Monday, October 31, 2005
Surrogate Post
Tonight, rather than posting some tidbit of wisdom or knowledge I think I’ve discovered, I’d like to point you to words I really needed to hear. Click here to read a blog post by none other than Carolyn McCulley. It’s sort of long, but it’s worth it. At least it was for me.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Friends are funny, no?
Friends are funny, aren’t they? At least mine are. Most of the time. Occasionally, though, someone’s ‘hilarity meter’ will get all bonked up and they will be unable to determine what is actually funny and what is most definitely NOT.
One such ‘friend’ forwarded me the following story from Dilbert.com, which can be found here.
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
The blogger’s philosophy goes something like this:
Everything that I think about is more fascinating than the crap in your head.
The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book, is that no editor will be interfering with my random spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and on and never end so that you feel like you need to take a breath and clear your head before you can even consider making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn’t need to be written anyhoo.
If that doesn’t inspire you to read my blog, I don’t know what will. You can find the Dilbert Blog at http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/
Then this ‘friend’ said this: “The quote about the crap in [other people’s heads]... that was you. All YOU, girl.”
Indeed, it may very well be. I mean, think about it. Let’s pick two people at random. What are the chances that the thoughts in one person’s head are in fact more interesting than the thoughts in the other person’s head? Now let’s choose 20 people. Surely, there must be someone in the group whose thoughts are more interesting than everyone else’s. Right? Following the same logic, there must be some subset of the population whose thoughts are actually more interesting than the thoughts of the general public as a whole. But let’s assume that there is another subset of the general public consisting of people who understand that they are not a part of the original, aforementioned subset, and yet aspire to improve their mental faculties and broaden their intellectual capacities by actually seeking out the thoughts and opinions of said subset.
A dilemma presents itself: How to get inspirational and interesting thoughts from one subset of the population to the other in a cost-effective, time-sensitive manner? Such a medium exists in today’s world. It’s called a blog.
It’s true that there are many blogs out in the blogosphere and some aren’t worth the hard drive space on which they are saved. However, judging from the hit counter on MY blog, that appears NOT to be the case for mine. Apparently, my blog is indeed frequented by a number of patrons, and since I sell no liquor there, cheap or otherwise, I must assume they return for the encouraging words.
Oh, wait. There’s more to the conversation…(NOTE: NNF is short for Not Nice Friend.)
Me: you know i may have to trash talk you now on the blog, right?
NNF: oh...
NNF: go for it.
NNF: can't wait to read it.
Me: you say that now...
Did you catch that? The NNF ‘can’t wait’ to read the blog. Thank you, my friend, for proving my point so eloquently. Couldn’t possibly have done it better myself.
Happy reading. :)
One such ‘friend’ forwarded me the following story from Dilbert.com, which can be found here.
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
The blogger’s philosophy goes something like this:
Everything that I think about is more fascinating than the crap in your head.
The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book, is that no editor will be interfering with my random spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and on and never end so that you feel like you need to take a breath and clear your head before you can even consider making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn’t need to be written anyhoo.
If that doesn’t inspire you to read my blog, I don’t know what will. You can find the Dilbert Blog at http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/
Then this ‘friend’ said this: “The quote about the crap in [other people’s heads]... that was you. All YOU, girl.”
Indeed, it may very well be. I mean, think about it. Let’s pick two people at random. What are the chances that the thoughts in one person’s head are in fact more interesting than the thoughts in the other person’s head? Now let’s choose 20 people. Surely, there must be someone in the group whose thoughts are more interesting than everyone else’s. Right? Following the same logic, there must be some subset of the population whose thoughts are actually more interesting than the thoughts of the general public as a whole. But let’s assume that there is another subset of the general public consisting of people who understand that they are not a part of the original, aforementioned subset, and yet aspire to improve their mental faculties and broaden their intellectual capacities by actually seeking out the thoughts and opinions of said subset.
A dilemma presents itself: How to get inspirational and interesting thoughts from one subset of the population to the other in a cost-effective, time-sensitive manner? Such a medium exists in today’s world. It’s called a blog.
It’s true that there are many blogs out in the blogosphere and some aren’t worth the hard drive space on which they are saved. However, judging from the hit counter on MY blog, that appears NOT to be the case for mine. Apparently, my blog is indeed frequented by a number of patrons, and since I sell no liquor there, cheap or otherwise, I must assume they return for the encouraging words.
Oh, wait. There’s more to the conversation…(NOTE: NNF is short for Not Nice Friend.)
Me: you know i may have to trash talk you now on the blog, right?
NNF: oh...
NNF: go for it.
NNF: can't wait to read it.
Me: you say that now...
Did you catch that? The NNF ‘can’t wait’ to read the blog. Thank you, my friend, for proving my point so eloquently. Couldn’t possibly have done it better myself.
Happy reading. :)
Monday, October 24, 2005
Prayers
From The Pocket Book of Prayers:
O God, our father, by whose mercy and might the world turns safely into darkness and returns again into light: we give into your hands our unfinished tasks, our unresolved problems, and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only that which you bless will prosper. To your great love and protection we commit each other and all your people, knowing that you alone are our sure defender; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
-South India Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
-Saint Francis of Assisi
Father, it is a humbling thing to be died for. On this day let me remember that Jesus Christ, your Son, did exactly that for me. And he went to his death knowing full well how often I would forget his love. Let no pride keep me from kneeling at the foot of that cross. In the name of Jesus my Savior I pray. Amen.
-Peter Marshall
O God, our father, by whose mercy and might the world turns safely into darkness and returns again into light: we give into your hands our unfinished tasks, our unresolved problems, and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only that which you bless will prosper. To your great love and protection we commit each other and all your people, knowing that you alone are our sure defender; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
-South India Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
-Saint Francis of Assisi
Father, it is a humbling thing to be died for. On this day let me remember that Jesus Christ, your Son, did exactly that for me. And he went to his death knowing full well how often I would forget his love. Let no pride keep me from kneeling at the foot of that cross. In the name of Jesus my Savior I pray. Amen.
-Peter Marshall
Birds. And me.
This weekend I took part in the first ever Spiritual Orders Retreat with Lake Pointe Church. We went to Daingerfield State Park in east Texas for a few days of isolation from the world. We observed a number of the spiritual disciplines exercised by the saints of old in an attempt to reconnect with the way spiritual growth should be attained.
Friday we exercised Silence and Solitude. Some of you may think I found it challenging to remain silent for 6 straight hours. Oh, you would be wrong. I love silence and I love solitude. After I graduated from college, I moved to Houston for about 6 months. I didn’t really make much of an effort to make friends there, which I know wasn’t healthy, but it suited me just fine. I would leave work on Friday afternoon and not speak to a soul until Monday morning. And I loved it.
It’s amazing what you learn when you spend that much time in quiet. I was out looking over the water Friday morning and all I could hear was nature. And then suddenly I heard a sound I didn’t recognize. It almost sounded like traffic on the highway, but I knew it couldn’t be. I looked up and saw a flock of birds flying overhead. The sound I heard was the sound of their wings against the wind. I don’t think I had ever heard that sound before. It made me smile.
I continued to watch the birds and as they flew across the lake, they must have found something that interested them because they started flying in a circle, sort of hovering over the trees. It was this tall vortex of swirling black birds. I stood and watched them for a few minutes and I noticed how long the birds could just soar on the wind without having to beat their wings. They just gracefully, slowly descended.
Part of our devotional material that day included an excerpt from Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis of Sales. Here is a quote: The first point in these exercises is to appreciate their importance. Our earthly nature easily falls away from its higher tone by reason of frailty and evil tendency of the flesh, oppressing and dragging down the soul, unless it is constantly rising up by means of a vigorous resolution, just as a bird would speedily fall to the ground if it did not maintain its flight by repeated strokes of its wings.
But wait. I just watched a bird float in the air, without speedily falling to the ground AND without beating its wings. At first I thought I found a flaw in the analogy, but I realized that it is simply incomplete. Often times, without constant proactive effort on our part to maintain ourselves spiritually, we quickly fall to the ground. But other times, we simply descend, slowly, almost imperceptibly. We have fallen from great heights before we even realize we have begun to fall at all.
The Spring was very hard for me. Sometimes spiritual growth involves feeling empowered and encouraged. But other times it involves the destruction of our own will so that it can be replaced by the will of God. That’s what I dealt with this spring. I felt like a ratty old rocking chair with peeling paint and rusty nails. But then it was like God took a sandblaster to me and blasted away all the nastiness of myself until all that was left was just the raw wood. It’s interesting how such healing can come from such pain.
But then I felt like I plateaued. There was no more spiritual growth. I wasn’t falling back into any of the sins of yesteryear, so I felt like I was doing okay, but I wasn’t growing. But now I understand that I hadn’t plateaued at all. I was on that gentle descent. The imperceptible fall.
Reminded me of a quote from The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis:
It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
Your affectionate uncle,
SCREWTAPE
In my pride, I allowed complacency to set the tone of my life. I decided that I was doing well enough, and didn’t need to put forth much effort to maintain the ground I had gained. I realized this weekend that I was mistaken. I require communication with my God, or I will stumble. The way I live my life is never neutral to God. I’m either living for Him, or I’m not.
I pray that tomorrow is the beginning of a new era for me. A time of growth, of maturity, of closeness with God. A time that isn’t about me at all.
Friday we exercised Silence and Solitude. Some of you may think I found it challenging to remain silent for 6 straight hours. Oh, you would be wrong. I love silence and I love solitude. After I graduated from college, I moved to Houston for about 6 months. I didn’t really make much of an effort to make friends there, which I know wasn’t healthy, but it suited me just fine. I would leave work on Friday afternoon and not speak to a soul until Monday morning. And I loved it.
It’s amazing what you learn when you spend that much time in quiet. I was out looking over the water Friday morning and all I could hear was nature. And then suddenly I heard a sound I didn’t recognize. It almost sounded like traffic on the highway, but I knew it couldn’t be. I looked up and saw a flock of birds flying overhead. The sound I heard was the sound of their wings against the wind. I don’t think I had ever heard that sound before. It made me smile.
I continued to watch the birds and as they flew across the lake, they must have found something that interested them because they started flying in a circle, sort of hovering over the trees. It was this tall vortex of swirling black birds. I stood and watched them for a few minutes and I noticed how long the birds could just soar on the wind without having to beat their wings. They just gracefully, slowly descended.
Part of our devotional material that day included an excerpt from Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis of Sales. Here is a quote: The first point in these exercises is to appreciate their importance. Our earthly nature easily falls away from its higher tone by reason of frailty and evil tendency of the flesh, oppressing and dragging down the soul, unless it is constantly rising up by means of a vigorous resolution, just as a bird would speedily fall to the ground if it did not maintain its flight by repeated strokes of its wings.
But wait. I just watched a bird float in the air, without speedily falling to the ground AND without beating its wings. At first I thought I found a flaw in the analogy, but I realized that it is simply incomplete. Often times, without constant proactive effort on our part to maintain ourselves spiritually, we quickly fall to the ground. But other times, we simply descend, slowly, almost imperceptibly. We have fallen from great heights before we even realize we have begun to fall at all.
The Spring was very hard for me. Sometimes spiritual growth involves feeling empowered and encouraged. But other times it involves the destruction of our own will so that it can be replaced by the will of God. That’s what I dealt with this spring. I felt like a ratty old rocking chair with peeling paint and rusty nails. But then it was like God took a sandblaster to me and blasted away all the nastiness of myself until all that was left was just the raw wood. It’s interesting how such healing can come from such pain.
But then I felt like I plateaued. There was no more spiritual growth. I wasn’t falling back into any of the sins of yesteryear, so I felt like I was doing okay, but I wasn’t growing. But now I understand that I hadn’t plateaued at all. I was on that gentle descent. The imperceptible fall.
Reminded me of a quote from The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis:
It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
Your affectionate uncle,
SCREWTAPE
In my pride, I allowed complacency to set the tone of my life. I decided that I was doing well enough, and didn’t need to put forth much effort to maintain the ground I had gained. I realized this weekend that I was mistaken. I require communication with my God, or I will stumble. The way I live my life is never neutral to God. I’m either living for Him, or I’m not.
I pray that tomorrow is the beginning of a new era for me. A time of growth, of maturity, of closeness with God. A time that isn’t about me at all.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
3 strikes, you're out
I think chronologically. I’ve known people that had no sense of time whatsoever and it drove me insane. I like deadlines. I feel lost without them, just sort of floating around on the wind. That may seem like a surprise to some since I am, in many regards, a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of girl, but it’s less about structure than it is about sequence. I think that’s why I like baseball. I know what’s going to happen. Three strikes, you’re out. Three outs, end of an inning. The teams take turns getting to bat. There’s much less chaos in baseball than football or basketball. Some people think baseball is boring. But it’s not about excitement; it’s about things happening in an orderly, chronological manner.
For example, this summer I went to Ghana. I sent out my little fundraising letters to help pay for the trip and there was one friend who I knew had written a check, but hadn’t mailed it yet. So even though I had written her Thank You card, I couldn’t send it yet, because things have to go in order. She couldn’t receive her Thank You before she sent in her donation. That would have just been wrong, not to mention completely unacceptable in my mind.
One last example of this endearing quirk of mine. I love the Lord of the Rings movies. Don’t ask how many times I’ve seen them. They are just fantastic. Anyway, there is a scene in Fellowship of the Ring where Gandalf is fighting the balrog and he falls into the crevice and then Frodo yells, “NOOOOOO!” At the beginning of The Two Towers, this scene is replayed as a dream that Frodo has. But in the dream, Frodo yells “no” first, and THEN Gandalf falls. You have no idea how much that bothers me. Well, you might, since I’m sitting here writing about it.
Since we’re on the subject of the Lord of the Rings, I might as well go ahead and confess that I’m a dork. I won’t tell you how much of a dork, but trust me, it’s bad. I recently played Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit and I kicked butt. Of course, it was an empty victory since most of the people playing had only seen the movies once. There were some who hadn’t even seen all three yet. The real test will be playing against other LOTR dorks.
For example, this summer I went to Ghana. I sent out my little fundraising letters to help pay for the trip and there was one friend who I knew had written a check, but hadn’t mailed it yet. So even though I had written her Thank You card, I couldn’t send it yet, because things have to go in order. She couldn’t receive her Thank You before she sent in her donation. That would have just been wrong, not to mention completely unacceptable in my mind.
One last example of this endearing quirk of mine. I love the Lord of the Rings movies. Don’t ask how many times I’ve seen them. They are just fantastic. Anyway, there is a scene in Fellowship of the Ring where Gandalf is fighting the balrog and he falls into the crevice and then Frodo yells, “NOOOOOO!” At the beginning of The Two Towers, this scene is replayed as a dream that Frodo has. But in the dream, Frodo yells “no” first, and THEN Gandalf falls. You have no idea how much that bothers me. Well, you might, since I’m sitting here writing about it.
Since we’re on the subject of the Lord of the Rings, I might as well go ahead and confess that I’m a dork. I won’t tell you how much of a dork, but trust me, it’s bad. I recently played Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit and I kicked butt. Of course, it was an empty victory since most of the people playing had only seen the movies once. There were some who hadn’t even seen all three yet. The real test will be playing against other LOTR dorks.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
I didn't forget
Let’s answer the question: how important are compatible interests between two people?
In some cases, complementary personalities are more important than compatible interests. For example, I dated one guy who loved cars. He had this one car that he was working on and wanted to use for drag racing. Me? Not really all that into cars. (Actually, I’m not at all into cars. I don’t even like getting the oil changed.) But I’d go to his house and sit out in the garage with him reading a book or listening to the radio while he worked on his car. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t possibly care LESS about cars. But we could spend time together, talking, whatever, and he was doing his thing and I was doing mine.
I also think it’s good for people to have some interests that are dissimilar, for two reasons. One, I think a natural, healthy result would be that being exposed to new things would expand their horizons as they explore new ideas. And I think that when something is important to someone you care about, it becomes important to you.
My brother never cared about NASCAR. I don’t know that I ever heard him mention it really at all. At least not until a few months ago. Then his father-in-law started working for NASCAR. He learned more about it, the rules, the people, the drama, etc, and suddenly he became hooked. Now, almost every time I talk to him, he tells me about how his favorite driver did in the last race. When I was in Philly visiting him and my sis-in-law a few weeks ago, he kept having to check the status of that day’s race. His interests were expanded because something was important to someone that he cared about. And the more he learned about it, the more he appreciated it.
The second reason that dissimilar interests can be beneficial is that it gives people “alone time.” I don’t think it’s healthy for two people in a relationship to spend all of their free time together, at least not for me. I think I would enjoy having an activity that was just mine, where I could be alone and not talk and just think.
So I guess that I basically think that compatible interests are a bonus, but not a necessity, at least in the beginning. As time goes by, interests change. What used to be a shared interest may no longer be and vice versa. How people choose to deal with those changes and with life that happens along the way is a much more significant indicator of success than whether or not two people like to go jogging together. For me? As long as I get a fairly regular dose of intelligent conversation, I’m good. Oh, and compatible senses of humor are also very helpful. Having similar outlooks on life, similar goals, and a mutual understanding of family, religion and money are key, as are respect, responsibility and communication.
As long as two people understand that you can’t be very good at anything that you don’t spend time and effort on, having varied interests can very well be the spice of life.
In some cases, complementary personalities are more important than compatible interests. For example, I dated one guy who loved cars. He had this one car that he was working on and wanted to use for drag racing. Me? Not really all that into cars. (Actually, I’m not at all into cars. I don’t even like getting the oil changed.) But I’d go to his house and sit out in the garage with him reading a book or listening to the radio while he worked on his car. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t possibly care LESS about cars. But we could spend time together, talking, whatever, and he was doing his thing and I was doing mine.
I also think it’s good for people to have some interests that are dissimilar, for two reasons. One, I think a natural, healthy result would be that being exposed to new things would expand their horizons as they explore new ideas. And I think that when something is important to someone you care about, it becomes important to you.
My brother never cared about NASCAR. I don’t know that I ever heard him mention it really at all. At least not until a few months ago. Then his father-in-law started working for NASCAR. He learned more about it, the rules, the people, the drama, etc, and suddenly he became hooked. Now, almost every time I talk to him, he tells me about how his favorite driver did in the last race. When I was in Philly visiting him and my sis-in-law a few weeks ago, he kept having to check the status of that day’s race. His interests were expanded because something was important to someone that he cared about. And the more he learned about it, the more he appreciated it.
The second reason that dissimilar interests can be beneficial is that it gives people “alone time.” I don’t think it’s healthy for two people in a relationship to spend all of their free time together, at least not for me. I think I would enjoy having an activity that was just mine, where I could be alone and not talk and just think.
So I guess that I basically think that compatible interests are a bonus, but not a necessity, at least in the beginning. As time goes by, interests change. What used to be a shared interest may no longer be and vice versa. How people choose to deal with those changes and with life that happens along the way is a much more significant indicator of success than whether or not two people like to go jogging together. For me? As long as I get a fairly regular dose of intelligent conversation, I’m good. Oh, and compatible senses of humor are also very helpful. Having similar outlooks on life, similar goals, and a mutual understanding of family, religion and money are key, as are respect, responsibility and communication.
As long as two people understand that you can’t be very good at anything that you don’t spend time and effort on, having varied interests can very well be the spice of life.
Monday, October 03, 2005
I want to talk about me
A friend asked me the other night how important I thought it was for a man and a woman to have compatible interests. I wasn’t really sure how to answer the question, since I had not thought about it as much as he obviously had. But I love questions like that because they really help me understand myself better. But before I can answer, I need to understand what my interests really are. So I’ll take a few minutes and just talk about me.
There are some who have known all their lives what they love doing. An artist loves to create art. A musician loves to make music. They aren’t happy unless they have that outlet.
Sometimes I feel cheated because I don’t have a calling in life that is quite as obvious. So I’ll have to think a bit harder about it, I suppose.
For one, I love language. I love words. I love putting the right words together in the right order to communicate a thought or a feeling precisely. Sometimes I get hung up on an idea or emotion and am unable to fully concentrate on anything else until the words come together to express it. Even if I don’t actually share it with anyone, I like knowing that I can. And I like to use words like “plethora” and “abstractly.” But I have a harder time with “colloquialism.” My brain would like to use it, but my mouth revolts against it.
I would also love to learn another language. As precise as I like to be in English (even though I do use the word “like” excessively), it would be fun to be just as fluent in another language. Although I have a feeling it would make me feel a bit prideful, like I was something special because I taught myself Russian or something equally exotic.
Reading is another part of my love of language. I enjoy getting lost in other worlds and getting to know other people in their far off lands. I think I’ve become a bit of a snob when it comes to books though, because once you’ve read JRR Tolkien, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, it’s hard to find books of the same caliber. Too often I just get bored, or worse, frustrated that I could have written it better.
Here’s an odd interest: I like to put together furniture. I enjoy putting together entertainment centers or computer desks or glider swings. I don’t really know what that means. It’s like putting a puzzle together. Oh, and I apparently enjoy taking vacuum cleaners apart and putting them back together. (It still works, by the way.) I would LOVE to learn how to make furniture, but I’ve never done it. You need tools and stuff for that kind of thing and I can’t justify buying any if I don’t even know how to use them. I’ve always wanted to buy an old piece of crap house and completely gut it and recreate it into something beautiful. I’m not all that creative in that respect, so I’d have to get my ideas from somewhere else, but I think I would enjoy doing the actual work.
I’ve also always thought it would be neat to just move to a new place where I didn’t know anyone, and make a life for myself. That would terrify some people, but I think it would be loads of fun. Just pack Dylan up and go somewhere, anywhere, and set up camp. Learn the area, get to know new people, etc. I shouldn’t think about that anymore, it makes me actually want to do it. And if I ever do, I doubt I’ll be able to give much notice. I’ll just up and go. So if I ever disappear suddenly, don’t freak out.
I also love music. I used to play the trumpet and the French horn in high school and I loved it. But I’m not quite as musically inclined as some so while I enjoy making music, it’s just something for fun. Not exactly a passion for living. But I do want to learn to play the piano some day. I sort of know how already, but I’d like to get better. Music plays the biggest role in my life when it comes to worship. It’s hard for me to really feel like I’m worshipping without music. I am, therefore, extremely grateful for the praise band at Lake Pointe. They rock.
Another oddity: I have this thing with symmetry. It’s really stupid, but I like for things to be symmetrical. For example, when I eat popcorn, I eat one piece on the left side and then one on the right. And then the left. And then the right. When I eat Smarties, I eat them by color. If there are 5 green ones, I eat two on the left, two on the right and one in the middle. If I scratch my left arm, I usually have to scratch my right arm, too. And I HATE it when I can pop one elbow, but not the other. Makes me crazy. It also makes me crazy that before I got braces, I had a tooth pulled and I therefore have more teeth on one side of my head than the other. Must stop thinking about it now. Must suppress the neurotic behavior. I’m not OCD. I’m not OCD.
But all that doesn’t really answer the question, does it? How important is it for two people to have compatible interests? I think it varies from relationship to relationship. We’ll explore this more in the next post.
There are some who have known all their lives what they love doing. An artist loves to create art. A musician loves to make music. They aren’t happy unless they have that outlet.
Sometimes I feel cheated because I don’t have a calling in life that is quite as obvious. So I’ll have to think a bit harder about it, I suppose.
For one, I love language. I love words. I love putting the right words together in the right order to communicate a thought or a feeling precisely. Sometimes I get hung up on an idea or emotion and am unable to fully concentrate on anything else until the words come together to express it. Even if I don’t actually share it with anyone, I like knowing that I can. And I like to use words like “plethora” and “abstractly.” But I have a harder time with “colloquialism.” My brain would like to use it, but my mouth revolts against it.
I would also love to learn another language. As precise as I like to be in English (even though I do use the word “like” excessively), it would be fun to be just as fluent in another language. Although I have a feeling it would make me feel a bit prideful, like I was something special because I taught myself Russian or something equally exotic.
Reading is another part of my love of language. I enjoy getting lost in other worlds and getting to know other people in their far off lands. I think I’ve become a bit of a snob when it comes to books though, because once you’ve read JRR Tolkien, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, it’s hard to find books of the same caliber. Too often I just get bored, or worse, frustrated that I could have written it better.
Here’s an odd interest: I like to put together furniture. I enjoy putting together entertainment centers or computer desks or glider swings. I don’t really know what that means. It’s like putting a puzzle together. Oh, and I apparently enjoy taking vacuum cleaners apart and putting them back together. (It still works, by the way.) I would LOVE to learn how to make furniture, but I’ve never done it. You need tools and stuff for that kind of thing and I can’t justify buying any if I don’t even know how to use them. I’ve always wanted to buy an old piece of crap house and completely gut it and recreate it into something beautiful. I’m not all that creative in that respect, so I’d have to get my ideas from somewhere else, but I think I would enjoy doing the actual work.
I’ve also always thought it would be neat to just move to a new place where I didn’t know anyone, and make a life for myself. That would terrify some people, but I think it would be loads of fun. Just pack Dylan up and go somewhere, anywhere, and set up camp. Learn the area, get to know new people, etc. I shouldn’t think about that anymore, it makes me actually want to do it. And if I ever do, I doubt I’ll be able to give much notice. I’ll just up and go. So if I ever disappear suddenly, don’t freak out.
I also love music. I used to play the trumpet and the French horn in high school and I loved it. But I’m not quite as musically inclined as some so while I enjoy making music, it’s just something for fun. Not exactly a passion for living. But I do want to learn to play the piano some day. I sort of know how already, but I’d like to get better. Music plays the biggest role in my life when it comes to worship. It’s hard for me to really feel like I’m worshipping without music. I am, therefore, extremely grateful for the praise band at Lake Pointe. They rock.
Another oddity: I have this thing with symmetry. It’s really stupid, but I like for things to be symmetrical. For example, when I eat popcorn, I eat one piece on the left side and then one on the right. And then the left. And then the right. When I eat Smarties, I eat them by color. If there are 5 green ones, I eat two on the left, two on the right and one in the middle. If I scratch my left arm, I usually have to scratch my right arm, too. And I HATE it when I can pop one elbow, but not the other. Makes me crazy. It also makes me crazy that before I got braces, I had a tooth pulled and I therefore have more teeth on one side of my head than the other. Must stop thinking about it now. Must suppress the neurotic behavior. I’m not OCD. I’m not OCD.
But all that doesn’t really answer the question, does it? How important is it for two people to have compatible interests? I think it varies from relationship to relationship. We’ll explore this more in the next post.
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