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Get to Know Me Tag

Christmas Part 2 2013

Decided to post one of my favorite selfies with this tag because I wanted an image with this tag to stand out.

Hello everyone! So I saw this Get to Know Me Tag over at Eve Estelle’s blog Edge of Night that I’ve been meaning to do, because it looked like fun and I wanted to do something so that you all can learn a little bit more about me. So here we go!

Vital Stats

Name: Lorrane Simmon (My real name. But you guys know me as my nickname on my blog.)

Nicknames: Raney (This is the name I normally go by on my blog), Rainy Day (A nickname given to me at a Christian daycare I went to in elementary school , a play on my name because of rainy weather. Haha, very funny, right?), and Little Sissie (The current nickname my older sister uses for me. We come up with different nicknames for each other all the time, but they change quite frequently. For example, one of my nicknames my sister had for me in elementary school was Pool Shark because at the time I was learning how to play Pool and was really good at it to where I beat every I played against, even the person who’d taught me how to play.)

Place of Birth:  Reading, Pennsylvania in the United States of America.

Firsts

Best Friends: A girl from elementary school who lived in the neighborhood I live in now where I grew up. Her Mom and Dad would have football parties at their house and all of us kids would go over there and play in the backyard. When we first moved into the neighborhood, they had a pool so we’d all swim. But then the pool was replaced with a trampoline so we’d take turns jumping on it. I was a bit of a tomboy in elementary school so a lot of my friends were guys so she was one of the few close friends I had in elementary school.

Award: I haven’t really ever been given any awards. I mean in elementary school, I received awards for getting all A’s and B’s in my classes, but that was about it.

Sport: My sister and I took gymnastics whenever we were really little. But other than that, I didn’t really do too many other sports besides the stuff we did in gym class and daycare except for whenever I was taught how to play tennis by my grandmother in middle school, which is a sport I still know how to play now and want to play more often. Oh, and I know baseball too, probably because of daycare or something, though I don’t know where I learned the rules of it or anything.

Real Holiday: I’m not really sure how to answer this. I would have to say the first holiday I remember celebrating would either be Easter, Halloween, or Christmas. But I’m not sure which of these holidays I have a real memory of celebrating first.

Concert: It would have to be the Skillet concert I went to at Carowinds because I hadn’t really gone to any other concerts until after that one.

Favorites

I’m probably going to end up picking more than one favorite for all of these options because I know I enjoy more than one of each of these things already and more than one have a special place in my heart.

Film: All of the Disney films I enjoyed as a child would have to go here, such as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, etc. But I’ve also enjoyed watching the Narnia films, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Harry Potter, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Freaky Friday, and The Parent Trap, just to name a few more. There are more movies I’ve enjoyed watching, but can’t currently think of them right now.

TV Shows: Like with favorite film, I have multiple answers to this question. Some of the shows I enjoyed as a child include Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, Avatar the Last Airbender, Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, The Fairly OddParents, My Life as a Teenage Robot, and ChalkZone. The TV shows I like now include The Bachelor/The Bachelorette (yes, I watch trash TV from time to time, I dare you to judge me), Dancing With the Stars, Flip or Flop, Criminal Minds, and How to Get Away With Murder.

Color: Blue is my favorite, followed by purple as my second. But the color silver is also up there with me too.

Song: I have a lot of favorite songs, honestly. These include “Stronger Than You Think” by Fireflight, “The Phoenix” and “The Mighty Fall” by Fall Out Boy, “Demons,” “Warriors,” “Bleeding Out,” “I’m So Sorry,” and “I Bet My Life” by Imagine Dragons, “Awake and Alive,” “Not Gonna Die,” “It’s Not Me It’s You,” “Never Surrender,” and “The Last Night” by Skillet, “My Demons,” “Halo,” “Down With the Fallen,” and “Dark On Me” by Starset, “Far Too Young to Die” and “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” by Panic! At the Disco, “Blown Away,” “Something in the Water,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “Flat on the Floor,” and “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, “Til It Happens to You,” and “Applause” by Lady Gaga, “Honey, I’m Good” and “Good to be Alive (Hallelujah)” by Andy Grammer, “Losing Grip,” “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” “Anything But Ordinary,” “Fall to Pieces,” “Girlfriend,” “When You’re Gone,” “Innocence,” “Keep Holding On,” “What the Hell,” “Goodbye,” “Bad Reputation,” and “Here’s to Never Growing Up” by Avril Lavigne, “Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic, “Chasing the Sun” by The Wanted, and “Falling and Flying,” “Feather in the Wind,” “Hard,” “Long Lost Child,” “California,” “Crazy Love,” “Anchor,” “All About Your Heart,” “All the Pennies,” “Hourglass,” “I Do Adore,” and “I Take Flight” by Mindy Gledhill.

Wow, sorry guys. I feel like I might’ve almost listed my whole playlist for you. But yeah, I really love music and these are some of many of my favorite songs and songwriters.

Restaurant: Well, I really love Japanese steakhouses as well as Italian food and pizza places. But some of my favorite places around me to go and eat are Yamatos, Olive Garden, Tokyo Grill, Hu Hot Mongolian Grill, Bellacino’s, Deno’s, Jalisco’s, Wings & Ale, and Hudson’s. I enjoy eating at these places because they typically have food I really like.

Books: Surprisingly, this list probably won’t be as long as my songs list, but we’ll see. But some of my favorite books include the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the Uglies trilogy and Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield, and Dracula by Bram Stoker. Some of these books became favorites the first time I read them while others I didn’t realize had a place in my heart until I reread them again. Dracula is a book I make my point to read almost once every year whenever the mood to read it strikes me and is a story I never get enough of.

Currently

Feeling: Like I’ve been working on this post for a really long time. I don’t even remember when I started working on it. I think it’s because I spent such a long time listing my favorite songs. But anyway, I’m also feeling okay. Mostly sleepy and hungry. Sleepy because I always feel like I don’t get enough sleep anymore and I have a headache so I might be taking a nap later. And hungry because my Mom just heated up some of the pizza she got at Wings & Ale that she really likes and it smells really good. So I might be hitting that up too.

Single or Taken: I’m technically single. But even though I just got out of a relationship five months ago (really, it’s been five months? Hmmm, time sure does pass.), I still feel like my heart is taken. So for this question, I’m going to say my relationship status feels complicated because that’s the best way I can think of describing how I currently feel about my love life right now. Maybe a couple months from now things will be different, but will just have to wait and see.

Eating: Nothing at the moment. But I’ll probably be stuffing pizza or something else in my face soon enough.

Watching: I’m just going to use the same response Eve used for hers that she got from Faith because it really seems like the only appropriate answer to this: “I’m watching letters appear on the screen in front of me.”

Wearing: PJ’s. Because I feel too lazy to change into real clothes anyway.

Future

Want children: At some point in time. After I start my career, have a place to call my own and am married to the person I plan on spending the rest of my life with. Because I want to be financially stable and be able to afford having children before I have any.

Want to be married: Well, I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life. But I want to be married to someone who truly makes me feel loved and really cares about my well-being and who I can love just as equally in return. And someone who says they won’t leave me and actually means it. So the day I meet a man whose completely honest about his feelings for me and makes actual promises he intends on keeping is the day I’ll get married.

Careers in mind: I don’t have anything specific in mind yet with what I want to do. But what I know for sure is that I enjoy writing so as long as I have the opportunity to do that then I’m fine with whatever career I end up having. But some options I am considering include being a journalist, author, or blogger. But there are many more opportunities I need to look into before I make any sort of decision.

Where do you want to live: Hmmmm, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have anywhere particular in mind. Though I wouldn’t mind living in Pennsylvania or Boston because I’d be closer to family. But I really don’t have anywhere particular I’m interested in living as long as I have a way of getting back and forth to where I need to go because I don’t have a driver’s license.

Do You Believe In

God: Hmmmm, this question I honestly have a difficult time answering. I’m not overly religious or anything and I do believe there is a higher power. But at the same time, I have a hard time believing that one being created the universe we live in. If anything, I believe that God had to have help in creating the world we live in because I have a hard time believing he did everything by himself. So yes, but I’m not convinced that he’s the only higher power in our universe.

Miracles: Yes because miraculous things happen every day of our lives. A lot of them are things that can be difficult to explain, but I really do believe anything is possible.

Love at first sight: Yes and no. I believe a person can be physically attracted to someone at first sight based on physical appearance. But I don’t really think it’s possible for someone to immediately fall in love with a person the moment they meet them. I do believe love is something that can happen quickly because of my own experiences, but I think it does take a little bit of time for a person to realize those feelings. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but I don’t think it’s something that’s immediate.

Ghosts: Yes because I believe our universe is too small for only humans and animals to be the only creatures that encompass our world. But I also believe in supernatural and paranormal things because I believe anything is possible and because I’m open minded to such things because I’ve had friends who’ve had paranormal experiences.

Aliens: Pretty much the same answer I used above because our world is too big that I believe it’s possible.

Soul Mates: I believe that there is a person for everyone. But I also believe that we could all have multiple soul mates, but that the only way we meet any of them is by chance or what life decides to bring to you. Or you could have multiple soul mates because you meet so many people that you have a connection with, such as your close friends. But yes, I do believe in the idea of everyone having a soul mate.

Heaven: Yes, because the idea that you could be with your loved ones who’ve already passed once you die sounds really appealing to me.

Hell: Yes, but I’m not one hundred percent convinced that hell is made out of fire. I believe everyone’s hell is based on their personal weather hatred with heat and cold. As in, I believe people sentenced to hell who prefer the cold and hate warmth would be placed in a warmer climate to maximize their suffering.

Kissing on the first date: I really think this depends on how the first date goes and the person I’m with. If the date goes really well and there’s an obvious connection, I’d be perfectly fine with it. But if the date is horrible and the person I’m with I realize I’m not really into or if I’m just not ready for it then no. Just really depends for me on the date as a whole and the person I’m with on the date.

Yourself: Not really. I’m really hard on myself and criticize everything I do. Even when I do things correctly, I doubt myself and question whatever it is I’ve done. Tell myself I could do better even when there’s not much else I can do. I’m my own worst critic.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and finding out more about me! Feel free to do this tag yourself whenever you feel up to it. Here’s a copy of the questions for when you do:

Vital Stats

Name:

Nicknames:

Place of Birth:

Firsts

Best Friends:

Award:

Sport:

Real Holiday:

Concert:

Favorites

Film:

TV Shows:

Color:

Restaurant:

Books:

 

Currently

Feeling:

Single or Taken:

Eating:

Watching:

Wearing:

 

Future

Want children:

Want to be married:

Careers in mind:

Where do you want to live:

 

Do You Believe In

God:

Miracles:

Love at first sight:

Ghosts:

Aliens:

Soul mates:

Heaven:

Hell:

Kissing on the first date:

Yourself:

 

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Writing Prompt: “I Never Loved Reading” Quote

To Kill a Mockingbird Scout Quote

Image via NDTV.

“I never loved reading until I feared I would lose it. One does not love breathing.” –Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Inspired by zenandpi’s blog post on this quote, I decided I wanted to write about it too.

I can relate to this quote quite a bit. I discovered my love of the written word through reading a fantasy children’s book about people being able to bring characters into the world through the power of their voice.

I’ve already mentioned this on my blog on this post, but I feel like I need to reiterate on this once more. Reading has become a very big part of my life that I can’t imagine living without it. I’ve never yet feared reading being lost in my life, but that’s because I’ve never gone through a time period where I wasn’t reading a book, except whenever I wasn’t a lover of the written word.

But that doesn’t mean the thought of losing my love of literature hasn’t crossed my mind. Because it’s something all book lovers fear. That one day, we will read a book (any book) and discover that our heart isn’t into it anymore. That we can’t take in the words anymore and the story being told to us isn’t holding a special place in our hearts. That the world we’ve discovered we love so dearly isn’t as great of a world as we thought it once was and close the door on that world for good.

All readers fear that they won’t love reading anymore. Because it means something has changed inside of us and that we’ve lost a love we once sought. Because for readers, a book is like breathing. It’s something we can’t live without. And once that’s taken away from us, what will we have left?

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Writing Prompt: Albert Einstein Quote

only-a-life-lived-for-others-is-a-life-worth-while19

I agree with this quote completely. I believe living your life for other people is worthwhile.

Everyone has someone in their life who completely cares about them. Even people who don’t necessarily believe it. Whether that person is a friend, family member, or significant other, there is someone who has always been a part of your life and made you the person you are today. Without that person, you feel as if you have no one to relate to.

That person in your life is who you should be living your life for. Not because they want you around, but because you care about that person so much that you wouldn’t want them to face any pain at your expense.

You live for them because you care about them deeply. Whenever you have moments in life where you’re facing life’s hardest challenges, you think of them. You think of what they’d do if in your situation. But you also talk to them about the situation because you know they’ll always have your back.

And you live on for this person because you’re selfless. You live on for this person because you care about them so much and believe they’d do the same for you. This person makes up all of who you are and makes each difficult day easier to breathe in.

So you live on. Even at moments when you feel too weak to continue, you push on because you care about someone so much you never want them to suffer. And by living life because of them, every painful experience is worthwhile.

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Writing Prompt: “There is Nothing to Writing” Quote

HemingwayWritingQuote

I don’t necessarily agree with this quote. Not because I don’t believe that writing involves you putting all of your emotions out there. But because I believe there is a lot more to writing than what meets the eye.

Writing is a very lengthy process. It’s not something one easily does, unless they are in the mental state where words fly off the page. Whenever you are writing, you’re not only putting your thoughts and feelings into the story/words being created, but are also creating something new. Something others might not have written about just yet. Something that is truly, deeply yours.

But you don’t just feel when putting words down on a page. You have to look into your thoughts to figure out what exactly you want to do. You have to think about what you’re doing before you do it. In order to create a story, you have to think about what you want to write.

And writing isn’t very easy either. There’s a lot that goes into it. But most of it depends on what you want to write. If you’re looking to write a poem for example, you have to think about lyrical prose and how to get words to fit together. You can’t just write a bunch of random words and hope to make a poem out of it.

The same goes for a writer who decides they want to get a book published. They have to think about what genre of writing they want to create, what story they want to tell, character development, etc. Then do research if absolutely necessary to get a better idea of the world they want to create for their novel.

But at the same time, whenever a writer is creating a story uniquely their own, they do bleed on the page. They have to if they want their voice to be heard. This occurs whenever a writer decides to write their stories based off of their own personal experiences. In these type of stories, a writer is very much bleeding onto the page. They are putting themselves out there in the hope that their audience will listen to what they are saying and understand them better. This type of writing allows the writer to connect with their readers in a whole new way and allows them to wear their heart on their sleeve.

Writers can also bleed when writing their novels. Especially when creating a character in a story that is based off themselves or is someone they can personally relate to.

The only time I believe writing isn’t so hard is whenever I’m able to write about personal experiences of my own because those are the moments when I find words easy to express.

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Writing Prompt: “Darkness Cannot Drive Out Darkness” Quote

MLK Quote

Only bad can be destroyed by good and only hate can be driven out by love. That is very true because the only way to destroy one thing is to do the opposite of said thing. That is the only way we’ll be able to live in a peaceful world.

You can’t drive out darkness with darkness because all that’ll do is bring about more darkness. Instead, you have to bring light into the world to push the darkness away. This can be done through doing good deeds to show that the world isn’t as dark of a place as people think.

The same can be said for hatred and love too. The only way to cast hatred out is by showing love. This can be accomplished by being compassionate and kind to the people around you, even the people trying to bring about chaos. By showing these types of feelings, positive change can be brought into the world.

But there is a problem with our society to where doing this is easier said than done. There is currently too much darkness in the world that even if people change their actions, it won’t be enough to encompass all of the bad. Because there are some bad people too who will never show light and love, being able to get rid of it all will be impossible.

But that’s okay too. Because while there is still light and love in the world, there is hope for a better and brighter future for us all. So while there is still darkness and hate, continue to fight it anyway and do the best you can to extinguish it. Only once you have given up will we be unable to fight it anymore. So do the best you can and only good things will be sure to come your way.

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Writing Prompt: “Sometimes You Just Got To Stay Silent” Quote

Sometimes You Got To Stay Silent Quote

So true. My thoughts are really crazy sometimes. I don’t know what my mind is thinking half the time because it doesn’t make sense. One minute, I’ll be really happy, thinking about something I really enjoy. But in an instant, that happiness can quickly be taken away whenever something that makes me angry or frustrated happens.

But at the same time, silence can be golden. It can get a message across way quicker than saying something you might later on regret. It can convey what words can’t without you having to worry about whether you got your point across. I often deal with silence whenever I find myself dealing with someone who irritates or frustrates me. Often with people who’ve hurt me in some way because I usually don’t want to deal with them.

Silence is a good way of conveying to someone you have no words for them because you don’t want to say exactly what’s on your mind. Oftentimes, I find myself not talking to people who’ve hurt me afterwards because I know what I want to say. But I also know that if I say exactly what I’m thinking, it’ll hurt them and I’ll regret it.

So instead, I keep my words close to my heart and wonder how differently things could’ve gone if I’d only just spoken my mind.

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Book Review: Sinner

Sinner Book Cover

Rating: 5 stars

found.
Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn’t just want her. He needs her.

lost.
Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It’s not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes…but what’s the point? What is there to win?

sinner.
Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to save each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go.

After reading the rest of the books in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, I was really excited to get started on reading this one. Not because I didn’t enjoy the rest of the books in the series, but I was looking forward to reading a story that focused just on Isabel and Cole.

And I wasn’t disappointed. Taking place after the events in Forever, Isabel and Cole are in Los Angeles. Isabel lives there because her parents made her and to escape her feelings for Cole. Cole has been to Los Angeles before, but is there this time with the goal of winning Isabel’s heart.

One of the reasons I enjoyed reading Sinner is their love story. It’s very apparent that Isabel and Cole are meant to be. Both of them are the same in the sense that they just don’t give a shit about others. They both don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves and let others see their real selves. But that’s one of the reasons why I love both of them, by themselves and together.

Another reason I enjoyed reading Sinner is getting to see the rock star life through Cole’s eyes. Having been to Los Angeles before in his band NARKOTIKA, he’s already familiar with the world around him. But he’s not the same as the last time he was there. He’s a changed man, doing the best he can to live his life the way he sees fit, despite society’s belief that he’s still the same as before. In Sinner, you see him struggle with putting on his fake persona in front of the crowd when all he needs to do is be himself. Cole struggles throughout Sinner with being himself and it’s very apparent when you juxtapose him with the rock star crowd verses being with Isabel.

But Cole is human and he’s bound to make mistakes. And he makes quite a few, despite doing the best he can to stay human for Isabel’s sake. And so does she. That’s why they are the perfect couple: both are chaos looking for their chance to heal and find peace in the crazy world around them. Both of them are sinners, looking for redemption from the one who loves them the most.

The one aspect to Sinner I wish was there was finding out more about what happened with Grace and Sam following Forever. I know this book’s main purpose was to focus on Isabel and Cole’s relationship. But I felt like Sam and Grace could’ve been more present too. Because I definitely wanted to know what was going on with them while all of this was going on and wanted to find out if a cure had been discovered. So while I enjoyed reading this story from Isabel and Cole’s perspective, I did wish we could’ve seen more of Sam and Grace in the story too.

However, Sinner is a well-crafted masterpiece. I enjoyed reading it because of the storytelling and seeing everything from Cole and Isabel’s eyes and am sad that the series is over.

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There’s Just Something About Walking

Walking Feet

Image can be found on The Glow.

There’s just something about walking that makes me feel good about myself. Every time I go for a walk, I feel pumped, ready to explore the world around me. I tell myself “this is fun, you need to keep this habit.” But I never do.

But I need to. Whenever I was in school at Columbia College, I took a blogging class the one semester. In the class, my professor asked us to blog about a topic that we were passionate about. At the time, I had discovered months before that I had really high cholesterol. I believed that there was something I needed to do about it. And that was how my old blog Healthy Body, Peace of Mind was born.

In Healthy Body, Peace of Mind, I talked about eating healthier so I could live a healthy lifestyle. And while I was blogging about heart health, I managed to do just that. I kept up with the food I was eating and spent time going to the gym at school. And I enjoyed it too.

But it didn’t last long. As soon as I was done with the blogging class, I tried to keep up with being healthier. I really did. But then, I fell into old habits again. I would go one day without going to the gym, which then turned into another until I just stopped going. And once going to the gym fell out, I started terrible old eating habits again. Things such as snacking whenever I didn’t feel like I’d eaten enough at the dining hall or drinking two or three cans of my favorite soda consecutively.

But as I went for a walk this morning, enjoying the cool breeze, a wonderful thought crossed my mind.

I need to kick these bad habits, get healthier again. Get back into the habit of eating healthier again. Because as long as I continue down the road I’ve been on, my high cholesterol isn’t going to go away.

The only way it’ll change is if I make it. So starting today, I plan on doing just that.

First by getting rid of all of my bad food habits. Need to stop snacking on unhealthy food whenever I feel hungry. I can do this by eating something healthier, such as apple sauce or drinking water. Drinking water can keep the feeling of hunger at bay because it keeps hydration levels optimal and can ward off deceiving hunger pains that are really signs of thirst, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Healthy Eating page.

Then, I need to keep track of what I’m eating. I can do this through keeping a food diary or using food apps on my phone where I can record what I’m eating throughout each day. I already have a Fitbit so I can use the Fitbit app on my phone to keep track of what all I’m eating throughout the day while keeping track of the amount of steps I walk each day. Keeping track of what I eat will ensure I stay on track and make sure I don’t indulge in any of my bad eating habits.

And lastly, I need to indulge in good eating and exercise habits and stick with them. I need to make sure I can keep up with doing a little bit of exercise each day, such as walking. Walking can lower your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as running, according to the American Heart Association. But also eat healthy food, such as fish so I don’t increase my chances of getting heart disease.

I say all of this now, knowing there’s a possibility of this happening all over again. But that doesn’t mean I can’t at least try the best I can to kick my bad habits to the curb and try again each time it does. As long as I don’t give up, that’s what really matters.

 

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Writing Prompt: “Happiness is Not the Absence of Problems” Quote

Tumblr- Inspire

I feel as if I can both agree and disagree with this quote. I feel like happiness can come from dealing with your life’s problems. But at the same time, I also think happiness is more than that.

I feel like happiness is your ability to deal with your problems. If you have issues in your life that need to be taken care of, dealing with them can make your life so much easier. It puts a weight off your chest that allows you to continue with your life. It makes life less stressful so that you have one less thing to worry about.

But I also think happiness is more than that. Happiness is what you make of it. It’s what you make of your life and the opportunities you’re given. If you aren’t happy, it’s because you aren’t thankful for the chances you currently have in your life. But also can be because your life situation isn’t the most ideal and are struggling to get through every day.

Happiness is what you make of it. You can only be happy whenever you look at life with an open mind and be thankful for what you have.

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