All Things Must End

It's kind of cool to think about how many phrases that are negative can be seen as a good thing. I mean, that sounds kind of weird. But it is true. I am strong believer in being able to control a situation with your attitude. Nothing ever needs to be so bad. And that is so much easier said than done, but it is something I have been trying to remind myself of a lot lately.
Take the phrase "all things must end," for example. That sounds really heavy and sad. And in some situations, it really can be.

   Recently my family lost someone very dear to us. And I have yet to feel totally normal again. The absence of this person is very apparent in the lives around me, of people I love and cherish. This man was not any ordinary man, but a man who changed so many lives for the best. During this time, I have been trying to recognize that I am only sad because I was so fortunate to know him. That in itself is a blessing. I am lucky to have so many people in my life that I would be so sad to part with. That seems so twisted and weird, but it's true.
   We are considered lucky in life if we have a small handful of people that we couldn't imagine our lives without. And I have hit the people jackpot in life. I have a very generous amount of people that have brought me such joy and peace. So as life continues, and losing people happens more often than any of us would like, I am going to try so hard to remember that the sole fact that I have loved so many people so very much that losing them is hard, is enough to feel lucky about.

So thinking back on the phrase "all things come to an end," can be of comfort. This can refer to sadness, grief, and pain. It must end, because all things do. And while it sucks so bad when chapters of our life end that we hoped never would, it can bring hope knowing that our pain or sadness or struggle won't be forever. 

It won't. 

I promise.

 

Rainy Day.

Today it has rained from the time I woke up, until now. 

Still raining, still pouring. 

But it is quite lovely.

Missy and I explored around Spokane today in the rain. We sat in Atticus for a while, went to a cool spot and overlooked the city, drove to another cool city spot, and ate lunch at Rockwood. All while still raining, of course. It's strange how your whole city can look different in the rain.

Rain is seriously one of the most serene things. The whole mood in the community changes, and the vibe is very evidently changed. Not always in a bad way, but just a calm way.

There is something to be said about cozying up to a good book and drinking a warm coffee while glancing out the window to the pouring rain.

There is something our society has created that puts a romantic spin on the rain. I don't know what it is....

Is it the fact that after being in it we look like drowned rats?

Is it that we start to get sticky once we dry off?

Is it the smell of our clothing starting to be mildewy?

Is it how our jeans start to seep their color?

Maybe...

But no one can deny the love we long for when it starts to rain.

But it is quite lovely.

Friends

   One really cool thing about life is becoming friends with new people that you never really saw yourself becoming friends with. In fact, currently in my life I have a friend who I thought I would never be friends with. But circumstances beyond my control made it happen that I spent lots of time around her. And I love her! Sometimes we judge a situation or a person based on nothing. When it comes to this particular friend, I knew nothing about her, and still thought a friendship would never ever spark. Not because of anything at all. 

These are the types of situations that are especially sad. These are the opportunities we constantly pass up.

   Today I also had lunch with our maintenance man, whom I have never spoken to before today. And to be honest, I never thought I would. I sat down before he did, and then he asked me if he could join. At first, I was looking forward to having lunch in silence looking through Instagram and Facebook, paying attention to things and people who don't impact my life in any way. But once we started talking, I was so pleased to be across the table from him. After a few minutes he said "So what do you do other than work at the Nordstrom Espresso Bar? Who are you?" I answered that question with the regular and boring answers that it seems people are prepared for, such as "I am a student, I am studying [blank] and maybe [blank] and I might do [blank] for a living." He told me how awesome that was, and then to my surprise said "What else?". I went a little deeper and said I have always been really involved in music. He asked me what I liked to listen to, and this lead to a big conversation about Fleetwood Mac. He then oh so sweetly told me he would try to find the old albums I had never heard and burn a CD for me. 

   While talking about this, he pulled out an apple from his lunch box and started cutting it into slices. He would cut one for himself, and cut one for me. 

One for him. One for me.

One for him.

One for me.

It made it ever cuter that he told me about some trouble he was experiencing lately, and that his wife told him to 'embrace the struggle'. He then said "And the moment I did, I feel so much better. That really was great advice."

I was so taken aback by his unprovoked love and generosity. He became the type of person I wished was my Grandpa, or Uncle, or Friend.

Maybe he did become my friend.

   As we began to part ways he said "Well, this was nice. I hope we can do it again." I hope Dan knows that I really hope so, too.

We will never truly know the joy simple kindness can bring until it comes at us unexpectedly. 

Philosophy

I seemed to have several conversations today that were deep and philosophical. That's not really out of the ordinary for me, considering that my brain kind of goes there on it's own anyway, but today I had more than usual.

With Leslie, Pat, and my mom we talked about how weird and funny it would be to name a pet a noise. Just a noise. Just to call your dog, for instance, loudly by some noise.  It then got us on the subject of names, and how weird those are in general. When I say "we" I mean mostly me, because that always blows my mind. I am identified by several letters that just make a noise. Whaaaaaa?

I then talked with Alyssa, Macee, and Eric over dessert about everything under the sun. We talked about the idea of "White Privilege" and "White Guilt". We talked about the homeless and education. We talked about sexual abuse... We talked about anything you could think of.

My conclusion from these sorta of things is that there is so much to the world. And there are so many people in the world. Options and ideas are not so black and white. And that's what is beautiful about it. We all need to make a conscious effort to not see the world with color blind eyes, but with open eyes and an open heart. However, when it comes to saying you're "color blind" when referring to not seeing a difference between black and white individuals - keep on keepin' on. But have a colorful heart. And embrace colorful people. Ideals. Opinions.

Live an open life. 

Strangers

Yeeeeeeeeellow.

So, this is approximately my 17th blog.

I just get sick of them after a while. And when I go a long distance without writing one I like having a fresh start.

So this is just a simple little thang.

I want to start writing a blog everyday again.

It was fun.

(And Mara wants me to so I know I will have at least one reader.)

So the coolest thing happened yesterday.
All day long my day was influenced by total strangers.

It started at Starbucks with Mara. I walked up the the counter, ordered my drink, and waited for it to be done before I paid. The barista was incredibly impatient with me, for no reason at all. She acted like I was totally putting her out by having her do her job. I sort of giggled at this, because it was slightly comical how much she hated me. This only made her hate me more, I am pretty sure. She was probably around my age, maybe a little older, and for that reason alone I was even more annoyed by how much she disliked her job. We are supposed to hate our jobs when we're 20. Like, it should pretty much be a law. If you landed your dream job at the age of 20, then we should have lunch and you should teach me your ways. 

So after Mara had to go back to school, I drove back up the hill to another Starbucks to do homework. (How I am a Gold Member at Starbucks while working at a different coffee shop, I will never know.) When I first walked in there was a customer in front of me who was the worlds pickiest. I got a good laugh about that with the baristas, and we exchanged a couple stories about crazies, and I went on to do my homework. While I was sitting there I saw two adorable older women having coffee together. Obviously best friends, because the gossip was high and the filter was low. A man then walked in, and went up to one of these women. They had known one another, it appeared, and they talked for a little and shortly parted ways. She sat back down, and he sat next to me. About thirty minutes later the woman came back up to the man and told him something about her life currently, and some struggles her and her husband were facing with another couple both her and the man she was speaking to knew. She then started to cry. He immediately grabbed both of her hands and sat down next to her, and asked her if he could pray for her. She said yes. And they sat together, heads bowed, him praying aloud, and her crying. I tried so hard not to look, and I had to try even harder not to tear up (I am instant crier when I see other people cry, so...). 

Praying might not be your thing. It might intimidate you (me), or you might just think there is no one or nothing to pray to. But if you like bringing someone peace and comfort, you should take after this man. For someone you love it might be bringing them a coffee, singing to them, going on a walk with them, or just sitting together - saying nothing. Maybe it's praying. The point is that he gave her comfort through something that meant something to her.

Today, think about how to comfort those you care for. And also think about how many conversations you've had that have maybe influenced someone near you. 

Most likely, it's a lot.