PET PEEVE.

“We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters.” Spencer W. Kimball ❤

I'm just going to jump straight to my point: I am absolutely sick of hearing people talk badly about others. What gives ANY OF US THE RIGHT to judge anyone? No matter the circumstance.

So what, someone comes off annoying or creepy or awkward or whatever else it may be - maybe they legitimately have something off in their mind. Maybe they were abused as a child, or had a mother who treated her body badly while pregnant with them. Chances are, they can't control the way they act, they're just like that.
So what if your neighbor sells drugs out of their garage, of course I don't agree that they should, but who are we to be their judge? Maybe they were raised poorly and weren't taught any better, maybe their daughter is in her death bed and needs several thousand dollars for surgery, and they're desperate.

I promise you, if you knew someone's full story, you'd love them, no matter their flaws.

I have had multiple times in my life where rumors were spread about me and I'm sure the majority of you have been through this same thing. I remember the absolute pain it caused my heart, the fear I felt of going to school because I knew people were believing the disgusting lies that were told about me. I bet that no one who has been through this would ever wish it on anyone, yet I catch people on a daily basis talking crap on people who I have come to love.

And I cannot stand it.

On that note, I once watched a documentary on bullying. The number of people that attempt to, or even successfully, commit suicide because of being treated poorly by their peers blows my mind. I think we overlook the commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill' because words do, in fact, kill. If you hurt someone so badly with the way you treat them, and they kill themselves because of it, is that death not kind of sort of on your hands??

Back to the first thought, of judging people: it is a fact that everyone has some kind of special need or disability, we're just all at a different level of severity. HOW DARE YOU judge someone because they were blessed to be a little more odd than you. You have your own dang issues, too.

I am positive that God hears you when you talk badly about his other children, and I can imagine his disappointment.

JRJFBDISJDBFKFK. CRBRJD  I'm getting angry just writing about this. So please, learn to love, and know that I love you all, still.

xo Zo ❤

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." John 15:12 ❤

Dear Future Husband-

WARNING: The content in this post may or may not be cheesey and potentially girly, so if you're not about that life then maybe you should click away ;) Or don't. That's cool too.

"You are hoping to catch that perfect man. I have yet to see one who is perfect. Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are that you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy." Gordon B. Hinckley ❤

So I go to cosmetology school in Orem, Utah, and considering that it's a building full of young girls living near BYU, the topic of marriage comes up a lot a lot a lot. Like really, a lot. One day, the only male student in the whole facility turned to us and said,

"50% of marriages these days end in divorce. Of that last 50%, how many of those couples do you think are actually happy? Marriage is a gambling game and I don't think it is worth it to end up miserable, fighting all the time." (Or something along those lines.)

My thoughts? Well, of course: Happiness is a choice.

I have witnessed a fair amount of broken marriages, I have been given every reason to think that love is a hoax. But that has honestly never even crossed my mind. Like I said several posts ago, I'm known to have a 'silly heart'. I've always had full faith that God has someone in mind for me. This being said, though, I believe you need to be living in a way that the Holy Ghost can guide you to him (or her). If you are acting in a way that pushes the spirit away, even in the simplest of situations, how do you expect Him to guide you day-to-day?

My patriarchal blessing is very specific about the man that I will one day marry, to the point where sometimes I can go on a few dates with a guy and know it just isn't him (if you don't know what a patriarchal blessing is, please message me!).
I literally don't want anyone other than the guy that God sees fit for me, so obviously I pray every day to be the girl that that guy deserves. I pray that he'll keep God's will at the tippy top of his priorities, and that we'll be able to make it to each other. I have no doubt that our marriage will last our entire lives and then for eternity afterwards, because I am the type that chooses happiness. Giving up on someone cannot be an option if you sincerely want to last forever. All of this being said, here is my inevitable letter to the boy in my patriarchal blessing:

Hey Boo ;)
I've loved you for as long as I can remember, and I miss you every single day. I already know how lucky I am to have a guy like whatever you're like, because God knows exactly what it is I need. I promise that when we are married, I will fight for you. Trials will come, I've been told.
But losing you is already one of my biggest fears.
I promise to tell you I love you, every single day, and I promise I'll try my hardest never to take you for granted.
I promise to never fall in love with another man, aside from our son(s). I promise to raise all of our children strongly in the church, and to put them before anything else, right after you.
I promise to throw rad Superbowl parties with all of your buds (unless somehow you don't like football.. I don't know what I'll do then. Shoot.), and to bake cookies and random things spontaneously. I also promise to make you sandwiches, because I don't mind being stereotypical. 

I promise to (most likely through clenched teeth) allow you to call me out when I'm being dramatic or 'psycho' or whatever. I'll try to fix my flaws, and I also promise to be forgiving of yours.

Lastly (for right now) I promise to do whatever it is I need to do to make you happy for the rest of your life, because if you're happy, I'm happy. 

Until then, I'll keep my sights set on you ❤
Lots and lots of love,
zozo.

xo