I've decided to embark on a new project of sorts.
You can follow it here...http://www.theyearofginny.blogspot.com
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Trying Not to Get Hurt
I think that in many instances in which I end up making someone mad, or offending someone in some way, it's all because I'm making an effort not to get hurt.
Once we've been hurt, and we've felt everything that comes along with it, most of us try to prevent from having to feel that way ever again. Being hurt, to the core, is the worst. It's damaging and leaves scars that can only heal with time.
I think the times that I put up walls and jump to the defensive, or intentionally keep someone at arm's length through any number of mechanisms, I'm really just trying not to get hurt. It seems hard, learning how to walk the fine line between letting your guard down and also protecting your heart. I've written about this before, but it's still something I'm trying to figure out.
So the next time I, or someone else, do something that at first makes you mad or upset, realize that really, at the end of the day, we're all just trying not to get hurt.
Once we've been hurt, and we've felt everything that comes along with it, most of us try to prevent from having to feel that way ever again. Being hurt, to the core, is the worst. It's damaging and leaves scars that can only heal with time.
I think the times that I put up walls and jump to the defensive, or intentionally keep someone at arm's length through any number of mechanisms, I'm really just trying not to get hurt. It seems hard, learning how to walk the fine line between letting your guard down and also protecting your heart. I've written about this before, but it's still something I'm trying to figure out.
So the next time I, or someone else, do something that at first makes you mad or upset, realize that really, at the end of the day, we're all just trying not to get hurt.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Breath
One of life's most profound, yet simple pleasures is to take a really deep breath. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Maybe even sigh or otherwise verbalize your exhale. Few things are better.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Smallest Things
Sometimes God speaks to me in the smallest things.
Yesterday, I was saving a document, of which the first words were "It is well-documented..." When I was saving the document, as is usually the case, the first words were listed in the "Save As" title. In this case, it said "It is well." One of my favorite hymns.
As cliche as it is to say, don't forsake the small things that God speaks to you through. Being able to find meaning in the minute details of our lives is one of the greatest paths to joy. At least I think so.
Yesterday, I was saving a document, of which the first words were "It is well-documented..." When I was saving the document, as is usually the case, the first words were listed in the "Save As" title. In this case, it said "It is well." One of my favorite hymns.
As cliche as it is to say, don't forsake the small things that God speaks to you through. Being able to find meaning in the minute details of our lives is one of the greatest paths to joy. At least I think so.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Humility: Word of the Day (and Week, and Month, and Year)
Recently I've realized that I am in need of a dose of humility.
Humility is defined by the all-knowing Wikipedia as this: "Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others."
As a Christian and someone who attempts (and often fails) to follow Jesus' patterns for how I should act, it disturbs me that lately I've been catching myself thinking prideful, even arrogant thoughts.
Granted, I think self-confidence and pride are two different things. I think it's very positive to believe in yourself and to have healthy self-esteem. I also think it's negative to take self-confidence to the level of self-pride, believing that I can do things on my own apart from the help of others, including God.
It's so easy to get caught up in the daily trappings of life, and it's easy (at least for me) to be consumed by the goings-on in my little singular world. I know that I need to do a better job of recognizing that the world is so full, and so far beyond my own meager "problems" and "issues." I need to do a better job of recognizing and appreciating others, even in the smallest things. I need to do a better job of having a servant's heart, instead of expecting others to serve me.
Why I am blogging this? Because I think the act of admitting where I fall short is freeing and is a first step in working on the areas that need work, all 1,765,394 of them. And maybe, just maybe, someone else out there struggles with the same things as I do, and maybe, just maybe, they'll realize they're not alone in their faults.
Humility is defined by the all-knowing Wikipedia as this: "Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others."
As a Christian and someone who attempts (and often fails) to follow Jesus' patterns for how I should act, it disturbs me that lately I've been catching myself thinking prideful, even arrogant thoughts.
Granted, I think self-confidence and pride are two different things. I think it's very positive to believe in yourself and to have healthy self-esteem. I also think it's negative to take self-confidence to the level of self-pride, believing that I can do things on my own apart from the help of others, including God.
It's so easy to get caught up in the daily trappings of life, and it's easy (at least for me) to be consumed by the goings-on in my little singular world. I know that I need to do a better job of recognizing that the world is so full, and so far beyond my own meager "problems" and "issues." I need to do a better job of recognizing and appreciating others, even in the smallest things. I need to do a better job of having a servant's heart, instead of expecting others to serve me.
Why I am blogging this? Because I think the act of admitting where I fall short is freeing and is a first step in working on the areas that need work, all 1,765,394 of them. And maybe, just maybe, someone else out there struggles with the same things as I do, and maybe, just maybe, they'll realize they're not alone in their faults.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Life, In Three Words
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
Robert Frost
Yes, yes it does.
Robert Frost
Yes, yes it does.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wow.
A great deal has changed since my last post, not the least of which is that in the last three weeks, I've lost a job, taken a week's break, and started a new one.
The overarching theme of this whole ordeal is this: God is in control. The way that things unfolded left me with no doubts that He is deeply involved in the orchestration of my life and my circumstances, and left with no doubt that He wants me to be happy and wants to take care of me. I certainly don't deserve it, but it's true. Miraculously true.
I've learned the dangers of pride, in ourselves and in others. It is absolutely toxic. I'm not talking about taking personal pride in a job well done, etc., I'm talking about arrogance and placing yourself above others, even if only in your own thoughts.
I don't have the desire (nor the time) to go into all of the details of the last three weeks. I have a new job, somewhere that I worked for a couple of years back, and I am extremely busy even in my first week, and I am happy to be doing work that I thoroughly enjoy, especially the writing. I've had to realign some priorities and refocus my thoughts about the source of my worth, and I don't think I'm quite done with that process. But I'm getting there.
The overarching theme of this whole ordeal is this: God is in control. The way that things unfolded left me with no doubts that He is deeply involved in the orchestration of my life and my circumstances, and left with no doubt that He wants me to be happy and wants to take care of me. I certainly don't deserve it, but it's true. Miraculously true.
I've learned the dangers of pride, in ourselves and in others. It is absolutely toxic. I'm not talking about taking personal pride in a job well done, etc., I'm talking about arrogance and placing yourself above others, even if only in your own thoughts.
I don't have the desire (nor the time) to go into all of the details of the last three weeks. I have a new job, somewhere that I worked for a couple of years back, and I am extremely busy even in my first week, and I am happy to be doing work that I thoroughly enjoy, especially the writing. I've had to realign some priorities and refocus my thoughts about the source of my worth, and I don't think I'm quite done with that process. But I'm getting there.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Quote #1,753...and counting
Couldn't help but share this one...
"For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
"For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
?
I don't really have anything to write about, but since Valentine's Day is over, I didn't want my most recent post to be about V-Day. I'm weird about that kind of stuff. So this is it.
Friday, February 13, 2009
I Love Love.
I absolutely adore Valentine's Day. It is definitely my favorite holiday. I believe that this is a day to celebrate all of the love in our lives, in all of its forms and from all of its sources. I don't think this day has to be solely about romantic love; I think it is a day to celebrate the love from family, friends, and everyone else in our lives that shares their love with us.
That's why I love Valentine's Day.
That's why I love Valentine's Day.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Another Quote...Surprise Surprise.
I read this today. Loved it.
“As a young woman I didn’t realize this fact. I hadn’t made a deep connection with myself the way that I have now. It took some bumps and bruises in the arena of love to fully understand how beautiful and amazing love was and to recognize that I was my best lover, my best friend, my best companion. No one outside of me could ever have been as present for me as I could be with myself, or even love me as honestly as I could do for myself.”
-Kyle King
“As a young woman I didn’t realize this fact. I hadn’t made a deep connection with myself the way that I have now. It took some bumps and bruises in the arena of love to fully understand how beautiful and amazing love was and to recognize that I was my best lover, my best friend, my best companion. No one outside of me could ever have been as present for me as I could be with myself, or even love me as honestly as I could do for myself.”
-Kyle King
Monday, February 9, 2009
When to Walk Away
Last night as I watched the Grammy's (and pretended to be Joan Rivers as I watched the bests and the worsts of the red carpet), a new artist that I was unfamiliar with performed. Her name is Adele, and she performed her award-winning song "Chasing Pavements."
The chorus asks a question I've asked myself on numerous occasions: "Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements, even if it leads nowhere?"
Knowing when to walk away, from a dream, a relationship, etc., is one of the hardest things to know and to understand. How do you know when it's time to give up, time to walk away?
On one hand, I don't want to give up on something or someone. I don't like the feeling that I'm quitting. On the other hand, I don't want to waste my time on something that won't come to fruition. Life is too short.
Life is indeed to short, but I also think life is too short to not be truly happy. I think one of the ways to gauge when it's time to walk away is to honestly evaluate whether or not the situation, the relationship, the dream, etc. makes you happy.
Do I think I should quit everything or everyone that doesn't make me happy every second of every day? Absolutely not. Life is full of ups and downs. It's part of what makes life beautiful. But I think that when we take the time to honestly and truthfully evaluate what we're doing, and chasing, to determine what we are actually getting from it, it can reveal whether or not it's time to walk away. Or whether it's worth the chase.
The chorus asks a question I've asked myself on numerous occasions: "Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements, even if it leads nowhere?"
Knowing when to walk away, from a dream, a relationship, etc., is one of the hardest things to know and to understand. How do you know when it's time to give up, time to walk away?
On one hand, I don't want to give up on something or someone. I don't like the feeling that I'm quitting. On the other hand, I don't want to waste my time on something that won't come to fruition. Life is too short.
Life is indeed to short, but I also think life is too short to not be truly happy. I think one of the ways to gauge when it's time to walk away is to honestly evaluate whether or not the situation, the relationship, the dream, etc. makes you happy.
Do I think I should quit everything or everyone that doesn't make me happy every second of every day? Absolutely not. Life is full of ups and downs. It's part of what makes life beautiful. But I think that when we take the time to honestly and truthfully evaluate what we're doing, and chasing, to determine what we are actually getting from it, it can reveal whether or not it's time to walk away. Or whether it's worth the chase.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Toxic
I have a really hard time writing people off. It makes me feal bad, mean. But I've come to realize that there are some people that are just toxic. They bring nothing but acidic snideness, vomit-inducing arrogance, or a general dark cloud to our lives. Or, in serious cases, they bring all of the above.
By deciding to cease contact and communications with these types of people, you are doing yourself a tremendous favor, even if you initially feel a pang of guilt. It's important to evaluate the relationships in our lives and determine if they are positive or negative forces. I am so incredibly fortunate to have overwhelmingly positive relationships in my life, and I am truly grateful for them.
But not all are positive, and those that arent', those that are by definition toxic, will be given the boot. I'm doing myself a favor, and in this instance, I'm OK if I hurt someone's feelings. Because in the end, the most important relationships we have are the relationship we have with our Higher Power, and our relationship with ourselves.
By deciding to cease contact and communications with these types of people, you are doing yourself a tremendous favor, even if you initially feel a pang of guilt. It's important to evaluate the relationships in our lives and determine if they are positive or negative forces. I am so incredibly fortunate to have overwhelmingly positive relationships in my life, and I am truly grateful for them.
But not all are positive, and those that arent', those that are by definition toxic, will be given the boot. I'm doing myself a favor, and in this instance, I'm OK if I hurt someone's feelings. Because in the end, the most important relationships we have are the relationship we have with our Higher Power, and our relationship with ourselves.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Outages and Gratitude
Last week the power went out, only in the back half of my house. I couldn't turn on my lights or TV in my bedroom, and didn't have light in my bathroom either. I had to plug in an extension chord and use lamps in my bathroom and bedroom to be able to see at all in those rooms.
After about a day, having to plug/unplug the lamps and extension chord became very annoying. I realized in my frustration that I take so many things for granted, even things as simple as being able to turn on a light with just the flip of a switch.
This got me thinking...why do we take so many things, and people, in our lives for granted? I guess because it's easy. When something or someone is around consistently, it becomes a "given," and is expected. I think it's sad that we oftentimes have to lose something or someone in order to be fully appreciative of it or of them.
Now that my power has been restored (thank you Chris the electrician!), I don't take for granted the ease of flipping a switch when I enter a room. But I wonder, how long will it take before it becomes commonplace again, before I forget what it was like without it? Something to think about I think.
After about a day, having to plug/unplug the lamps and extension chord became very annoying. I realized in my frustration that I take so many things for granted, even things as simple as being able to turn on a light with just the flip of a switch.
This got me thinking...why do we take so many things, and people, in our lives for granted? I guess because it's easy. When something or someone is around consistently, it becomes a "given," and is expected. I think it's sad that we oftentimes have to lose something or someone in order to be fully appreciative of it or of them.
Now that my power has been restored (thank you Chris the electrician!), I don't take for granted the ease of flipping a switch when I enter a room. But I wonder, how long will it take before it becomes commonplace again, before I forget what it was like without it? Something to think about I think.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A Skate Down Memory Lane
Today I was talking to someone and suggested that we get a group to go roller skating. This brought back some of the fondest memories of my lifetime...
My sister and I used to roller skate on the carport outside our house for hours on end, while listening to Amy Grant (my first concert, by the way), Paula Abdul, or Mariah Carey on our portable boombox.
Those were the days. Although I'm sure if I brought out a pair of roller skates and an Amy Grant CD, my sister and I would revert to our childhood roller skating champion selves. Maybe I'll give her a call.
My sister and I used to roller skate on the carport outside our house for hours on end, while listening to Amy Grant (my first concert, by the way), Paula Abdul, or Mariah Carey on our portable boombox.
Those were the days. Although I'm sure if I brought out a pair of roller skates and an Amy Grant CD, my sister and I would revert to our childhood roller skating champion selves. Maybe I'll give her a call.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
