I Smell Spring

Most people have a favorite time of year. Do you? Maybe its the picturesque summer season when you can sit outside at night and watch for fireflies and shooting stars. Maybe you live for brisk fall days when you can crunch all the crisp red leaves on a walk in the park. Then there are the people who wait all year until the Christmas edition of fudge covered Oreos hit the shelves- have you been caught sneaking a taste while waiting in line?. Or perhaps, you love the first warm day when you can finally take your dog for a walk without wearing 14 layers of clothes.

Personally, I have four favorite seasons. Thats right. Spring. Summer. Winter. Fall. Its true, I love them all! I simply can't choose! I just love the transition- I think it's the anticipation of something new. Right now I am basking in the glory of Spring. Every time I walk out of my house there is a new flower blooming and about 10,000 new shades of green. Driving through my neighborhood at sunset literally takes my breath away. I'm sure the five or six antsy drivers behind me don't appreciate my enthusiasm- I cant help but slam on my breaks to get another glimpse of the sun dipping behind the perfectly pink sky. I'll drive faster in June, okay?

But my point is this: I find it impossible to look outside without being reminded that life is full of potential. That today is a new day, and the only day we are promised, and it is our job to live it well. No one has to tell the lilies to bloom- they just do! No one has to remind the grass to turn green again- it just does! No one has to invite the sky to turn such a vibrant shade of blue- it is honored to!

But we have to be reminded that there is hope. That we serve a purpose in the world too. That God has given each of us a clean slate to start again. Look outside and be reminded!

This spring season grow where you are.

Embrace the day you have been given.

And live a life full of stories that are worth being told.

B-L-O-Geez!

It has been too long. Okay, that’s an understatement. It has been way way way too long! It has been so long that I feel the need to re-introduce myself. It has been so long I’m shocked you are still checking this page for an update! It has been so long that I forgot my password to login to post something! That is way too long!

I wish I had an excuse! Well, I actually have plenty of excuses so allow me to rephrase. I wish I had a good excuse!

If it were spring 2010 I could tell you, “Sorry, I’m busy living up my last semester in college, plus I broke my finger and haven’t been able to type!” If it were spring 2009 I could tell you, “Sorry, I’ve been busy at school taking 18 hours and pouring my heart and soul into directing a SING performance (for the best all university competition there has ever been in the history of the whole universe- Sic’em Baylor!) with my sorority!” If it were spring 2008 I could say, “Sorry I have been busy trying to balance school and work and helping plan my brother’s wedding back home!” If it were spring 2007 I could say, “Sorry I have been busy making new friends at Baylor and pledging a sorority and pretending that I don’t miss everything from life back home.”

Ok, you get the point- I’m usually a pretty busy girl. But this year things have started to slow down (halleluiah).

However, I did get a puppy- a really precious, super-cute, melt-your-heart-she-is-so-sweet kind of puppy- with floppy ears and all. An adorable little creature that likes to run and play and bark and chew and pee and eat and bite and vomit (on my bed-true story) until she finally falls asleep at night. Yes, Morgan Eillis Monroe has stolen my heart… and all of my free time. And yes, I am aware that my dog’s name sounds like the name of a law firm.

But seeing as how I got her in October, I’m assuming you think that excuse has expired by now. Darn.

This brings me to my point of this rambling mess of a blog post (A+ if you are still reading, by the way) that has been 6 long months in the making: we spend way too much time making excuses for ourselves instead of actually making time to do the things we love.

Let me put it this way- how often do you say, “Oh, tomorrow I’ll work out.”

“Tomorrow I’ll read my Bible.”

“Tomorrow I’ll call Mimi.”

“Tomorrow I’ll actually fix my hair.”

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sure that if I stopped wasting time justifying my laziness I might actually have time to be pro-active in my life. Lets face it, we all make time for our priorities in some way or another. So maybe the question isn’t, “Where did the time go?” Maybe it’s, “When did my priorities get so messed up?”

I was at a John Mayer concert this past summer and John (apparently we are on a first name basis...as of right now) said something that really stuck with me. He said, “People do a terrible job of listening to their friends, but they do an even more terrible job of listening to themselves.” Now, John was talking about peer pressure and the importance of not partying life away (right before he sang Who Says) but the point is still the same. We are too good at ignoring the little voice inside that’s trying to get us to live life to the fullest.

For me- that little voice is telling me to take time to write, amongst other more important things. So, starting tonight, I will fill this corner of the web with the thoughts that have been swarming around in my head. I hope you enjoy, I hope you can relate, or, at the very least, I hope I make you laugh.

Check back soon- I’ll be here.