Monday, January 30, 2012

Overheard in a Coffee-Shop

Random woman: "Is this a latte?"


Barrista: "Yes ma'am."

Random Woman: "I ordered a mocha."

Barrista: "It's a mocha-latte."

Random Woman: "My mochas normally come with whipped cream on top."

Barrista: "I can put whipped cream on it if you would like."

Random Woman: "No, that's ok. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting something different."

Seriously?

Friday, January 27, 2012

Friday Linkage

Fun links this week include a variety of new blog finds:
Dream Small was a timely, inspiring reminder from Cardus that God is in the little things. The author, James Smith K.A. Smith, poignantly writes, "You don't need me to tell you to dream big. But I do hope you'll hear me when I encourage you to also dream small. Because that might be what really matters."

In the same vein, this article for the Ligonier blog reminds readers that, in a world focused on the self, real purpose and peace can only be found in one place.

If you needed a reason to be grateful, The New York Times provides several.

Finally, in light of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, The Washington Post provides some surprising insight as it profiles some of the most influential members of the pro-life moment.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Winter Battles

I battle a legitimate illness about once or twice a year. In all fairness, I can't complain. I am not one of those unfortunate souls who gets desperately ill every time the wind changes. 

But even the best have their bad days. And one morning this week I woke up before work to the horrible realization that the vicious hand of a winter cold had gripped my head.

I presume that there are few other young perky professionals out there who enjoy working while sick. But any young woman (and yes, any guy as well) can take a few simple steps to make a day at the desk and a head-cold a bit more compatible.

Stockpile. First of all, when signs of disaster strike, stock up. After a visit to CVS, I surveyed my supplies, which consisted of medicine (one version for bedtime and a non-drowsy version for work hours), cough drops, Vitamin C tablets, orange juice, Kleenex, and Vicks Vaporub. And Brachs candy-hearts and York Mint Patties.

But the latter are optional. Only have an excessive stockpile of comfort food on hand if you want to maintain your happiness as well as your sanity. 

Furthermore, take these items to work with you. Keep them with you at all times. Cough-drops can't work their magic sitting alone in a cabinet.

Sleep. Seriously. Just go to bed as early as possible. Avoiding your mattress will simply extend the torturous symptoms.

Wear your highest heels. This is not the time to wear your feelings on your face. The effort you put into your attire should directly counteract how awful you feel. Take a shower, wear an outfit that you love, put on extra lip gloss, and show up for work on time.

This is the day to fake it until you make it. I was so distracted by the high-heel-induced foot pain today that I practically forgot about my cold for almost an hour.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Friday Linkage

For your reading pleasure, here are some links....again, not posted on Friday.

For anyone who needs justification for their love of all things Disney, this article in Scriptorium provides some fodder.

This is one of my resolutions for 2012.

Here are some concrete tips from Mancredible for those of us whose workout routines require a bit of a kick-start.

Donald Miller explores the (often unexpected) tension between character and reputation.

Here is some inspiration for those of us sometimes disillusioned by standard career paths.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Here's Comes the Year

I've been paralyzed by the idea of writing the mandatory New Year's post. Normally, the idea of setting goals and achieving new things - represented by piles of completed checklists - excites me to no end. Right now, I'm having trouble even completing a private list of goals for the year, much less a public blog post about it.

I might just be tired of setting goals that I then fail to achieve. But under normal circumstances, even when I don't quite make my target, goal-setting helps provide me with a tangible and motivating record of the things that I have achieved over the last few months.

It's not that I'm not excited about the coming year. I am. I can't wait to see the adventures and stories that the year holds. Maybe, though, it's this excitement that is holding me back from compiling a detailed list of everything that I want out of the year.

I don't know exactly what I want out of 2012. I'm a little afraid to plan. Everything memorable, good and bad, that emerged out of the last few years was completely unplanned. No checklist in the world could have prepared me for what those years held or could tangibly show what I learned and felt and did.

Of course I want to read and write and grow and save and do more. I do have a checklist to help me achieve these things in realistic ways. But what I really want out of 2012 is another year of irreplaceable adventures and memories. And sometimes the important things that make up these lives of ours don't fit well onto a checklist.

Finally, I don't regret any of the moments over the last few years when I was courageous. Even if things didn't turn out exactly the way I expected, I was always glad after I made an irreversible decision or took a blind step.

Even if, in retrospect, my "bravery" looks a little more like stupidity, I have never wished that I had avoided the unknown. So in 2012, I want to be brave. Not just once or twice or occasionally, but for an entire year.

So here's to another wonderful twelve months of memories, good and bad, of checklists, completed and unfinished, of adventures, planned and unplanned.