Economizing for the Times
We are all looking for ways to save and economize, reuse and recycle, make it last a longer, cut the bill a little smaller...
So.
Why, when life can be snatched away so unexpectedly, would we waste so many moments pining after lives that we are not actually in the midst of living? There is so much to be done with what we're in the midst of, it's just that many of us have looked at our current circumstances for so long that we think our circumstances are a habit or something. Don't throw away what you've got, or discount it. Use it.
I went somewhere I was talking to someone who was a stranger to me. We had to sit next to each other and we were waiting for something to start. The table was a circle so we couldn't really ignore each other while semi-facing like we could if we were just next to each other, or on the Metro.
I found out a lot about her because I could figure out what to ask to keep learning. I could smile a lot and gradually help her feel more comfortable. Now I know where she works and where she's from and how long she's been married and that she and her husband are planning to start a family soon and they they were planning their move to Texas while they were planning their wedding and it was really stressful but they're happy here and they're almost ready to start their family and where they go to church. If I ever paused in my onslaught of getting-to-know-you questions, she would stare at me wide-eyed, deer-caught-in-headlights, frightened and awkward because she didn't know what to say in conversation with someone she didn't know. I thought "Gee, this is awkward unless I direct the conversation ... sheesh, lady, relax and TALK."
And then I realized -- I have stared for so long at my giftedness in making conversation, I have not realized to call it a gift. (Even though my mom tried to tell me this before...) I have despised it by discounting it. And consequently, I have not used it as much as I should! Wear it out! Rub it in! Make it stronger! And there are so many of these gifts that we have received that will help us to rebound in times of stress and difficulty, and dazzle in times of plush and plenty.
Maybe just as -- or more! -- importantly, stop judging other people for not being the SAME.
Don't long to be somebody else. Long to know what you're missing about yourself. There is So. Much. Purpose. that went into the design of YOU.
How are you gifted? Tell me! I want to know! Doitnow!
So.
Why, when life can be snatched away so unexpectedly, would we waste so many moments pining after lives that we are not actually in the midst of living? There is so much to be done with what we're in the midst of, it's just that many of us have looked at our current circumstances for so long that we think our circumstances are a habit or something. Don't throw away what you've got, or discount it. Use it.
I went somewhere I was talking to someone who was a stranger to me. We had to sit next to each other and we were waiting for something to start. The table was a circle so we couldn't really ignore each other while semi-facing like we could if we were just next to each other, or on the Metro.
I found out a lot about her because I could figure out what to ask to keep learning. I could smile a lot and gradually help her feel more comfortable. Now I know where she works and where she's from and how long she's been married and that she and her husband are planning to start a family soon and they they were planning their move to Texas while they were planning their wedding and it was really stressful but they're happy here and they're almost ready to start their family and where they go to church. If I ever paused in my onslaught of getting-to-know-you questions, she would stare at me wide-eyed, deer-caught-in-headlights, frightened and awkward because she didn't know what to say in conversation with someone she didn't know. I thought "Gee, this is awkward unless I direct the conversation ... sheesh, lady, relax and TALK."
And then I realized -- I have stared for so long at my giftedness in making conversation, I have not realized to call it a gift. (Even though my mom tried to tell me this before...) I have despised it by discounting it. And consequently, I have not used it as much as I should! Wear it out! Rub it in! Make it stronger! And there are so many of these gifts that we have received that will help us to rebound in times of stress and difficulty, and dazzle in times of plush and plenty.
Maybe just as -- or more! -- importantly, stop judging other people for not being the SAME.
Don't long to be somebody else. Long to know what you're missing about yourself. There is So. Much. Purpose. that went into the design of YOU.
How are you gifted? Tell me! I want to know! Doitnow!
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