Reveling in the Presence of the Almighty

So lately when I do my devotions I have been taking a good portion of time to just thank God for all that He is and all that He does, reveling the wonder of His Majesty. It is so amazing and astounding to think about and really just blows my mind, leaving me speechless every time.  It fills one with such a sense of awe and wonder, even the feeling you get from thinking about God’s incomprehensibility is indescribable!

One morning, I got to thinking about how God’s incomprehensible attributes were one of the things that used to frustrate me the most about God and my faith in Him, even though now it is one of the things I love the most. That thought made me begin to consider all the other people who have probably been just as frustrated with their inability to understand God’s unfathomable characteristics, so much so that they abandoned their faith because of their frustration. When you really start thinking about it though, what kind of God would we serve if we could understand everything about Him? What would set Him apart from us?  What would make Him worth praising, worshiping, or dedicating our lives in service to? Absolutely nothing. If I could understand everything about God, I would feel no need to look up to or follow Him because I would know and understand everything about Him–He would be on the same level as me, not some higher being that could possibly have done anything I can’t do myself! It would make all of us gods.

This revelation just made me even more thankful for the fact that I do serve an unfathomable God, because it makes Him worth serving.  He who knows all is worth giving my life over to in order to direct me.  He that created a master plan for my salvation, sending His very own son to be sacrificed for my sins, is worth dedicating my life to.  He who is omnipresent and omniscient is worth being a friend of–someone that knows my every thought and is always with me to comfort me and help me through the trials and tribulations of this life.  He who is unchangeable is worth depending upon, for I have an unshakable assurance that He will always love me.  He that is holy and incapable of sin is worthy of my complete and total trust because He will never wrong me in any way.

Honestly, without God and all His mysterious characteristics, I don’t know where I would be.  He has always been there to comfort and guide me when no one else was.  He knows how I am feeling and what I need before I do, and without me having to explain it.  My God is truly an awesome God and is worthy of all the praise and worship we could ever give Him, and more!

So for anyone out there feeling frustrated, think about what it would be like if you could understand everything about God–it’s really quite the eye-opener.

Coffee

So up until my sophomore year in high school, coffee had never been a real draw for me.  I thought it tasted gross and I hated the idea of being addicted to anything.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED cappuccinos from gas stations and hot chocolate and everything, coffee just wasn’t sweet enough for me.  Then my high school boyfriend got me hooked.

We started dating in the middle of my sophomore year and he had been a coffee addict since seventh grade.  His family ate out at McDonald’s every morning, and so he would always get a small mocha.  We used to walk around together before classes, and we would constantly go back to his locker throughout the morning so that he could take another drink of his coffee.  Once he found out I didn’t like coffee, however, he made it his goal to get me to like it. Regularly, he would make me try it, until I started to develop a taste for it.  By the end of the school year, I was probably drinking half his small mocha every morning.

Once school got out and summer started, I didn’t drink much coffee, but once school came around again my junior year, he’d upped his coffee size to a medium, and generally I was drinking at least half of it every morning.  I didn’t always drink it though, and managed not to become addicted.  A third of the way through my senior year we broke up, but still remained friends, I didn’t walk around or drink his coffee like I used to though and pretty much quit drinking it altogether.

Now that I’m in college, however, I have been drinking at least a cup every morning since I got here.  At first I thought I would be addicted since I was drinking it so regularly, but thus far I have managed to keep away from being addicted, which I define as 1) getting a headache when I don’t have it and/or 2) not being able to feel awake without it.

Now the reason coffee seemed like a reasonable topic for my blog today, would be because I actually didn’t drink coffee this morning in order to wake me up!  It feels like quite the accomplishment!  Knowing I would have had a headache by lunch time if I really was addicted, I felt that it was safe to grab a cup, simply because I enjoy the flavor.  I got to my room and was unloading some of my books onto my shelf, when one got knocked down, spilled all over my desk, and got on some of my books and papers.  Just now, as I sat here wondering what to blog about, one of the soggy books was sitting up to dry and caught my eye!  It made me start to wonder if being so adamantly opposed to being addicted to coffee, yet still loving the taste and drinking it daily puts me in a minority.  Because as much as I love coffee, the idea of being addicted to anything makes me cringe inside.  I don’t like the idea of being dependent on something I don’t actually need.  Looking at the book also made me wonder how bad coffee actually is for you, since it technically is a drug.  I know it’s addictive, a stimulant, and a dehydrant, but as long as I’m not addicted and getting plenty of water, is it okay for me to drink it?  Especially if I’m only drinking a cup a day?  I’m sure once you start considering Biggby or Starbucks coffee, it changes since those coffee drinks have so many calories and sugar. Or are they just as bad as just regular, brewed coffee with creamer added?

Unfortunately, at the moment I don’t care enough nor do I have the time to figure it out!  If I do end up figuring it out, however, I’ll keep you posted! (Not that I assume anyone really cares :P)

I suppose it’s that time!

Well, because Thanksgiving is nearing, I suppose it would be highly appropriate to do a blog on what I am thankful for!  I will start off clique, and move on from there!

First and foremost, I am thankful for God.  Without Him, I do not know where I would be in life.  He is also there for me and has helped me through so many trials I have already had to face in life.  I am thankful for all His attributes and characteristics.  I am thankful that He is omnipresent, I never have to worry whether or not He is with me.  I am thankful for His omniscience, I find solace in the fact that even when I do not know what to say or how to say it or what I am feeling or what I need, He already knows and is doing what is best for me.  I am thankful that He is omnipotent, it gives me confidence in the fact that no matter what is going on in my life, He has total and complete control over it.  I am thankful that he is immutable, because when it seems that everything in my life is changing, He remains the same–a constant I can always count on.  I am thankful for God’s Word that He has provided us through the Bible, as well as all the other resources I have at hand to learn more about Him and what He wants from me.  I am thankful that He sent His son Jesus to die for me so that I may live forever with Him one day.  I am thankful for His grace, mercy, salvation, faithfulness, unconditional love, blessings, and forgiveness.

I am thankful for the family that God provided me with.  Obviously, without my family I would not even be alive.  I was blessed with wonderful parents and siblings that are and always will be there for me.  I know I can always count on them to accept me as I am and look out for me–even when I do not deserve it.  I’m not only thankful for my immediate family, but also my extended family.  Over the years my love for my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents has grown and I love being able to spend time and get to know them.

I am thankful for all the friends I have made over all the years.  They have been with me through the good times and the bad, always there to comfort me, bring a smile to my face, and laughter to my mouth.  I have been honored to know and get to know them, and had so much fun with them.  It has been so nice to have friends who were similar to me in that they just wanted to have good clean fun–we didn’t feel the need to party, drink, or do drugs to have a good time.

I am thankful for growing up in the United States.  Our country is so blessed and I am extremely grateful for the freedom and opportunities that are available to me here.

I am thankful for school.  Although so many kids complain about the fact that they have to attend school, I find it to be such a blessing to learn, grow, and expand my horizons.  I love learning and here in the United States we have such an excellent school system that is reliable.

I am thankful for the seasons.

I am thankful for toaster strudels.

I am thankful for nutella.

I am thankful for chocolate.

Okay, really I’m just thankful for food in general!

I am thankful for animals and nature.

I am thankful for zoos where I can look at those animals.

I am thankful for time.

I am thankful for music.

I am thankful for experience.

I am thankful for movies.

I am thankful for flowers.

I am thankful for writing.

I am thankful for colors.

I am thankful for water.

I am thankful for lights.

I am thankful for the sun, moon, and stars.

I am thankful for science.

I am thankful for the fact that I have so much to be thankful for!  The list could go on and on (literally), because I am so richly blessed, but there has to a stopping point at some time, so now’s as good a time as ever!

Men (aka boys!)

Why must men be so incredibly frustrating?? They think women are confusing and frustrating and act like everything they do or say makes complete sense…they are completely and utterly mistaken!

Okay, just for the sake of any men (boys) reading this, I will give you a little female advice on ways NOT to get a girl!  At least a girl like me.  When we say we are NOT interested in dating, that means 1) we’re specifically not interested in you, 2) we’re not ready for a new relationship, or 3), perhaps, we actually mean exactly what we are saying, we ARE NOT interested in dating AT ALL!! (Go figure!)  We’re not always the crazy, complex creatures men make us out to be.  It seems like men beg us to be straightforward and simply say what we mean, but when we try, they try to over complicate and over think things.  Choose what you want us to do and stick with it!  Don’t tell us to be straightforward and then think there’s some kind of double meaning.  

Second, this is more of a personal thing and something my personality cannot stand, but maybe other girls like it and think it’s cute or something (I can’t imagine why!), DO NOT BE DESPERATE.  Who honestly wants someone that acts like they cannot live without a significant other in their life.  I don’t want someone who is clingy, hovers, or suffocates me from living my life, ESPECIALLY if that’s what they’re trying to do in order to get me to notice them or become interested in them.  Let’s be honest, people want what they can’t have.  Give us some space, yes, pursue, but don’t do it in a suffocating, intolerable way that makes us feel trapped or obligated to pay attention to you.  As terrible as it is in a way, the more someone attempts to gain my attention, the more I DO NOT want to give it them.  I think this the case with many people because of our incredibly rebellious nature, but who knows, maybe I’m just some sort of odd misfit.  If we don’t text you back, it’s probably because we’re a) busy, b) we just don’t feel like it right then, or c) we’re purposely ignoring you.  DON’T JUST KEEP TEXTING US WHEN WE DON’T RESPOND!  Especially not with either of the following:  “Hello?” or “?”.  If we were interesting in talking to you right at that moment, we would do it.  We’re not going to ignore someone we’re genuinely interested in or really like talking to.  Yes we’re supposed to play hard to get, but most women are not going to go extreme measures if they’re actually interested.  

Third, don’t make things awkward.  When the feelings between two people haven’t been discussed, don’t start asking a bunch of weird questions that put the girl in an awkward situation.  For example, if you think she’s interested in another guy, DON’T ACT OVERLY INTERESTED.  Sure, you can mention it in passing, and if she tells you, she tells you.  Take it at face value and don’t push the issue.  Don’t ask hypothetical questions about her feelings about another guy, and ESPECIALLY NOT about her feelings about you.  Most girls are too nice and don’t want to hurt a guy, so don’t ask questions that leave you too vulnerable unless you’re seriously confronting her about your feelings.  If you’re just “making conversation,” you’re most likely either going to get hurt, or be given a slight truth, white lie, or more-than-true positive response, that will get your hopes up even though she didn’t want you to take it too seriously.  

That mostly had to do with making things awkward before you confront a girl about your feelings, a second branch of making things awkward is after the fact.  Now if things go well, then great!  Just keep acting the way you’ve always acted and don’t change, or things could get awkward or go south.  BUT, if things don’t go as you would have hoped and for whatever reason the girl isn’t interested, or at least isn’t interested in dating, don’t stop being her friend and not talk to her anymore.  Another reaction might be to push harder to get her to like you, don’t do that either.  Again, just keep acting like you had been before anything was said, and who knows, things could turn out!  Just go with the flow.

Well, I could probably go on and on, but this seems like a good place to stop!  So if anyone actually reads this (probably not), and/or feels like responding or has a question, feel free!

Sickness… :P

Well it’s that time of year!  Nope, not Halloween, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas!  That’s right folks, it’s flu season!  Or any-other-kind-of-sickness season–colds, fevers, upset stomach, pneumonia, strep throat, “the runs”, you name it!  You’ve got to love it!

I wonder what epidemic will sweep over America this year.  In my lifetime, the ones that I remember there being a bunch of people worked up about were West Nile Virus, Bird Flu, and most recently, Swine Flu.  Meningitis is another one that seems to be a big concern lately–especially for college students.  Being in the dorm environment makes me a little nervous, especially with our community bathroom.  I feel like once one person gets sick, EVERYONE is going to catch it.  I am not really too keen on that whole idea…

Being sick as a kid was really not all that bad.  You got to skip school, watch movies all day, AND drink Sprite–even at breakfast time!  I don’t remember ever enjoying being sick, but I also don’t remember ever absolutely hating being sick when I was younger.  I remember sitting in front of the TV watching some Disney movie with my Daisy Duck sippy cup full of Sprite in hand, and a trash can in front of me for whenever I had to puke.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, nobody likes throwing up.  It’s just not an enjoyable experience, but honestly, that five minute total that you spend throwing up when you’re sick is nothing compared to being able to get out of school, just hang out at home, watch movies, and drink pop when you’re a kid!

I remember one specific time when I was sick as a kid.  It was kind of a weird experience.  I went to bed like any other night, but in the middle of the night I had this dream that for some odd reason I HAD to eat this piece of cheese.  Now, granted, ever since first grade I have never been much of a cheese person–but that’s another story.  Anyway, so for whatever reason I had to eat this piece of cheese.  Well, I just knew in this dream that if I ate the cheese I was going to be sick.  Then, what do you know, I woke up and threw up!  That’s all I really remember about that specific time of being sick but yeah…thought it was pretty interesting.

Another interesting thing about when I was sick as a kid is that I was pretty independent about it.  My sister and I both were actually.  If we got sick in the middle of the night, we just handled it ourselves and never felt the need to wake up our mother unless there was a mess that needed to be cleaned up.  I’m sure my mom and dad certainly appreciated it!

I was thinking about taking this blog to a more serious, deep place, like about spiritual sickness and my opinion of how lots of sickness has to do with your mental state and attitude.  But you know…I’ll just keep it lighthearted!  It’s been real(;

(sorry…in a weird mood(: bye!)

Stress

The affects of stress on the human mind and body are really quite astounding.  It has been proven to have profound mental, emotional, behavioral, and even physical responses.  According to helpguide.org, mental problems can include the obvious– constant worrying, increased negativity, and anxiety–but also some things I had never considered: memory problems, an inability to concentrate, and poor judgment.  Emotionally it increases moodiness, irritability, agitation, inability to relax, a sense of loneliness or isolation, depression, and then, the one that especially affects me, feeling overwhelmed.  Stress can lead to behaviors such as eating or sleeping too little or too much (for me too little), isolating oneself, procrastinating, nervous habits, and stress relieving substances such as alcohol, nicotine, or drugs.  The one I find most interesting, however, is how stress can affect someone physically.  Helpguide.org lists aches, pains, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, and frequent colds all as symptoms of stress.  It is truly strange how the chemical reactions in our brains caused by our emotions can manifest themselves physically.

Stress is the topic of my blog post this week because it has been a particularly stressful week for me.  It seems that I have not had as much time as I would like to for doing my work.  Although I generally am not wasting my time, it seems to just slip away.  I am not sure whether my lack of sleep is more a result of the stress or one of the causes of it!  Stress is generally something I am able to avoid through my habits of being able to stay on top of most things and being fairly organized.  Maybe, like helpguide.org talks about, I have not even realized I was stressed and it was causing memory problems because it has seemed that I kept forgetting very important assignments this week, which only ends up adding to the stress!

Interestingly enough, my the verse for my Christian Life and Service class this week was Philippians 4:6-7:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, that transcends all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (NIV).”  I love going to a Bible college where my homework, generally a stress causer is able to serve as a stress reliever, reminding me to turn to God in everything and that I cannot handle life on my own.  It is amazing how God can work and speak through the things we might not expect, like a class.  Although, since it is a theology class, I suppose I should expect God to speak to me on some level!  It is amazing how applying the Word in one’s life can really help though.  Praying is such a stress reliever and really truly does give you a sense of peace about everything going on in life.

In case you are wondering, I was able to finish everything I had to get done and was able to spend the second half of my week stress-free!  And I only have God to thank for that!(:

Family

Michael J. Fox once said, “Family is not an important thing.  It’s everything.”

Although a simple statement, it is an impressing one.  I wish that I had realized sooner just how important family really is.  Even though I’d heard over and over that friends will fade, but family is forever, as reasoning to build as strong of relationships as possible, I never took it as seriously as I should have.  Actually, I used to take the saying as even more reasoning to spend as much time with my friends as possible–if I was only going to have a short time to get to know and be with them, why not make the most of it?  I figured I had been around my family my entire life and that they would continue to be there for the majority of my life, if not all of it.  This caused me to place both my high school boyfriend and friends over my family.  It is the one aspect of my life that I regret the most and look back on with shame.

My sophomore year was when it all really started.  I had my first real relationship with a boy, and I wanted to talk with him more than I wanted to do anything.  We didn’t even really hang out, mostly just talked on Facebook or in the halls during school.  My family didn’t like or approve of him and continuing to the pursue the relationship was putting a wedge between my mother and I.  Little did I know, however, it was also causing a barrier to be formed between my sister and I.  She was feeling angry at me for not listening to her or taking her advice, as well as a sense of betrayal for putting more time and effort into my relationship with this boy than with her; she felt replaced.

Even after that relationship ended, my friends were still more important to me to spend time with and not long after, I had a boyfriend who absorbed much of my time and energy.  As the relationship progressed and got more serious, it seemed there wasn’t enough time in the world to satisfy our need to be with each other.  Fridays I dedicated to my friends, while Saturdays, and sometimes even Sundays, were reserved for my boyfriend.  If I was at home, I was generally grouchy and wishing I was somewhere else, or doing homework.  These are the moments of my life I look back on and cringe at how selfish I was.  Rather than focusing on strengthening my relationships with my siblings or my mother, I was directing all my energy at wanting to be somewhere else.

Not only did the relationship take away from my immediate family, it took away from my more distant relatives as well.  When they were in town, even though I had not seen them for months and had just seen my boyfriend the day before, I wanted to spend time with him and still have my time with him over the weekend.  It was inconvenient, almost annoying for them to come visit for more than a day or two, and going to see them was even more so.

Once we broke up, things changed.  I spent more time with my family, I grew closer with them all–especially my sister.  I saw all the damage I had done to my relationships, and started attempting to mend them.  Now I yearn for my relatives to come visit.  Just this past weekend I got to see my grandparents after at least 4-6 months of not seeing them, and I had wanted to see them for the past three–even if that meant sacrificing a long weekend of my summer.  Although I regret the years of my life I devalued my family, it has really caused me to put a greater emphasis on those relationships than I may have without that time.

Snapshot of India

My last post primarily dealt with my initial reaction to all the hustle and bustle of India, but once I got used to it, it really wasn’t too bad.  This time, however I will focus primarily on my trip as a whole and go into greater detail on exactly why I was there and what I was doing.

There is a local camp in my hometown that I attended every summer for about 8 years and was able to work at for three summers during high school.  The camp director goes to my home church and our families are friends.  Although I had heard about his trips to India, I had never really been interested until he got up one Sunday in August and talked about going.  Mark, the camp director knows the president of a Bible college in India, Dr. Ishak Ahmed, who decided three years ago that he wanted to start a children’s camp that Mark could come help him with.  The camp is held at the Christian high school Dr. Ahmed’s brother, Jacob, runs.

Our primary role on the trip was to train the students from Dr. Ishak’s college how to be counselors and to encourage and support them in whatever way we could.  At first this was kind of hard for me because when I worked at Mark’s camp, we were taught that the campers are to be our primary focus because camp is about the campers.  When I tried to do that at this camp, however, it was rather discouraging because most of the kids in the group I was assigned had little to no interest in talking with me.  I would try to start conversations but they preferred to speak in Bengali among themselves, and so I obviously could not participate.  I talked with one of my co’s about it, and she was able to remind me that even though that was our mindset at the local camp, we have to remember that at Camp India, it is more about encouraging the staff.  Once I shifted my focus off of the campers and onto the staff and their daughters, I was able to have a much better time.  The girls were all around my age, full of life, energy, and plenty of things to say.  It was wonderful to get to know them and become a part of their lives.

After camp was over, we left and were able to go to Delhi for a couple days of sightseeing.  The first thing we were able to visit was the Taj Mahal!  It was magnificent!  That is really the best word I can use to describe it.  While we were there all I wanted to do was sit and stare at, it was just so much to take in and so incredibly beautiful–literally breathtaking.  The inside was somewhat of a disappointment.  It was pretty much the same as the outside, and I had been expecting it to be more ornate and colorful.

The next day we were able to see Ghandi’s grave, which was not much.  It seems that he would have something more impressive in his memory, but other people reminded me of what a humble man he was and I suppose it makes sense for his grave to be as well.  We also drove by the Red Fort, but were not able to go inside and I am not even really sure what its significance is.

All in all it was a wonderful experience and I would love to go back again!!

Taste of India

Blaring horns and intense stares greet me as I step out of the airport into the streets of India.  Everything seems to be rushed, hurried, chaotic–it is almost too much to take in.  Not knowing how else to respond, I smile and giggle and try to avoid too much eye contact with all the interested stares.

In a blur of motion we are shuffled onto the bus and begin our journey through the streets.  Excitement rushes over me and forms a smile as we fly down the road.  The speed and seemingly reckless nature of the driver is thrilling–so much different than the mundane, boring bus rides in United States.  I try to take pictures, but we’re moving too quickly.  Instead, I attempt to take in as much as I can by merely observing.  Cows, cows, and more cows all along the sides of the streets–sitting, laying, eating, wandering.  I begin to wonder if it is illegal or a crime to hit a cow since they’re considered holy.  The countryside is beautiful, so green and full of life, filled with rice fields and tea gardens.  The horn is nearly constantly being blown, warning other vehicles that we’re barreling around a corner or ordering the pedestrians to get out of the way.

Our host orders the bus to a stop and we stand on the sidewalk as our things are unloaded beside us.  People walking down the street stop and gather around us, staring intently at the foreign sight of two white Americans and all their luggage.  We walk a little ways down the street to the college into a whole different world–peaceful, quiet, orderly–starkly contrasting the hustle and bustle just outside its entrance.

Day and night it is never quiet hear, even in our little oasis.  The background noise of the city is constant, accompanied by the sounds of nature; blaring horns interrupt every moment, Hindu praise music sifts through our compound, birds never ending squawking, announcements from the street bombard us.

As we take a walk around the city, cars, motorcycles, buses, and rickshaws pass within a foot of us.  People are everywhere–in the streets, on the side of the road, in their shops.  It seems that the entire street is a market.  Vendors are everywhere, laying their products down on the sidewalks or in carts that they can move from place to place.  I’m surprised to see many young women are not in traditional clothing, some are even wearing jeans.  We learn that the sari is a sign of marital status–it is not required when one is single.  Hardly any of the men are wearing traditional clothing, a button up shirt and jeans seem to be the most common for middle-aged men, a t-shirt for the younger ones.  Eyes follow us everywhere with no smiles to accompany them.  I ask if it is not customary for people to smile as they pass each other, and learn it is something you only do hear if you know each other.  It is very hard to adjust to not smiling as eye contact is made walking down the street.  We are the only people of a different ethnicity around, and I wonder what kind of preconceived notions the people here have of white people.  Out of the hundreds of people we must have seen and passed, only two talk to us.  One asks where we are from as he walks past and the other happily wishes us a good morning as he rides his bike down the street.  All the buildings look old and run down, I begin to wonder how much different I would react to them if they were in the United States.

We go back to the compound, eat, and anxiously await what our journey will bring us next.

Aging…

So in preparation for this blog I thought I would look for a quote on aging that I could maybe start off with or use somewhere in my blog, but I found far too many that I liked!  My inspiration for doing a blog on aging would be that yesterday was my 19th birthday!!  I have officially started my last year of teenhood and I thought I’d be much more upset, but turns out it wasn’t that bad!  I’ve felt like I was 19 for the past couple months for some reason…must be this college stuff or something!

One inspirational quote by Katharine Graham said, “No one can avoid aging, but aging productively is something else.”  This really makes one take a step back and think about exactly what they want to do in life.  You can dread the fact that you’re aging (which just wastes more of your life while you sit there and age), or you can go out and be productive.  This quote should be an eye-opener and possibly motivation for people to take a look at their lives.  Are they being productive?  Are they accomplishing all the things they want to with their life?  Even though I’m only 19, it still feels like there’s so much more I could have done with my life.  Just little things, like opening the door for someone, taking more time to spend with my family, taking time out of my day to think about other people than myself.  Keeping this quote in mind can really keep you motivated to make every moment of your life meaningful.

A very convicting quote I found by Leighton Meester said, “Any fear of aging, I think, is simply vanity.”  This quote really made me think about exactly why I dread aging.  In U.S. culture, aging is not something to be looked at as respected or something to look forward to, but rather something that’s debilitating, strips away your beauty, and leaves you with nothing more than memories.  That’s why plastic surgery and other kinds of beauty enhancements are so popular here.  If you take beauty out of the question, however, why makes aging so bad?  Yes, your life is nearing the end, but isn’t that how this world is?  Everything begins somewhere, it’s not nearing the beginning.  Yes, age can mean limited mobility, but keeping yourself healthy is a way to prevent that.  Aging is so much more than a loss of things, you’re gaining far more than you’re losing.  You gain wisdom, friends, prestige, status, reputation, knowledge, experience, family, memories, etc.  If our mindset about aging changed, maybe more of our lives would be spent working towards gaining, rather than focused on what we’re losing.

The next kind of comical quote by Robert Farrar Capon says, “Older women are like aging strudels–the crust may not be so lovely, but the filling has come at last into its own.”  This quote opens our eyes to the beauty that comes with age.  This relates to the things I discussed in the last paragraph relate to this quote as well.  As a woman ages, she’s able to refine the person she is and develop her inward beauty.  I think that it is important for us to focus on all the positives of aging, rather than the negative and not dread getting older.

Well..this blog did not go where I thought it would, but I really like it!  Gave me lots to think about!