The Repercussions of Media

When I first began this blog, I intended it to be a place that I could type out my thoughts and have some accountability to encourage me to keep writing. Now, however, I feel as if I give my readers a picture of an emotional reject. I write on the lowest and highest points of my everyday life. I am sorry if you are getting this image of me. I am not that extreme in person. Get to know me outside of this emotion-type blog. It's only my release.

Up-swing : Tonight was fabulous. It was the first night of Elevation's Summer Blast. It was the night we'd all been waiting for, praying for, and preparing for. And it was marvelous. The kids were so pumped about the entire thing. I have found out how much I adore children in this Charlotte experience... how fun it is to see their faces light up. It makes me wonder if I'll have my own children, or if I'll be involved in children's ministry.

Down-swing : I wanted to share that moment with someone ... someone whom I couldn't anymore.
On the first day, I avoided the radio altogether, driving in silence. But I realized my addiction to music and that silence only made me think deeper. Then, I tried listening to songs that made my heart dwell on other things. That playlist is very short. I would switch radio stations and skip songs on iTunes until I found something that was uplifting. Then I realized that I was listening to the same songs over and over. So I sat myself down in the locker room and pep-talked myself into thinking I was ready for whatever live-radio had to throw at me. Here's what happens when you let media shuffle it's way into your thoughts...

"Someday I will find a love that flows through me like this, and this will fall away. I'm a loser."
And for a second, I wonder if it's true.

"Beautiful Girl... you'll have me suicidal... when you say 'it's over'."
And I pray for his heart.

"I'd rather live in his world than live without him in mine."
And I wonder if I should just take the train straight to his home town.

"I'm so glad for someone like you I can come home to"
And I ask myself why I gave that up.

"You have a way of coming easily to me; and when you take, you take the very best of me.... What a shame. What a rainy ending given to a perfect day. ... And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through, I've never been anywhere cold as you."
And I worry about him.

"No one ever tells you that forever feels like home sitting all alone inside your head. How do you feel?... How much is real? So much to question."
And I go home in a different way.




Credits: "Loser" -3 Doors Down. "Beautiful Girls" - Sean Kingston. "Midnight Train to Georgia" - Gladys Knight. "Tuesday Night" - Adam Hood (who would be amazing in concert with Corey Smith... gah, the little things that make me think). "Cold As You" -Taylor Swift. "Through the Glass" -Stone Sour.

Shipwrecked Tonight

For over a year this relationship has grown -- starting with simple get-to-know-each-other games, and progressing to deeper-soul conversations.

Then it ended.

It certainly wasn't ended because of boring discussions. Part of the problem could have been that the discussions were getting too intense. I liked it. And it scared me.

Let's take that thought and run with it.

Fear. I was afraid of not knowing how serious our relationship should be. I was afraid of confusion between love of a man and love of God. I was afraid to be blinded. I ended a relationship with a human, not because I thought it would come between my Savior and me... (no, that would take much stronger forces) but because I felt the relationship would take the place of God's original will for my life.

Fear. I don't want to be one of those people who turn away good love, and never find it again. But I don't want to settle. I want a relationship that does not rely on electronic devices (cell phones and computers) as mediums for survival. I want (and possibly deserve) something real. Something present.

I have never cut off a relationship. I hate this feeling. I feel so stupidly smart, so intelligently ignorant. I don't know anymore what was wrong or right about it. I was so sure when I told him goodbye, but since then I have picked up my cell phone many times wishing I hadn't deleted his number and resisting the urge to recall it. I have typed his screenname into my buddylist, only to delete it and close the box before I went back on my decision. That entire day was excruciating. I'm still aching, pacing the stairwell, refusing to wipe the tears in denial of their existence, hoping my stomach settles, praying that, if he really isn't God's will for me, I will heal. And if we were supposed to be together, that God will correct this era in my life for His glory. Five days down... and the rest of our lives to go.

I wrote a song and a poem today. It's in blurbs right now. I don't think I have the strength to share it all, but I will type pieces.

(Poem)
I always followed my heart
But it was a rocking ship;
Being blown apart
By chaotic emotions
That must have been lying
With all the opposite notions.
I'm a shipwreck
Rocked extreme to extreme
Plunged into the deep
Of my current catastrophe.
Are you a shipwreck, too?
Do you want to swim back to shore
Where you won't miss me anymore.
Does your stomach ache with hunger pangs?
And your eyes pour more tears the lower the sun hangs?
Are you quieted by bustling thoughts
That are murky in your mind
But opaque in your heart.
I beg never to know
How you might feel
We were forced apart
Please, love me not
Though I love you still.

(Song)
Show me how to heal
Show me how to deal
With this shipwreck
Teach me not to love
Just to give you up
Because I'm going down
With this shipwreck.


How close two beings can grow to be simply amazes me. Tonight, my heart is throbbing for another. I have been an emotional shipwreck all week, particularly today, because I wasn't distracted by work. And I know that he would be off today, too. Does he have too much free time, as well? God, bless his soul. Comfort him. ... Comfort me.

*Cars*

As an intern, my primary responsibility is to run errands. I truly love it, ESPECIALLY when I run errands for Damion, the production manager. He found out that I absolutely love to drive his truck and offered for me to drive it to Office Depot today.

Cars with a characters that matches their owners' personalities have always fascinated me. Damion's truck is probably an 80's model, Chevy, ripped navy vinyl interior, collapsing ceiling liner, peeling paint, and absolutely NO air conditioning. I choose a country music station while I drive it.

While stopped at a redlight in this incredibly attractive truck, I began to notice the characters of the cars around me. In the right lane, there was a sleek black volvo. A man in a white dress shirt and a bluetooth attached to his left ear jumped out of it. I immediately thought "Chinese Redlight", but really he was just retrieving a notebook from a briefcase in the trunk. I thought "definitely has character and a driver with a matching personality. " But what tops that was the car directly in front of me. It was an older white compact car. There were large white stickers with bold black letters across the back reading "VEGAN." My eyes traveled to the left rear bumper which featured a white bumper sticker. Cartoon animals were walking across the top of the sticker with the words "Love Animals. Don't Eat Them" below. I giggled at this and felt the urge to meet the driver in my own game of Chinese Redlight, but resisted. However, the light turned, and we went on our merry way. Then my little car-character observation game climaxed. The over zealous vegan just in front of me had perchased a personal license plate. It was simple: "CMPASHN!"

Tossed Up and Placed Safely Down

Many ups and downs in my day today. I am typically not moody person, but this new phase in my life gives way to a waterfall of emotion. I hope it only lasts a short while... like a week, maybe. I may still possess a damaged heart by then, but at least it may not make the rest of my body suffer from it's pain.

The office was a great pace today. Rachel sent me to Office Max where I had to wait for an hour, so I shopped for dorm stuff. I read my devotion at work today. That was nice to read it in the same environment to which I must apply it. I'll be blogging about 1 Samuel soon.

My lowpoint came while I was alone in the car today. I just kept pushing away the memories and cramming my thoughts into place, reminding myself that this choice was made in order to free my life up for Christ's work within it.

A highpoint did come, however. The interns went to Chunk's and Amy's house for dinner tonight. It was great to just sit around and talk casually with people. They are such great people, and their children are absolute angels. We met Pastor Furtick, Holly, and Elijah (who turned 2 today) across the street. When we said hello and gave birthday greetings, Pastor Furtick and Holly told Elijah to come give us hugs. Highpoint:

Elijah ran straight to me... and said my name. He remembered my name! It was heaven. I tossed him up into my arms and gave him a quick tight squeeze before placing him back into running position on the ground. I LOVE that kid. We kind of... connect.

I spoke briefly with Elijah's dad about my current decision, and thanked him for unknowingly being partially responsible for that change in my life.

This part of my life? This part right here. It's called "Unstable," but somehow, in ups and downs, it's also called "Something New" for me to run into.

Ouch... Praise God.

I am so sorry to have kept my readers waiting! The past couple days have been a whirlwind of amazing things, good and bad, in my life. I've just been trying to think of a way to condense in all right here into a readable blog. I gave up on figuring that out, so here begins my novel :

After the amazing morning and afternoon on Sunday, there was a worship night exclusively for the volunteers of Elevation... only I didn't know that I was invited until just before it began. I had assumed that I would be working with the children, but Elevation is so fabulous in planning for every detail, and this event was specifically to get the typical workers into a praise service all their own without the responsibilities hanging just outside the auditorium doors.

What happened for those two hours in that high school is inexplicable. It was a CD release PARTY(!) for "The Sound" by Elevation Worship Band. The total time spent worshiping, singing, raising hands, jumping, clapping, screaming, yelling, and simply having an awesome time celebrating how incredible Christ is. Pastor Furtick also spoke openly and unscripted to us, his core, devoted volunteers.

And, in the boisterousness of the room, my heart was silent and listening. God was speaking and pushing. He was calling me to act upon a decision that I had already made. I had fought Him far too long. He was jealous. I had caused it. I had promised to cut off things that held me back from him, but procrastinated in doing so. Standing in the auditorium with the subs blasting in my ears and tears washing away my makeup, I told God, "This is going to hurt. Oh, God, You know this is going to hurt. But I know that it's going to feel good when you fulfill your will because I let go of this."

James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it, sins."

And so, that very next day, I made the phonecall and did the good that hurt so much.

I don't know how to explain it. I'm sure many of you have experienced this, but I had never --not to this extent -- to cut off something that has grown into part of you, and the only thing keeping you from bleeding to death is knowing that the Healer will make you whole... and the you afterwards will be optimally improved.

And again, the verses from Zechariah came to my aid. "I will bring [them] into the fire. ... refine them... test them... they will call on My name and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God!'" (13:9)

Today was difficult. And somehow, it was wonderful. It still hurts. There is still healing to be done. But even that pain is minimal compared to the total pain that could experienced over any extensive time I would spend holding on to the things God commanded me to lose. I coped in the way I almost always do. I wrote.

When I let You have me
When I let You have it all
When I forget my sacrifice
And think about the call
I shed a couple tears
One for joy, one for pain
Through bittersweet circumstances
You make each one my gain.

Match Over. Winner Declared.

It was difficult to wake up before the sun this morning, at 4am, while the raccoons were still out watching me leave the gravel driveway.

But, somehow, it's always worth it. And somehow,I knew it would be majorly worth it today. Great things started happening when I arrived at Elevation at 6am and haven't stopped pouring into my life all day. The rooms were already set up at church this morning. I got to lead two children's worship services and work with my favorite age group. I got my paycheck. The Elevation Worship Band played my favorite song in the first service this morning. We didn't have to tear down. A group of us went out after church and played some serious beach volleyball.

But all of that combined could never match what I experienced tonight at the volunteers' worship service and Sound CD Release Party tonight.

Of course, tonight cannot be fully explained, since it was Almighty God behind the works. It was without a doubt the coolest thing I have experienced in all my short life. I cant detail it all for you right now. This blog was intended just to record that today was the greatest day of my life since the day I decided to follow Christ. I hope that this coerces you into reading my blog tomorrow to find out what tonight was all about.

(No apologies for the cliff hanger... because it's worth it.)

What Might Have Been

I watched "In Love and War" tonight and remembered the desire I once had to be a military nurse. I told a friend of mine that today, and he laughed. I was initially offended that he would take my dream so lightly, then I realized the hilarity of it as well. Don't misunderstand me, I certainly enjoy certain aspects that nursing would involve -- courage in difficult situations, discernment, memorization, and in particular, babying people who are in pain. But God knew better. He knew that He had placed other passions in my soul that would have been pushed aside if I were to pursue a nursing career. Thinking back on it, David was right to laugh. Times have changed. I would not have been in a white dress and cap with World War I surroundings. Instead, I would have been training for sandy middle eastern climates and training with the boys like I was one of them until I was prepared to treat wounds made by modern artillery.

Nevertheless, the entire movie spins around what might have been, and so have my thoughts since viewing it. (Warning: SPOILER. Don't read if you plan to watch the movie.) It's a true story about Ernest Hemingway's (Chris O'Donnell's) life. He and Aggie (Sandra Bullock) fall into young love, but distance separates them for several months. Aggie is wooed by an Italian man and becomes engaged to him, thus breaking the engagement with Ernie. However, Aggie cannot keep her love-struck mind from thoughts of Ernie back in the states. She leaves Italian Mr. Right-Now, and runs to American Mr. Right. But, instead of taking her back into his arms, he turns his back to her, literally (many scenes of the back of Chris O'Donnell's head) and metaphorically. The story ends in such a way that I feel I should pay a psychiatrist to cure my depression. Ernie and Aggie never see each other again, and Ernie marries four times (!) before he commits suicide.

And of course, I wondered about my own life again, since this movie holds many parallels that I am not yet comfortable detailing on the world wide web. (Ask me in person if you'd like to know.) And I keep wondering what might have been? What if Aggie hadn't broken off the engagement? What if Hemingway's had forgiven her? What if I had....

Larry Brey, Elevation's Assimilation Pastor, shared an analogy with me the other day. He said that all of life is like the driver's seat. How dangerous would it be to spend our time staring through a tiny rear view mirror into the past, when there is a clear, large windshield of flying colors ahead. It's okay to look back sometimes, but we have to see forward -- the present and future -- far more than the past, or we'll run straight into trouble.

I discussed a major relationship in my past with my aunt last weekend on my visit to her hometown, and concluded inside myself as I spoke to her, "I thought I would marry him. I thought he was God's will, and I even prayed for that. I am so glad that God chose not to give me what I asked for." And she said, "Wow, that means you really have grown up." Though the what ifs of the past are still in my mind at times, about my relationships with guys, my feelings for them, career/educational choices, and lost or gained friendships, I'm finding that maturity is developed, not only in making good decisions today, but also in having peace with the decisions that are already made... even if it's choosing English over nursing.

Better Than Facebook

Yesterday, I was thinking about how much I enjoy phone calls. I had received a wonderfully random phone call the night before and was still in awe of how much I miss real conversation with my friends back home. Yes, I see people everyday, but this summer has been full of IM, texting, and Facebook since I have been so far from my closest friends. I've become a facebook junkie.

Today, I jokingly asked one of those friends back home, Ben Reed, "What's better than facebook!?" What he began to do was the highlight of my day. My buddy Ben began to make a list of things that were better than facebook... and I made my own. Here is our master list. Enjoy.

And indulge in them.


Ben's List

mountains
racing
the beach
a nice sunset
Jesus
a waterfall in the middle of nowhere
stars on a clear night
someone giving you $1 million dollars
coke shots
staying up too late
being friends with paul james
getting away from life
heaven
walking into the wind blowing down the beach
the smell of rain on hot pavement
playing in the rain
playing in the mud
being on the front row of a really good concert
the david crowder band
chocolate
coke
ice cream
the 69 camaro
any camaro really
roller coasters
things that are dangerous
cookies fresh out of the oven
putting on clothes as they come out of the dryer
ipods
the sound of the exhaust on an old camaro
transformers
the 2009 camaro
the viper v12
the corvette
drag racing
road trips
doing things that are slightly illegal
going to the lake
wakeboarding
snowboarding
jumping off cliffs


Charity's List

A field in a thunderstorm
Running through sheets on a clothes line
Music fit for the occasion
CU vs. USC games
Freshly polished guitars
Comfy tennis shoes
Good movies
A round table of friends
Both of the Camaros in TRANSFORMERS
Tan lines
Shuffling iTunes
Being friends with Paul James (yep yep)
Driving to nowhere in particular, but seeing more than if you had a particular place to go
Grand Pianos
ICE CREAM (yes!)
Cookies before they go into the oven
Sleeping on the floor/ground, just because you can
Blue jeans
Breathtaking photography... especially if you've already seen the real deal
Happy children
Making unhappy children happy again
Long hugs
Funny faces
Walking barefoot
Dreams you can recall
Cash in your hand
Getting lost
Finding your way back home
Health
Making random lists of things that are better than facebook! (Yeah, I like it.)

Reflections of the Weekend - Part 1

This weekend was amazing! Elevation gave the interns a break last week. We weren't supposed to show up until Friday. However, they graciously also gave me Friday off so that I could attend my Great-Grandfather's 95th birthday party on Saturday. Maybe it doesn't sound like the average college girl's idea of a great party, but I definitely looked forward to it. Like any southern family, parties call for lots of cooking. My mom hit the kitchen mixing up Deviled eggs and cooking corn on the cob. She had planned to make cookies, so I took over (since desserts are my favorite) and began baking peanutbutter-chocolatechip cookies. But my friends called during the second batch to invite me out, so I handed the responsibility back to my mom, for my convenience. Coincidentally, the last few batches wound up very burnt. (This is why God placed baking on my heart, and cooking on my mother's.)

We arrived at the fellowship hall a few minutes late, but just in time to proudly lay our dishes on the table in front of the hungry line of people. Just as one of my aunts was beginning to serve my grandpa his birthday dinner, my mom and I noticed the table stacked with gifts. We both nodded in knowing that Papa TB's card was left behind on our kitchen counter. At that moment, I realized that this incident would make up for the irresponsibility of neglecting the cookies. I told her I would retrieve the glorious card and make her proud.

I had forgotten that she had driven her "granny car" to the party. I had also forgotten that she was so much taller than me, but I told myself that it was only a five-minute drive and raced her big Buick Le Sabre with my right foot barely reaching the accelerator, my arms stretched all the way to the steering wheel with the seat leaned back ghetto-style and the rear view mirror showing the ceiling. I did not even change the radio station for fear that I would not be able to reach that knob either.

When I got home, the forgotten card was lying on the counter, unsigned, without any money, and had been not-so-carefully placed in a puddle of pickle juice. I scavenged for a pen, scribbled the family's names, scrounged for some cash, and held the damp card against the air conditioning vent the whole way back in the Ghetto Granny Mobile.

Hopefully, dispite the green tint and winkles in the birthday card, this little adventure made up for leaving my mother alone with the oven.

Dedication to Fading Romance

Let's drift back to the very first night
That very first date
That very first time
It wasn't beaches or dim candlelight
But it was dramatic
Romantic
Ecstatic
Excentric
Just me and your smile.

We were in your car
Stars in the skies
Stars in our eyes
Knowing our souls fit so right
That this couldn't be --wouldn't be-- the only night
We'd sing to every radio tune
Driving only to follow the moon
Just me and your smile.

So why has it been so long since then?
Why are we living
Always missing one another?
Like there isn't a highway
Connecting your lovely country life
To my lonely city strife.
Let's meet up tonight
Without questioning how long the drive.
We can walk and talk
Or sit and stare
As long as we're together there
For a short time
That seems so long
Or a long while
That seems so brief
Just me and your smile.

Hiking in the Rain

Today was my first full day of break, and it was splendidly serene. I woke up at 9:15 (extremely late for me) and washed every tiny crevice of my car for the first time in months. This afternoon, I went on a hike with my friends Trey, Melissa, and Paige. Walking through the woods was not a new experience for me, the hunter's daughter. I realized how comfortable I felt there - not because of a God-given love for it, but maybe because of genetics or growing accostumed to it over the years. When I was a little girl, the only time I had to spend with my dad was outdoors. I loved it simply because he did. And now, it's a way to honor him, even in times like today when he isn't around.

Trey led as we hiked downhill for a little over a mile to huge gorgeous waterfall. We took off our shoes there and hopped from rock to rock for a closer look. Raindrops began to fall through the trees, so we started back. I took the lead. We rested at a still place in the river. Trey swam as we girls drew in the sand and skipped rocks.

Back in the car on a gravel road, we saw a hawk and a black bear. The woods are a completely different world. "You only see something if you're looking for it." says Trey. I saw a lot today. I must have been subconsciously open to it. Being on that hike today made me think about life, as the woods always make me do. Simply stepping away from life can be the best thing for your life. It was a blessing to step away today, especially with such supportive friends.


"A wood at twilight holds a deep hush, that bids the heart be still, the foot step lightly on the earth." -Diana Gabaldon

The Death of Me

I am drowning in my plight
Of loving more than one
Of loving everyone
Of clinging to them
Like a blanket's hem
On a cold and lonely night

One love is all I need
All I want to want
But am I to blame for an open heart
That cannot help but help
Cannot break it's own fall
For the sake of not one, but all

Am I afraid of commitment
Of losing what I've always wanted
Of losing what I never had
Of not being the perfect fit
Tell me, is this a cursing lack of commitment
Or of too strongly desiring it

You want to know how you can help
To ease my pain
TO gain my trust
To make me yours to hold
So that you can boast you were the one
That snapped me out of my disillusionment

Yet I refuse to drown
Refuse to breathe
As if your carbon dioxide will intoxicate me
Ignore my commitment issue
You will not be the death of me
So, fighting for me should not be the death of you.

Tonight, I Feel Like a Dislocated Shoulder

My "home meter" is picking up signals from too many places lately. The Dinkins' house is a wonderful place to stay right now. Even though I'll only be here for another month, it feels such a comfortable location near the city, but centered in the country. A year ago, as a college freshman, I forced myself to feel at home at North Greenville University. Tomorrow, I'll go "home" to Seneca for a week. I feel as if I am never really home.

And I am not.

Such feelings of "dislocation" are to be expected when one has never even visited, seen pictures or heard a sufficient discription of their real home-- in Heaven. My grandparents, who have always been strong and dedicated Christians, are aging quickly. They are beginning to tell their children that they "want to go home." The closest sensation that I can imagine is that of a very tired child waiting for his parent to arrive after a long day of preschool, pick him up, put him in the car to go home and have family time.

I feel that way much more often than I admit.

In anticipation of the three hours drive home, I made an iTunes playlist just for the occasion. It began with five songs, but quickly spread to 54, so I will only share the first five, in case you feel the desire to listen to a song about home because of this blog :

Home -Daughtry
"I'm going to the place where love and feeling good don't ever cost a thing. ... To the place where I belong, where your love has always been enough for me. ...The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you....You always seem to give me another try. These places and these faces are getting old, so I'm going home. Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it all, and then some you don't want."

Long Ride Home - Patty Griffin
"I've had some time to think about it, and watch the sun sink like a stone. I've had some time to think about you on the long ride home. "

Walk Back Home -Anthony Johnson
"A million miles to go, and a million more behind me. All I've done is take my time, and that's a shame.... My strength is almost gone. All I ask is for somewhere they know my name. ... If I had a chance, I'd walk back home."

Way Back Home - The Wreckers
"Somewhere in the country, there's a place where nobody knows your name..... Somewhere in the city, there's a face that makes it hard to stay."

Who Says You Can't Go Home - Bon Jovi
"I was running away from the only thing I've ever known... who says you can't go back? Been all around the world... there's only one place left I wanna go. Who says you can't go home?"

Zech

I have 13 minutes before I must leave for work (painting today), so here goes a blog for the day...



I just finished reading Zechariah (yes, Zech... not Zach). I hope that whoever my readers may be aren't getting tired of these highlights. If so, tough. Here's my celebrating freedom :





"'Return to me' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you.'" (1:3)

"Be still before the Lord." (2:13)

"'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." (4:6)

"This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God." (6:15)

"Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another." (7:9)

"In your hearts, do not think evil of each other." (7:10)

"Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong." (8:13)

"'These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,' declares the Lord." (8:16-17)

"Love truth and peace." (8:19)

...And maybe not my favorite verses to hear from God, but definitely applicable to my current life events:

"One-third will be left... this third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'" (13:8-9)

Common Courtesy

Lately, I've been contemplating the responsibilities of Christians and of Christ's Church. It has been brought to my attention that these responsibilities are viewed and defined very differently in the body of Christ, although we are, truly, all one being. It is so easy to pick on ourselves, but do we realize how horribly this confuses the watching world?

Christians sometimes fall into viewing themselves as some club or organization, thinking that everyone will want to be a part. This is a great idea to start, when done correctly. However, when that club/organization is picking itself and it's members apart and begins to form clubs/cliques inside of the larger body, the world watches chaos and contempt, not peace.

Where has common courtesy gone? Sometimes in this "rush to get what I want" world, gentleness, patience, love, kindness, humility, and servanthood are simply side-items of the menu... in an "add on when you can afford it" mentality. I wonder, does God ever want to ask His children, "Where are your manners?!"

The church is supposed to be the people who go the extra mile for other individuals, to see needs before they are brought up in conversation, and to stoop to the lowly and help them with a smile. When was the last time you (or I) volunteered? No, not at a soup kitchen. That's not what I'm talking about. Yes, that will be another very important blog, but not this one. I mean, volunteered to simply be a friend. "Oh, let me get that door for you." "Here, you can have the last of the M&Ms." "I'll pick up the milk on the way home." Yeah. That.

Manners. Simply the golden rule. What would you just love for that person to say to you? ... Say it to them. What would brighten your day if someone did it for you?.... Do that for them. Common courtesy. There's a big world out there, and it's watching you.