I am in the midst of doing research to find scientific data on the psychological impact of story-telling/story-sharing for a grant that I’m writing. I came across this article that I thought was interesting, if only because it talks about how stories can be impactful in both good and bad ways. It made me think of election season….

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680581/why-storytelling-is-the-ultimate-weapon

As my 29th birthday falls upon me, I feel a little like I’m trying to play catch up with my life. The world, the streets, the clocks, are all moving as such a frenetic pace, and I want so badly to hit the pause button and lay down on a bed of sand to catch my breath.

I have this image of a girl on a train, and she sees the next stop – the stop at which she’s supposed to step off – coming closer. Only the train isn’t slowing down. The train is, in fact, accelerating. She sticks her hand out of the window to wave to the people on the platform, attempting to signal to them that she is meant to be where they are. She is meant to stand there too. But they only look at her, confused, and unfazed, as this is not their train, and they should have been well on their way to work by now.

28 was so many things. 28 was attempting to rid myself of the icky selfishness that kept me from being a good partner. Much of it is still there – but I’m peeling away those layers slowly but surely, and there is nothing that feels better than every time I feel another layer fall to the ground. I think that after my early 20′s, where I was so desperate to add to myself in order to feel like a whole person, that life began to be more about shedding the layers that only make cloudy the person I am, the heart, the core. I couldn’t make out my own reflection for so long. And I think I’m beginning to reveal her again.

Click to hear the song of 29.

Freur – Doot Doot 1983

Click to watch one of the best 80′s performances you’ll ever see.

The feeling of shared city blocks
and stifled breathless laughter
is enough.

Easy to forget –
easy to forget the word lonely,
the acts of silence
the flood of the spirit
in the days, in the hours.

When play
is no longer mandatory,
or a given.
When clocks accelerate
to the speed of life decisions
and no looking back.

The thing,
the only thing,
that still holds true
to the innocence of bare feet,
sugar highs and brain freeze,
field goals
and shared blankets on bleachers,
is my sweaty-palmed heart
holding yours,
laughing like villains,
hoping we don’t get caught.

-sabrina sikes thornton

I featured the c. Booth brand toner in my first Cruelty-Free Beauty blog – but I really think that this brand deserves much more attention. At one of my regular late-night trips to Rite-Aid, I saw these HUGE 32 0z. body lotions by c. Booth, but couldn’t figure out which scent I wanted to try. Both the Coconut Fig and Vanilla Sugar scents smelled amazing – and at $9 a pop – I didn’t want to purchase both. But, lo and behold, they were on sale for “buy one, get another 50% off” and I jumped at the chance. These body lotions are soft, non-greasy, and lightly fragrant – not overwhelming. As someone who uses lotion religiously, I can tell you that I’ve seen my fair share of lotions that don’t keep my skin moisturized throughout the day – but this lotion is awesome. It’s the perfect consistency, and doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. And again, I can’t speak highly enough for the little bunny symbol this brand uses to assure that they don’t test on animals.

Both the Coconut Fig and Vanilla Sugar scents are SOOOOO delicious.

In other Cruelty-Free news, I was completely charmed to see this video recently released from Cruelty-Free International – a campaign launched to attempt to end animal testing. Click below to see the surprise celebrity supporter of this campaign:

Click here to see the ad for Cruelty-Free International