This is a past blog post that seems very relevant to a sitaution I'm facing. Sometimes I need reminding...
Just when you think you've got it all figured out, and you're going about your day to day life without a care in the world, God gets your attention. He certainly got mine.
I had gotten so wrapped up in the day to day, telling God what MY plans are, and not seeking His wisdom in any of it, that God knew that He had to get my attention. He did. Last week was awful. I know now that it was God's way of getting my attention, and apparantly, He had to take drastic measures to do so. Sometimes that's the only way.
All I wanted was to get back to "normal." But God has a different plan. He doesn't want me to get back to normal as I knew it, He wants to bring me to a "better normal," a normal that far surpasses anything I can imagine. God wants that for all of us I think. So I'm trusting Him in the meantime, until He has brought me to the better normal where He wants me to be.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Shocking
I just read that actor Heath Ledger was found dead of a supsected drug overdose in a New York apartment today. I must say that I had to read several accounts of this tragedy to truly believe it. He was so young. Such a tragic event.
Whether this was intentional or accidental, I don't yet know. But anyone reading this, please know that nothing is ever so bad that you can't go on. There is always, ALWAYS, hope.
Whether this was intentional or accidental, I don't yet know. But anyone reading this, please know that nothing is ever so bad that you can't go on. There is always, ALWAYS, hope.
Monday, January 21, 2008
A quote I love...
My coworker and I share the same affliction...we both like/need affirmation. He shared with me the following quote that changed my life...
"Doing something good around here is like peeing yourself while wearing a black suit; You get a warm feeling, but no one notices."
Profound.
"Doing something good around here is like peeing yourself while wearing a black suit; You get a warm feeling, but no one notices."
Profound.
Some stuff I've written, Part One
This was something I wrote in response to a news report I heard while getting ready for work that reported a study finding that the suicide rate among young women is up. I emailed the editor of a local weekly paper to see if she would be interested in it, and it turns out that she was. It was published in the "It Matters To Me" section of Sync Weekly. Enjoy...
Published in Sync Weekly
URL: http://sync.arkansasonline.com/news/2007/oct/02/it-matters-me-girls-self-esteem/
It matters to Me: Girls’ self-esteem
Ginny Wiedower
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I am by no means an expert on mental health issues. I am, however, a female who, when getting ready for work in the morning, was jolted with a stinging static as I listened to the morning news while putting on my pinstriped pants.
“A new report from the CDC reveals that [the] suicide rate among young girls is up.” Still in my early morning pre-caffeinated fog, I vaguely listened to a manager of a local mental health rehabilitation center list several reasons that young girls commit suicide, but what has plagued me since hearing that report was the primary reason that young girls are killing themselves: low self-esteem.
I was immediately taken back to the halls of my high school, halls I walked while donning a false confidence to hide what I really was, a scared little girl who just wanted to be liked.
Low self-esteem is something I used to know. Something I used to live. Looking back, I now understand that at the root of my awkward insecurities was a self-imposed constant comparison of myself with others, from the “so beautiful they can’t be real” girls at school to the of-the-minute celebrities on TV. I was trying to reach an arbitrary “standard” that I thought, once reached, would elevate me to a pedestal of popularity and perfection.
Thank goodness that’s over. My roommate and I joked just last night about how mean girls were when we were in high school, looking at me like I had committed some heinous crime, or worse, a heinous fashion faux pas because I sat at “their” lunch table. I ended the conversation with my roommate saying that I would never go back to high school for all the money in the world, but the more I think about it, it would be pretty great to go back knowing what I know now.
I think the comfort the majority of us, myself included, grow into comes with age and comes from a process of self-discovery. What broke my heart as I listened to the morning news and heard that young girls are killing themselves due to low self-esteem is the fact that those girls won’t have the chance to journey through the process of self-discovery that leads to a level of self-comfort that leads to true confidence that leads to freedom.
Young girls have it rough these days. These girls, who don’t yet understand the concept of Photoshop, who don’t understand that reality TV isn’t real, are inundated daily with images of scantily clad, perfectly sculpted, almost non-human actresses, models, and the like. What’s worse is that those images are portrayed as the “standard” for beauty.
Take Britney Spears’ quasi-comeback VMA performance for example. I watched her writhing on stage in her glittery lingerie and thought “Wow, I hope I look like that after I have two kids.” Who am I kidding? I would love to look like that now! But the next day the media was flooded with reports of how grotesque and disgusting Britney’s body looked. I was shocked.
Imagine being a 13-year-old girl hearing that Britney Spears, who looks to be well below the national average women’s clothing size of 11, is grotesque and has a body that jiggles like Jell-O. I imagine a fragile-minded young girl might think that if Britney Spears’ body isn’t good enough, mine is definitely way below par, thus initiating a cycle of self-doubt and insecurity, resulting in low self-esteem.
So what can be done about this? Can we change the mindset of millions of Americans? Can we apply mandates in Hollywood that ban [waifish] actresses and celebrities? Odds are slim to none. But I know what I can and will do. I will make a point to throw out a few more “you go girls” everyday. I will do my best to appreciate the truly beautiful human characteristics: intelligence, kindness, compassion, and warmth. Do I think that is where it should stop? Absolutely not. But like everything else in life, we have to start somewhere.
Published in Sync Weekly
URL: http://sync.arkansasonline.com/news/2007/oct/02/it-matters-me-girls-self-esteem/
It matters to Me: Girls’ self-esteem
Ginny Wiedower
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I am by no means an expert on mental health issues. I am, however, a female who, when getting ready for work in the morning, was jolted with a stinging static as I listened to the morning news while putting on my pinstriped pants.
“A new report from the CDC reveals that [the] suicide rate among young girls is up.” Still in my early morning pre-caffeinated fog, I vaguely listened to a manager of a local mental health rehabilitation center list several reasons that young girls commit suicide, but what has plagued me since hearing that report was the primary reason that young girls are killing themselves: low self-esteem.
I was immediately taken back to the halls of my high school, halls I walked while donning a false confidence to hide what I really was, a scared little girl who just wanted to be liked.
Low self-esteem is something I used to know. Something I used to live. Looking back, I now understand that at the root of my awkward insecurities was a self-imposed constant comparison of myself with others, from the “so beautiful they can’t be real” girls at school to the of-the-minute celebrities on TV. I was trying to reach an arbitrary “standard” that I thought, once reached, would elevate me to a pedestal of popularity and perfection.
Thank goodness that’s over. My roommate and I joked just last night about how mean girls were when we were in high school, looking at me like I had committed some heinous crime, or worse, a heinous fashion faux pas because I sat at “their” lunch table. I ended the conversation with my roommate saying that I would never go back to high school for all the money in the world, but the more I think about it, it would be pretty great to go back knowing what I know now.
I think the comfort the majority of us, myself included, grow into comes with age and comes from a process of self-discovery. What broke my heart as I listened to the morning news and heard that young girls are killing themselves due to low self-esteem is the fact that those girls won’t have the chance to journey through the process of self-discovery that leads to a level of self-comfort that leads to true confidence that leads to freedom.
Young girls have it rough these days. These girls, who don’t yet understand the concept of Photoshop, who don’t understand that reality TV isn’t real, are inundated daily with images of scantily clad, perfectly sculpted, almost non-human actresses, models, and the like. What’s worse is that those images are portrayed as the “standard” for beauty.
Take Britney Spears’ quasi-comeback VMA performance for example. I watched her writhing on stage in her glittery lingerie and thought “Wow, I hope I look like that after I have two kids.” Who am I kidding? I would love to look like that now! But the next day the media was flooded with reports of how grotesque and disgusting Britney’s body looked. I was shocked.
Imagine being a 13-year-old girl hearing that Britney Spears, who looks to be well below the national average women’s clothing size of 11, is grotesque and has a body that jiggles like Jell-O. I imagine a fragile-minded young girl might think that if Britney Spears’ body isn’t good enough, mine is definitely way below par, thus initiating a cycle of self-doubt and insecurity, resulting in low self-esteem.
So what can be done about this? Can we change the mindset of millions of Americans? Can we apply mandates in Hollywood that ban [waifish] actresses and celebrities? Odds are slim to none. But I know what I can and will do. I will make a point to throw out a few more “you go girls” everyday. I will do my best to appreciate the truly beautiful human characteristics: intelligence, kindness, compassion, and warmth. Do I think that is where it should stop? Absolutely not. But like everything else in life, we have to start somewhere.
Here Goes Nothin'
Hello, I'm Ginny. I wanted to begin writing a blog for several reasons: I love to write, I like to share what I write, pure boredom, and finally, why the heck not.
I guess I'll begin with the proverbial "about me" section. Born and raised in the South, have a family that's as close to perfect and as far away from perfection as possible and for that I am blessed beyond measure, have a few really close and loyal friends and several acquaintances. I just got a new job working in Marketing for a high-tech company, and so far it's pretty cool. I am definitely being challenged to learn things I never even thought about to this point, so that has been exciting. Previously worked at an advertising, marketing, and PR agency. I was the PR department. I decided I needed something...else, so I moved on and now here I am.
If I had to describe myself/my life in one word, it would absolutely without a doubt be "blessed." God has brought so many unbelievable blessings into my life, none of which I deserve. That's the beauty of grace folks. I try, and often fail, to live in a way that reflects the blessings that have been poured out into my life. Definitely not perfect, no desire to be, but definitely making an effort, more so each day.
In summary, I am pretty much your average girl, loved by an anything but average God, and working toward fulfilling an amazing purpose. So, that's me.
I guess I'll begin with the proverbial "about me" section. Born and raised in the South, have a family that's as close to perfect and as far away from perfection as possible and for that I am blessed beyond measure, have a few really close and loyal friends and several acquaintances. I just got a new job working in Marketing for a high-tech company, and so far it's pretty cool. I am definitely being challenged to learn things I never even thought about to this point, so that has been exciting. Previously worked at an advertising, marketing, and PR agency. I was the PR department. I decided I needed something...else, so I moved on and now here I am.
If I had to describe myself/my life in one word, it would absolutely without a doubt be "blessed." God has brought so many unbelievable blessings into my life, none of which I deserve. That's the beauty of grace folks. I try, and often fail, to live in a way that reflects the blessings that have been poured out into my life. Definitely not perfect, no desire to be, but definitely making an effort, more so each day.
In summary, I am pretty much your average girl, loved by an anything but average God, and working toward fulfilling an amazing purpose. So, that's me.
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