INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In order to begin the forgiveness process you have to first accept that the promise was broken. Wishing that things had happened differently or that the person was more reliable only heightens the resentment. When you allow yourself to be angered by the actions of another person, you're essentially relinquishing some of your own personal power. You cannot change the actions of other people and ruminating over their actions only results in you feeling bad. Make the decision that the broken promise and the promise breaker will no longer have power over you. Here are things that you can do to help release the anger: Use affirmations to tell yourself a different story. Try telling yourself aloud several times each day "I need to forgive _____ for breaking their promise." Being mindful and focusing on gratitude and kindness will help to reduce overall anger. When you feel yourself starting to get angry about the empty promise, ask yourself "What am I thankful for today" so that you can re-center yourself before the anger gets out of control. Recognize how bad it feels to hold onto grudges. Notice that the bad feelings are not helping you but are actually making you feel worse. Remind yourself out loud that "I am the person being hurt because of my lack of forgiveness, not _____." Remember, releasing the negative emotions will actually help you begin to feel better. When you are angry with a person it results in your body going into fight-or-flight mode. The mind and body are very connected so when you allow your body to release stress and tension you'll be in a better frame of mind to forgive. Deep breathing is a great way to de-stress and release anger: Sit in a chair with your spine straight. You'll probably be most comfortable with the back of the chair supporting your back. Close your eyes and put one hand on your stomach. Slowly inhale by taking in a deep breath. You should feel the breath start in your abdomen and work its way up to your head. Slowly exhale. You should feel the breath release from you head and move into your abdomen. Repeat this process for five minutes or until you feel calmer. This process helps to relieve stress by lowering your blood pressure and slowing your heart rate. Ruminating thoughts are not healthy and can often lead to increased anger. Let the other person know how you feel and explain how the broken promise negatively impacted your life. This can help you to stop the thoughts from constantly replaying in your head. The person who has offended you may not be prepared to apologize for breaking the promise. It's important for you to be able to forgive and move on even if the other person does not make amends. Forgiveness is not about reconciliation, it's about releasing the negative energy so that you can feel better. Every situation is a learning experience. When you're able to acknowledge that you have learned something from the experience, even if it was the hard way, it makes the actual process of forgiving others easier. Make the conscious decision to learn from the experience rather than be bitter about the outcome. Ask yourself the question, "What have I learned from this experience?" and take a few minutes to explore the thoughts that come to mind. For example, did you learn to always have an alternative plan?

SUMMARY: Accept that the situation has occurred. Let go of the anger. Focus on feeling good. Release the stress in your physical body. Talk it over with the person. Reflect on your growth.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Nothing will make your soap disintegrate faster than keeping it constantly wet. Water breaks down the consistency of the soap and makes it necessary to replace your soap much more frequently. Avoid storing your soap in a place that is constantly in contact with water, like in the direct stream of the shower. Allowing the air to dry out its moisture will make a bar of soap harder (and therefore less likely to crumble), so that it lasts longer. The more time your soap spends completely dry, the longer it will last. Because of this, the more people who use a bar of soap, the faster it will need to be replaced. More users means less time between showers and more time that the soap will spend wet. A wire rack or a self-draining soap dish is best. Soap dishes without drainage keep the moisture longer and will make it harder for your soap to dry out in between uses. Although some of the more fancy plastic and stainless steel soap dish designs are funky and cute, unless they have drainage, they are liable to make your soap soggy. Once your soap bar breaks down into smaller pieces that are difficult to use, put those smaller pieces inside a soap-saving pouch. This small bag will work to contain the pieces for reuse, but it also acts as a type of exfoliating washcloth that you can use to bath yourself with the soap remnants inside.
Summary: Keep the soap away from water. Let the soap air dry. Always keep your soap in an appropriate soap dish that allows for drainage. Store smaller pieces in a soap-saving pouch.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The easiest way to begin a conversation with someone you want to talk to is to ask a favor. You don't know this person yet, so you don't know what you have in common. Asking a favor is a neutral way to enter into conversation without boring them with something they don't care about. Make sure it's a small favor that won't put her out. For example, ask to borrow a pen or read their class notes to see something you missed. If you don't have your textbook, ask to look on with her. That way, you can sit closer to her, too! Since you don't know her very well yet, you might not know what she likes. The only thing you know for sure that you have in common is the class you're in with her. Even if you understood the class lecture perfectly, ask her to clarify something the teacher said. As opposed to asking a favor, which can result in a very quick interaction, asking someone to explain something to you will probably result in a longer conversation. Keep the conversation going by asking follow-up questions. If she didn't understand either, show solidarity! Let her know that you're in it together, and that you have something in common. Girls love guys with a sense of humor, so try to make her laugh. Make eye contact with her when somebody says something silly, or roll your eyes when the teacher assigns homework. Make sure you're not disrupting class, though, or drawing the teacher's attention. Getting in trouble will not impress her! You're looking for anything that begins a speaking relationship with her, so make her feel like you want to know what she has to say. Ask her something related to class, like what she thinks is going to be on the next test, or how many hours she's planning on putting into preparation for a presentation. Don't talk over her when she gives her opinion. Let her talk for as long as she wants, and show interest in what she has to say. Giving compliments is a lot trickier than it sounds. You may think "who doesn't like getting a compliment?" but you should always be respectful of girls when complimenting them. Always complimenting girls on how pretty they are sends the message that you only like them for their looks, and most girls don't like to be made to feel that way. Compliment her on something she actually had to work for, rather than something she was born with. This might be related to her appearance or not. Compliment her on her hairstyle on a particular day instead of her eyes. Compliment her on an outfit she put together. Tell her you liked her answer to a question in class. Congratulate her for doing well on a test if you see she got a good grade. Don't bother her with questions or favors if you see that she's concentrating on something or she's late and has to run to her next class. If you have a class with her, you're going to see her every day, so wait for a time when she seems relaxed and in a good mood to break the ice with her.

SUMMARY:
Ask a small favor. Ask a question about something the teacher said. Make her laugh. Ask for her opinion on something related to class. Give her a compliment. Choose the right time for your icebreaker.