Re: Wow

Do you ever think about what kind of story you're living? Like are you one of those people that other people have great tales about? The kind of tale that they look back on with a smile and a sigh like, "oh, i can't believe that happened... oh wait it was *insert name here* of course i can."? Or are you one of those people that are really nice and you're known for being really nice? Or are you an ass and that is what you're known for? Some kind of radical perhaps? A very conservative, shy fellow?

I'm reading Don Miller's new book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - I totally recommend it. Don always makes me think about the state of my life, or the way I think about things, or just things in general... like Lord of the Rings. I'm also listening to a lot of Cat Stevens and Bon Iver. Those things combined with some free time gives you room to ponder.

Don (so far in the book) talks about his life and how boring it's been... at least for it to be made into a movie. Which leads him to talk about his Uncle who passed away. At the funeral he talks about how they all knew they were burying a good man, which is different from burying an average man - which I can totally identify and agree with. They celebrated his life, yes they were sad, but they knew he lived a life worth living and made an impact on other people worthy of celebration. He then tells a story about his uncle's life which got me to thinking.
At my funeral (now, in my 23 years) would I be someone that everyone would know was a good person? An average person? A jerk of a person?

Am I someone who's life would be worthy of celebrating because of what I had done? The honorable way I impacted people's lives? Or the stories I left behind...would they be worth talking about (like my dad - we roasted him for his 50th birthday. There were so many stories told we had to switch the video camera tape. That got me to thinking then too, am I like that?)?

I wonder if God and I will sit and talk about how crazy awesome my life was or if we'll just sit and look at each other while we sip coffee awkwardly. I wonder if we'll have anything to talk about when He asks me about it. I wonder what I'll say. Or how long we'll talk about it. Minutes, hours, days? I don't really know. I know what I hope that will be like, usually the way I hope things would go isn't how they actually turn out.

Don put's it perfectly in a sentence:
"You get a feeling when you look back on life that that's all God really wants from us, to live inside a body he made and enjoy the story and bond with us through the experience."

*

Welcome, Fall.
This is my absolute favorite time of year. Skirts and leggings. Time in the woods. Pumpkin spice creamer. Mulled cider candles. Crisp air. Knitting. New scarves. Boots. Sweaters. Warm hugs and smiles. Feeling good. Movie releases *cough Where the Wild Things Are cough*. Vibrant colors. Percolators holding amazing coffee. Reconnecting with God. Don Miller. Bon Iver. Cat Stevens. Camping. My my.

I've been on the parkway a few times in the last couple of weeks, it's my goal to be up there every week a couple of times. That way I don't miss anything - I want to be in the middle of God's artistry as often as possible this season. Fall makes everything magical in it's own right.

Life has been interesting for me since June when I last posted. I've hung out with a nice guy, been stalked from the parkway to my house by his crazy ex-girlfriend, have since stopped hanging out with the "nice guy", applied for a couple of jobs that are in my field, been inspired- no called- to move to Colorado in the relatively near future, begun to water color/draw, gotten a kitten named Dulce, jumped for a new hair style including bangs, begun DIY projects (who knew), and reconnected with some old friends.

I've enjoyed working with my new class of 4 year olds - I have an interesting blend of kids this year. My assistant is one of the most amazing people I've had the pleasure of meeting. She is, as I said tonight in a staff meeting, my other half. It's amazing when you can go through all of the struggles my job offers, from the lack of trust with leadership, to struggles with communication, to 4 year old family drama, to breakdowns and still manage to have inside jokes and be able to laugh things off. That is a rare gift.

I'm learning and relearning on a daily basis to trust God and to find the beautiful in every day. It's been hard over the last month or so especially, but He is seeing me though. I'm so grateful for such an amazing God.

This Fall I'm looking forward to completing a few new projects:
-Knitting my first scarf (after countless hours of practice I think I might be ready)
-Road trips to see friends in distant cities
-DIY 2010 planner (eeek!)
-Perfecting my tree/owl painting
-Jumping in every leaf pile available
-Stomping on any crunching looking leaf
-Swinging at the park

What are some of your fun plans this fall?