This year flew right past me. Growing up as a kid, you count on your fingers to when you're going to finish school.
"It's 2000 and I'm in second grade, so I still have 10 more years of school then 4 more of college...so that's 1, 2, 3, 4...-- 2014 I will be finished with school." Who am I kidding -- in second grade I was a beast at minute math, I'm sure I would've done that addition in a second, but needless to say, I'm sure those thoughts came across my head.
And now I'm 23, graduated from university, working, and 2014 is shortly coming to an end. Strange that to my watch, one tick is no different from the next. Nothing makes 11:59:59 on December 31, 2014 different from 12:00:00 Jan 1, 2015. It's just another tick like it has always been. (Sidenote: I purchased a watch over Thanksgiving break and it's coming in more handy than I thought.)
Yet to us, these ticks keep track of time for us. With every birth and every death, with every slow year and with every fleeting year, we're reminded that life has a beginning and an end. I love (and fear) the quote, "Man lives as though death shall never come to him, but dies in a way as if he were never born." Three years back, I'd say, of course I'm living, and I can spot the fools that are not. Three years later and a little wiser, maybe I'm a little more cautious to say the same.
Well...I'm going to get off my ass and stop trying to think of something clever to say and actually go have some conversation with my parents.
I welcome you, 2015. I have no idea what you will bring, but I hope I can enjoy the ride.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
thoughts i want to get written down
Sometimes I wish I were that person who talked to himself because passing your thoughts through a medium outside of your mind can be so helpful just to hear the difference between an actual desire and a passing thought, but I guess that's what writing is for me.
There are so many random thoughts that pass through my mind on how to improve this lackluster life I lead. Not to say I hate the life I lead, but it is to say that I do feel myself yearning for something more. Thoughts in my mind from working abroad, joining sports leagues, coding more, writing more, reading more, hiking more, traveling more, praying more, gaming more, watching more movies -- more, more, more.
Some of these may merit a lot more thought -- the first thing I say when asked about regrets in college is not studying abroad. One thing I realized is that if I truly want to explore a city, I can't just fly there and visit some scenic areas and leave. I want to live life there for a little bit to experience that area, just like how different my days in Chicago are spent with friends here than with friends traveling through the area.
But the place shouldn't be what I seek. As much as I put Seattle and Portland on a pedestal right now, it should really be the experiences and stories I seek. One of my favorite things about Reddit is the abundance of stories and experiences capture in these online threads, experiences that many times we otherwise would never have heard. However, something is lost in the text when you glance over it on an internet forum versus a real person sharing with you the story. Like Nick sharing with me what he's seen in the clinic in Pilsen, or even passing homeless woman, talking about how people don't treat her like a human because she's positive.
But I digress -- no matter what decisions I make about my future, I hope that in all these things I can seek to love God and love my neighbors. The people that most inspire me aren't those who are running from city to city, country to country, taking the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. The people that inspire me are the ones who are able to capture joy, create happiness out of the simplest of moments. Why is it that sometimes with some people one hour seems like more than enough time to spend with while with others, one hour wouldn't even be enough time to order the food because there is so much to say.
Those people inspire me, those that are able to create joy. Those who don't wait on the perfect circumstance, the ideal setup, or the right job, but those who are able to enjoy life wherever they are, whether they are visiting a new city for a few days or living there for a few months.
Of course, it's not easy, and I don't think it's a task that one can fully take on themselves. They need a greater source fulfillment that never runs dry -- God himself. But those that are able to drink from this fountain and love, love, and share, they're going to a place where I want to be.
There are so many random thoughts that pass through my mind on how to improve this lackluster life I lead. Not to say I hate the life I lead, but it is to say that I do feel myself yearning for something more. Thoughts in my mind from working abroad, joining sports leagues, coding more, writing more, reading more, hiking more, traveling more, praying more, gaming more, watching more movies -- more, more, more.
Some of these may merit a lot more thought -- the first thing I say when asked about regrets in college is not studying abroad. One thing I realized is that if I truly want to explore a city, I can't just fly there and visit some scenic areas and leave. I want to live life there for a little bit to experience that area, just like how different my days in Chicago are spent with friends here than with friends traveling through the area.
But the place shouldn't be what I seek. As much as I put Seattle and Portland on a pedestal right now, it should really be the experiences and stories I seek. One of my favorite things about Reddit is the abundance of stories and experiences capture in these online threads, experiences that many times we otherwise would never have heard. However, something is lost in the text when you glance over it on an internet forum versus a real person sharing with you the story. Like Nick sharing with me what he's seen in the clinic in Pilsen, or even passing homeless woman, talking about how people don't treat her like a human because she's positive.
But I digress -- no matter what decisions I make about my future, I hope that in all these things I can seek to love God and love my neighbors. The people that most inspire me aren't those who are running from city to city, country to country, taking the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. The people that inspire me are the ones who are able to capture joy, create happiness out of the simplest of moments. Why is it that sometimes with some people one hour seems like more than enough time to spend with while with others, one hour wouldn't even be enough time to order the food because there is so much to say.
Those people inspire me, those that are able to create joy. Those who don't wait on the perfect circumstance, the ideal setup, or the right job, but those who are able to enjoy life wherever they are, whether they are visiting a new city for a few days or living there for a few months.
Of course, it's not easy, and I don't think it's a task that one can fully take on themselves. They need a greater source fulfillment that never runs dry -- God himself. But those that are able to drink from this fountain and love, love, and share, they're going to a place where I want to be.
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