Take it easy....

The other day I listened to one of my favorite speakers Rob Bell. He pastors Mars Hill Bible Church. I believe that if I lived there, I would plant my roots at that church. Since I don't, I simply listen. Sometimes I don't always like what I hear....sometimes I'm not even ready for it.

Then, sometimes, I'm absolutely floored by what I hear. Right now, they're speaking on The Kingdom of God. I think the title is WEEDS. Basically, what spoke to me was the part where as believers, we want God to have already fixed us, hurry up already is sorta the sentiment. I know that sentiment all too well. I want to be completely healthy & whole yesterday. But that is not how God's timing works.

Essentially, the message communicated to me: "Take it easy" (imagine the Eagles playing in the background).

So, today, I'm gonna do exactly that.

GTD

Okay,

So, it's not even the beginning of September, but 3 years ago (September 2007) I started this blog, sortof a way to put many of my rambling thoughts down on "virtual" paper, if you will. I wanted my writing to expand, to develop, to become more than what it was...I wanted my posts to breathe, to have weight, to shed light on things that mattered to me.

I want to once again pick up the "pen & paper" & have a voice. I'm back in the ring, back on the saddle, in the game again....I'm sure I could think of a few other overused axioms to fill in...

I think I still have a few wild hairs left, & who knows, maybe I'll have an epiphany or two yet. I can certainly always ramble...

broken

---According to a Strengthsfinder 2.0 survey, one of my "gifts' is something called restorative...I like to fix things. More than that though, I like the thought of fixing people. When we pray for someone to be healed and they are, He fixes them, or even more mind-blogging...their faith fixes what was broken. Over and over again scripture speaks of someone's faith making him/her well again.

---So much brokenness exists around me, and yet I don't have a clue how to fix any of it, really.

family, fairytales, and fear

I have found it so very difficult to write anything as of late. I wrote a "draft", but decided not to publish it. It has been slightly over a month since my mother's funeral. Her passing was so sudden I did not even get to say good-bye. I must admit that I have not been quite sure on how to grieve...mourn...whatever the word is in which one tries to move on. For a time, my heart ached so severely, I thought surely I was having anxiety attacks.

I simply did not want to move on...I wanted to go back in time. I wanted her back. I wanted a different reality, perhaps even a fairytale. I believe that I was even beginning to shut down. I since willed myself to move on. My heart aches still, but less so.

Something that she said to me has been reverberating in my mind lately. She spoke of how I am always searching...And for the longest time, I resented what she was telling me. However, tonight, upon watching the movie Finding Neverland, I experienced a glimpse of what she was saying.

I am afraid of not being enough, not doing enough, not knowing enough, I am generally just afraid to experience so much of life. And, that fear haunts me. I try to figure it out, decipher parts of myself, self-diagnose,etc....you get the picture. Yet, in my efforts at trying so hard to fix what's "wrong" with me, I fail to find the things that are "right". I long to be content in my own skin...and hopefully that day will come before I am ninety!

women

I am four feet ten or eleven, depending on which doctor's office I am at, or perhaps from some measuring dispenser. I wear whatever I have purchased as cheaply as I could, or some form of hand-me-downs from friends and loved ones.

I have great hair. I thank God for my hair that most days seems to manage itself, and look pretty grand. It would probably look better if maintained with regular haircuts, colors, and the like...but, that kind of maintenance wears me out.

I am not graceful, I am rather clumsy. Only when I am dancing do I feel somewhat agile, and steady. Although, I like to pretend sometimes a runway model, and do "the walk".

I know my beauty, and the limits of it. I was speaking with a male co-worker, and we agreed that it's probably better to have a real assessment of your looks, and even better to have almost an ignorant one. For, the person who knows accurately how they can appeal to someone else can as we all know become cocky, arrogant,etc.

And the best part that I like about myself is that I am a woman. I love, love, love being a woman. I don't always love the walk that is mine in being one, but I love that I got the chance to be female, and not male. Not to hate on the boys or anything, but I enjoy being able to share with another person my emotions, feelings, etc. Guys miss out when they don't do that...

Anyway, I have been thinking these last few weeks of the vision of my life, and what I am to do. I have these sort of grandiose ideas of becoming something great; the reality of it is, my name will probably not be known a hundred years from now. But, I do believe in personal responsibility, and feel as though my purpose, my existence is waiting...waiting on me to find the next piece of the puzzle of my life.

w-o-m-e-n

I love being around women, I love to hear their stories, I love to share in their moments of joy, as well as show sympathy in their sorrows.

I want to do something that "gives back" to women, that helps them enrich their lives, something that can tell their stories, something that can make them grandmothers who speak wisdom to their grandchildren.

how?

helping in a women's shelter, helping women escape from human trafficking, helping women survive breast cancer...these are only a few avenues...now, for a clearer vision...like the man that Jesus healed...I can see men who look like trees walking.

vow of silence, sort of...

I am a different believer than I used to be…

I feel as though I’ve changed over these last few years.

I no longer have signs visibly giving attention to my faith.

No Christian t-shirt, no bumper sticker promising to ride with Him, no bible study or Sunday school attendance to account for.

I am more and yet, less at the same time. I am more aware that I don’t look the part. I am less visible.

I am not sure if that is enough for my brothers and sisters, as I know that we don’t live in an age of drawing convictions in the sand. We need people to tattoo Jesus on their skin. We need signs.

For now, I am okay with not being enough, because I know that someday I will be more balanced, more visible, less hidden. Until then…hopefully my life speaks louder than my words.

self-reflection

I hit a wall these last two weeks. Even though I have tried to stay positive and inspired, nothing has helped to get me out of whatever "funk" I was in.

Also, today I was unbelievably honest with a friend...a friend that I hardly know. I told him how I am in friendship. I am the perfect person if you have an emergency. However, I am not the best friend to have if you need someone day-to-day. This is something that I have come to realize over the last year or so.

I am not exactly sure how to "work" on it, other than being there in the "day-to-day" with a person. And, until then, I plan on just giving a disclaimer:

"friend during the hard times only"

things I just don't understand...

here are just a few questions on my mind lately...

can someone please explain this bailout thing to me in "layman's" terms?

can someone please explain to me why people still walk their dogs and run on the road, when there is a perfectly good sidewalk to walk and run on?

...here lately there seems to be a million things that I just don't understand.

I just want a million and one saturdays to happen together all in one-right now...

I just want to escape.

relapse

this week I had a relapse...of sorts.

I have been so angry this past week. I have fallen off the happy wagon. I have remembered the pain and the hurt all over again...complete with memories attached.

I thought that I was fine with moving on...with acclimating to my new life...

And then, I have a small encounter with a person that has manipulated me, hurt me, and lied to me...

Floods of emotions come like torrents, and I once again guard myself, ready for the weight and the pressure.

I guess I wasn't quite over it all...

This Week's Theme:

-I have all of these things in my head that I want to say. It's just that they come and go so quickly I don't have enough time to write them all down-

themes in circulation at the moment:

forgiveness...letting go...losing my self-control...working way too much...

peacemaking...piano playing...baby-sitting...

career-changing...learning about Biden

-Oh, and I just ate 3.6 oz. of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream that I bought at Kroger's for $1. Really, it's overpriced, but proportionately, the perfect amount of ice cream consumption. Yum!

Lance Armstrong's One Regret

I love to listen to things at work. You'd think that I might be always wanting to "woo" it up, listening in on everyone's conversations, adding my two cents whenever I can, and basically just be my nosey self. Well, the truth is that I like to put my headphones and just ingest whatever I can, whether it be listening to new artists that sound like my favorite on www.pandora.com or listening to interviews, audio books, and lectures one learnoutloud.com. I am a bit of an information junkie.

When I saw the clip of the day being an interview with Lance Armstrong at 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival which I think is totally cool! I enjoyed the interview, and was taken back by the question and answer someone asked and Lance answered. The audience member asked him if had any regrets in his life. I assumed that naturally he might regret some sort of time that he wish he would have finished with, or something of that nature. Honestly, I expected him to cockily admit that he had not regrets, yada yada yada.

Instead, he candidly admitted that his divorce was the one thing that he regretted. And his reason for giving it was that it could never be put on the "W" shelf (for winning). But, that it would always go under the "F" shelf. And although he and his ex-wife share a amicable relationship and work to provide as much of a stable environment for their children as they can, this is something that he could not work hard enough on to salvage, and save, and keep.

I appreciate someone of his social status to admitting something like that. It is a hard thing to admit. failure. And, I don't know all the things that caused this failure of divorce in his life. But, what I do know is that overall he is not a failure. This one thing on the shelf, the "F" shelf, is just that...one thing on the shelf. It does not define him. He has plenty of things that he can look to on the the "W" shelf.

There was a time shortly after my seperation and divorce in which I attributed everything I did wrong as a comparison to the "F" on my shelf...my own divorce. I filtered every mistake through the lens of that situation. I assumed that since I had failed at that, then no wonder I was failing to complete tasks at work, and making mistakes, etc.

I am not quite sure how exactly, but listening to him speak about a difficult topic helped me in those few moments. I can't fully explain it, other than saying that I came away with a belief that I don't have to be defined exclusively by what I have done. The definition of who I am is so much more.

whew...long post that was! I blame it on all the writing I am supposed to be doing for school! :)

vision

Last week I admitted to my boss that I have no vision as to where the division of the organization that I work for was going. I did not know the steps it would take to get it where it needed to go. I was terrified to admit this, mainly because I felt as though at some level this was an unwritten responsibility of mine. Not because it exists in my job description but, because there has been a void as of late. Specifically, the division I work in is in "maintenance" stage. The tires have air in them, the oil checks are done, and the spark plugs are change,etc. But no new accessories are added like a GPS system, no body paint has been sprayed, nothing new and shiny, if you will. So, the question for me is am I good at keeping it at its maintenance stage. Am I good at my job?

This question of vision has been coming around a lot to me lately. I do not have a clue of where I will be after I finish school. I don't even know if anyone will even consider me, even after I receive my degree. My assumption is that the work and effort I am putting into going back to school will afford me a better paying career, and propel me into a life's work I can be proud of. The question for me is, what is that work? And can I begin it now before school starts.

The first dilemma presented to me is this: What field? Currently, I embrace all things customer service if you will. I think that my self-efficacy is high when I am serving others in this way. But, this new decision to go into the field of Sociology is serving, yes, but whom? Do I work with organizations who serve the poor or help the homeless, researching hopefully along the way how to improve peoples' lives? Or could I work for organizations that deal with adoptions, or the elderly.

Mostly, I look for inspiration. But, I have yet to find a specific field that I can see myself in every single day. That is the part about being an Aquarius that can be a little frustrating. We can become very passionate and then just as quickly lose that passion and move onto something else.

And it all goes back to my term for this season of my life: eudaimonia

I just want to find out what it is I am purposed here for, and that everything that I am doing is furthering me to that point.

sick-o

I am at home resting from having a sinus infection. boo hoo. I watched Oprah interview Michael Moore, the anti-Bush guy who did the documentary Sicko. I wish I knew more on this subject of healthcare in America and in other countries. One of the audience members was from Canada and said that even though care is granted to them, there are large waiting lists. Hmmm...In a society such as ours, I am not sure we can embrace universal healthcare when those types of issues arrive. I work at Starbucks where the average person receives a latte in the time of one minute. Now, a long wait is considered five to seven minutes. Sometimes, we receive complaints from our customers about waiting. seven minutes of their life spent on a beverage that will be consumed maybe even in that amount of time. So, here's my question, in a immediate gratification expectancy, can we justify waiting eighteen months for care from a specialist? I don't think so. The answer is not quite so simple as universal health care, even though as a human being, I really believe in it.

In other news, I snapped at my roommate today. I interrupted her to the point to where she would not engage with me anymore regarding the story she was telling me. It just wasn't worth it to her. Instead of giving her the decency of finishing her story, she just said, "no, I'm done. I don't have anything to say." And then, I read a motivational email that said to be grateful when our flaws are brought to the surface so it can show us what we still have yet to improve on...yippee? Oh, how far I have to go in this process of being an upright, conciencous, selfless human being.

Lastly, I have been swamped with school lately. I go online, so it should not be that difficult. But, I find it hard to time crunch and fit everything in. I am finished with my cultural perspectives class. And now I am on to Social Psychology which is a bit more easy for my brain to digest. In essence, I am studying about "myself". I think so much of myself as it is, so this class shouldn't be too difficult!

And I got to watch a little bit of the Olympics this weekend, and enjoyed seeing some of the events that will make the history books, including the 41 year old mom, that I think should inspire us all regarding what we are capable of doing.

just a few things on my mind...

wow. I have not written in over a month. I cannot believe I did not write at all in July. I cannot believe I am wrapping up on a political perspectives class, and am actually, for the most part, doing well in it. Well, let's back up...I have a paper that's due tomorrow, that is worth about a 1/5 of the class grade, and I haven't even started on it. Well, I started the introduction, and my thesis...I am about to go work at Starbucks, and then...come home, lock myself into my room...and write, write, write.

Right now, it's all in my head. It sounds brilliant in my head. Most things do.

This week I facebooked that all I wanted was some eudiamonia. That's one of those words that I forget what it means as soon as I read the definition in the dictionary...But, it is definitely one of those things that I desire. If you go on www.eudiamonia.com you will find two definitions for it. I am in love with the word because it speaks of what I am after. I want to live day after day with a real sense of accomplishment and vision. I want to be able to look at myself five years down the road, and "shake hands with that person" and go, wow, I am excited about where I am going. Right now, I cannot see anything 5 days in front of me, much less than five years. And I wake up thinking am I just living a fake life, and wondering if I am going to be found out.

But something that I am not is apathetic about work. I enjoy work, even the "two jobs" as frustrating as it can be sometimes...I am grateful for what these jobs have afforded me. I have been able to pay off my car along with other debt. What is up with some of those in my generation, and the generation after me that just sees fit to complain about their job, and just incessantly complain about how much they hate work, and hate their job? Now, I must remember that with my "positivity" theme, I don't actually do well with negativity. So, that is one aspect of why that gets under my skin so...but the other part. I just don't know why it is so easy to complain. I am not talking about the types of jobs where there are problems, and one discusses such and hopes to solve or diminish the problems and venting along the way. I mean the type of complaining with no resolution in the end.

Is the whole generation doing this? I think we all could use some edemame, er, eudiamonia.

definitely, maybe, definitely

I just finished watching the movie Definitely, Maybe this weekend. It was okay, for a romantic comedy, I guess. I didn't have so much a problem with the plot as much as I had a problem with the part at the end.

Movies like this get me every time...I get pulled in emotionally, and I hate it. Towards the end of the movie, the dad says to the daughter, "You're the happy ending." Why does that get to me so? Because it opens up the old wound of not knowing, meeting, having a relationship with my dad. It's not that I don't have a good relationship with him. It's that the relationship is non-existent.

In other news, I have had a really great time this weekend with my roomates. And I want the weekend to last longer. I am glad that Friday is July 4th. Woohoo!

I am getting sleepy, so this can of worms post that I have just opened up, is going to have to close...maybe more next time....definitely...good night.

confidence is a tricky thing...

some days I am brilliant. some days I am controversial. some days I am just make a fool of myself. I think that my confidence is swayed by my feelings, as if they are a compass...I feel this about myself today so therefore I am confident. When I am unsure of myself in a certain area, I waver in being confident. Sometimes, I've been known to lose all confidence in myself over something small...seemingly small...that didn't seem so small to me. It happens to me more than I care to admit. It happens no matter how many times I try to quote a scripture about putting my confidence in Christ. I think that when I know I didn't do my all, everything I could, that is when I lack the confidence. However, sometimes, the confidence is not there even though I know what I am doing...I am hoping that this is just a phase of early adulthood. I hope that as I age, my confidence is more steady, less of a reed in the wind. But, what am I to do about it now? until then?

Everybody has a story...

Everybody has a story:
Okay, so I admit that my postings have been scarce as of late. I have lots ‘o’ reasons for this, and now will have a surplus…this is part of the rambling part of my post.

I was thinking this week about stories, individual’s stories, and how just by looking at a person, one might be surprised at his or her story. I found myself in that situation last night. I was working the drive-thru at Starbux last night and one of our regular customers came through and ordered some drinks for the whole family. Because I am a bit of a chatterbox anyway, I was just making small talk, and then casually made a statement that opened up this whole avenue of conversation.

From looking at a person, I think we as humans tend to look at an individual, and we think we “know” that person. We think that we have them “figured out”. Because of the location I work, I see many people come through that have money, success, fame…and they look the part of soccer moms, musicians, business professionals. Now, I think that I can have my own bias regarding those classes of people. But, last night all of those biases were swept aside, and I just talked to this person like they’ve been a friend for ages…And I found out a portion of their story, or testimony, which is the word they kept using. What a story it was. It was filled with themes of love, redemption, and surprises. It was definitely a bit of a Hallmark vibe. And because of this new piece of the puzzle, I now have this new admiration for the adversity this person has had to face. I can no longer fit this person into the usual biases that I fit the customers in….And it reminds me that these biases/boxes/etc. that I use are ineffective and useless anyway.

Someday I hope to have mastered this way of thinking and have it laid to rest.

list of 14 things on 43things.com

Well, this is one of my goals on my list. Some of them are mildly entertaining. Some of them are a far away thought. But this one, this one inhabits all sorts of ideas, memories, past mistakes, indecisiveness, and just plain regret. Because I have not finished something completely, I am hesitant to write about it. But, I guess I can look at it from a “progress” perspective.
This summer I started this goal. I started a class at a local community college. I started looking into things like credits, costs, and timing of the classes I needed. What I found was that I needed three credits, essentially one class. Just one. Only one. I was stunned. I started to wonder why I had went to school, and quit with only one class to go. But, I stopped that mode of thinking, as I know that kind of thinking profits me nothing. So, I planned my schedule, and took the nights off from my part-time job at Starbux, and forked over the money for the class and textbook. And now I am four weeks into the class, that is only five weeks long.
So, that’s a good explanation of where I’ve been. Stuck in a class 3 nights a week.
Now, because I don’t do anything lightly, I decided to finish my Bachelor’s degree online…and decided to start that the same time I was finishing up the other. I now affectionately call my room the dungeon. I feel like I have been glued to my bed doing some sort of homework for the last 4 weeks. But, honestly, I can’t imagine my life any different right now. I am finally getting something on this list scratched off, and taking a big chunk out of the “regrets” in my life.
So, right now, even though things are still a bit rough and difficult, I am doing oh so well…I am happy, feeling fulfilled, and enjoying the course of my life thus far.
This is a very different feeling than what I felt a year ago…more on that later.

See more progress on: go back to school

sometimes I get it right...

At work lately, I have not been doing so well...missing deadlines, poor customer service, and just bad miscalculations...

Well, today, I am giving myself a pat on the back.

I remembered something that needed renewal for our company to keep up and running.

Last year at this time, the renewal expired with no one knowing. This in turn caused our site to be completely down.

This year, because of better communication we discussed the expiration coming up soon...And today, I followed up on what to do about the renewal....All it will take is a simple email requesting approval, and we're good to go.

So, yeah, sometimes I get it right, and actually deliver results, good "pat on the back" results.

a good day

today was a good day.

One of my issues -- there are so many -- came to the surface last night after a friend's text message. texting. it's so easy to just write a simple few lines. but, the problem is the lack of real communication. that is when you have to actually talk. and that's what I did today.

We were simply texting back and forth, and this person made a joke, that just simply went too far, well, too far for me. I overreacted, and simply had a moment. I slept on it, and then was able to deal with it today. Thinking about the best way to let someone know that they hurt my feelings, and then actually telling them...that's progress for me. Usually, I just mope, and react, and then just go inward. I usually somehow turn it around, and simply wonder what it was that I did. Not this time. I knew that my initial reaction was one of self-defense. But, I was able to move past that, and think about what I could do to move past the moment.

And, the person who "hurt my feelings" apologized, and then we were able to talk it out. Now, I know for some that this is just simple and common-sense type of stuff. I am not one of those people who can just simply communicate my feelings, opinions, etc. I have a "people pleasing filter" and co-dependant slant.

O, here's to progress...

oh, and did I mention that I also finished watching the last two episodes of LOST? Is anybody else as confused as I am?

c-r-a-z-y.

oh, and did I mention that I had a good day? I hope I am able to have more really soon.