Of Mice and Me

“The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry.”

Yeah, that phrase is cliche’...
But it still rings true.

Lately, I’ve been pondering what it actually means to plan something. I’ve seen a lot of my friends frantically trying to figure out what they want to do after graduation, wondering how a certain situation will get resolved, etc. Still, most (if not all) of them have grand ideas and high hopes for the future.

I have many grand ideas of what I’d like to see myself doing after graduation, but that does not mean a thing. Economies change. Circumstances change. Priorities change. What we think is ideal doesn’t always happen. Nothing is ever certain; we just make our plans and hope for the best. That’s the best we can do.

BUT, there is hope, and that's a comfort. Having hope for the future requires one to place a great deal of trust in something. I choose to place my trust in God and what he has planned.

What’s that one Bible verse I always heard growing up? Oh yeah--

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ ~ Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

He has plans for me, and I have to trust that they’re better than my own.

This summer was not what I had planned. I had grand ideas of gallivanting off to some other country to meet my university’s cross-cultural trip requirement then coming back to the U.S. and getting a great internship in another city. I, instead, have been taking classes and working in my hometown because I was a bit short on the money I needed to make those plans happen. I’m not complaining though. That just goes to show that my plans do go oft awry.

So, I’m learning to trust that my plans, as grand as I usually think they are, may not always need to happen when or how I think they should happen. My original ones might not have been the best for me right now. I’ve had such realizations about other things in the past. Hindsight is 20/20, you know. I’m just glad my God puts up with me and my superfluous plans.

Staying in awe

Age changes things.

This summer, my college campus is being rented out for various camps and things. One day in the student union ladies’ room, I noticed three little girls sticking out their blue lollipop-coated tongues at the mirror while I was putting on some lipstick. I was making sure I looked my best before going to work, while the children were arguing over who had the bluest tongue (it was a serious matter, after all!).

It hit me then that age really does make all the difference in how a person views the world around them. Still, I had to wonder when exactly I lost my own sense of wonder. Me marveling at the color of my tongue in the mirror today would raise a few eyebrows because of my age. But, then again, when was the last time I let myself show such fascination with a new thing or experience?

I love the age I am right now. I wouldn’t trade my years of experience for anything.
Still, I hope I don’t forget to stop and smell the roses, look at the stars, or do whatever it is I need to do to keep myself from turning into a boring cynic who is never impressed by anything. I challenge you to not forget to do those things either. Carpe diem and all that jazz.

I think keeping a sense of wonder about you will help make life more satisfying in the long run. I know that, in order for me to live a fulfilled life, I'm going to need to stay in awe of the world God has placed me in and what He has given me.

So, do stick out that tongue of yours and marvel.

The "My life is crazy busy" post

Almost a year has happened since my last honest-to-goodness post.
(No, the last one wasn't quite goodness. Thanks for asking.)

How does one sum up a year's worth of happenings? I certainly don't know how.
Let us begin trying, OK?
OK.

I am now 20 years old and a junior in college. I am still your typical college student; I only have a vague idea of what I want to do after graduation. But I am really excited about my vague ideas...

I am blessed with great family and friends, and I'm grateful for them.

I'm still living, going to school and working in my hometown, and, while I'm waiting for a chance to see more of the world, I'm trying to learn how to "bloom where I'm planted." Or, rather, I'm trying to thrive. That has been my latest prayer to God--that I not take anything for granted.

My life is crazy busy--even during the less-busy summer.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm just thankful.

Summer goals

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions.

Why do I need to wait until a new year comes along to resolve to do something?

This summer, even though I have a job, I still have a lot of free time on my hands. I've decided that I need to start doing something productive in my free time.

The result of this decision?
A list of summer goals.

These are all things I've been meaning to do.
A lot of it is making up for lost time.
(I love time. It's better to have loved and lost than... never mind.)

Hopefully, I'll have come closer to learning most (if not all) of these things before summer comes to an end. I'll keep updating you on my progress!

The List:

- Learn to speak Spanish fluently
While I have taken 6 semesters of Spanish (1 at a high school level and 5 at my university), I'm still not fluent in Spanish. My goal is to get closer to that mark.

- Learn to play a guitar
I've never been musically inclined other than the fact that I can sing a little. I have the instrument. I just need to get over how much it hurts my fingers to play (no callouses yet, obviously) and start making music.

- Learn to be a better actress
I love theatre. I watch plays as often as I can, and I really want to act. I've tried out for numerous plays at my university, but I've never gotten a callback. Either I'm a terrible actress, or I simply lack the experience they wanted. Either way, I'm going to see what I can do to improve.

- Learn to be a better writer
Writing is something I really love doing. That being said, there's always room for improvement. I want to try new styles of writing. I've even considered looking into doing some freelance work (just a thought, not so much a goal).

- Learn to be a better cook
I've been cracking open the recipe books lately... Again, always room for improvement!

My goal with this list of goals is to improve myself.
After I finish this list, there will probably be more like it.
In fact, it's likely that I'll have even more to add to this list tomorrow.
Life's a journey, and my journey will include learning all I can. ;-)

Sailing away on the Box Sea

Sadly, inevitably, gratefully...
My first year of college has come to an end.

Right now, sitting in my dorm room with a sea of cardboard boxes waiting impatiently to be filled so I can move out of the dorm, I'm thinking over my year.

It was amazing.
I learned a lot (oh, surprise, surprise), had some great (and many not-so-great) experiences, made some good friends and started on my way to becoming who it is I want to become (more on that later).

It was a year filled with so many possibilities; most everything was new to me.
Despite the fact that I came to college last fall with nearly enough credits to be a sophomore, I was still having my first year.
It was challenging, but it was wonderful and worth it.

I feel like I could go into detail after detail about my first year of college, but I'll save those posts for another day.

In a way, I'm grateful that the year is over. No more classes until fall!
On the other hand, I'm sad and wishing that good things didn't always have to come to ends.
I know I'll never have another year like this again.
My next year of college won't be defined by all the firsts I've had; it will be building on these first foundations I've made.

I have my memories, and all I can do is reflect.
Don't worry... It's a joyful sort of reflection.
Excuse me now.
I need to get back to sailing the Box Sea.

שואה - Let's not forget.

Take a look at my heart today.
I was just thinking of the Holocaust, and it has me feeling heavy-hearted.
I don't know what made me think of it today, but I thought I'd share with you.

The thing about the way I write is that I feel responsible.
I feel as if there always has to be a reason for what I write.
God has given me the ability to be able to, at times, express my thoughts well through my writing.
I don't want to be thoughtless about it.
So when an issue like this catches my attention...

The Holocaust has always been something that has tugged at my heart.
It's not so much tugged at my heart though...
It's made my heart sick.

I'm blessed.
I am a Christian, and I've always been grateful to live in a time and place where I don't have to be in fear of my life because of my faith.
Maybe that's why the Holocaust's atrocities make my stomach turn so much.
I'm used to freedom.

The Holocaust was inherently wrong.
I don't care what your religious affiliation is; nobody deserves to be treated like its victims were.
I know it went against everything I believe.

I encourage you to research the Holocaust to find out everything that happened with it.
Yes, a lot of what you will find about it is hard to read.
I hope it is hard for you!
The memories of it should still be shocking.

I think it's important for the world to look back at people's past cruel mistakes and remember them so, God willing, nothing like that will ever happen again.
It shocks me to hear of people denying that the Holocaust ever happened.

This occurred years and years before I was even born, but the lessons we can learn from it are still terribly relevant today.
So, please, let's not forget this.

Happy Tax Day!

Isn't it a lovely day?

Today is the deadline for the people of the United States of America to hand over part of their income to the government.

I'm sure it's joy.

I did my taxes two days ago, and I surprised myself by doing them so early.
I had pictured myself waiting 'til today to do them.
It would've been me having to deal with my signature tendency to procrastinate (which, fortunately, is becoming less and less of one).

This was my first time having to do taxes.
2008 marked the first year I was over 18 and with a job.
I filed online, and it was relatively painless.

I won't be getting much of a refund.
My check will be filled out to the amount of $20.

At least I'm not having to pay this time around...