Stopping to Smell the What?

I was thinking the other day about my habit of stopping to smell flowers.  I have always, ALWAYS, taken the time to sniff anything that smelled good as I passed by.  Just ask anyone who has gone on a walk with me.  They'll swear that I "stop and smell the roses" more than anyone they know.

But, it struck me hard when I thought about it.  I don't think I really "stop and smell the roses".  Once you think about it, stopping to smell the roses is more than a mindless action.  It is a worthless act without a mindset of gratitude and praise.  Because when taking a moment to sniff a rose, if there isn't appreciation for the existence of that thing, or the smell, or the moment when you don't have to think about anything but a flower....without that appreciation, it's just another motion to go through, and frankly, it would be better to save the time and not bother.

So what does this have to do with life?

As we say in Thailand, "same-same".  Reading a book, hugging a friend, going to work.  So many things that can just be part of the day, without truly being lived.  Until we intentionally use the moment we are given as a gift, we will feel like we are watching our lives go by like a movie.

What am I going to do about this?

Good question.  You can't change the way your brain functions in just a moment.  But instead, I have to begin to form a habit of choosing.  Choosing joy, choosing praise, choosing love, choosing to intentionally live each moment instead of being a victim of time.  So after submitting post, I am going to give a loved one a hug, play with a cat, and eat a chocolate.  And I will do each thing with purpose.  So yeah...let's stop and smell some...whatever.

Behind it all.

I feel like I have be behind time for the last couple weeks.  Just as I get one project done another begins.  And so I have been unable to share things that I wanted to share.  Alas, living was the goal for this year...and living means you don't always get to share it.

I was hoping the busyness would be full of knitting for newborns or painting sunsets.  But, Grad-school is a time consuming beast.  I love it though (but not all the time).

I have been introduced to Kombucha which was a fermented tea that I tried back in college but hated.  Yet recently I decided to try it again seeings how I have been working so closely with a local grocery that carries it.  I don't know if it is the live cultures or what, but GEEE  I have had energy lately to get things done.  And I can't stop now!

With that said, UPDATES:

• I prayed about getting a car.  And within a few days God provided a great deal that landed right in my price range.
• Now that I have a car, I am poor.  So I picked up odd jobs.  I work for a local farm.  I clean Semi trucks, farm equipment, the office, and garage.  The other odd job just started, but I go out for the second time tomorrow with a local photographer to assist.
• A more fun update is that I finally got a chance to play with my own photography at a lake for Labor Day.  Mom and I went out east for some R&R.  I couldn't stop thinking of Grad-work, but now I force myself to set aside recreational reading time once again for rest.

I guess I better go get some more data analysis done before I get behind again.

The Thankful List

This morning I sat down to my quite time with a bowl of Special K chocolate berry.  Yum!  And I began to write in my journal.  I noticed that I have fallen so far behind on my list of things that I am thankful for.  And just recently have I been able to write down a few scribbles.

The thankful list was a practice I started October of last year.  I was struggling to find an attitude of gratitude so I began the list.  Everyday I would sit down and write out my gratitude for the little gifts in my life.  When I first got home from the adventure that took me so long and so far, I thought that I no longer needed that list to get through.  But truly, it isn't about "getting through" any more.  It's about being thankful for what the Lord has given you.

So I put down my spoon and picked up my pen again.  "#1394.  Cold milk in my cereal!"  A couple months ago, I would have dug my journal out of my bag to write this one with a swelling heart.  I was in the land of powdered milk re-hydrated in room temp water.  This got me thinking... here in the place where I have so much to be thankful for, why is it so hard to recognize God's little gifts?

I think it is because, "familiarity breeds contempt" as my Korean church says.  These little gifts like cold milk or warm showers are no longer blessings but expectations.  Being in the land of plenty makes us expect no less...and unfortunately I have fallen into that.

My prayer is that I will be ever grateful and that I will enjoy the blessings that He intends for me.  That I will not expect the good things to happen, but instead to hope for them and praise His name when they come.  And then I will find a heart of true gratitude.