It's been more than a month since my last post. Quite a few things have happened since then--you know, life.
Let me begin by saying that I did not get to finish my NaNoWriMo story which was disappointing. Mid-November I started teaching. December was challenging, as I had to learn to navigate the new position and other things. God was still in all of that because He allowed added responsibility--to liaise between school and program. Not too bad! I'm getting the hang of being a teacher.
As for the story, I spent a good while last week, looking at my notes and I fell in love with my characters all over again. I do want to write my story but I think I'll need a little more time to get their "lives" right. All I know is that I am besotted with Piero. Haha!
Healthwise, I was doing well after the Holidays. I didn't partake gluttonously of the Holiday meals. I lost weight, one and a half pant sizes to be precise. On the last week of December, I finally committed to a gym membership. It was a mind game, really. Thankfully my gym offered a complimentary Personal Trainer consultation. My trainer is kick-butt and we jive quite well. I lost two pant sizes by New Year!
For a person who had not stepped into a gym in 10 years--discounting the times I bought memberships but didn't go--I was so self-conscious. To note: I did go do Yoga intermittently in that decade, but I've given that up. Anyway, I got psyched-out the second week, but thankfully the youth at my church inspired me to go.
I got sick. Then went to Disney World with my cousins the first two weeks of January. I felt horrible last week. I felt heavy and weak, no energy at all yet terrible sleeping patterns. I hit the gym last Saturday and promised to go every day this week. I booked a 7 am session with my trainer just so I can be held accountable.
That accountability led me to push. Push past self-consciousness and feelings of inadequacies. To mind my self, my goals, and no one else. Thus far, I can see an improvement in my cardiovascular health. My running times are getting better, 24-minute mile in December, to 18:20 yesterday, and 13:53 today! WOOT WOOT! Here's to Shaklee Sports Nutrition for helping me!
Fortuitously, my pastor in Cambridge emailed about discipleship level 2. There was no thinking about it! An opportunity to grow deeper in Christ is a great life-investment. I am excited in this time of dedication. With a boatload of stuff going on around the world, I want to hunker down in Christ, my anchor, my rock. Otherwise, there would be no peace.
All this to say that there are more things in store for 2017. I'm so ready. There will be challenges, there will be lulls--life happens--but this year I'm taking and making it for myself and my God.
Colossians 4:2
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Of Courage and Liberty
It's been a year since I graduated, give or take a few days, of course. Walking around campus felt so different compared to my very first day living in Cambridge. I remember walking down Magazine Street, and although it was a sunny, cloudless day, it was grey. However, last Thursday, walking with my sister and friends around Harvard Square and then around Boston, it was clear and shimmery.
I have learned so much from my time living alone, and I am sure that, as I embark on the next journey, I will learn more lessons. The prerogative is to be couragous--trusting in God's plan. It'll require much of me, stretching and molding me, and that is all I can hope for. Tehre are so many people much braver than I, and if I want my life to mean something, I, too, must go and do.
I am so fortunate that I have a family that is supportive of the adventures and endeavors I am undetaking. I have their prayers and blessings, which allows me to be free. I am at liberty to do.
As I type this post on the Megabus ride back to NYC, I have Oceans by Hillsong United on repeat. "Spirit lead to where my trust is without boarders..."
Will I be trusting enough? Will I live and walk Spiritually so that I can endure and persevere? God I hope I can be counted as your faithful. That's all I really want in life. That's the only thing I am sure of.
Praise Jesus.
I have learned so much from my time living alone, and I am sure that, as I embark on the next journey, I will learn more lessons. The prerogative is to be couragous--trusting in God's plan. It'll require much of me, stretching and molding me, and that is all I can hope for. Tehre are so many people much braver than I, and if I want my life to mean something, I, too, must go and do.
I am so fortunate that I have a family that is supportive of the adventures and endeavors I am undetaking. I have their prayers and blessings, which allows me to be free. I am at liberty to do.
As I type this post on the Megabus ride back to NYC, I have Oceans by Hillsong United on repeat. "Spirit lead to where my trust is without boarders..."
Will I be trusting enough? Will I live and walk Spiritually so that I can endure and persevere? God I hope I can be counted as your faithful. That's all I really want in life. That's the only thing I am sure of.
Praise Jesus.
Monday, December 23, 2013
"Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say" King Lear, Shakespeare
I'm really not the type to make New Years Resolutions because I know I will fail, but mostly: forget. I have, however, since 2007, whilst in the company of 25,000+ youth in St. Louis/Urbana, Missouri have had yearly character reflections. I remember that year it was tenacity. I had chronicled those character reflections on LJ, and perhaps, Facebook. I remember having studied compassion, love/warmth?, trust, joy, and temperance (for the last two years!). Yes, temperance is a big thing, moderation is chalked up in there as well.
With that in mind, I am thinking of this coming year's character reflection. I learned many things this year about myself; about my abilities, and how far my journey with, within, and toward God has grown. I also learned to put my money where my mouth is, and failed at something purposefully. There is a rationale to this, and this exercise is definitely multifaceted, but this one is what I feel comfortable sharing: failure comes the hardest when we least expect it, so why not allow yourself to? This thought stems from a sermon I heard about change. There are two ways to change, one in which wisdom guides you to make changes out of your own volition, or where foolishness drags you kicking and screaming through the mire to learn your lesson. I prefer the prior, always the prior.
Digressing, I know through Psychological study readings, that we have bias in perception about ourselves and our past. We distance the bad -- "But that was what I felt/knew/learnt about myself X-time ago... and this is what I know/feel/learn now." (There was a funny comic my professor included in the lecture slide). So, what about this year's character reflection? What will I be focusing on? I want to be able to say: responsibilities. I'm too scared to say righteousness or graciousness, because those things court a steadfastness that I don't think I'm willing to commit to. Perhaps, commitment? Maybe I need to learn to be wholly and truly committed to something. One of the lessons I learned--rather, remembered, is that I do not like putting all my eggs in the basket.
Commitment. I feel like I've tried to work this as a character reflection, though not officially, but I'm not entirely sure.
"Take pains; be perfect." Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare. "If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in the large ones. But if you are dishonest in the little things, you won't be honest with the greater responsibilities." Luke 16:10, NLT.
At this point, I feel like I suck as a person because I have never been as faithful as I should be in the small things. I don't take things as seriously as they should be. Yes, I've a streak of irreverence, I admit to this. Alas, I must carry on.
Do we really change? I hope so.
That's the transformative power of Jesus at work.
With that in mind, I am thinking of this coming year's character reflection. I learned many things this year about myself; about my abilities, and how far my journey with, within, and toward God has grown. I also learned to put my money where my mouth is, and failed at something purposefully. There is a rationale to this, and this exercise is definitely multifaceted, but this one is what I feel comfortable sharing: failure comes the hardest when we least expect it, so why not allow yourself to? This thought stems from a sermon I heard about change. There are two ways to change, one in which wisdom guides you to make changes out of your own volition, or where foolishness drags you kicking and screaming through the mire to learn your lesson. I prefer the prior, always the prior.
Digressing, I know through Psychological study readings, that we have bias in perception about ourselves and our past. We distance the bad -- "But that was what I felt/knew/learnt about myself X-time ago... and this is what I know/feel/learn now." (There was a funny comic my professor included in the lecture slide). So, what about this year's character reflection? What will I be focusing on? I want to be able to say: responsibilities. I'm too scared to say righteousness or graciousness, because those things court a steadfastness that I don't think I'm willing to commit to. Perhaps, commitment? Maybe I need to learn to be wholly and truly committed to something. One of the lessons I learned--rather, remembered, is that I do not like putting all my eggs in the basket.
Commitment. I feel like I've tried to work this as a character reflection, though not officially, but I'm not entirely sure.
"Take pains; be perfect." Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare. "If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in the large ones. But if you are dishonest in the little things, you won't be honest with the greater responsibilities." Luke 16:10, NLT.
At this point, I feel like I suck as a person because I have never been as faithful as I should be in the small things. I don't take things as seriously as they should be. Yes, I've a streak of irreverence, I admit to this. Alas, I must carry on.
Do we really change? I hope so.
That's the transformative power of Jesus at work.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Preparing for 2014
This year I will endeavor to:
Blog more: there was a time, probably during High School, when I blogged almost daily on Xanga. I have since abandoned, dare I say, deleted that blog and moved on to the Live Journal community. I didn't blog much about myself in LJ, but I did join comms for reading and interacting with brilliant people. I met one of my best friends there. Alas, that blog also went down.
I don't really hope for much with this new blog, I just hope to get off of Facebook--stop wasting time with inanities. I hope to post up substantial thoughts and pondering, I do love to ponder upon things. I usually blurb stuff on Twitter--who says one can't be poignant in 150 characters? I hope to post up more art work since it has been far too long since I did anything with my hands. I hope to post up more photographs, although I guess I have my Instagram for that. I hope to write more original works. Studying psychology hasn't really afforded me any insight to human behavior, but blessedly, it has afforded me the ability to understand my capacity to care, which says a lot.
I don't really know… I just want to post up parts of myself that I haven't let shine in a while. I know the statistic, only about 1% of people actually reply to a post
Get offline
Hug people
Go to museums: always a lovely guilty pleasure.
Express myself through art: painting, photography, and writing… I used to do a lot more things. It was a total lie when I convinced myself that I couldn't do art because of my studies. No, I just numbed out on Netflix, or Amazon Prime Instant.
Be more true: true to myself, true to people, true to the nature of compassion. Most especially, true to God.
So here's to the New Year. I will be suffering withdrawal, I think. But I that's understandable after I've spent the better part of the last decade plugged in. What is one year, right?
"Advance toward me, brethren."
Translation: Bring it.
Blog more: there was a time, probably during High School, when I blogged almost daily on Xanga. I have since abandoned, dare I say, deleted that blog and moved on to the Live Journal community. I didn't blog much about myself in LJ, but I did join comms for reading and interacting with brilliant people. I met one of my best friends there. Alas, that blog also went down.
I don't really hope for much with this new blog, I just hope to get off of Facebook--stop wasting time with inanities. I hope to post up substantial thoughts and pondering, I do love to ponder upon things. I usually blurb stuff on Twitter--who says one can't be poignant in 150 characters? I hope to post up more art work since it has been far too long since I did anything with my hands. I hope to post up more photographs, although I guess I have my Instagram for that. I hope to write more original works. Studying psychology hasn't really afforded me any insight to human behavior, but blessedly, it has afforded me the ability to understand my capacity to care, which says a lot.
I don't really know… I just want to post up parts of myself that I haven't let shine in a while. I know the statistic, only about 1% of people actually reply to a post
Get offline
Hug people
Go to museums: always a lovely guilty pleasure.
Express myself through art: painting, photography, and writing… I used to do a lot more things. It was a total lie when I convinced myself that I couldn't do art because of my studies. No, I just numbed out on Netflix, or Amazon Prime Instant.
Be more true: true to myself, true to people, true to the nature of compassion. Most especially, true to God.
So here's to the New Year. I will be suffering withdrawal, I think. But I that's understandable after I've spent the better part of the last decade plugged in. What is one year, right?
"Advance toward me, brethren."
Translation: Bring it.
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