dollars a year go into making this item perfect.
Item number 5: This item keeps us warm and has gone through many changes through the years in both style and color. This item can cause you to wiggle, stride, and barely breathe.
Item number 6: When we use this item, we tend to go all out. This item may not cost that much but will cost much more money when used. If you leave this item up longer then normal, you may look tacky.
Item number 7: This item always gets tangled up. We always seem to have millions of this item when we do not need it, but when we do, there never seems to be enough. This item is used to make a messy room clean.
Item number 8: This item used to be used all the time, but now many young people do not know how to use it. This item knows everyone.
Item number 9: This item can make people instantly hot. People travel great distances with this item in search of something perfect. Watch out cause this item can cause you to look like something else.
Item number 10: This item is found in places all over your house and you do not know how it got there. This item is loved when used but thought of as gross afterwards.
Did you guess what they all are?
1.Keys
2.Golf Balls
3.Trophies
4.Hair
5.Blue Jeans
6.Christmas Lights
7.Metal Hangers
8.Phone Books
9.Surfboard
10.Cotton Swabs
Check with your local area recycling plant to find out further details about how to recycle these items and what they are used for when recycled. With this knowledge you can proudly say you know more then most people about recycling.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Electronic Fad
Pause for one second and think about the number of electronics you are currently using. I am currently using the computer and listening to my iPod, which is a surprisingly small number of electronics I am using. Most of the time we find ourselves using our phone, on the computer, and listening to music and/or watching TV all at the same time, and on these individual electronic devices we will be doing multiple things, I have three tabs open on my computer right now and under some tabs there are even more tabs open.
This dependence on electric devices sounds exhausting, but most of us are unable to even go a day without using some sort of electric device. I constantly have my phone within reach, in case of an "emergency", but truthfully I am 20, I do not have anyone who need to ask me questions after work hours, I do not have kids, I do not own a house, I do not have a spouse, the chances of me having an "emergency" are very slim. The real truth of why most of us cannot handle being separated from our electronics is the thrill of them. We can go from being bored to having a thousand things to entertain you with one device.
Now I do not want to get into the debate about how the new generations are doing poorly because they need electronics at all time, but I simply want to establish that people now need these devices and that is going to cause change. I am one of the Event and Marketing interns here at The Mustard Seed, and although I have done some print marketing most of the marketing I do now is online. It is amazing how specific marketing is sent to target audiences. My boyfriend and I recently broke up and immediately I had ads on Facebook for dating sites and before the break up Facebook was giving me ads for wedding related stuff. It was shocking how quickly Facebook realized I needed to be placed in a different demographic, it was even before I had told everyone about the break up. I wanted to tell Facebook that it had only been a few hours, I am not ready to starting dating again, and I seriously doubt I will meet that gorgeous guy you are advertising for your site. If some of you have not seen how quickly Facebook will market their ads towards you likes, change or add an interest on your page and immediately you will start getting ads relating to that interest.
So we know this addition to electronic is not going to go away ever unless some new exciting thing comes out that will replace having electronics around all the time, so what do we do? We might as well roll with the flow and use it to our advantage. Learn how to get the most use out of them, social media can be a great way to keep up with companies you like, to do research, and keep up with old bosses who can give you a great reference. Here at The Mustard Seed, we are trying to gear more of our information towards our audience, if you would like to help us do this, please take our survey at http://ow.ly/5Jm3c . If you have a business, you can use social media like we do to get your message out to the public more, and now people we have never met can see our message. Being addicted to electronic devices may have so down falls, but it is like a magic carpet, we can now see and learn about things that before we would not have access to unless we were there. People can now see live streams of an event as it is happening, allowing us to feel like we are a part of that moment, great distances no longer stop people.
And for those of you whose friends and family refuse to accept this new additions, well just pretend that they will be able to not become one of those people who are not addicted. My dad says when he retires, he wants to spend a month without his cell phone, and well this freaked me out. I asked him what if I need to get a hold of him; his response was "well you can get a hold of someone else who will be able to get a hold of me". I giggled inside when he told me this because I knew it would probably only last a few days. It is a great idea and probably would make him less stressed but everyone else will probably be so annoyed because they cannot get a hold of him or that they have to constantly relay messages back to him, that it will not be possible to last a whole month.
So my closing thoughts on the subject, if something is there that will help you advance in a healthy legal way, use it but try to not become addicted because you usually waste a lot of time using electronics when you should be doing something else. I wish all of use luck when the new fad comes out, and hopefully we can adapt to it and not refuse to use the new innovation because we do not understand it or how it is helpful.
This dependence on electric devices sounds exhausting, but most of us are unable to even go a day without using some sort of electric device. I constantly have my phone within reach, in case of an "emergency", but truthfully I am 20, I do not have anyone who need to ask me questions after work hours, I do not have kids, I do not own a house, I do not have a spouse, the chances of me having an "emergency" are very slim. The real truth of why most of us cannot handle being separated from our electronics is the thrill of them. We can go from being bored to having a thousand things to entertain you with one device.
Now I do not want to get into the debate about how the new generations are doing poorly because they need electronics at all time, but I simply want to establish that people now need these devices and that is going to cause change. I am one of the Event and Marketing interns here at The Mustard Seed, and although I have done some print marketing most of the marketing I do now is online. It is amazing how specific marketing is sent to target audiences. My boyfriend and I recently broke up and immediately I had ads on Facebook for dating sites and before the break up Facebook was giving me ads for wedding related stuff. It was shocking how quickly Facebook realized I needed to be placed in a different demographic, it was even before I had told everyone about the break up. I wanted to tell Facebook that it had only been a few hours, I am not ready to starting dating again, and I seriously doubt I will meet that gorgeous guy you are advertising for your site. If some of you have not seen how quickly Facebook will market their ads towards you likes, change or add an interest on your page and immediately you will start getting ads relating to that interest.
So we know this addition to electronic is not going to go away ever unless some new exciting thing comes out that will replace having electronics around all the time, so what do we do? We might as well roll with the flow and use it to our advantage. Learn how to get the most use out of them, social media can be a great way to keep up with companies you like, to do research, and keep up with old bosses who can give you a great reference. Here at The Mustard Seed, we are trying to gear more of our information towards our audience, if you would like to help us do this, please take our survey at http://ow.ly/5Jm3c . If you have a business, you can use social media like we do to get your message out to the public more, and now people we have never met can see our message. Being addicted to electronic devices may have so down falls, but it is like a magic carpet, we can now see and learn about things that before we would not have access to unless we were there. People can now see live streams of an event as it is happening, allowing us to feel like we are a part of that moment, great distances no longer stop people.
And for those of you whose friends and family refuse to accept this new additions, well just pretend that they will be able to not become one of those people who are not addicted. My dad says when he retires, he wants to spend a month without his cell phone, and well this freaked me out. I asked him what if I need to get a hold of him; his response was "well you can get a hold of someone else who will be able to get a hold of me". I giggled inside when he told me this because I knew it would probably only last a few days. It is a great idea and probably would make him less stressed but everyone else will probably be so annoyed because they cannot get a hold of him or that they have to constantly relay messages back to him, that it will not be possible to last a whole month.
So my closing thoughts on the subject, if something is there that will help you advance in a healthy legal way, use it but try to not become addicted because you usually waste a lot of time using electronics when you should be doing something else. I wish all of use luck when the new fad comes out, and hopefully we can adapt to it and not refuse to use the new innovation because we do not understand it or how it is helpful.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Harry Potter
Good morning to you and your families on this glorious Harry Potter Thursday! As I am an avid all-things-Harry-Potter fan, I hope you know that tonight is the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part 2. Tonight wraps it all up. After a decade of books, theme parks, collectible items, and movies, tonight ends the saga of Harry Potter. AND I’M SO EXCITED! Maybe you can tell how much I enjoy Harry Potter, but words cannot capture my enthusiasm. Perhaps a brief anecdote to capture the words that elude me: Here at The Mustard Seed I often talk about Harry Potter during lunch, and volunteers and employees share stories about visiting Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, which I have yet to do (I have to save some Harry Potter magic for after the movies come out, and I’m in withdrawal!). But in all sincerity, I feel as though our generation grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they tackled the problems that faced Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, one reason I feel as though I grew up with them, is the sage Dumbledore and his wise sayings that always seem to wrap the story up perfectly and teach a lesson to the trio and the readers. My personal favorite is when he says, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." And after this lengthy introduction to my blog, I’d like to focus on choices today in this entry.
I think Dumbledore was trying to say that every choice determines who we are because of why we chose that option. Each choice reflects years of parental influences, influences of mentors like teachers, influences of any traditions or beliefs, influences of the media, and influences of Dumbledore. Each person’s choice is unique to him or her because that person is unique – that choice reflects their unique history and unique formation as a person.
What if you were deciding to donate to The Mustard Seed? Perhaps you would donate because you wanted to empty out that closet that you can’t seem to even step into anymore. Or perhaps you just got married and are upgrading mattresses to accommodate your new spouse. Or perhaps your child has outgrown the bed that he or she slept on. Or perhaps you have a personal connection to The Mustard Seed through volunteering or knowing someone who has been helped through our services. All of these situations result in you donating to The Mustard Seed, but why you donate – that’s your story which reflects your choices, influences, and ultimately who you “truly are,” according to Dumbledore. So in Christina’s Corner today, CHOOSE TO DONATE TODAY! (And choose to see Harry Potter J)
For your entertainment: The Harry Potter 7 Part 2 (HP7P2) trailer http://youtu.be/mObK5XD8udk
Friday, July 8, 2011
Courage
We never know how we would react in a frightening situation until we are actually put in that situation. We all hope we have the courage to act and not just sit and wait for someone to rescue us.
A person does not have to be a soldier to have courage. A child has courage when he stands up to a bully. A person has courage when they do not join a gang and instead study so they can have a better life later on. A newly divorced mother has courage when she goes back into the workforce to support her kids.
Sometimes we are too quick to judge people as weak and do not realize how hard they are struggling to stand strong. Nobody knows all the daily battles a person faces. If you continue to point fingers instead of taking that courage to change the situation then change will never happen.
I wish we all had the courage of dogs. We have seen many headlines of man's best friend saving his family from life threatening situations like fires or medical problems. The dog acts instead of running away or hoping someone else will handle the situation. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone had even the smallest amount of courage that a dog has. But we do not have the courage that dogs do because having courage is hard because the fear that arises when we try to step into the unknown.
Everyday we have people who come into The Mustard Seed because they conquered fear with courage, and people judge them instead of seeing their strength. The truth of the matter is, they are changing the world by changing themselves, and the people judging them are stagnant.
Lets all make a new goal for ourselves, lets face fear everyday and instead of taking the easy way out, stand up for what is right. This is going to be difficult because it is always easier to do wrong then to do right but when we die, we do not want to wish we had done things differently.
I want to leave all of you today with a quote by Mary Anne Radmacher "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow," take everday as an opportunity to help yourself and others.
A person does not have to be a soldier to have courage. A child has courage when he stands up to a bully. A person has courage when they do not join a gang and instead study so they can have a better life later on. A newly divorced mother has courage when she goes back into the workforce to support her kids.
Sometimes we are too quick to judge people as weak and do not realize how hard they are struggling to stand strong. Nobody knows all the daily battles a person faces. If you continue to point fingers instead of taking that courage to change the situation then change will never happen.
I wish we all had the courage of dogs. We have seen many headlines of man's best friend saving his family from life threatening situations like fires or medical problems. The dog acts instead of running away or hoping someone else will handle the situation. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone had even the smallest amount of courage that a dog has. But we do not have the courage that dogs do because having courage is hard because the fear that arises when we try to step into the unknown.
Everyday we have people who come into The Mustard Seed because they conquered fear with courage, and people judge them instead of seeing their strength. The truth of the matter is, they are changing the world by changing themselves, and the people judging them are stagnant.
Lets all make a new goal for ourselves, lets face fear everyday and instead of taking the easy way out, stand up for what is right. This is going to be difficult because it is always easier to do wrong then to do right but when we die, we do not want to wish we had done things differently.
I want to leave all of you today with a quote by Mary Anne Radmacher "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow," take everday as an opportunity to help yourself and others.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Hope
“Hope you’re feeling better” “Gosh, I hope that works out.” Hope. Hope. Hope. But what is hope?
I recently read an article “The Optimism Bias” from Time Magazine that discussed the brain’s function in memory learning and the effects of optimism. The author defines the optimism bias as “the belief that the future will be better than the past and present.” While some may grow wary or develop a more pessimistic outlook, this article argues that optimism may be hardwired into our brains to help human beings evolve. We would not show progress if humans could not be optimistic because we would never take risks. We would be stuck in the caveman era afraid of the future and never pushing forward. Evolution is aided by optimism, a possibility at imagining a better future.
While optimism may be hardwired into our brains, in my opinion hope and optimism are closely linked. Without hope, traditionally defined as believing that what we want is attainable, people would never try. It is important to keep hope alive alongside optimism, and here at The Mustard Seed, our walls are filled from top to bottom, left to right, diagonal to diagonal with hope. Hope for a green, sustainable future. Hope for fully furnished homes. Hope for you. Hope for me. Hope for us.
This hope is sustained with donations, so please remember to donate your unused mattresses and old furniture. Christina’s Corner #2: Donate! You will renew hope and receive a tax deduction. Besides, we are all biased towards optimism, right?
Referenced article available here: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2074067,00.html
Friday, June 24, 2011
Change
Change…most people hate it but what if we have no choice but to encounter change? I recently have been going through many changes in my life these last two months that I did not expect to happen to me. We all have been through change, most change you know when they are going to happen like leaving for college, allowing us to adjust for them before the moment when your life completely changes.
We all wonder when change occurs whether it will be for the best. I have been wondering what my summer would have been like if my dramatic change did not happen, what would I be doing in this parallel universe? It is kind of like the Butterfly Effect, a theory created by Edward Lorenz. The theory is if we change a minor detail, what the consequences would be. Like if I did not get this internship this summer, I would probably be laying out by the pool all summer long working on getting that perfect summer tan. I think most of us hate change because the fear of the unknown and whether we will be able to climb that hill that lies ahead of us. And some days, it seems like we will never make it over that hill. I have had a lot of those days this summer, but when I reach that point and starting to turn around, I see a friend extend their hand to me and help me start back up the hill again. The Mustard Seed of Central Florida is that friend for so many families and individuals in the community. When that hill seems like it just grew another 100 feet, the Mustard Seed opens its doors and offers that friendly helping hand. Here at the Mustard Seed it is our mission to help families recover from tragedies and with our help they are given a boost up that hill so hopefully they will conquer any change in their life.
So like I said the major change in my life happened two months ago, and at the time I thought nothing good could come from it. Now that time has pasted, I have become a stronger and more independent person. I am almost over that hill, and I know there will still be days where I wonder what my life would have been like but that is expected and that is when I will find that helping hand reaching out to help me. I found this quote by Maria Robinson that will hopefully help anyone going through a change “nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” We all grow and learn from change, so do not try resisting the change, just go with it and do not be afraid to ask for the helping hand if you need it.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Summer Vacation
We all know what this time of year means, school is out. Days for people who have begun summer vacation consist of, waking up at 12 pm, then walking around the house in those embarrassing pajamas of yours that you would never let anyone but your pet see you in for hours while constantly opening the fridge and hoping to find that perfect snack, then once that snack is found, you migrate toward the couch and start to watch mind numbing shows for what seems like 10minutes, but then you realize as your parents get home that you actually watched TV for 4 hours that day.
What summer vacation means for parents is, getting home from a long day at work and seeing a trail of trash from your lovely child then after putting away all the items they have consumed that day, finding this loud snoozing lump on your couch. You gain the courage to awake the beast from its slumber, only to find your kid who somehow is still tired after sleeping for 12 hours that day. After forcing the beast off your couch to go and do something productive, you see your couch seems to have a permanent dent in it from where the beast had been all day.
Does this seem like a problem you face every summer? Well do not fear we can turn that couch bum into that active child of yours you used to know. Here at the Mustard Seed of Central Florida, we are always in need of volunteers, and there is no better way to ride the beast on the couch than to put them to work helping others. Your child probably needs the hours anyways, for things like bright futures or graduation. We must warn you of the side effect of having your child volunteer with us over the summer, they consist of: a clean house, a full fridge, and no longer having to listen to your child say “I am bored” after getting home from a long work day. So send your couch potato over to the Mustard Seed of Central Florida this summer, we will gladly take them off your hands.
What summer vacation means for parents is, getting home from a long day at work and seeing a trail of trash from your lovely child then after putting away all the items they have consumed that day, finding this loud snoozing lump on your couch. You gain the courage to awake the beast from its slumber, only to find your kid who somehow is still tired after sleeping for 12 hours that day. After forcing the beast off your couch to go and do something productive, you see your couch seems to have a permanent dent in it from where the beast had been all day.
Does this seem like a problem you face every summer? Well do not fear we can turn that couch bum into that active child of yours you used to know. Here at the Mustard Seed of Central Florida, we are always in need of volunteers, and there is no better way to ride the beast on the couch than to put them to work helping others. Your child probably needs the hours anyways, for things like bright futures or graduation. We must warn you of the side effect of having your child volunteer with us over the summer, they consist of: a clean house, a full fridge, and no longer having to listen to your child say “I am bored” after getting home from a long work day. So send your couch potato over to the Mustard Seed of Central Florida this summer, we will gladly take them off your hands.
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