Meandering Thoughts

Forgive this post, but this is gonna be just a bit of a ramble and a dumping ground for some things that are swimming in my head....

Time since graduation last May is coming up to close to a year now. The question of me having a job was obviously settled when I was hired in August and so I've been working since then for roughly seven months now. To say that I've been doing well is a good conclusion. I'm at home saving money, I'm currently employed with a "real" job and my side coaching gig, and I'm in good health (no broken bones or anything close to it). Yet for me, I'm starting to 1) feel a bit worn out, 2) feel a bit cooped up, 3) contemplate certain job areas that most likely aren't feasible, and 4) see that yes I'm no longer who I was 4 or 5 years ago, but am still yearning to change into an even better child of God.

Life isn't really rough for me, and I can see that perhaps that because of the "spoiled" lifestyle I have this sounds like me just whining about this middle class life. But frankly I'm just not a fan of complacency. I seem to still have those grand illusions of grandeur, call me naive, but hey I still have them. Grandeur not in a luxurious lifestyle; rather living life to the fullest and exploring each new and open possibility.

Selfish? Maybe just a little. Curious? For fricken yes!

Who doesn't want to go explore different countries, pursue a deep down passion, or follow the road less traveled (or the one that hasn't even been touched yet).

As I answer when anyone answers about how life after college is going, I always state how "real" life sucks. I mean I haven't fully gone out and lived by myself yet, but the day-in and day-out schedule of work and being tied down to one place (and I have nothing against my hometown whatsoever I promise) seems to be getting the best of me. Guess that's the adventurer in me itching to get out...

Yet thankfully because of this current situation, my mind is swarming with possibilities ranging from totally insane but somewhat possible to slight modifications to my current lifestyle to downright dangerous endeavors. A lot of people would say that I am indeed crazy and my friends would concur that I do have my moments where lack of though is truly evident. But something I've learned in the past few years is to take those chances and see where they take you. God tends to enlighten you via the Holy Spirit if something is an absolutely horrendous idea (though it may take a bit longer than He anticipates for you to realize), and He will protect you in a life threatening situation so long as you haven't provoked the wrath of the Almighty for some odd blasphemous reason. Treading on that path, there comes the question if whatever you embark on is blessed by the Lord. Here's my take on it. If you are doing something that you truly love and it revolves around a gift that you've been blessed with by the Lord, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything wrong with it (now remember to take that with a grain of salt, there are also other underlying circumstances that would warrant you to not embark on grand adventures). Moreover if what you are doing is bringing glory to the Kingdom and you wholeheartedly give all credit to God, then I say go for it.

But being wary and timid, tends to stop those dreams. Am I not right? I mean here I am writing this post, wanting to do certain things, but thinking of all the possible predicaments that could arise do me no good in being confident to make those dreams, reality.

Now to top it all off, lets say all provisions, opportunities, and the biggest go ahead from the Lord is handed to me. I'm not entirely sure I'd want to go out and do it all by my lonesome. Sure the first few weeks would be great, but experiences are meant to be shared. The inner sap in me would want a friend to share the occasion with and the saying "two heads are better than one" rings true for when you're out and about doing who knows what.

All in all, I want a richer experience in this life. I don't want to waste time doing boring menial tasks. I want to be able to free run, explore New Zealand/Australia, sky dive, re-visit Greece and Italy, cycle across the country, open a restaurant, start a revolutionary business, road trip as far as a car can take me, rope swing through a massive canyon, zipline farther than two football fields, live in the woods/mountains for a period of time, live in a temple of monks and learn ancient martial arts, grow closer to my Savior and truly depend on Him for everything, go spelunking, rappel down buildings (and mountains), climb building (and mountains), and the list could go on.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to achieve even half that list above. But I do hope that I can live each day thinking that each of those opportunities are not impossible.

So like I mentioned at the start of this post, the brain dump of sorts has occurred. If you're intrigued at all and want to hear more feel free to contact me. And there you have my meandering thoughts....

Connections

So a few weeks ago I wrote up an email and it is here I want to perhaps expound upon a bit more.
Below is the email:

"It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know."

The above quote is something that is fully evident in today's job market.

How many times have you thought to yourself how, in fact, you are more qualified for a certain position than that brown-nosing bozo over there. Shows even though skill and expertise is sought for, a personal recommendation goes a bit farther.

Anyways those recommendations stem from the people, each and every one of us have interacted with in some way or another. Class, work, church, missions, community service, and various other places are the breeding grounds for people to stash away an opinion (good or bad) of you. Also let's not forget that those are also the places where we too jot down the most competent, lazy, or sociable person for future references.

So that being said, we should live our lives just how the Lord has instructed us to do. Living as humble servants will indeed bring us future glory (if not here on earth than in heaven for sure). But going beyond that, the people that we connect with are also of high importance. Acquaintances can be great, but [true] friends are what can swing a vote in our favor.

Thus those people we call friends, how many of them have you talked to recently? Take away any and every social media outlet. Rather count how many you've been able to actually be in contact with. I'll take a gander and say it's not too high for everyone. Then I'll throw a curveball at those who have been in contact with many people, was the time genuine and real? Genuine and real in no way mean that every single conversation is deeply moving/delving into personal matters. Rather is there sincerity between the two parties even in the briefest of interactions?

All that being said, and feelings of regret aside (well least for me since I haven't been too good in keeping up with people either), let's attempt to treasure the friendships that each of us have. The people who've been there in our best and worst times tend to be your closest companions, and it's those people that losing is probably a no-no. But going farther, let each passing conversation be something the Lord would be pleased to see. Like I said no need to delve into personal matters each and every time, but just being there is what matters.

Re-connect with those you've begun to drift away from. Memories are so worth it.

I can't recall if this quote is from a man I can call a mentor or if I heard it elsewhere, but here it is:

"Relationships matter. You can take two things to heaven: yourself and others.

Like I mentioned in the email; it can be hard to keep in contact with those we label as closest to us. But I'll ask why is it so hard?

For me (and many others), it's the whole getting wrapped up in our daily lives. The hustle and bustle of what we must accomplish is always set at work, school, and our little planners (physical, digital, or in our heads). But just like we plan to do certain tasks every day, we must also set aside time and focus on spending any amount of time with our closest acquaintances. It doesn't have to be every blinking second, but to check in every so often can mean the world to some people. I'll make a healthy assumption that every one would like to be remembered in a positive light in any or every aspect of their lives.

Thus why not start in something that is so simple as heartfelt hello to a friend each week?

I recently read a list of a few things that can help a person be their very best every day. One of those things that I really liked was in that every day we should define our top 3 priorities, the three most important tasks for the day. Manage your day accordingly and don't sleep until those top 3 are complete. Sounds simple doesn't it? But to accomplish something as easy as that, we've first got to intentionally and deliberately do the action to reap of any of it's rewards.

Slow Down Time (Take 2)

So one of my closest friends tuned me into this list of 5 things they hope to slow down their lives this year. I've got to hand it to them, this list is something I desperately need to do more of, and at the same time would/will benefit my wellbeing. That being said the thinking behind it also allows for us to truly realize how cluttered our daily lives have become and that our centers are horribly aligned to not what our Savior wishes.

So without further ado here is the list (along with my version of the point in the parenthesis) and my thoughts on each thing.

1. Go for walks. (Get outside and be in awe of God's creation)

With this task, it urges us to go into God's creation and take time in the peace and beauty that He has created for us to enjoy. That with walking in which you've got to slow yourself down and then you can from there take notice of the surroundings around you like the water in that stream over there, the shades of color emanating from the foliage over yonder, etc etc. 

2. Read offline. (Take time to READ books)

Not only is reading good for you, but there is nothing better than to curl up (or hole oneself up in a room) and read a book. You enter the world of the author and in turn your mind imagines anything and everything. Even more so for this point, when was the last time you allowed yourself to be so engrossed in the Bible? If we can at any given moment thrust our minds into a regular book, why not for the story of all stories?

3. Eat slowly. (Chew 20 times and swallow/ enjoy your meal)

This focuses on the whole slowing down. I myself whiz through meals at times since I may be in a rush or just trying to eat as much as I can in the shortest amount of time (so not good for you). It's time to enjoy the food that the Lord has so graciously provided for us.

4. Be a better listener. (Be a better listener)

Just listen to the ones around you. To the ones who are closest to you. I myself have the hardest time of giving my advice to every and all situations. The whole "well if it was me, I would probably do this" tactic isn't good for every situation. Rather take the time to just sit and listen to the person you're having a conversation with. To be honest, I am really blessed to have friends who are willing to listen to my idiotic spewings and offer their sound advice in all the stupid mistakes I've made all these years. 

5. Schedule time for silence. (Slow down and just sit)

If I can get this down I'll be amazed. To put away everything and be by yourself in total silence (minus white noise around you) that is so difficult in the world we live in today. But frankly thinking of this makes me remember on how the Lord came to Elijah in a still small voice. To hear something like that don't we have to be utterly silent? Perhaps in the silent time of reflection and/or prayer, the Lord will reveal something to us, but even if nothing is revealed, is it not better to have taken the time to just get away and be at peace?

Here is the article on which this post is based on, take a look at it if you'd like and see where that author is coming from. 

It's interesting in how amidst all that we do in our fast paced lives, we've forgotten about the old adage "take the time to smell the roses". Truly, let's take the time to slow ourselves down and in turn reconnect with our loving Creator.