serenity

This is the prayer of my heart on this gloomy day:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
{Reinhold Niebuhr}

Amen.
B

long time, no see

It's been a while. A lot has happened in the past 2 1/2 months. A lot. In the Bible, Luke tells us that when Mary gave birth to Jesus, instead of giving a huge speech in chapter 2 and letting everyone know exactly how she felt and what she thought about everything, it simply says, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). I have a hundred things running through my head and heart, so I decided to take a page from Mary's book, and instead of laying it out for all to see, I am choosing to ponder it and try to decipher what it all means for my life first. I think God has things he wants me to learn before I decide to use my experiences to teach someone else {astounding thought, isn't it?} 

In the meantime I saw this sweet prompt on my friend Meredith's blog and thought I'd play along. 

"Things that say a lot about people:
The way in which they treat a waiter/waitress
How they feel about the weather

Whether they dog ear pages or highlight in books
Fingernails
And hands in general
Their preferred creative outlet
How much they dread/enjoy talking on the phone
Whether or not they drink coffee
If they ever forget to eat
How honest they are with themselves (and others)
If they correct your grammar
And whether or not they get nervous before haircuts."

(Via Carlotta's blog)

>>The way they treat a waiter/waitress>>

I waited tables through college so I am very sensitive to the way I treat servers when I go out to eat. That being said, I am also very aware of good vs. bad service at restaurants and I will tip accordingly. I don't like a server to hover, but I also don't want to have to send a search party when I need more water or I'm ready to leave. I try my best to treat my waiters as though they have a story outside of taking my order and bringing me my food. I'm in the food service business now and I know how awful it feels to have someone treat you as if your only purpose is to serve them. Yuck. 

>>How they feel about the weather>>

The weather and seasons have a direct effect on my disposition. Winters are tough on me with less sunshine to enjoy. The rain may be calming for some, but when I have too many days of clouds in a row I start to feel it deep in my soul. 

>>Whether they dog eat pages or highlight in books>>

I'm a major book-writer. I need my own copies of books so I can underline, highlight, and write notes to myself in the margins. I feel like I can't truly dive into a book without a pen in my hand. Words are so important to me, so when I read something that stands out to me, I need to capture it somehow before it slips away. I do not dog ear books, though. That's what a bookmark is for. Duh. 

>>Fingernails>>

Currently my nails are pretty short with chipped purple-grey nail polish on them. I do a terrible job of keeping them presentable. Terrible. 

>>Hands in general>>

I have pretty cute little hands. {Did you hear a little bit of pride in that statement?} I wear a ring on each ring finger which often leads to the question: "Are you married?" Nope... just a placeholder for the real deal one of these days. 

>>Preferred creative outlet>>

Yes. Okay, okay there is more to the story than that. I love all things creative but I'd say my current top 5, in no particular order, are: writing, mixed media, crocheting, decorating a room {inexpensively}, and dressing myself. Unconventional? Perhaps.

>>How much they dread/enjoy talking on the phone>>

That really depends on the day and my mood. Sometimes I love a good long phone chat, other times I can be known to politely "decline" a phone call. That seems kind of shameful, but for the sake of being truthful... there you have it. 

>>Whether or not they drink coffee>>

Lately I've been drinking coffee like it's my job. I meet friends for coffee, I drink coffee in the mornings to wake up, I drink coffee to warm up, I have a cup just about every time it's offered to me. Coffee is definitely my friend. 

>>If they ever forget to eat>>

Never. Never ever- I love to eat too much. Sometimes I find myself wandering into the kitchen and rummaging for food when I'm not even hungry but I want to eat. Eating is fun and I'm sad for people who don't enjoy it the way it was intended. Because food was definitely intended as a gift. 

>>How honest they are with themselves (and others)>>

I try to live a transparent lifestyle. I don't think it's very fun to experience things {good or bad} and not share them with other people. I'm a pretty open book. I like to say "I don't lie" and while I'm sure I mess up like anyone else, I try to make that statement as true as possible. {If I didn't, I'd be lying, right??}

>>If they correct your grammar>>

The only thing I find myself correcting on a regular basis is the correct use of "your" vs "you're" and "their" vs. "they're" vs. "there". Those mistakes can drive me nuts.

>>Whether or not they get nervous before haircuts>>

I love to get my hair trimmed. I love having someone else shampoo and rinse my hair for me. It feels fantastic. But big changes make me nervous. I like to wait for the perfect moment to make that commitment. Yes, hair does grow, but it takes a while. 

I've missed sharing the workings of my mind on here. Maybe I'll search for more prompts like this one to get my creative juices flowing and when life starts to feel too chaotic to pause and reflect I'll have a guide to spur me on. If you know of any fun ideas let me know! Have a beautiful week and if you see me out and about, remind me to stop and take a deep breath. That would be such a blessing! 

Love,

B