memories for miles and miles:
summers, winters, falls, and springs
ruby, you take it in
and see He's withheld no good thing.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Today...
...was a good day.
What makes a good day?
-pancakes for breakfast
-getting homework finished: Survey Analysis for Research Methods, a journal for Third-Year Writing, and some reading
-a bit of laundry and dishes
-some straightening of my room
-small talk with a fellow Bolivarian
-egg sandwich and toast for lunch
-Hazelnut coffee
-opening the blinds to watch the snow fall, even if it's just a little bit
-a good conversation with a professor
-a Mexican dinner
-LOST + popcorn
-a laughter-filled evening with good friends
...and there you have it: a good day.
:)
What makes a good day?
-pancakes for breakfast
-getting homework finished: Survey Analysis for Research Methods, a journal for Third-Year Writing, and some reading
-a bit of laundry and dishes
-some straightening of my room
-small talk with a fellow Bolivarian
-egg sandwich and toast for lunch
-Hazelnut coffee
-opening the blinds to watch the snow fall, even if it's just a little bit
-a good conversation with a professor
-a Mexican dinner
-LOST + popcorn
-a laughter-filled evening with good friends
...and there you have it: a good day.
:)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Everyday, Every Day
An important conversation that I had with a good friend just a minute ago has got me thinking about the way I perceive the past and the future.
I look back to last semester and see how awesome it was: the joy of making new friends, becoming familiar with Belmont, exploring Nashville...
I look to the future and see the exciting possibilities of staying in Nashville for the summer, studying abroad, graduation, perhaps graduate school, and a job that I like...
Yet, I sit here in the present doing homework, managing my responsibilities, solving my problems, and completing all matter of dull-yet-necessary daily tasks, all the while trying to have quality time with God, friends, and myself. In reality, these are things that I do every day of my life, yet when I think about the past and the future, I romanticize them so much that they blur into an seemingly effortless stream of existence.
I forget that regardless of how great last semester was overall, I still had days where I had to sit down and make myself write papers, read for class, and reflect on previous lectures while studying.
I forget that however bright my future looks, I will still do laundry and dishes.
Over the past few months I have improved at living in the present, but now I feel the challenge not only to live in the present, but to enjoy it - even the mundane building blocks of each day, whether they are work or play. I want to find an attitude in which I can look back and remember the normalcy of everyday life among the good times and the bad times.
"...another critique is that people in these radical subcultures do normal stuff, too. Punk kids sit around and eat cookies with their parents on Christmas, just like everyone else. They go to the store and get groceries, too." -my Popular Culture professor
Life is good - the good, the bad, and everything normal in between. It's God's gift to you and me.
I look back to last semester and see how awesome it was: the joy of making new friends, becoming familiar with Belmont, exploring Nashville...
I look to the future and see the exciting possibilities of staying in Nashville for the summer, studying abroad, graduation, perhaps graduate school, and a job that I like...
Yet, I sit here in the present doing homework, managing my responsibilities, solving my problems, and completing all matter of dull-yet-necessary daily tasks, all the while trying to have quality time with God, friends, and myself. In reality, these are things that I do every day of my life, yet when I think about the past and the future, I romanticize them so much that they blur into an seemingly effortless stream of existence.
I forget that regardless of how great last semester was overall, I still had days where I had to sit down and make myself write papers, read for class, and reflect on previous lectures while studying.
I forget that however bright my future looks, I will still do laundry and dishes.
Over the past few months I have improved at living in the present, but now I feel the challenge not only to live in the present, but to enjoy it - even the mundane building blocks of each day, whether they are work or play. I want to find an attitude in which I can look back and remember the normalcy of everyday life among the good times and the bad times.
"...another critique is that people in these radical subcultures do normal stuff, too. Punk kids sit around and eat cookies with their parents on Christmas, just like everyone else. They go to the store and get groceries, too." -my Popular Culture professor
Life is good - the good, the bad, and everything normal in between. It's God's gift to you and me.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A lot has changed...
...in the past month or two.
When I say, "changed," I don't necessarily mean that many significant events have happened (although there have been a few). What I mean is that some circumstances have been altered and collectively, they have changed me as a person.
Most of this change revolves around the issue of self-awareness. I once considered myself a unique, complex individual who was so elusive that even I could not figure myself out.
Now I cannot help but cringe at that.
Recently I've realized that I know myself pretty well. Complexities aside, I know my own thoughts and can interpret my own feelings. I am now willing to admit to myself my likes and dislikes, and everything to which I am indifferent. Perhaps most importantly, I no longer deny when I'm in denial.
There are a number of contributors to this newly found self-awareness. Foremost, I made a bit of a resolution to be more honest with myself and with God...it's better this way.
Also, many quality conversations with good friends lately have forced me to hold up a mirror to my own face...and I was surprised to find that I recognized myself.
Unexpectedly, Third-Year Writing, a general education requirement at Belmont, has really got me thinking about myself (not that I'm lacking in introspection...). I was originally wary of the class; I imagined having to write fifteen-page research monstrosities and random topic analyses every week. I was relieved to find that most of the writing would be about ourselves, because no matter how bland, boring, or otherwise uninteresting the details of my everyday life may be, I know I can write about myself.
"Why is this, exactly?" I asked myself.
It was a pretty simple answer: "Because I know myself."
I am completely aware of how individualist and self-involved this sounds, but I don't mean for it to be like that. It's just the truth about what I'm thinkin', wheelin', and dealin'.
There are so many things that I need to write about... and not just about myself.
Good stuff is happenin'. Yeh'd best believe it.
When I say, "changed," I don't necessarily mean that many significant events have happened (although there have been a few). What I mean is that some circumstances have been altered and collectively, they have changed me as a person.
Most of this change revolves around the issue of self-awareness. I once considered myself a unique, complex individual who was so elusive that even I could not figure myself out.
Now I cannot help but cringe at that.
Recently I've realized that I know myself pretty well. Complexities aside, I know my own thoughts and can interpret my own feelings. I am now willing to admit to myself my likes and dislikes, and everything to which I am indifferent. Perhaps most importantly, I no longer deny when I'm in denial.
There are a number of contributors to this newly found self-awareness. Foremost, I made a bit of a resolution to be more honest with myself and with God...it's better this way.
Also, many quality conversations with good friends lately have forced me to hold up a mirror to my own face...and I was surprised to find that I recognized myself.
Unexpectedly, Third-Year Writing, a general education requirement at Belmont, has really got me thinking about myself (not that I'm lacking in introspection...). I was originally wary of the class; I imagined having to write fifteen-page research monstrosities and random topic analyses every week. I was relieved to find that most of the writing would be about ourselves, because no matter how bland, boring, or otherwise uninteresting the details of my everyday life may be, I know I can write about myself.
"Why is this, exactly?" I asked myself.
It was a pretty simple answer: "Because I know myself."
I am completely aware of how individualist and self-involved this sounds, but I don't mean for it to be like that. It's just the truth about what I'm thinkin', wheelin', and dealin'.
There are so many things that I need to write about... and not just about myself.
Good stuff is happenin'. Yeh'd best believe it.
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