Love Actually

As it's December and Christmas will all be over in less than a week, I (of course) watched the British classic 'Love Actually'. It is one of my all time favourite films. Every time I watch it I find a new favourite part. This year round the part that stuck out to me is from the very beginning. The part that is usually spent rushing to make a cup of tea or a quick trip to the toilet. I always knew that the start of the film had a pretty special quote, but after this horrid year it really hit me. This is what Hugh Grant says in the opening scene.

''Whenever I get gloomy at the state of the world I think of the arrivals gate at Heathrow airport. General opinions starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere, often its not particularly dignified or news worthy but its always there. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the twin towers as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge they were all messages of love. If you look for it I've got a sneaky feeling that you'll find that love, actually is all around'' 

(In which Billy Mack then sings a Christmas rendition of Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around).

Love Actually was made in 2003. 12/13 years later I think the world has become far more sinister. Horrid things happen everyday. Social media has too much control. It is so easy to send out hateful messages online and we're all so pessimistic. But then I think that it's because people look for negativity. People all have things to say about things that are unimportant. There is not much more to say about it really, because I mean, he says it all. Love is there. If you look for it you'll find it. Because love is everywhere, you can see it, hear it, feel it. It's like my post before where I spoke about making more effort with the people we love. (chloedurant.blogspot.co.ukl) 

Love is, actually all around (puns).

Thanks for reading & Merry Christmas.

Chloë X

Find me on my social media here:

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/chloedurant

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Love Yourself

I always see posts online of people saying 'love yourself before you love anybody else', 'love who you are' and stuff and I think that's true and great. My problem is however, as soon as somebody does show a hint of self praise they're shot down with 'full of themselves', 'big headed' and 'loves themselves too much'.

I grew up hating who I was, it's really sad. I know SO many people are/were the same. I remember literally screaming and crying one day when I was as young as 6/7? in my room because I thought I looked like a boy, and sounded like Malfoy from Harry Potter (lol). I think that is so so so sad that at that young age I was embarrassed of myself. I hope there is nobody that young that feels the same. This feeling was continual for so many years until the past year or so? My unhappiness was getting a little unbearable, looking in the mirror saying ''I hate you, you're ugly,'' I did that far too often and looking back at it now it's quite heartbreaking. I kinda bullied myself I guess, now if I'm feeling shitty I try be positive to myself because it helps. I'm so much happier with myself now. I ditched people who make me feel worthless, stopped caring what people might have thought about me and spent time with people I loved. If you surround yourself with people who love you, you will start to love yourself. 

It is SO important to love who you are, I believe its totally fine to like your body, your hair or facial features. You are you. If you don't appreciate yourself you'll be miserable, you'll train yourself to believe that nobody will want you, because you don't even want you. If you appreciate you, you won't care what other people think. I love the way I dress, I like how I do my hair, I like my make up and I like me and if somebody turned around go me and was like 'I don't like that' I'd let it go over my head, I don't care if somebody isn't a fan of what I'm doing with myself, I'm a fan.

So, love yourself. Tell yourself in the mirror that you look cool today. Rub your confidence off on other people so they can feel good too. Being told that 'you love yourself' shouldn't be an insult, embrace it. You're only given one life, it's up to you to make it a good one.

Thanks for reading.

Chloë X

Find me on my social media here:

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/chloedurant

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/chloedurant

False Charity

I am not the most charitable person but I do what I can when I can. I give away loose change when I have it on me, I'll text £5 to whatever charities when I'm asked on the street and if I walk past a homeless person and I have anything on me I'll give them what I've got. I mean people can be really rude with giving away money but its just small things that you can live without could help someone else a tremendous amount. When I do give money to either a charity or somebody on the street, in myself I feel happy. I may have made that person happy, smile or helped them slightly. I don't expect people to be like 'Oh wow! What a lovely girl' you know, but all I see now is people expecting respect because they've given money or whatever away, 

Knowing myself that I've done a good deed is enough for me. I think it is kind of gross of people to film themselves giving money away, buying a McDonalds for somebody on the street so that people on social media can see them doing something nice. I don't understand why people feel the need to have thousands of views and admiration because they have been charitable. It takes the goodness away from the good deed I think, 'oh hey look at me I gave food to a homeless man share this so I can get more attention' like they crave internet popularity more than that person needed that money or food? Doesn't really make sense.

SO many people do stuff like that daily out of the goodness of their hearts, not to get a few hundred likes, retweets and shares? They don't expect to get anything from it, so I don't understand why people fall at peoples feet just because somebody was filmed giving it away. 

I was out in Canterbury the other night with people from my friends university and as we walked (or stumbled shall I say) out of subway at 4am a homeless lady was kindly asking for money and a girl we were with went over and gave her her change and the cookie she got. Seeing her do it filled me with happiness, it was such a lovely thing to do, just a act of kindness. She expected nothing in return and I think that is what charity is. It's not about having people praising you, its doing it to genuinely help.

People need to stop caring so much about 'street cred' so to speak, and do more of what matters because the goodness is taken out of it when the only reason you gave to charity is to get noticed online.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading.

Chloë X

Find me on my social media here:

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/chloedurant
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/chloedurant