The Clothesline Project

When I decided to go back to school at The University of Utah I figured that I would go all out.  This semester I took on more responsibility by joining a group called The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).  I was invited to join and took them up on their offer.

It's been very interesting so far.  In order to be officially inducted into the group you need to fulfill a list of criteria.  I need to attend so many guest speaker events, join a group and get together with them every couple of weeks and talk about goals we've set, attend a training day, and do at least five hours of community service.

Last night I did some volunteerism for The United Way down in Orem.  I helped out at an event called The Clothesline Project.  I had never heard of it before.

This event was formed to raise awareness all over the nation of violence towards men and women.  You can go to this website for more information.  They have victims or friends/family of victims design a t-shirt to display.  They are not censored in any way.

Here are the meanings behind the shirt colors:
White = in memory of individuals who died as a result of violence
Yellow = survivors of physical assault
Pink, red, or orange = survivors of rape or sexual assault
Blue or green = survivors of incest or childhood sexual abuse
Lavender or purple = survivors of attacks suffered due to (perceived) sexual orientation
Black = for those disabled as the result of an attack, or assaulted because of a disability
Grey or brown = survivors of emotional, spiritual, or verbal abuse

I helped the group take the t-shirts down and put them away in boxes for next time.  I was able to read a lot of them and let me tell you...it's sad.  You want to believe that most people are good deep down inside and treat human life with respect, but that is not the case.  Some of the people that did these unspeakable acts were friends, lovers, and family.  The kind of people you would normally trust most.

It's really sad what lengths people will go to to fulfill their own wishes and desires.

Just as an FYI:
     * An assault is reported every 10 to 12 seconds
     * Someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes
     * Three to four women are killed by their intimate partners each day
     * Only 40 percent of rapes/sexual assaults are reported to the police, and only about 6 percent of rapists will ever serve a day in jail
     * A woman is more likely to be injured, raped, or killed by a current or former partner than by any other person

Anthropologie

Last night I took a solo stroll around City Creek.  Yesterday was beautiful and this was the perfect way to cap off the night.

Can I just say, Anthropologie is simply my happy place.  I love walking through that store.  They have some of the most interesting trinkets.  There is just something about that place.  It's like I want to make a house that is completely Anthropologie and live happily ever after in it with my floral bedding, monogramed hand towel, intricate door knobs, fashion/design coffee books, and set of colorful ceramic measuring cups.

 

The gem that I picked up in there on this visit was a Q&A book.

The concept is quite simple, really.

Every day this journal asks you a different question and you answer it.  You answer the same question a year later and so on for the next 5 years.  Isn't that the neatest idea?  It will be interesting to see how my answers change over the years.

I plan on starting January 1st.