Eeyore

On Sunday our interim minister gave a sermon about the "Eeyore"s in the church. He's been serving as an interim, or supply, minister for 30+ years. Needless to say, he's run into a few Eeyores over the years. His perspective of an "Eeyore" is a person that is an eternal pessimist. He also referred to them as a "stale air" Christian. The people who will always look at what is going wrong in the church, constantly overlooking what is going right. Yes, it is important to be aware of what is going wrong in the church so we can do our best to fix it and grow in Christ. However, we have to remember that our hope is in Christ. We can't focus so much on our shortcomings that we lose our hope. To get back to the point, the minister was trying to convey how ineffective our ministry becomes when we are Eeyore Christians. No one would be attracted to a ministry that is perpetually down and "woe is me" - our message is more potent when we provide the "fresh air": all of the qualities of life that have improved as a result of our walk in Christ.

Needless to say, these last few days I've been in a slump. I'm not sure if I was an Eeyore per say, but I certainly wasn't feeling like myself. Now, there are loads of quotes I could put in now: "Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present" or "There is no time like the present" but my favorite on this topic: "You will never 'find' time for anything. If you want time, you must make it." -Charles Buxton I love that quote. I use it frequently to get myself in gear. Knowing how out of sorts I've felt the last few days, and how much the rest of the work week would increase that disarray, I knew I had to do something drastic. Last night before bed I wrote out a to-do list of all the little things that I needed to accomplish. And I prayed about it, for the energy and the focus to get things done.

I worked on and off, mostly on, for 13 hours. I ignored my cell phone. I didn't turn my computer on until I needed to print out a recipe. I didn't even turn on my TV until I had crossed several items off my list. Even then, it was movies - no commercials and less distraction. (Also, less need to actively watch because I own it on DVD!) I think my boyfriend thought I was dead. (Or that he was in the dog house for unknowingly upsetting me and that I just wasn't talking to him. Either way.)

Thankfully, I had a fantastically productive day! Which, I think is the result of prayer more-so than sheer determination. I moved a few things around with the hope that I would be more diligent (music to transpose, devotional binder, etc) Let's hope that my spirit is renewed and that I will be a more diligent, optimistic, "fresh water" Christian and can have a positive effect on those around me.

"The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."

-Proverbs 13:4 [ESV]

Those Days

I've had one of those days.

You know the ones.

After spending the last few days with my best friend, who was home on spring break, and her fiance, it occurs to me that summer is still on the fast track. Which means bridesmaids dress shopping. And my workout...well, it's not on track. Which means potentially less fun had while bridesmaids dress shopping.

Also, I have a Deacon's meeting at Church tomorrow. And I have yet to type up the minutes from our last meeting. Awe-some. The last meeting, which I am writing the minutes on, a) was my first Deacon's meeting and b) started before I arrived SO let's hope the other Deacon's are forgiving of my lack of details...

Also, realizing that I have exactly one sheet of printer paper left. It's a good thing the minutes will be short and sweet. And, let's hope, correct.

Adventures In Modern Medicine

So I really want to go to Africa.
I would also really like to be granted access back into the United States when I come back.
This requires a lot of medication and vaccines.

I got three vaccinations today. at once.

My awesome Pharm D, Cory, said I was crazy. He did a double take when I told him I wanted three at once.

"I'd be scared to get three at once."
(pause)
"I've never ever given three vaccines at once before."

But if you've met Cory, you'll know that he is thrilled by the opportunity to use me as his personal guinea pig.
Fact: I allowed Cory to give me the first vaccine for my Africa trip, after not being vaccinated at all for 9 years.
He was great. He did hit my bone, and it was a lot of vaccine with a reputation for being painful, but it was easy!

So once he initially got over his caution, he quickly got excited. He was rushing me to finish my paperwork. He is really great at what he does. He even took time to get me a different chair to sit on, in case I lost my balance after being "stabbed" three times and fell off. He didn't make me go to the vaccination room, he let me sit in the break area. Probably for convenience, and because my weird coworker really wanted to watch me get vaccinated. She was amazed. I didn't flinch. They both told me I was brave. Really? Just because I don't let a little (okay, it's not actually so little...) needle scare me.

Either way, despite Cory making me bleed (he thinks he hit a capillary), I was up and moving within 5 minutes or so. My coworker said I looked pale. Um. I'm pretty sure I always look pale, but thanks for pointing that out. I recovered pretty quickly. Felt great. Ran errands. Went to the grocery store for my mom.

I feel like superwoman!
Now if I could just take my head-on thought process for vaccines and translate it to the rest of my to-do list...

Get It Right

I am a lot of things. I am lively. cheerful. outgoing. introverted. blunt. brash. funny. sarcastic. cute. charismatic. magnetic. bull headed. stubborn. a sucker for love. a hard worker. a worrier. I don't care enough what people think of me. I care too much what other people think of me. I will do everything in my power to get it right. But sometimes I get it all wrong.

Our society is so messed up sometimes. Our priorities. Our trends. Our lack of morals and religion. Our temporal fixations can prevent us from enjoying all of our blessings.

For the most part, I've been dealt an excellent plan. My parents were parents. They keep me grounded. I say "may I" not "can I" along with "please", "thank you" and "excuse me."

Sometimes we all need reminders though. Reminders never hurt.

Some helpful tips for girls and guys


"Congratulations!
Today is your day!
You're off to great places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.'
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."
-Dr. Seuss,   From Oh, The Places You'll Go!

You matter. You were made with a purpose. Life is not a test. Make it matter. Get it right.

All We Have Is Today

Happy Belated Easter!!!

Saturday night I watched "The Notebook." As always, I've been doing a lot of thinking. It hit me during the 11:00 service on Sunday. I was sitting up front with the other musicians and there it was. The realization that I used to play the French horn every day. I realistically haven't played since Christmas. Cue the scene where Allie realizes she stopped painting. Here are my thoughts, feelings, and inspirations, with a little help from pinterest.com


Thought #1: When you only look at the shadows, molehills can easily be mistaken as mountains.

  

 

Thought #2: Sometimes you have to make yourself look towards the sunshine.

 

Thought #3: You only live once.

 

  

 Thought #4: Make the most of it!

 

Thought #5: Be the happiest version of yourself. 

 

 

Thought #6: Then maybe you will be happy with someone else. 

 

 

I've realized it's not about whether or not I'm shopping. I've cleaned out my closet again. I want to use my next coupons to buy clothes for my nephews, because goodness knows they go through clothes faster than I will! I've remembered that the internet is great, but the benefits are short-lived when they outweigh time spent being more productive. I feel happiest when my attention is focused on the computer or the television, but not both. Life is better in real time. I want to focus on doing what I love, not merely doing (anything.) I want to be artsy and crafty. [French horn, guitar, photography, scrapbooking, sewing and crocheting.] And silly. And endearing and honest. To remember that compromise and balance are the keys to success in almost any circumstance. To not be afraid to wear my heart on my sleeve. 

We are all perishable. We must live accordingly.

A Hard Year

Yesterday was another round of cleaning. I started with my closet a) because I noticed I was really having to cram the clothes into one drawer for it to close properly and b) because tackling the closet is so much easier for me than attacking the box of miscellaneous stuff that I really need to go through. I'm obsessed with having a clean, easily organized room. I want to know where everything is. I want to go into my closet and clearly be able to tell what I have. But I also think I'm subconsciously trying to make room for new [happy] memories after such a hard few months.

2011 was a rough year for me. Changes at work. Guys who weren't the nice guys I wanted to believe they were. And best friends. I'm one of the lucky ones. I have kept in touch with four friends from junior and senior high school. People I met in 7th grade, and that was 13 years ago! Three of them are already married; I was in two of the weddings. Two of them have children. I keep in touch with some of them more frequently than others. That's the thing about best friends: you can overlook the bad and focus on the good. But that changed before Christmas. One friend pushed things beyond the limit. After many conversations, and a few tears, my best friend and I decided that we could not be the positive influence in her life that we desperately wanted to be. It was time to move on and hope God sent someone who could help her understand in a way we couldn't.

I feel mostly okay. There was too much that had transpired. The end of the friendship was not like a bad breakup. I was not faced with the feeling of extreme and sudden loss, just the awareness that there is a hole that has not been filled. Shortly before this debacle, our mutual best friend got engaged. I was worried this would be the kicker for me. I don't miss my friend, or at least not the friend she had become the last few years. All the same I was really worried it would hit me while we were wedding planning for my best friend. Two weekends ago we went wedding dress shopping, ironically at the same boutique the former friend purchased her dress at (I was also part of that trip.) Thankfully, the trip was mostly upbeat. Attention and thoughts stayed focused on Chelsie.

It is agreed it will be the hardest for me, since I was in more frequent contact with this friend than Chelsie. We still lived in the same town and she was the friend who always wanted people around her. I relish alone time, so I must admit at times I perceived this as very demanding behavior. I talk to friends often, though I don't have the in person interaction I did with her. For now, this is okay. After all, I still have to tackle the box of junk that I have been putting off for months and months. I'm looking forward to summer, more wedding planning, and many new memories.

Your Weight Loss Resolution?

 A wake up call to motivate you to lose those extra lbs:


http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/03/11007637-the-surprising-new-face-of-obesity