Sunday, October 9, 2011

on being human

Whew! Glad that's out of the way!

It didn't take me long to "fail" at my every day blogging commitment. You might imagine that I feel badly about that, but I honestly feel really good. I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and it's a good discipline for me to recognize my limits without giving up. So I'm still here and still excited about what blogging does for me. In fact, I think it makes this space more human and welcoming.

A few weeks ago I was reading a book that I downloaded about simplicity. There are a few people I really look up to in this area and I was really impressed with these writers and what they had been able to accomplish. About half-way through the book one of the authors confessed that he has a long way to go before he accomplishes some of his goals. For instance, he still has quite a bit of debt that he's working to eliminate and he still has a huge mortgage that he's paying down in order to sell, yadda, yadda. And I noticed as I was reading this that I was experiencing relief and hope. So I stopped to examine those feelings.

I realized that I felt at home with these people who were headed in the same direction that I am AND experiencing some of the same challenges that I am. There's something so refreshing about running into people who are candid about the struggles that a journey entails. It's good to know that we're not alone when we hit a wall or wrestle with what it takes to get from here to there. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that "here" is the only place I can really be. No matter how good "there" is, I will only inch closer by embracing "here" with all of my heart and strength.

Maybe "there" is just an excuse to give up.

Isn't it good to be here? Isn't it good to be human together?

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people." ~Anne Lamott


10 comments:

  1. mwen renmen ou anpil! *big hug*

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  2. well put baby. my problem is i like "here" TOO much. i like "here" a lot and dont really want to go "there". a healthy balance is where i need to be. i just have a hard time to that point....

    p.s. OMG! i just realized my word verification to post this comment is the last name of the Jets cornerback. is that a sign from you know who that im supposed to go "there"?

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  3. Oh, yes. It is so glad to be here and to be here together.

    Your post encourages me. It reminds me that I can be human. It encourages me to keep sharing my own journey, to not have to have it all together in order to lead in some way.

    *deep breath of relief*

    PS: My word verification is "cutase." I think that means I'm supposed to tell Terri she's a cutie pie. :)

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  4. dave: i love how you listen to me so well honey. but i have a feeling my "here and there" is a little different than yours. let's talk outside of blogworld. :)

    christianne: i'm so happy that this was encouraging to you. it encouraged me too. and that word verification thingy..thank you very much.

    sarah: Yay!

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  5. so glad you're feeling better.

    i heart dave's comments. :)

    yes, it IS so good to be human together. i love your candor and it helps to know we're all in this craziness together. i do long for balance.

    my word is sooke. that's going to be my new halloween word.

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  6. lori: i heart a lot about dave. :) and sooke sounds like a great word for winter too. "man this snow is sooke!"

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  7. yes! dang... "there" has been an excuse for me to give up time and time again.

    but it IS so good to be here! praise God for being here... it keeps me present to my desperate need for his grace and his gentle guidance.

    i love that while you were reading your book you started responding emotionally to something, and then stopped reading to take the time to examine what you were feeling. i want to be more like that!

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  8. amanda, you're such a sweetie. i think you and i actually have more in common than you can imagine. I often feel like giving up when i look too far back or too far forward. love you!

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