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And to Aspire to Live Quietly

January 7, 2016 Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, I woke up with words and numbers imprinted on the insides of my eyelids. Okay, I was writing with drama, but these words were stuck in my head. That doesn’t happen to me. I was dubious that they could have any true meaning for my life. Ready to ignore them, I rolled out of bed and did the things that I do first in the morning. Try not to run into the wall as I walk down the hallway to the bathroom.

But Curiosity.

When I returned to my room, I grabbed my kindle, flicking open the cover, and tapped in my code, unlocking the screen and my library of eBooks. Tap. Open the book. Tap. Open the Table of Contents. Tap. 1 Thessalonians. Tap. 1 Thessalonians 4. Drag. 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

Oh, hey, it is a real verse.

“and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,“

I’m not a theologian. I’m more interested in the way words are lined up, chosen, and the meaning of them. What struck me about this Bible verse is the fact that it’s a verse smack in the center of a sentence. By reading just verse 11, we don’t see the beginning or the end of the sentence.

Why would I wake up with this random Bible reference in my head? (no, I haven’t been reading Thessalonians, and no, I’ve not talked about this book with anyone recently.) But more, why would it be just this verse and not the entire sentence at least?

Huh. Could it be that this middle-of-the-sentence advice might connect in some way to this middle-of-the-journey-not-quite-there-yet life? After all, I’m in the middle here and I can’t see the true beginning nor can I make out the end. What’s your view like from across the computer screen? Anything?

So let’s zoom out a bit more.

“But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, ¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹²so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.“

Upfront. This sentence doesn’t seem to have any hidden meaning. It’s straight forward and practical. Benjamin Franklin could have been just as likely to have written it as say Paul or any other well-known ancient.

But do what more and more?

And to Aspire to Live Quietly — I love the Ellie Brook Designs candles!!!

Zoom out farther by reading the entire chapter.

More and more. “…you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another…”

The chapter is entitled A Life Pleasing to God.

All the pieces seem to fall into place in my mind. Does your mind follow all these connections, too, or have I left too many holes as I’ve glued thoughts together?

I may have.

But here’s what I’m mulling over. In a social media intoxicated age where the goal is to gain as many followers as possible and create a brand and market yourself and ideas, how often are you urged to live quietly? Where the goal is to push yourself farthest ahead into the front and center of celebrities, how often are you encouraged to mind your own affairs? Where the dream is to be your own boss, not get your hands dirty, and build a kingdom of wealth so you can retire early, how often do you hear to work with your hands as instructed?

And to love one another more and more.

Aspire to live quietly.

Standing only a few steps into 2016, are you thinking what I’m thinking? That maybe the key to living this new year well is not loads of impossible resolutions but rather to aspire to live quietly.

To the Pacemaker of the Galaxies,

Is it really so simple to live a life pleasing to you? But what I don’t get is how simple can be so hard. I like the idea of a quiet life, but I’m afraid of being bored or becoming boring.

How do I live a quiet life?

January 2016 Inspiration

January 4, 2016 Leave a Comment

I’m a January girl. Naturally, I had to do a quick search to find out if there were any songs about me, and surprise, there is!

Lord Kitchener’s January Girls from 1956. It’s a pretty smooth tune, but don’t listen to it if you were born in any month besides January. I guess that leaves out most of you.

All that to say: I really love January.

Now, I’m not much on New Year’s resolutions because we all know how those work out. Step 1: Bold goal. Step 2: Start strong. Step 3: Fail absolutely.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to improve or better yourself in some way. I’m just thinking that you ought to start small and build on that. Choose one little thing to make into a daily habit and then build off of it. This year, I accidentally began to build muscle (thanks to a workout group I joined because I needed friends and community while in Austria). It wasn’t long before I was working out more at home, too, because Gosh I needed to be able to keep up with my group on Monday nights!

Etsy workout clothing swoons:

Okay, so I just want to tell you up front that I found these shops on my own and I’m gushing over them on my own accord. I can’t promise you anything about these articles of clothing except that they caught my eye. After all, my mini goal for 2016 is to keep getting strong.

Headband by TrueNorthCollection.

I have something to admit. I don’t have any headbands right now, and I’ve been doing something super ghetto. I’ve slashed a band of fabric off an old skirt, and I’ve been wrapping it a few times around my head with a jaunty little knot. It looks athletic, and it works. But let’s be honest, TrueNorthCollection headband would be much more ideal.

Tank by Cutieandmore

Never would I ever call myself athletic or an exerciser, but I think both terms have found me. And I’m not even that frou-frou of a girl (super girly, pink, bows, make-up all the time). I like this tank, though, because it’s a bit more truthful about me if we’re going to be honest. I like being strong and pretty.

Leggings by PurushaPeople

Don’t you dare tell me that you’ve never imagined being a mermaid. If you haven’t, we can’t be friends. Okay, kidding. But honestly, I adore these leggings because I’d probably wear them always because mermaid.

If anyone’s feeling generous, I’d be happy to provide you with sizes and shipping address. Now, where did I leave that winking emoji?

GUYS, 2016 is a LEAP YEAR.

So this year, you have 366 new days, which means 366 new chances.

So why don’t you make things happen in this 2016? Why not? What does it look like for you to live courageously and boldly?

Okay, okay. I’ll stop with the quotes and brave words. And move on to other things that are materialistically inspiring because not only are we meant to be inspired mentally and spiritually but we live in a physical world.

Favorite Food: Spice Cake

Perhaps it’s because my grandmother loved spice cake or maybe it’s because in January you still need the warm comfort of these cozy spices topped with sweet frosting. Now I haven’t tried the recipe for this cake here, but it’s one that I would try. Because YUM. But I do think I’d leave out the raisins…

Current Jam:

Current Book in My Bag: Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

And now some humor for you. Something between winter and exercise.

As you venture into this new year whether it began with a hangover or a quiet morning of thoughtfulness, may you take tiny steps (even if they wobble) towards living a life that is sustainable and beautiful for you. May you release yourself from impractical and guilt-inducing expectations, learning kindness and grace towards yourself and your community.

Courage, 2016!

So Long, 2015!

December 31, 2015 Leave a Comment

It’s been real, but it’s time for you to go.

Dreams die. Did you know that? I didn’t. Not until this year anyway, but when anything dies, it becomes the fuel for new dreams.

I think Lion King calls it the Circle of Life. Cue music.

This year could be measured in mugs of tea sipped (Tetley black tea with milk), friendships lost and begun, stamps in my passport (of course so many countries don’t stamp anymore), and muscles grown. But who’s measuring anyway? It’s been an adventure, this 2015.

In looking over the past months, I can see so many moments where I messed up. But in these perceived failings, I’ve been given a chance to learn more about my other natural giftings. It’s been an uncharted road, one that I didn’t see on my life map. But I like who I became because of this muddy off-roading!

You still have 12 hours before the end of 2015 (if you’re in EST zone) so I encourage you to take the below questions, which I found on MindBodyGreen, and start a new tradition to appreciate the you who came out of 2015.

25 Questions

1. What am I most proud of this year?
2. How can I become a better _____________?
3. Where am I feeling stuck?
4. Where do I need to allow myself grace?
5. Am I passionate about my career?
6. What lessons have I learned?
7. What did I my finances look like?
8. How did I spend my free time?
9. How well did I take care of my body, mind, and soul?
10. How have I been open-minded?
11. When did I feel most creatively inspired?
12. What projects have I completed?
13. How have I procrastinated?
14. In what ways can I re-structure my time?
15. How have I allowed fear of failure hold me back?
16. Where has self-doubt taken over?
17. When have I felt the most alive?
18. How have I taught others to respect me?
19. How can I improve my relationships?
20. Have I been unfair to anyone?
21. Who do I need to forgive?
22. Where is it time to let go?
23. What old habits would I like to release?
24. What new habits would I like to cultivate?
25. How can I be kind to myself?

Since MindBodyGreen uploaded this list of questions at the end of 2013, I’ve been working my way through them at the end of each year. It’s cleansing and empowering to see my accomplishments alongside my oopses. I love rereading my answers from previous years.

So thank you MindBodyGreen and Ashley Wilhite for sharing this list with us!

Happy New Year’s Eve, Everyone! I’ll catch you on the other side!