What 13 hours can do

I have spent 16 hours of the past 24 hours asleep, which comes out to 2/3's of a day.

But at least my headache is mostly gone, my throat doesn't hurt, and my sniffles may just be attributed to allergies.

One of these days, when I'm not working a morning job, I need to do one of those sleep-as-long-as-you-can-for-a-whole-week exercises.

Now the question is: do I go back to sleep (which sounds quite lovely even though I just woke up two hours ago), or get some work done?

Where to next?

Usually I put my shoes away, or they end up scattered around the room (slippers by my bed, sneakers in the closet, running shoes actually in the shoe rack on the closet door like they belong). But these past two days have seen the accumulation of my footwear all in one spot. It’s like I can’t decide what I’m doing next: running for leisurely sake? lounging around at night in slippers? picking up messes around the house in flip flops? running a whole day of errands in hot summer heat? Leaving? Staying? Going deeper? Being rooted out?

On a different note, I called Adam-brother who has been handling my family’s Verizon accounts for what seems like the past decade or so. Turns out he can easily change my phone number if I go in. I guess after nearly seven years it’s time to move on from my Bay Area area code. And four years in the 916 is a rather long time. But I must say it’s rather overwhelming to think of all the accounts my phone number is linked to that I’m going to have to update. And when do I do it? ASAP? (Might as well, my impulsive impatient self says).

The reality and permanence of the next step is slowly starting to sink in. Jesus, show me how this is a promise land when it feels like an unknown wilderness.

Life is very short.

It's a strange, sobering thought to know that you took the photo used for your classmate's memorial service. Who knows when a picture is going to be the last memory?

Rhythms

Morning office routine
The click of the key in the lock
Quick pull of the blinds
Buzz of the computer
Beep of appointments
Chair wheels sliding back
Drawers sliding out

Clicking of heels on sidewalk
Always pressing the crosswalk three times
Side glances to the cars passing by

Depending on the day,
Quick meal before dashing upstairs with arms full
To pull open the laptop and sign on
To gmail and docs and facebook at once

Rhythms
Normal, weekly, expected, mundane
But you will miss the pleasantness
Of those five-minute car rides late on Wednesday night

A Feel-Good Vacation

I am shocked right now. Groupon is selling a volunteering vacation! I think part of me wishes that voluntourism just really didn't exist, that we would all see our selfish motives for flying overseas. But this brings it to a whole new level. A volunteering vacation--life changing, rewarding, exotic...

After taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities and having conversations with development workers, you'll help serve a meal to hundreds of malnourished kids.

Finally, you’ll take a day trip to Hope Ministries' poultry farm, where you’ll witness the program's work to achieve financial independence with the help of thousands of cheeping chicks. In between excursions, there will be plenty of time to fly kites or swap stories with the program's kids.

Oh yes. Fly all the way to Zambia to serve food, look at chickens, fly kites, and talk with kids.

This deserves a longer post, and there are fifty other questions and topics it brings up. I am not the expert to write it. I consider my conversation on this topic relatively amateur, but there other great pieces out their on the cautions to take on short-term volunteer/mission trips, and if you're ready for it, the dangerous and negative impacts as well. But for now this Groupon Getaway deal will have to sti in my brain under the file of, "Horribly Wrong."

Thoughts from small group

My disappointment that two friends didn't make it to the last small group (though I wasn't entirely surprised) was redeemed by sitting next to Andrew and Jason tonight. Curious, I asked Andrew if he had a faith background, which opened up the conversation that nope, he didn't. Went to church a couple times, has never read the Bible. And the last small group he went to was really confusing and he didn't know what was going on.

As we partnered off and talked throughout small group, I realized that this small group looks really different when you're looking in from the outside, when you have no idea what people are saying. Such as, holy smokes, our small group is filled with all sorts of Christianese lingo that's so natural for most of our students, so awkward if you've never been exposed.

______________________

I started this a week ago with full intention of fleshing out my thoughts on things that would be helpful for newcomers to small group (For example, my friend had no idea that Jesus is both God and God's son)...and never finished. Until next time, I guess.

Growing up

My dear friends,

At 23 years of age, I have applied and been approved for my first credit card.

For some reason I feel like it's a huge deal.

The creepier part is that there is a huge database of information, so using some of my basic info, a site I have never registered on can ask me security questions like county I live in or a previous street residence without me. And they know my loans and the fact that I don't have any other credit cards. Such is the mystical world of credit reports I suppose.

The logistical part of me wonders how I will factor this in on my budget excel spreadsheet. But we'll cross that bridge in another week or so.

Happy Monday!