-
Hopelessly Ever After
Hopeless romantic. This person sees the world with rose-colored glasses. They love the thought of love. Every scenario plays out like a scene from a romantic comedy. Even when things go wrong, their imagination can spin it as a plot twist as they anxiously await the happy ending. Something as simple as hearing birds singing can launch them into daydreams. Hi, my name is Emily. I’m a hopeless romantic. I was thinking about this term the other day. Hopeless? Thanks. Couldn’t we say something like “optimistic romantic” instead? Hopeless seems better fitted for a pessimist, not someone who is always imagining the best in a situation. In fact, hopeless romantics…
-
Epic Sadness
I recently discovered the secret to my random sad thoughts, fears and discouragement: something epic is about to happen. The other night was just one of those nights. Nothing was wrong, but I felt emotionally drained. Is there a sort of jet-lag for major life changes?! Some days I am on top of the world, and by evening I am overcome by sudden discouragement and sadness. It comes like the weather in Michigan: sporadic. One day it is 75 and sunny and the next day there is a foot of snow. But I noticed that pattern: the negative usually comes right after a positive… The next morning I got up…
-
The Belayer, the Rope and the Rock Wall
So I went rock climbing (indoors) for the first time today! I have always wanted to do this. No time like the present, right? I was super nervous but excited. It wasn’t the typical nerves one may assume would come with your first climb. I had no fears of falling, breaking bones, or equipment malfunctioning (although the fact that the person I went with is an awesome, positive, encouraging person who just so happens to be an instructor probably helped to keep any of those traditional fears at bay). My fear was much less logical than all of that: the fear of failure. We started at what was basically the…
-
Why Christians Should Meditate
Meditation is defined as follows: to think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation. It is derived from Latin meditate, meaning ‘contemplated’, and from the verb meditari, meaning ‘measure’. To contemplate means to look thoughtfully for a long time at or to think profoundly at a length. Measure (as a verb) has many synonyms including evaluate and assess. Stillness, Silence and Simplicity There are three main components to meditation. In relation to meditation, stillness simply means to be still and remove any distractions. Silence means to let go…
-
How To Have A Successful Day
We can be so critical of people. We are quick to judge before knowing the backstory; we notice flaws before strengths; we hold grudges. When someone hurts us, we feel entitled to hold onto it. We use words like “fair” or “deserve”. I’m in the air right now and I’m looking down at what looks like little boxes and little specks moving along a little line. Below me are thousands of people. Some are getting up and going to work. Some are dropping their kids off at school. Some are still curled up sleeping in bed, and some are curled up on a street corner because they have no bed.…
-
Flex Your Faith
While working out, I started thinking about how faith is like a muscle. Seems like a corny illustration, I know, but it’s a very accurate one! When you first get into fitness, your muscles are in a state of shock. They quickly begin adapting and the results you start seeing are amazing and motivating! You feel happier from the endorphins, you feel strong physically, and you become more confident in both your body and your abilities. You can do more than you anticipated and you feel unstoppable. You crave more. Fast forward a little and here comes the inevitable brick wall. You are still strong, but the results you once…
