Joyously Live Challenge

   

    One of my favorite lines in the Alpha Sigma Alpha Creed is "to joyously live each day to its ultimate good." I particularly love the phrase "joyously live." In order to intentionally live more joyously, I decided to create one of those ever so popular photo challenges.

     Why should I do it? For the month of May (or however long it takes you to get through all 30 days), you will choose to focus on the things in life that make everything okay. 

     How do I participate? Save the infograph on your phone/computer. Each day, post the photo that you took with #jouyouslylive on whichever social media site that you visit. If you don't do the whole "social media" scene, feel free to save the photos on your computer.  

     When do I start? Whenever you feel like it! I am going to do mine for the month of May.

     What if I fall behind? It's all good! Either catch up or do the 30 days on your own schedule (aka... not one a day).

     So what do you say? Will you participate?

Be Present

     

     I've read a few books lately. In particular, two very good books. One is by Hannah Brencher (which I highly recommend) and the other was by Karen Kingsbury (I recommend all of hers as well). One was a non-fiction book and one was fiction. But they both seemed to have a reoccurring theme of being present. Because of those books and other things that have happened in my world, this idea of being present has been on my mind a lot lately. With our current technology, it is so easy for us to have multiple people, places, and worlds in our back pocket. I strongly feel that we have to be able to choose when to give in to the temptation of pulling out that tablet or phone and disappearing from the physical world that we are in. 

     I feel like I should take a minute for a short disclaimer. I am in no way against technology. Or cell phones. Or tablets. Or Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Snapchat. Or Instagram. I think that cell phones are a wonderful thing when you have a friend who has moved away. I think they are a wonderful thing when you  have had to move away from your family. I think they are a wonderful thing when you have a friend who is struggling. I think they are a beautiful thing when they give someone language when they might otherwise be non-verbal. I think they are a wonderful thing when you have gotten yourself lost and the GPS is at home (you know it's happened to you...). 

   However, I am afraid that it is starting to become a social crutch for many people (myself included). Relationships are hard. Sitting at a table and talking to one or two people for over an hour can be stressful. But those are things that we, as a society, have to learn to deal with and work through. This probably sounds like a thousand other blog posts or articles on being present and engaging in the world around you but as I sat at Applebees the other day and watched a mother and her son be on their individual phones as they waited for their order, I got very sad and figured that I needed to say something to the world (that's you guys reading this). 

     Once you make the choice to be present in conversations, you'll be surprised at how much you notice about others and your environment. So, my challenge for you is to pick one conversation or social setting this week and choose to be present. Leave the phone on vibrate and attend to the person that you are with.

Community

      In August, I set a goal. I was going to make sure that I had at least one social event planned every week. At the time, I just thought it was going to be a goal that prevented me from staying in my apartment every night and doing nothing (which I was completely content with). Little did I know that it was going to become a major part of my life. The people that I meet up with have become a huge part of my life. They are the people that I want to share exciting events with. They are the people that I call up when I am afraid to go and do something on my own. They are the people that I swap recipes with. They are the people who let me share stories from work with, whether those stories are frustrating or funny. They are the people that are there for me, in both a physical and emotional sense. They are my community. 

      In preparation for this blog post, I did what all great researchers do... I went on Pinterest. I simply typed "community" into the search bar and perused the things that came up. I looked at quotes from Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Mr. Rodgers, and of course... the cookie monster. But one thing that I noticed as my eyes swept left to right across the pages is that so many of the quotes were about depression. About loneliness. About pain. And it really got me thinking. Do we only view "community" as the anecdote for loneliness (I don't know about you but I have definitely been lonely in a room full of people)? Or do we view it as its own critical part of our well-being? I think we should begin to challenge each other to view it as a critical part of our well being.

      There is a second part of community that I would like to point out. Being in a community helps you to feel like you aren't alone. In the right type of community, it will help you to feel like if you weren't there, someone would notice. Someone would care. For most people, this is a huge thing. It helps them to have the confidence to be who they need to be, who they were created to be.

      According to many experts there are three main types of community: location based, identity based, and organizationally based. As I wrap up my thoughts I challenge you to think about the communities you are a part of. What are they doing for you? What can you do for them? 

      This is something that has been on my mind for a while so feel free to comment below and let me know how community impacts your daily life. I'd love to hear your stories!

The Silver Lining

          So, I’ve been on an “adventure” lately and am trying to figure out what lessons are coming from these experiences. My car has been giving me all kind of trouble. You know, the kind of trouble where no one can figure out what is wrong or how to fix it. Then they are convinced that it is fixed and your car refuses to leave work at the end of the day. So, you learn a lot about the local tow truck drivers, their families, and their business endeavors. Yeah, that kind of adventure.

But, I’ve figured out a few things from this “adventure.” And I figured that those lessons would make a great blog post. So here it goes:

1.       People ultimately are cool: I have had person after person offer to help me out for the past month. From giving me rides to work, to offering to bring me groceries, to meeting me at the mechanic with hot chocolate and a peanut butter cookie and better yet… a hug. I think that we all get into our day to day routines and forget that we are all interconnected and that we need each other.

2.       A supportive family is a blessing: From the first phone call saying that I was stranded, to the hysterical second phone call, to the defeated third phone call, my family has been there for me. The Mom willing to drive 2 hours after a long day at work, the Dad who is trying to search his brain for what could possibly be wrong with the car and helps you find and purchase a new car, and the Grama who is just going to replace the car that is doing you wrong. Not a lot of people have such a strong supportive family and I am so thankful that I do.

3.       Money can be a pretty big deal, but it shouldn’t have control: This one is pretty self-explanatory, but don’t let money have power over you. That’s a bad idea.

4.       Sometimes it isn’t your lesson to learn: Someone pointed out to me that the car trouble might not exist because of a lesson that I need to learn. Maybe someone needed to know that I depended on them. Maybe someone needed another person to talk to. Maybe they needed me to not be on the road as they were driving. Maybe they needed to see how to trust God in any situation. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t about me.

Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I am thankful for this whole “adventure,” but I will strive to discover all of the lessons to come out of it. Because if you’ve got a situation, it’s worth your time to find the silver lining.

Thinking Things

               

          I have been alone a lot lately. Partly because my car is no longer and partly because it is my "slow season." And it is making me think. When you are alone in your apartment, you have plenty of time. And how you choose to fill that time can tell a lot about you. Now, don't go jumping to conclusions about what this blog post is gonna say, I'm not going to make you feel all down on yourself for watching Netflix and cruising Facebook... we've all done it. But the thoughts and mindset that you enter into when you are left to your own devices tells a lot about where you've been and where you are going. 

          So I challenge you to think about what you are thinking about when you are alone. Is it propelling you into the future you that you want to be? Maybe you don't know who the future you is... that's ok! I just want to challenge you to take a second and think!

Invest in Relationships

     Another question that was asked of me recently went something like this: "How do you invest in the relationships in your life?" In my mind, I instantly responded, "Nope. I'm single. No relationship for me to invest in." But then I pushed back that insecure part of me and started thinking about all of the relationships that are present in my life. 

     My relationships with my mom, dad, grama, and sisters. My relationship with my nieces. My relationships with my students. My relationships with my friends who live locally. My relationships with my friends who live farther away. My relationships with my co-workers who get to see my when I am most stressed :/ My relationships with the people in my small group Bible study. All of these people, in all aspects of my life. 

      What would our lives be without other people? (all of the introverts are saying things such as "peaceful" and "lovely") But seriously, we are all interdependent in some way or another so without those people, what would your life look like? So then my follow-up question is this, what are you doing to devote yourself to those people? 

     As I sit here and type this, I am asking myself all the same questions. Yes, it is easier for me to sit here in my apartment and cruise Pinterest while watching Netflix, but wouldn't writing a letter to a friend from camp (while watching Netflix) be a better way to devote myself to others? A better way to invest in the people around me?

     This post isn't really an "upper". It's a little convicting (at least for me) and a bit hard to digest. So, maybe as a way to turn things around, grab a pen and paper, or open up a new text message, and thank those who have been investing in you recently.  Because they are the people who make all the difference in this thing called life.