popularity and belonging

What’s the algorithm?

What does it mean? 

What is the checklist?

In school- what does it take to be popular?
when I was in school.. usually it was the rich kids (people with a lot of money) because they had cool stuff.
They didn't even have to be nice, they were just "oooh, ahhh.. look at them. I want to be like them." so they became the popular kids.

sometimes to be popular, it's about looks.. gotta be cute or hot or good looking. kids who use grown up language (and I mean like cuss words, not adult responsible words).
kids who have cool lunch boxes that bring food that is "the good stuff".

That was not me. :) lol
I was a nice person who cared about their grades, befriended people who were all by themselves.
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Interesting, we carry these thought processes with us into adulthood.
Like other adults are more popular, more..
than us.

Why do we want to belong?
Because we are not MEANT to be alone.
the Bible states that in the first chapter.. that's why he created Eve for Adam.. so he could have a suitable partner.
We are not meant to do life alone.. so on the inside, we are constantly searching for acceptance.

In school, in our neighborhoods, we search for that in our peers.. JUST like we do in adulthood, in our jobs, in our status.

Just don't forget the end goal. The end goal is not to belong here on earth.. but to belong in heaven with our Father.. the One who created us. 

being an ambivert (introvert and extrovert combination)

https://www.spreadshirt.com/shop/design/i+am+ambivert+womens+premium+t-shirt-D5d8a07ea2051762642297cfd?sellable=XyEGdvE48gfGQxJ5rgRq-813-8&appearance=397&size=3



I totally want this shirt! (I'm a M by the way.. cough medium cough.)

Introversion is defined as a preference for calm, minimally stimulating environments.
Extroversion definition is the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self. 

Ambivert is someone who likes people and enjoys deep interaction, but can't hang around them very long without needing to get away to be by themselves for a while. 



The places I go and feel comfortable don't always have to do with the people who are there, it has to do with if I can recharge myself by then. The need to be prepared for such interactions and what that preparation looks like. Also, once I'm in these places, I need to be able to read my body and my mind so that if I I feel uncomfortable or overdone, I know there's a place I can retreat to in the vicinity that can make the rest of the interaction bearable. It's not that I don't like the people or the place (if I did, I wouldn't come in the first place), I'm actually making an effort to give that setting the best of me. I want to be there, but even too much of a good thing can be too much. 




If there's a place that I HAVE to be or a setting that is necessary, like a job, and I know it's going to take a lot to deal with, I look for small moments of joy. Like petting any animal that's there, talking to the children, a moment away from the crowd to snack, taking an extra minute in the bathroom just to breathe, things like this.

I love to be with people I know and enjoy. :)
If I can grab a cup of coffee in a small quiet setting and just chat, or sit in a park or take a walk just the two of us, this is perfect. It's just much harder to focus and participate with the special person when other people are involved. Groups are intimidating and anxiety inducing.



I love being open minded to new ideas, different ways to do things, being able to make something myself with the direction of someone else.



It's hard to be here by myself right now. (well.. alone.. with the kids.. and the cats.. and the husband.) Even though I do like to be a homebody, I also definitely need to leave the house sometimes and be around other people. Not necessarily interacting with them, just in the presence of them. I wouldn't even mind just taking a walk in a park and waving and random people, just to see other human life forms and know that I'm not suck in a building.

disability - usable hours

7-8-2020 I started this blog post after I saw this graphic on Pinterest, because it made me interested in knowing how many usable hours I have.

right now, I'm about 2 weeks into this project and my BEST day was really a good MENTAL health day, but my body was really beat down from all the movement and activity, though enjoyable, I had done.
-------

7-31-2020
I'm having a hard time tracking what's usable. My thinking is when I'm not in any kind of pain (or minimal pain), when I can think straight, when my boy and mind are at optimal capacity. That is usable to me.
Basically.. summer is out, and I'm pretty sure winter will be out. I feel my best in spring and fall. No extreme heat or extreme cold, possibility of dehydration, etc. Brain fog, inflammation, completely exhaustion, exercise intolerance.

Even when I'm at peak performance, I run the risk of injuring myself by walking, stepping, turning, pulling, lifting, laughing, being tickled..
I'm glad I tried this.

Overstimulation is a huge problem for me.
Having too much going on at one time, someone trying to tell me something at the same time I'm in the middle of writing something or listening to something else. Focusing on one project and getting pulled in different directions. Too many voices, too much noise, the sun seeming loud, my neck muscles wanting to collapse, not being able to sit or stand comfortably, someone touching me, the wrong material against my skin, light touch, too much information visually, having a hard time narrowing down or deciding things that important or things that can wait.

proprioception and sensory realization

I'm laying on the hammock and my back is killing me. I know I've missed a couple days tracking my usable hours, but it can be too much to keep track of everything, and it's more important for me to do my psychology work. (This helps me to be able to function mentally and physically on a day to day basis.) Also it's overwhelming to have to think and remember all of it, and to figure out what usable means. I'm not used to what's normal and what's not. It's hard to feel normal, because my normal is.. *shrugs.. too unpredictable? There's no specific definition.

Laying on a specific surface is good sensory input for my skin. I'm noticing things like blankets (mostly fleece), things that are soft but not too soft (like fleece or t-shirt cotton), or a cool breeze, just air. These feel really good against my skin, and laying on something like that, the pressure and the fact that I can control what parts of my body touch the material is very helpful.

what's your addiction?

Everybody has an addition. If they didn't they wouldn't be human. I'm willing to admit that my addiction goes along with one of my love languages: words of affirmation.

That's not to say that it's bad to want to hear people affirm you, you really do need feedback and encouragement to continue doing life. We are meant to be in community.

But for me, there's a problem when I'm looking only to people to give me that instead of from God, so I backslide and I constantly have to check myself and ask where I'm getting the affirmation from.

And I can tell when I'm looking in the wrong places, my anxiety and depression are worse, and my soul and heart feel disconnected and I feel more like crap.

So even though I'm not much of a people person (IE ambivert), I do need to have that feedback that what I'm doing is right and good.

Burning bush- study

(this is the story that keeps coming to mind when God tells me to FOLLOW- my word that HE gave me this year)

This story has come up a couple times this year in different ways, which is interesting because I keep thinking about it in reference to the word that God gave me for the year.

Usually it takes me some thought and searching for my "word for the year". For some reason, this time, when it got to the last month of last year, the word FOLLOW kept popping into my mind. I had no idea how much this word would have an impact on me and my journey.


EXODUS 3

Moses and the Burning Bush

1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
The angel gets Moses' attention with something that's normal, but at the same time, unusual. It's normal to see a bush in that area, but it was not normal for it to be on fire for no reason, AND for it to not actually be burning.4When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”And Moses said, “Here I am.”
Keep in mind the change here. The ANGEL of the LORD is the one who got Moses attention. When GOD SAW that Moses had listened to the ANGELS voice, THEN God stepped in to talk to the man.
Holy crap. Imagine hearing a voice from inside this odd thing saying your name. Like.. what the heck? The bush is speaking and it knows who is standing beside it? 5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.7The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
God sees all and decided to do something about the group of people he calls "His people", the chosen ones, to bring them out of their misery (because they've been enslaved for years). He knows they have been crying out for help, and it's time. God's timing is perfect, and who He chooses to do His work is also perfect.
10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Um, do you know who you're talking to? Are you sure you're choosing the right person? I am a shepherd (the lowest job), my DAD is the priest, and you want ME to go to the King and demand he lets his slaves free, in the name of a God he doesn't believe in? AND you want me to be their leader?
Hey Moses, you realize you're talking to God, right? 
Um.. astonished, bewildered, uncertain, pinching himself to make sure this is real. 12And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
So God is actually going to take Moses into Egypt as a shepherd, and then bring Him right back to the starting line as a leader, before the journey to the promised land.
13Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”14God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
Wow. This is really happening. The God.. THE God.. is telling me I can use His name as my backup. This is big. 

------
I have a feeling God is calling me to FOLLOW Him into a place that I'm uncomfortable with, not knowing what I'm supposed to say, just doing what He asks me to do when He asks me to do it. 

Hosting a ministry online.. Saying things about my faith boldly on Facebook and Instagram, and doing videos (which I'm glad nobody is filming me and I'm not on a stage with people staring at me).. is intimidating. But I've also noticed during this adventure into my discomfort that there have been people touched with words I generally don't speak (I'm an introvert/ambivert). 
But the gifts that God has given me with my hands, letting words flow through my fingers into the keyboard and out to cyberspace.. has been encouraging and is also helping me grow in confidence. 

He is leading me and I don't know where this is going, but that's okay. One small thing at a time.. God is doing things, and I don't know what they are, but I'm glad to be chosen as a vessel, even though it's (not scary) but intimidating. It's becoming something I look forward to, and I try my best to speak the truths that I know, and the things that I learn, and answers to questions I have.

format

paper, notebook, phone, iPad, papyrus, computer screen, hotel room

it doesn't matter what format you read the Bible.. as long as you see it and open it. 

All Scripture is God breathed.. read its word.. even if you just see it on Pinterest. 

"Let the children come to me" story in the Bible

Mark 10
The Little Children and Jesus

13People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”16And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

The faith of a child is pure.
It's unadulterated, unaltered, unspoiled.

They come to God with open arms.
With wide eyes full of joy and awe and wonder.
So trusting and hopeful.

This is how we should approach Jesus.. in order to embrace the mystery of the man who did everything for us. The man who let nothing get in the way of offering us grace and giving up every bit of life in His body... just so we could know the truth of His Father.

Let's sit at His feet and listen to His words and absorb His teachings
 in a way that our lives radiate Him.

You don't know God's plan for your life? It's easy.

His instruction for us:

Love your neighbor as yourself

Do unto others as you would have done to you

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and your mind

His plan for your life? 

To follow Him and show Him through us.

Acts 1:7 - God's timing

He (Jesus) said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority."

It is not up to us to know God's timing. God's timing is not human timing. His timeline is perfect. His timeline has nothing to do with what we plan on or don't plan on. God's timing has nothing to do with our wants and needs, but what He knows is best for us, and His plan for our lives. We would not be able to comprehend/wrap our minds about it anyone, if He showed us. It wouldn't make sense to us. It's not supposed to. We are unable to understand God's ways. He does not live by our standards. He doesn't live by the rules of science or medicine or time or physics. 
If things only happened when we planned for them, honestly, things would never happen, because we only plans things that we prioritize. It's surprising how many believers of God actually prioritize something above their faith. 100% of us do it. 
Even the storms of life happen on time. On God's timing. God takes the scenic route, not the highway. He's not in a hurry to get you where you should be, his road is "straight"- straight to heaven but now straight like a line. He won't always get rid of our problems to bless us, He will bless us in the middle of the problem. We decide what the problem is, He laughs at our "problems" because they are so minuscule to what is important and what He has in store. 
To trust in the Lord with all your heart, you have to move with him. He gave you His Spirit to follow. 
When you think you're done, when you're ready to throw in the towel, God will bless you. 

7 wonders of the world

The great pyramid of Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.

My local library puts out a "fact of the day".. every day. :)

I was puzzled by this one, thinking, really?
That's all that's left?

https://www.tripzilla.com/7-wonders-of-the-ancient-world/112640

Then again, they are ancient wonders.
And over time, things do fall apart.
Check the link above to see what the 7 wonders of the world were, little bit of history lesson in this post. :)

And a reminder to us.. that anything we build on this earth WILL fall apart!
Nothing physical lasts forever.

why mosquitos?

ZZzzzzzz... smack!

The most annoying bugs ever.. but they do have a purpose.
Check it out!
They can be beneficial! 

https://endmosquitoes.com/10-benefits-of-mosquitoes-how-are-they-helpful-to-humans/

what is freedom and what does liberty mean?

Definition of freedom. 1 : the quality or state of being free: such as. a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence.

Wikipedia: Freedom, generally, is having the ability to act or change without constraint. Something is "free" if it can change easily and is not constrained in its present state. In philosophy and religion, it is associated with having free will and being without undue or unjust constraints, or enslavement, and is an idea closely related to the concept of liberty. A person has the freedom to do things that will not, in theory or in practice, be prevented by other forces. Outside of the human realm, freedom generally does not have this political or psychological dimension. 

What does liberty mean? 

• Liberty deals with the state of being free to do something, whereas freedom is the state of being free from something. However, today they both are also used interchangeably many times. Freedom and liberty are often used interchangeably in English and many other languages.
  
  Difference between Freedom and Liberty | Freedom vs Liberty
  
  
  ----
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fTkA3dvpPM
  
  
  makes you think
  
  
  Freedom
  What does that mean to you?
  What does that look like in your life? 
  How does Freedom effect you?
  
  
  Do you have the Liberty to be free? 

the difference between a llama and an alpaca

• 1. The ears. Llamas have very distinct banana shaped ears, whereas alpacas have short pointy ears. 
  2. From the side llamas have much longer faces which have little hair, whereas alpacas faces are kind of squished and have a large tuft of hair hanging from their forehead.
  
  
  https://www.peruhop.com/difference-between-llama-and-alpaca/#:~:text=1%20Look%20for%20the%20ears%21%20The%20key%20in,the%20Alpaca’s%20is%20blunter.%20...%20More%20items...

how do farmers decide on crop rotation?

https://greengarageblog.org/8-pros-and-cons-of-crop-rotation

https://greentumble.com/10-benefits-of-crop-rotation/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20one%20farmer%20might%20follow%20a%20seven-year,Fallow%20or%20use%20as%20a%20pasture%20for%20livestock

We live with a field around us and I recently started wondering how they plan their crop rotation.. what comes next? 

"Crop rotation is based on growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. The planned rotation may vary from a growing season to a few years or even longer periods. Farmers usually do not follow one specific crop rotation plan. They choose to alternate crops based on their individual requirements, possibilities, environmental conditions and budget.

For example, one farmer might follow a seven-year crop rotation scheme as follows:

• First year: Corn
• Second year: Oats
• Third to fifth year: Alfalfa or clover
• Sixth to seventh year: Fallow or use as a pasture for livestock
• First year: Carrots
• Second year: Wheat
• Third to seventh year: Bluegrass

 Another farmer might choose a simpler scheme:

Even though these two plans differ, they both stick to the general rule of crop rotation. The basic principle is to plant leguminous crops (e.g. pulses, alfalfa, bluegrass, clover) after the cereal crops (e.g. wheat, oats, maize, rice), and then leave the land undisturbed for at least one season."

the word Yankee

The term "Yankee" and its contracted form "Yank" have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States; its various senses depend on the context. Outside the United States, "Yank" is used informally to refer to any American, including Southerners. Within the Southern United States, "Yankee" is a derisive term which refers to all Northerners, or specifically to those from the region of New England.

Now it's a team name (New York Yankees) and a candle company. 

Interesting change in dynamic. 

Gods timing

Last minute ? Or just when you least expect it ? His timing is perfect. We are caught off guard and surprised by it.

Last minute.. we got just the right room at the bed and breakfast.
Last minute.. I found the perfect shell in the lake.
Last minute.. Brian found the t-shirt and hoodie he's been looking for for 6 years.

These are not coincidences.
God knows what we want, even the small things.
ESPECIALLY the small things!

We want to be blessed.
We pray to be blessed.
And then when we are blessed at just the right time, we are surprised by it.

Enjoy the moments where God gives you what you need or what you want.

Blessings come from obedience.
When we honor God and follow His plan, nothing else can compare.

climate change and diet change after the Ark

http://www.yourlifesource.com/forever.htm

http://www.epctoronto.org/Press/Publications_JRHughes/Why_Meat_Web.htm
I find this insert fascinating-
"The sign of the New World Covenant that God gave to mankind is the rainbow (Gen 9.12,13). All men, everywhere on earth ‘participate’ in the sign every time the rains end and the sun begins to shine again. In the same way, all men everywhere participate in the covenant fellowship meal when they eat the meat of an animal.
I therefore suggest the following:

1. Every time a person eats meat, he participates in the covenant fellowship meal of the New World Covenant. This places man under the covenant obligations of the Covenant between God and man and reminds man that he is a creature dependent on the Creator and a vassal lord over creation, under the Great King. 
2. When a person eats meat, it reminds him that death is the result of sin, which requires punishment. 
3. Mankind, in general, can continue to eat any kind of animal meat, not just the meat of the clean animals, because the New World Covenant is a universal and perpetual form of the Covenant. 
4. God introduced the exclusivity of eating only clean animals—those that alone could be sacrificed to God—to point to the requirement for a redeemer who would be holy and a perfect substitute for man. People under the Sinaitic Covenant, mediated through Moses, were called to a holy separation to represent the coming Messiah. The limitation on their meat diet continued the symbolism that sin resulted in death, but added the symbol that substitution required perfection. 
5. In the NT economy the limitation of physical separation of Jews from Gentiles is removed (Acts 10.1-11.18) and the true implication of the separation—a spiritual separation in Christ—is emphasized. The removal of the one element of symbolism in meat eating—the requirement for a pure sacrificial substitute—does not, however, remove the other—the universal symbol associated with the New World Covenant. Therefore all men everywhere continue to eat meat from all kinds of animals as a symbol of their universal obligation to God 

To this point, I have emphasized the permissive aspect with regard to meat eating found in the Covenant enactment in Genesis 8 and 9. Without doubt, God permitted man to eat meat. However if we read the passage carefully, it appears that the provision of meat eating is not just permissive, but also prescriptive. Just as there is the command to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Gen 9.1), there may also be a command embedded in the words “everything that lives and moves shall be food for you” (Gen 9.3 ESV).
If in fact the provision of meat eating is prescriptive and not just permissive, there may be some implications that have a direct bearing on aspects of our culture and the larger world, in which we find ourselves living in the 21 st century. The following are suggested implications of the God’s provision of meat eating within the framework of the universal Covenant between God and man:

1. Religions, such as Hinduism, that reject eating meat, are an abomination to God. Their man-made regulations that require vegetarianism put them in direct rebellion against a universal requirement of God and place them under his curse. A person who refuses to eat meat rebels against the command of God, refuses to participate in the covenant fellowship meal, and denies his subordinate role to God the Creator.
2. Vegetarianism, even if not participated in for ‘religious’ reasons, is rebellion against the Covenant. Personal-choice vegetarianism may be a slap in the face of God, and is to go the way of the heathen. 
3. Islam, Judaism, and Seventh Day Adventism, all reject some aspect of meat eating; albeit for different reasons. They are in rebellion against God’s command. They refuse to accept Jesus as the final perfect sacrifice and they refuse to be placed under the obligations of the New World Covenant. 
4. Organizations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and militant vegans pervert God’s covenantal requirement to eat meat and attempt to position meat eating as a ‘sin’ We should not flippantly dismiss them since they have support from influential people. We need to stand firmly against them because their rejection of meat eating is a direct challenge to God’s perpetual Covenant with mankind."

https://answersingenesis.org/animal-behavior/what-animals-eat/creations-original-diet-and-the-changes-at-the-fall/

The original plan God had for us was the be in harmony with all living creatures, and to eat the plants and vegetation from the earth.

In Genesis 1.29-30 we read:

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (NIV)

After the flood, God gave us everything that lives to eat.
In Genesis 9.1-5 we read:
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal.” (NIV) 

Dinosaurs in the Bible?

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/dinosaurs.html

http://clarifyingchristianity.com/dinos.shtml

https://www.learnreligions.com/are-dinosaurs-in-the-bible-701956

https://creationtoday.org/dinosaurs-in-the-bible/


Amazing how God created this huge animals, Adam and Eve got to be in unity with them at the beginning of time.
Sucks that because of human crappiness, these magnificent beasts were wiped out.
I would LOVE to be able to visit one of the sites out west and see the actual earth they are now engulfed in.
Creation is fascinating.
God is amazing in His handiwork.

geography before the flood, during and after - PANGEA

https://www.icr.org/article/what-was-pre-flood-world-like

https://answersingenesis.org/geology/plate-tectonics/noahs-lost-world/

https://www.gotquestions.org/pangea-theory.html

https://saysthelord.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/pangea-how-god-split-the-continents/


PANGEA = all the earth (in greek)
continental drift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd5-dHxOQhg&list=WL&index=7
this is amazing!!

It's fascinating to see how God made the earth all in one group and the water was then surrounding it, covering the rest of the planet.
Then when He sent the flood to wipe out the human race, it effecting the face of the earth so much, that we now have the continents we do, and they will never be "Done" moving, because the core of the earth is constantly flowing and the plates rub.

This is why earthquakes and volcano's do what they do.
Amazing.

what is being grown up?

what is it supposed to be like.. being an adult?
being someone who is in charge?

why should other people take us seriously?

being grown up - when does it happen?
you turn 18 and you.. graduate high school. find some place to work to pay for things you need and want.
you are able to sign your name on a paper that tells you you have a place to live or a vehicle to drive.
you are able to vote.. able to tell people who you think should be in charge of ALL of the adults.
but.. is this being grown up?

you turn 21 and you.. are able to have an alcoholic drink.


but what does it mean to be grown up?

am i really responsible enough to buy my own vacuum? what features should it have? i don't know.

am i really in charge of doing something someone tells me to do, and they give me money? what's the big deal about having a job anyway?
and what if I BECOME the boss at the place I work. oh my gosh. that means i'm in charge of other people..
does that make me grown up?

i get to buy something on the computer through a website that takes information that i give it off the back of a plastic card, and i trade the numbers in the bank account for something that i wear.

does that make me grown up?

or maybe when i have to choose between apples and oranges.. and noodles.. and hot dogs.. and..
filling the fridge and the cupboards with someone i can eat.

maybe when i make the choice to add another person or an animal to my home.

i think these things are supposed to be adult choices.
but i don't feel like an adult.

but this is called adulting.
*shrugs.
c'est la vie.

The proverbs 31 woman – still relevant?

https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-proverbs-31-woman.html

I have been going through the Proverbs 31 woman 10 point study on my Facebook page as a study
(click here if you'd like to follow along with these. they are in the videos).
It was brought to my attention that someone believed this to be irrelevant for our world now, that we have a completely different way and style of living, and that it didn't come from a view of the right kind of person who could speak this way to us.

The link at the top of this page is a BEAUTIFULLY written blog post about it, all broken down, and I honestly would love for you to go ahead and read it thoroughly! I couldn't have done a better job!

But the answer to the question this blog post brings up is..yes!
It very much still relevant!

The Proverbs 31 woman is someone we should look up to and strive to be like..
BUT she's also not a real woman. :)
She's the kind of person that we are to look for in ourselves, and in the ladies around us.
She is a virtue (10 virtues, in fact) that we would love to have and be.
So look to her.. look to this scripture (and the link above) as a break through, and a way to learn to be our best at any given time.

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Proverbs 31:10-31)

defending yourself to other people- manipulation, narcism, and learning boundaries

BEFORE YOU START READING THIS
remember..
you are important.
you are amazing.
and you are worth loving.. but you have to love yourself.
please please share this with people you care about that also need help.

Always feeling like I have to defend myself, and don’t want to offend people.
If you feel this need for acceptance, especially at the cost of loving who you are and being yourself, you need to let go of this relationship.








Changing, creating boundaries, not allowing people to make you feel less than who you are, less than a whole wonderful worthy person: these are parts of life that are mandatory for us to grow and mature.


















https://themindsjournal.com/12-signs-you-are-being-psychologically-manipulated/2/?amp=1
learn about how people can manipulate you and you don't know it. "it's all in your head"



realizing what relationships are healthy, and which people add no value to your life, or only add negative and "eggshell" you. (make you feel like you have to walk on eggshells around them.)



https://healthylivingforeverydayhealth.com/dealing-with-a-narcissist

the tower of Babel

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tower-of-Babel

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-christians-should-know-about-the-tower-of-babel.html

The tower was built as an act of disobedience to God. (read the above link to learn some amazing things about this historical event!)




What happened at the tower of Babel is why we have multiple languages in the world today.

We cannot build anything manmade that will reach to heaven.
Heaven is not a physical place.

We have to believe in God's son and what He did for us in order to be there when our physical bodies pass away.

And nobody is any better than anyone else.
Man cannot boast about being better than another, we are all on an equal level.

- also, fun fact - this is why we call it "babbeling" when someone talks nonsense.- 

• verb (used without object), bab·bled, bab·bling. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning. to talk idly, irrationally, excessively, or foolishly; chatter or prattle. to make a continuous, murmuring sound.

perspective

a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
definition.. 

the way someone sees something. 
their point of view.
their.. opinion? is their perspective? 

the way we perceive something. 
so...

that means perspective is not based on truth or fact.. it's based on what we believe. what we, as fallible human beings, think. 

are you willing to look at and listen to and learn about other perspectives? or are you stuck in and adamant that your way is the only way? 



if you change the way you see or think about something, that doesn't make you a hypocrite.. that makes you someone who is able to learn and change. 



what is the core of what you believe? how did your perspective come about? why do you have the view you do?



are you narrow minded? or are you willing to open your mind and see the world from someone else's eyes?



seeing something from your side doesn't make them wrong, anymore than it makes you right. it just means you're perspective is not the only one, and you have some learning to do.

nuance and shades- primary colors- Michael Pitts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MiSQJEeLt4&list=PLFsjQv_Y4qniggxtpiUcrHDUtfbUvAu5G&index=34&t=28s

you absolutely have to see this.
as children, we learn what primary colors are.
red, yellow, blue.

as we get older, we start to understand that if we mix primary colors, we get different colors
green, orange, purple.

and if we continue to mix these colors, we find different shades
white and black start to show us that there are spectrums inside of every color.

but if we can only LIVE
only THINK
only BREATHE
only BE
in primary colors..
and ignore all the beautiful shades in the world around us..

we are willingly blocking out and ignoring the beauty and the diversity of life itself.

watch the video.
entirely.

There is no title that will fit.

I found this just now while I was googling for the post about

having the last word

and this saddens me. 

For one, why is this funny?

When someone tells you something that should be taken seriously, 

take it seriously. 

And for another, being someone who is constantly sick,

this totally rubs me the wrong way. 

Why she felt the need to put this on her tombstone,

maybe she was making light of her own illness,

kudos to her.

But I find it so sad that someone feels the need to point out that they said something that is SO important, that is literally life and death (no rimshot here),

and nobody believed her. 

This sickens and saddens me.

where do hiccups come from?

https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/why-do-i-hiccup

What are the leading causes of hiccups?

• Eating too quickly and swallowing air along with foods.
• Eating too much (fatty or spicy foods, in particular) or drinking too much (carbonated beverages or alcohol) can distend the stomach and cause irritation of the diaphragm, which can cause ... (check the link above) :) 
• Any disease or disorder that irritates the nerves that control the diaphragm (such as liver disease, pneumonia, or other lung disorders).

So slow down when you eat and drink. :) And watch WHAT you're eating. :)