This week in class we touched on mindfulness and the importance of mindful practice. It is important to take a second to be still and reconnect with the world around us. My favorite way to do this is through running. Although I enjoyed the coloring, we did in class I found that I gained more from running. The runner’s high is a really thing and something I live. When you hit the distance or speed for it to kick in your mind goes blank the world quiets and for a brief moment during that run the world around you falls silent. By far one of the best feelings in the world and the only time I feel truly at peace no matter how much pain I am in. Pros and cons to that is I can easily over work myself when life gets crazy. Another way I have found to be a great meditative practice is sitting down and spending time with God. Just taking a second in prayer or to journal is so calming and never fails to clear my head. “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God.” – Isaiah 41:10. Another topic we touched on was poverty in rural vs urban areas. Rural poverty often stems from limited access to surrounding suppliers and markets, as well as lower education levels. With that leads to less job opportunities meaning most rural areas work agricultural jobs. These jobs are not stable because they rely a lot on the earth and animals which surpass human control to a point. Whereas if you were working in a refinery or an office job you exercise more control. This in turn leaves areas with an overall poverty level not all by choice just so happens that they were born into that way of life with little means to leave. We discussed in class that there are aa few options to help alleviate some of the poverty in rural areas. One option was to find some kind of fifty – fifty deal with a larger corporation that way both ends benefit,and it doesn’t feel like a burden to the corporation by helping out the underdog. When it comes to Urban poverty some of the top contributing factors stem from the increase in suborn home demand which has drastically increased the prices of the homes making it harder for the everyday person to afford the average home. This has created the urban housing crisis which is sending families into poverty due to them having to rent homes vs purchasing. The problem with renting is that they are losing money with no return value. Whereas when you purchase a home you are paying it off in the end and then have the option to sell the home. Plus, if you purchased your home in an area with a good market or in an area that’s in high demand the value of the home is bound to increase, and you will actually end up making money. There is also a large portion of homeless within cities, but I think a lot of that stems from housing issues and having a hard time keeping a job. On top of that we tend to notice homeless and poor people with in the cities because it’s a heavily growing and rather affluent area that homeless or poor tend to look out of place. Whereas in the rural area it’s just kind of c