Holding my heart out

I realized today that I have always secretly thought God was for the single people. You spend a lot of your life single, maybe loving it, maybe not, but for most, it's fact. You cling so much to your faith in those times, because well, you need Him. You're feeling extra vulnerable, wondering what the future holds, figuring out who you are and all while living life and dealing with any number of personal issues (i.e. trust, defensiveness, anger, and the list goes on). I realize I'm making it sound worse than it probably is, but for some, like me, being single can be an excruciating game of giving up control and wanting it back. Oh how I needed Him in those times...after all, He was going to bring my prince charming...so shouldn't I be extra nice and attentive? This all sounds terrible, but think about it, it's partly true. I clung to Him because I loved Him and still do, but there was this part of me that clung desperately to Him because I was so...needing of everything He had to offer. Now I'm married, and I just assume that God isn't for us wedded folk. We've somehow arrived and He's off to be with those single people who are in desperate need....right? But the truth is, I need Him and His guiding hand even more than I ever have before.

Marriage can feel at times like a vast ocean that I just can't seem to navigate through, and other times it can be blissful and so natural. I realize that while I was single, I was holding my heart out, and now that I'm married, nothing's changed....in fact, I can feel even more vulnerable. After all, the man I sleep next to every night knows me in some of the most deepest ways possible...which is amazing really, considering our human complexities, but I would be lying if I said it didn't act as a magnifying glass that reveals my beauty, but also lingers just a little too long on those pesky problems and imperfections. God, I do need you now..more than ever. I need your heart to be close to my mine, and your wisdom to guide me to make the right decisions and choose the right words....but at the end of the day to choose love over everything else. So, I'm holding my heart out...

Got the Thursday blues?

You know those Thursdays that feel like Mondays? (I do.)  Watch this before heading into work and if you're already at work....get your headphones on. Be inspired today!

Are you washing the rice?

For some time now I've claimed this as my life motto, "when you are washing the rice, wash the rice." In fact I likely have blogged about this before, as it came from watching the documentary How to Cook Your Life, a documentary that I love enough to blog about again. If you have enough patience and interest in learning "how to cook your life" from a Zen priest, then you should definitely watch it. ;)

Back to the motto, I love it. Essentially: whatever it is you're doing, focus on that one thing, and do not let your mind wander.

There are a lot of benefits to this kind of mindset. It allows you to control your mind. Often times we are so consumed with distracting thoughts, usually of minimal value: stresses, worries, concerns. These mental distractions don't really serve a purpose, and in fact, subtract from your quality of life in the present.

Secondly, it allows you to be focused and ready for the task at hand. You are able to give the time and attention to the task that deserves such care, which in turn, will help you place value on the tasks that matter, and help you weed out the activities that do not hold much value at all.

Thirdly, and somewhat related, you are taking ownership over your choices and decisions. You are washing the rice, because you chose to, and because you chose to, you will wash that rice well, because it is your responsibility.

There is something very empowering about this way of thinking about life. What mindsets do you find yourself falling into and what mindsets would you like to see yourself in more often?