Life Before Turning 30

Today I take my blogging mobile as I type from my airplane headed to Newark, New Jersey. Once I get there I will take a shuttle to my New York City hotel in Manhattan and enjoy 3 1/2 fun filled days and nights in NYC.

It's going to be fun an exciting, but I have something to admit: I'm running away. You see tomorrow is a big milestone in my life as I turn 30 years old. Now don't get me wrong, I want to live a nice long life -- BUT I really don't want to be 30. Yikes! In previous years past I have always looked forward to my birthday, but this year I don't really want to think about it. I am running away to NYC, which is somewhere I've always wanted to visit, so that I could have something to look forward to instead of dread. You know what? It's working. I've hardly given my birthday any thought at all. Now talk to me tomorrow when people are calling asking what it feels like to be 30. I might have to turn my phone off!

I think I fear a loss of youth and physically looking older. I'm happy with this point in my life. A good friend of mine pointed out all that I have accomplished before I hit 30. When she said that a light bulb went off in my head -- perhaps I was thinking of this transition in the wrong way! I was solely focused on the turn in my life once reaching 30. I hadn't stopped to think about the journey getting here.

Those who know me know that I have been through a lot in life. I have pulled myself out of poverty so extreme that many people don't realize children in the US can live as I did. I have dealt with many extreme situations and struggles in many aspects of my life. I am often told I am wise for my years; well that's just because I've had to do a lot of living.

This blog entry is an exercise for myself in trying to figure out what I consider my accomplishments before turning 30 to be. So, self ... what things come to mind? First and foremost is that I have shifted the focus of my life to where it should always have been: to the Lord. I've always had faith and been a believer but I haven't always focused my life as I should have or attempted to find God's purpose for me. I have launched a bible blog -- Everyday Bible Blog already. I applied to graduate school last week. And the day before yesterday two patents were filed with my name on them.

I've been to many places in my life because I was a navy brat. But I have also gotten to go places and do things of my own accord that were on my bucket list. I got to walk around Washington DC. I took a cruise to the Bahamas and had a fantastic time. I took my kids to Disney World, a place I had never gotten to go before. And now I'm on a plane headed to NYC, one of my top wish list destinations.

I guess I have done a lot before I turned 30 and I should try to focus around that. I was never one of those people who had my life mapped (by 28 I will be married, first kid at 31, etc). But I guess if I were to go back 10 or 15 years and make a list, most of this stuff would be on it and I'd still be completely satisfied with where I am by the time I turned 30. I hope the Lord blesses me with a long life, because now I have to see what I can accomplish by the time I turn 40!

New Blog Launched!

Happy New Year Everyone!

My new year resolution actually started as a project that began many months ago.  I decided to launch a new blog on January 1st, 2012 where I would publish a blog post about the bible every single day of the year, until I had fully read through the bible.  If you want to know the reason why I decided to do this, you can read the introduction post located here.

This post has one purpose only -- to invite my readers over to my new blog site:  Everyday Bible Blog.  I will still be maintaining this blog, but my new blog will have the main focus of my attention for the time being.  This new project has been in the works for awhile now, and I had hoped to actually launch a website by January 1st.  That did not happen on time, but I was still able to start publishing the blog entries on time.  Each and every day, a post will be published at 12:01 am.

I hope you visit the new site. I hope you enjoy the new site.  I hope you participate by commenting, and perhaps writing a few blogs of your own.  And, once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I hope this year brings about positive changes in each and every one of your lives.

EverydayBibleBlog.com

First Encounters of a Begging Kind

Note:  This post was written awhile ago, I just didn't get around to publishing it until today.

Today is my first full day of my resolve to give each and every beggar who asks a one dollar bill. I prepared my pockets by packing each with a pretty dollar bill. Upon leaving my parking garage, I proceeded to walk gingerly down the 3 city-sized blocks between my garage and my work, eyes peeled for someone with the look of a beggar. To my disappointment, I encountered none.

“What the luck!” I thought. After all, it’s seemed that these people were EVERYWHERE last I looked.  Wasn’t someone always asking me for money, like, ALL the time? But then I wondered, perhaps the beggars aren’t as prevalent as I perceived them to be? Perhaps I feared being begged so much, and felt so guilty about each person I passed, that, in my mind, I blew the problem out of proportion? Only time will tell, I guess.

At lunchtime my colleagues and I took a walk through the brand new city parks. As per my usual habit, I scanned the area, looking for potential beggars. At that moment, I thought of how different this situation had become -- I had always scanned each area for beggars, but I did it so that I could avoid them; so that I could make a convincing show of the fact that I simply overlooked them and did not notice them sitting there. This scan was different. I really wanted to see a beggar, I really wanted to enact upon my new resolution. Unfortunately, I saw no candidates.

Then, as we were walking through the park, I thought I heard a man ask for some change, and that man was headed in my direction. The first thing I noticed about him were his clothes -- they looked clean, and new. He was slightly heavy (i.e., not starving), and had sharp shoes on. It all happened so quickly it seemed. Usually I have time to prepare myself, to put my act on. But not this time, not for this man. Because he didn’t look like he needed money and did not have the look of a beggar, I was completely unprepared to encounter what would be the very first recipient under my new resolve.

I saw him ask the people in front of me, and before I could even react, he had asked me. I was taken aback, for sure. My immediate thought was “this man doesn’t need my money! Look at him! The nerve!” But, while that thought was going through my head, my hand went into my pocket and handed him the dollar bill before I could even finish thinking it.

I don’t know what I expected after I handed him the money. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Would I find joy in the act? Would I begrudge the beggar his dollar, even though I’d given it? Would I analyze the likelihood of that person really, truly, needing that dollar and putting it to good use?

Surprisingly, even though my reaction while handing it over had been to scrutinize his need for the money, those thoughts passed right on by after the dollar had been given. Instead, I started to explain myself to my coworkers. Well, I was going to explain myself. I opened my mouth, I prepared to speak, because surely they were going to ask why I would do such a thing ... wouldn’t they? After all, we had been on countless walks downtown together, and never before have any of us ever given money to a beggar. Surely they were going to ask. But I closed my mouth, willing to wait until they asked. But. the funny thing is, they didn’t. They just continued on as if nothing had happened at all. All of a sudden defenses that were rising in my mind dropped as I realized I didn’t have to explain myself. What a relief. And the funny thing is, I hadn’t a clue that would be immediate reaction. It had nothing to do with the beggar at all, or the money that had left my possession for good. It was truly an unanticipated reaction. I wonder what that says about me? I’ll have to analyze that one later.

As for the man I gave the dollar to? I haven’t given him any more thought outside of writing this article.  I am very proud of myself. I expected my first encounter to be easy, rewarding and predictable. Instead I was caught off guard, asked rather suddenly by a person who I never ever would have given a dime to before. And even while I was thinking of reasons NOT to give it, before I could even finish those thoughts, I had given it. And it was easy and effortless. The first test thrown at me had been a hard one, and I passed with flying colors.