Celebrate Me Home

Confession: Kenny Loggins will always have a special place in my heart. Odd, I know. "Footloose" has never failed to make me smile, and hearing "Danger Zone" brings back fond memories of watching "Top Gun" with my fourth grade best friends and discussing how cute Tom Cruise was, even though it was made before we were born and Tom could practically have been our dad. The real reason Kenny tugs at my heart came a little later in my life. It was the scorching summer of 2005, and my life was on the brink of change. Major change. I had graduated from high school, and was about to embark on a wonderful journey to Waco to begin college. I was stuck in that odd in between place that most high school graduates find themselves in between graduation and moving away from home… realizing that you are fitting in less and less with high school friends, but not knowing who else my age to spend time with.

That summer I spent most evenings with my mom. We had been (and still are) very close, but grew even closer that summer. Many nights, we sat at starbucks sipping on grande java chip frappacino lights double blended and contemplating the change I was about to go through. While cleaning out her car one afternoon, mom discovered "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow," Kenny Loggins' greatest hits CD, and quite a fitting title for the time in my life. We put it in the CD player in June and didn't take it out. Every song reminded us of something. I remember listening to "Forever" and silently sobbing one evening, wondering if life would ever feel normal again.

My all-time favorite Kenny Loggins song would have to be "Celebrate Me Home." Something about it comforts me, like home. Throughout college, I would coincidentally hear it as I crossed the bridge between I-35 to I-20, which always signified to me that I was home. This Thanksgiving, I had just said my good-byes to my family, packed my last bag into my car, and slammed the door shut on the Liberty, when the song came on the radio. Overcome with emotion due to the fact that I was leaving, I teared up and immediately called my mom. I shared the ironic event I'd just experienced, and hurried back to Plano. But a strange thing happened…as I frantically sped down Midway, not a mile from my apartment, the exact song that had so reminded me of Arlington not an hour before came on again. Chills crept up my spine, and I realized that this felt like more than a coincidence.

Arlington will always hold a special place in my heart. I grew up there. I learned some of my greatest life lessons there. I even discovered Kenny Loggins there. But it's not where feels like home in the present. Now, Plano feels like home. It feels comfortable, but still as if it is evolving to encourage grown. It feels as if it is right where I ought to be.

I was once told that "Home is being in the center of God's will." If that's true, I know I am home. And I'm glad.

Reflecting in Hope: 2011

New Years makes me reflective and hopeful. Here is the result of that combination:

2011. Wow. I can hardly believe that a new year is upon us. The last time I wrote, I had a feeling that my life was on the cusp of change. That, like the autumn leaves, my life was about to transform and convert to something different. Feelings are funny like that, and a lot of times, your gut is right. The last three months have been bursting at the seams with change unlike any I had experienced previously. I dislike change and crave consistency. I enjoy knowing what comes next and how to prepare. But the funny thing about this season of change was that all of the changes were positive changes. Each change that occurred brought the stress that life revolutions always bring, but blessings all the same.

I feel that the Lord taught me, through these changes, that He is always faithful. Time and time again between October and December, I worried. My stomach knotted and turned. I wasn't sure things would turn out ok. And each time, I felt His hand on my shoulder, comforting me and providing for me. Even though I don't deserve it. Even though I can't comprehend His feelings for me. As my cravings for consistency continue, I have learned this Autumn that the Lord is ultimately consistent, ultimately strong, and ultimately worthy of my faith, trust, and praise.

Even amidst the continuing change, I relish in the expectation that a new year brings. The start of the New Year brings freshness like the sweet scent of laundry detergent leaking from the dryer as soft warm clothes emerge. 2011 brings hope. Not necessarily that it will be an easy year, for I realize that, here in the real world that I am soon to join, changes aren't more rampant, just less expected than in the school world. I think that it's important to reflect upon what happened in the past year in order to prepare for the new, less certain year. Based on 2010, I know that the Lord will be faithful, that He has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams in order that I may bless others by sharing His love, and that serving and knowing Him amidst the change is my heart's utmost desire, and that He brings consistency through his presence.

2010, you were lovely. I am genuinely sad to see you go. 2011, I'm eager to see what you will bring.

Autumn

I love Autumn. Plain and simple. The sound of the word alone spreads a smile to my face. I talk about it constantly. I count down the days until the pumpkin spice latte comes out (which was September 5, if you were wondering)- and then drink them compulsively. My barista, Tom, at the Starbucks I stop at on the way to practicum has already memorized my order, and greets me with a smile and a simple "Is today a grande or venti day?" I relish the feeling of "just air" that Texas Septembers bring, where you can't tell if it is hot or cold. You could literally wear a Northface and jeans or a tank top and shorts and manage to be equally comfortable. But the, being indecisive like Texas weather most always is, the next day will be 90 degrees and humid, once again, and my scorching pumpkin spice latte will have to be iced which just isn't right.

Autumn brings change. The past month, I've felt a change in my heart. Nothing big...minute actually...just a twinge of change, like the leaves gently fluttering from the twigs of trees. They float down one or two at a time, slowly creeping, blowing circularly in the breeze, to the dirt beneath. They show that there is hope for relief from the blistering heat. That's how the change in my heart feels. The most miniscule of changes in thought coupled with gradual shifts in priorities. New convictions. Noticing different things than I would have a year, or even a month, ago. Is this change big or noticable? I doubt it. But it's movement- leading toward the feeling that something big is on the horizon. Do all of the leaves fall off of the trees at once, while the temperature drops 50 degrees in a day? Not usually. But the seasons don't fail to change; they become something new. Gradually.

One of my favorite quotes in all of literature describes Amory Blaine in F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, in which Blaine is characterized as "dreaming of the becoming, never the being." I would love for my life to be summed up by that quote. As I seek a life of non-complacency, I want to embrace this new season of life. This season of change in the midst of joyful satisfaction. This season of hope. Autumn- I'm glad you've arrived.

controlled comfort

A few weeks back, I decided to make a resolution for my 23rd year. I'll start with a confession-- for the past 21 years, I have gone to sleep every night curled up on my side in the fetal position holding Teddy.

This is Teddy, creative, I know- the Friendship Carebear, circa 1989. My childhood best friend gave it to me for my 2nd birthday. Teddy and I were inseperatable for years. Teddy traveled in the car, to babysitter's houses, to doctor's appointments, to San Antonio, Florida, New York. When I had my tonsils removed when I was 5, I took another bear to the hospital with me because I didn't want Teddy to get hurt. Teddy even spent 4 years at Baylor with me. He's made a lot of pwiends (my 2 year old word for friends, and a common adjective for Teddy). But as of Thursday, as I started my 23rd year, Teddy has had a new home: my closet. After years of comfort during fears and tears, Teddy will live in my closet.

As a child, Teddy was my comfort object, as it is referred to in The Giver. After having my reoccuring nightmare about being chased by a gorilla and not having any defense against it, Teddy was there for me to cling to. Teddy has been bathed by tears on multiple occasions, mourning with me the fact that life was changing, and that going home to Arlington would never be the same again, even though our new home in Waco was so different. Teddy made me feel better as I healed after high school boyfriends and losing love. It seemed as if, no matter what I felt, where I was, or what I was going through, Teddy made it ok. He always brought the comfort and routine I craved. That I think we all crave, even the most spontaneous and free-spirited of us, to some extent. Iappreciate knowing what is coming, knowing what to expect, and those plans coming through.

Sometimes, even with Teddy, my life feels anything but consistent, anything but constant. Projects at work. Something as unpredictable and uncontrollable as traffic. My moods or the moods of others. The tiniest of kinks can throw it all off, it sometimes seems. This leaves mundane, routine lovers devistated, trying to repair the machine we've so thoughtfully and intricately constructed. It leaves us craving that consoling custom we crave.

But where did this notion of comfort come from? Sure, comfort leaves us feeling content, but sometimes almost complacent. Secure. Routine. But at what point did I begin to think this was best? That this was where I was supposed to be?

I remember my junior high youth minister often telling us awkward teenagers to "get out of our comfort zones" and not just follow the crowd. Although the motives are now different at 23 years and 3 days, the same concept appears to ring true in my life. Getting out of my comfort zone, be it at work, school or social situations, seems to be key. It seems to be where I've been placed. And I've spent my summer despising it. Wishing I could feel comfortable. Dreaming of times I didn't feel awkward. But as I've thought more about it lately, I realize that the uncomfortable area seems to be where great things and growth happen. When we are not sure, not comfortable, we seem to be stretched a little further than we thought we could be stretched. Pushed slightly harder than we thought we should be pushed. And what do we do? Adapt. Until we are pushed again, that is. It reminds me of running. You run one mile, and your quads throb the next day. But the day after, you drag yourself out of bed and do it again...and it gets easier and easier, less and less painful each time.

Nothing great happens wtihout great risk. Realizing that the best things come from change, from that place outside of our comfortable and complacent box, and striving to let go of that comfort and consistence is what makes life grand. It's what makes us grow.

Goodbye Teddy. Goodbye comfort. Weclome, growth, change, rejuvination.

Simplicity

Stuff. Clutter. Junk. It's so easy to accumulate. In my apartment, it seems as if it can go from spotless and spic and span to a jumble of belongings faster than I can think of 5 synonyms for the word stuff. Returning from grocery stopping. Coming home after work or school. Going shopping. Even the simplest return home seems to come with baggage. Living like this drives me crazy. I can't find what I need. I don't know where anything is. My stomach writhes and twists with the most limber of snakes. I can't take it. How do you fix it? Easily- Pick up. Clean out. Reduce.

Life has the same tendencies. Friends. Work. School. Opportunities. Exercise. Necessities. Supplementaries. Commitments. Spontaneity. Quickly, it's full and there isn't a moment to breathe. It's a struggle, as if I'm swimming and treading water with every ounce of energy I can muster, just to find that my nose keeps slipping under. I've got to reduce. I've got to clean out. I've got to simplify. But how? These intangible things are so much harder to sift through than the tangible junk I dispose of daily.

As I long for simplicity, I think about necessity. In the words of John Mayer: "Friends? Check. Money? Check. Well-slept? Check. Opposite sex? Check. Guitar? Check. Microphone? Check. Messages waiting for me when I come home? Check." Although my list looks different (God? Food? Shelter? Water? Love?), the concept fascinates me. How is it that one narrows down to the necessities without micromanaging? And while the other things, the wants, are so enticing?

I think in our culture, we crave drama and excitement instead of just being. Just saying what needs to be said. How much easier, more real, would life be if we were more like glass than an onion? If we were more transparent- talking and being real, genuine, rather than having layers, being mysterious, or having to read between the lines. Would this level of simplicity be real, or would it be boring?

2 weeks ago, my computer caught a virus. It has miraculously fixed itself, and although I am grateful, life felt easier without the distraction. It helped me to realize that sometimes, complication needs to be like tensel on a Christmas tree. A little looks lovely and brings a sparkle, but too much looks gaudy.

Working on full presence. Craving simplicity.

Antonyms

I've spent a large portion of my summer as an intern in slate gray scrubs (my favorite color) teaching second and third grade boys upper level language concepts. I now know idioms like the back of my hand, and have become a pro at asking and answering questions on legos and soccer to help them improve their social skills. One of the harder concepts for my 8 year old friends to wrap their minds around was antonyms- opposites. Sure, some simply come to mind: hot and cold, yes and no, in and out, up and down... But many others the kids struggled with, like the antonym of bold or bravery. It's often difficult to envision something very different than what you're talking or thinking about, something you're used to.

I've found this fact to prove true in life. A lot of my friends are similar to me- synonyms if you will. Our thought processes, reasoning, interests and therefore lives are the similar. Sharing life with them is comforting, calming, effortless, wonderful. I cherish it and the fact that they can understand how I tick. Some of the most fascinating people, some of the people that I've learned the most from, however, are those completely different form me- the antonyms. Because of their very nature of being different, I feel challenged around them. Sure, sometimes they upset that comfort and consistency that I so deeply long for, but it's in a wonderful way. I think one of the most important and life changing things we learn in life is to love and learn from those antonyms.

Antonyms encourage growth, change, progression. They help us to become more than we are, better and different than we thought we could be. They bring out qualities and sides of ourselves we didn't know existed. And isn't that the point of it all? Growth. Becoming. Journeying to who we were created to be.

David Crowder says it best: "The antonym of me, You are divinity." It should come as not surprise that sometimes, it is antonyms who help us to become who God created us to be. My appreciation for antonyms increases daily. I am grateful for that.

Feelings

I am a feelings person. A "heart over head" person, if you will. I base decisions on a particular feeling at a particular time; I go with my gut. This is most definitely a blessing and a curse.

I am also an associater ( I'm pretty sure I coined this term). I like to associate various senses with particular feelings. If I smell the perfume that I wore during my freshman year in college, I can't help but to reinvite those feelings back into my life. The feelings of hope, of newness, of realizing I had a new life I could create however I wanted; but also feelings of nervousness, of loneliness, of uncertainty. I do this with all kinds of things. Songs, movies, people, scenes, scents, even clothes.

Spring brought a time of change. It brought busyness that I had never experienced before. And with that busyness brought neglect of feelings. This blog is often my outlet, and I clearly neglected it. I also neglected feelings. My life felt like I was running a marathon. I had to force myself to keep up the stamina to power through, and my thoughts were suddenly consumed by to-do lists, reminders of people to call, and post-its to remind me of even the most mundane things. To be honest, this part of it was awful. I love that I feel and that I can truly empathize and feel in so many situations. I felt like a family who returned from vacation to find their most prized and treasured possessions absent- robbed of something I cherished.

Lately, my feelings have returned. When driving to Waco a few weeks ago, I hit the southbound 35 drag seeing Baylor to the left and Fazolis to the right, and I was right back in college. Excitement overcame me. I felt as if I had no plans, but knew that fun would come, no matter what happened. Anticipation and excitement filled my face, as my mouth widened into a smile. A similar thing happened at work. I was in my square office listening to "Brick" by Ben Folds on Pandora. The first few lines moved me…6am day after Christmas/I throw some clothes on in the dark/ The smell of cold/ Car seat is freezing/ The world is sleeping/ I am numb. I think it must have been the day after Christmas part, but I felt just like I've felt the past 2 Christmases in Arlington. Filled with cheer because of the Christmas season and working at Hallmark. High on life because of the fun with friends. Doing absolutely nothing but having more fun than I could imagine. The inability to explain or talk about these blissful feelings, but loving them nonetheless. Being snuggled in my northface in the back seat of my friend's Camry, feeling the coolness of the broken in tan leather seats on my hands.

Feeling is one of the most important things, I think. It shows me that I am really living. Really experiencing. Really remembering.