Month: July 2015

3 Comments Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs

Dare to be seen

Saying something out loud helps me release the thoughts bouncing  around my head like caged monkeys.
This is not easy, especially for a professional emotions stuffer like myself.

Letting the cat out of the bag means you can’t put it back in–and that’s scary.

Here’s what’s scarier: Being invisible, a bench warmer, an old lady or old man filled with regret over things not spoken and dreams left to die.

Never talking, never being seen or known is a crummy option that stunts personal growth.

Here’s a question to think about:

What would happen if you talked to that friend or relative? If you dusted off that dream?

Dare to speak, to show up.

I’m right beside you in this one, okay? We can do this together.

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No one likes a mean comedian

I love to tell jokes. They’re a lot of fun–if told with the right attitude.

Which brings me to today’s talk…

Being mean spirited in your humor is not okay. Here’s a few categories:

  1. Racist jokes
  2. Fat jokes
  3. Lewd jokes
  4. Political jokes
  5. Handicapped jokes

This list can go on and on because anything that has a positive side also has a negative side.

I would be a liar if I said I’ve never laughed at or told a mean spirited joke. We have all laughed at inappropriate things.

But that doesn’t make it okay.

And that’s the hard part….

Look, I’m a fairly black and white person. There is no middle ground with me. Right is right and wrong is wrong. The end.

I’m not a prude or a religious “everything is sinful” kind of person. At some point, though, we all must decide a standard to live by.

We can’t say it’s not okay to discriminate or disrespect others in all areas–except joke telling.

Just because something is funny doesn’t make it right.

And saying “just kidding” is not a magical eraser that negates the power of your words.

Please, everyone, have a life filled with joy and humor. I’m not  saying you can’t ever tease in a playful way.

We all know the line.

We all know when a joke’s bad or gone too far.

Use discretion, okay? What if it was you on the receiving end?

Now, back to reading my joke book…

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Becoming friends with failure

My relationship with gravity is a bit tricky….

Cracks in the sidewalks? They are my enemy. I’m pretty sure they snicker every time I trip. Dancing in front of people? Not gonna happen. I will not be on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon.

I always look around if I fall or spill my drink or knock the entire contents of my purse onto the floor.

It’s embarrassing. No one else is that clumsy, right? No one else falls or makes mistakes or….

How ridiculous does this sound? Of course other people make mistakes! Of course they trip and fall on their behinds.

Me dancing like no one's watching (even though everyone was watching).

Me dancing like no one’s watching (even though everyone was watching).

So why spend so much time running away from failure?

For me, it’s because I don’t want to look like an idiot. I’m not the biggest fan of taking risks and it’s a lot easier to blend in. I want to stay safe and comfortable.

Safety and comfort are bad friends. They tell a lot of lies.

Yes, yes. That’s way too hard for you. Just stay back here and watch so-and-so. They are a lot better at it than you anyway.

Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure.

Scientists don’t cry because their experiment didn’t work out the first time. They just say, “Uh. That didn’t work out. Okay. Let’s try it again, but tweak this and that.”

Athletes don’t freak out when they miss a goal. Sure, they may be disappointed, but they just work harder to make the next shot.

We all fail. We all make mistakes. You’re not alone, okay?

Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from trying new and exciting things.

Here’s what many people won’t tell you:

Success has a little brother. His name is Failure. They actually have a great relationship. And you can’t be friends with one without being friends with the other.

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Kid superhero to the rescue!

I need to apologize in advance…yesterday I floated an idea for us to discuss and I discovered today that it’s not quite time to bring it up.

Without going into all the details, I found myself swimming–drowning, I mean–in thought.

That’s part of this journey, right? Learning how and when to give your thoughts words.

Guess who came to my rescue this morning? My little brother. He pulled me out of my “brain’s going too fast” mode.

His method? Playtime.

Caleb is my hero today.

Funny how kids always know when we need to be rescued from ourselves.

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Internal Dialogue Syndrome

Today’s post won’t be long. I simply want to plant a seed about a topic I plan to discuss over the next few days.

How many times have you walked away from a conversation thinking:

I should’ve said this or that! Why did I just stand there and let him or her talk to me that way? Here’s what I should’ve done…

Well, I have this internal dialogue at least three times a week.

What’s stopping me and you from speaking up?

That’s all I’m going to say for now. Take some time to think about it, okay?

If you’re feeling brave, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

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Why I Choose Hope

If you’ve been alive for more than 5 minutes, you’ve been disappointed.  That’s just reality.

I’ve always considered myself an optimist. Well, that was until a few years ago. Everything was going wrong (or at least I thought so) and I wasn’t at a good place emotionally.

It was the first time I was struck by how many times I practice calculated disappointment.

Let me define what I mean: Whenever I’m thinking something through, I automatically add in a measure of disappointment–sometimes more, sometimes less.

Like I said earlier, disappointment is a normal part of life. I don’t want to have a plastic, everything’s perfect life. Nobody–and I mean nobody–likes those kind of people.
But as Christians, we are called and encouraged to hope. The God kind of hope never disappoints. That’s a guarantee.

This guarantee is also why I am allowing my mindset to be changed.

When hard times come, when people fail, that’s a bummer. But guess what? Those times go away. A stinky attitude and a bad worldview doesn’t.

Here’s my advice: Don’t let past circumstances dictate your standard of living or your standard of thinking. Life is already messy enough. 
Find a way to hope for the best. I promise you won’t be sorry.

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More Birthday Fun!

This post is up…but a bit late. Like, technically not today late…sorry about that. I was still partying like it was my birthday.

Here’s a few pictures of my shenanigans:

 It’s a birthday box head bird! Ah!!!
 Birthday muffins to celebrate the big 25.
 Meet Mr. Carrot. He was a gift from Savanna and Selah. Caleb gave me the spiffy green cumberbun.
 Dad and Mama Ce got me a Batman shirt and a pack of cool Batman socks. I’m in love…

It’s late, friends. Let’s talk again tomorrow.

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25 Random Facts About Me

Daily blogging begins today! 

  
I thought it would be fun to start our journey by sharing 25 random facts about myself. 

  1. I normally read 3-5 books at a time. 
  2. For me, YouTube always beats television. 
  3. I love corny and punny jokes. 
  4. I love to tell corny and punny jokes even more. 
  5. I am a pathological note taker. 
  6. I am an avid doodler. 
  7. The Weepies are my favorite band. 
  8. I am not as extroverted as people think. 
  9. When I am in full-on sign language mode, I often forget I can hear. 
  10. I love karaoke. 
  11. Twitter confuses me; I can’t quite grasp the concept. 
  12. I am highly allergic to Christianese. 
  13. Pulling off surprises is not my strong suit. 
  14. A beautifully written sentence almost always makes me cry. 
  15. Celebrity worship of any kind disgusts me. 
  16. Encouraging others is my favorite thing to do. 
  17. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my favorite book/movie to read/watch at Christmas time. 
  18. I love listening to podcasts. 
  19. I do not like dressing up. 
  20. Bacon. (Enough said.)
  21. Driving and eating never works well for me. 
  22. I am a pyromaniac. 
  23. I enjoy sending cards and letters via snail mail. 
  24. I have a song for everything. 
  25. One hobby I want to pick back up is geocaching. 
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Note to Self: Don’t Ride the Gossip Train

don't forgetI remember a game frequently played in my elementary school. The class would sit in a circle and a student was given a certain phrase by the teacher such as “Susie Q ate beef stew.” That student then had to whisper the phrase into the next student’s ear and so on. By the time it went around the room, “Mark W. liked dogs.” 

If you’re thinking, “That’s a lot like gossip!” You would be correct. It is gossip plain and simple.

And gossip is not an acceptable means to discern a person’s character. I’ve been working extra hard to not let the things I hear about someone affect my opinion of them before I even meet them.  

Have you ever shared a cup of coffee with a friend you thought you knew only to discover your perception of them was completely wrong?

 gossip problemMany friendships are left uncultivated because of a faulty perception and I’m tired of missing opportunities!

Furthermore, let’s extend some grace to each other.

I’m not always perfect. And I bet if you were being honest, you aren’t either. 

It’s easy to throw someone else under the bus and forget that last month, last week, yesterday…you needed a good dose of grace too.

Don’t be afraid to ditch gossip and extend grace. It could make all the difference. 

The bottom line is that perception is not often reality.