Editor, Writer,

Ok, well nobody asked, but since everyone else in the world seems to be weighing in on the dire state of the world I might as well throw in my two cents. I wholeheartedly believe that the most effective of motivators when it comes to the human race is fear. It’s fear that causes people to make risky assumptions, jump to conclusions, assume the worst, and cling to even false information just because it’s new. Start talking about the next imminent catastrophic downturn and all eyes are upon you, knees are knocking, breath is held. 

And yet. 

And yet, the sun still shines and the birds still chirp. There’s a breeze in the air and a smile on my face and the grass still grows. I have food to eat and continue to enjoy the simple pleasures of a purring kitten, the smile of a friend. The world still turns and it will keep turning. I’ve been to the brink of utter joblessness and relational despair. There’s still sun and birds and kittens and smiles there, too. If I existed in a world made up of only talk radio and Fox news, I’d believe it was global panic in the streets. 

I think it’s fear that makes people believe the worst, even when they know better. It’s fear that causes business owners to tighten the budgets and freeze hiring and in doing so create more joblessness for the reason of a perceived threat that might very well be imaginary. This joblessness is reported and creates more fear and around and around we go. Everybody’s so terrified that it’s creating those very problems, like some twisted self-fulfilling prophesy. A friend of mine observed a calm oasis in the midst of all this terror. The oasis came in the form of an elderly man who remembered times more dire and news more bleak. 

It’s really not the end of the world. As a college graduate now making barely over minimum wage after being at the top of her field last year at this time, I can say this and you can believe it: it’s really not the end of the world. Live within your means, give even when it’s scary, and just breathe. Remember that children still laugh, people fall in love every day, and your dog still thinks the world of you. And relax, nobody’s going to break into your home and fight you for your last apple.

Not yet, anyway…

The end.

So, these are pictures of my desk, at my new job, in the office I share with the director of the humane society Jeremy and I have been volunteering at. I really never would’ve guessed that we’d BOTH be employed there in the end. I’m now the grant writer and assistant to the director. I’ll be doing fundraising, event planning, and helping keep things organized. It feels amazing to be productive again, and even better to be doing something meaningful and fun!

Other things that make me love this job already:
~I sit right underneath the heater
~Yay windows!
~Only a 20-minute commute
~Ethel the office cat likes to sit on my lap
~I get to hang out with my husband

And last but certainly not least…I get to love and help out cute critters like these:

SO EXCITED! Got a Canon Rebel XTi off eBay…got a smokin’ deal on a great camera. Yay yay yay!!

Dancin’ Shoes

Early birthday present for me! I got a great deal on a refurbished Canon rebel xti that’s practically brand-new. I’m so excited!!

I thought it was only fitting that my first public shot should be of one of our foster kittens, and what better image to share than Frost’s inexplicable love of my shoes?

Lately I’ve been thinking a great deal about a word; a way of thinking differently about the people around me. Namasté. Translated literally, this greeting means “I bow to you.” In yoga, it’s used with the meaning “The light in me honors the light in you.” To me, it’s a great reminder that God has created and deeply loves each of the faces–both new and familiar–I encounter every day.

I’m sad to admit how much easier it is for me to extend judgment and mistrust onto people I don’t know, rather than to choose to love them. In very tangible ways, I know God would have me be a presence of light and love so I can embody who He is. To me this means smiling at strangers instead of fearing them. It means choosing gentleness over annoyance when my neighbors are loud or I get cut off in traffic. It’s praying for people who hurt me and choosing to be patient. It’s looking people in the eye, treating them with dignity, and realizing that God loves them just as much as he loves me.

Everybody hurts, doubts, cries, experiences loneliness. I believe that God gave us our earthly relationships in part to model His healing love to each other. It’s not usually the response that comes most naturally, but it’s always within our control to choose love. And maybe that’s the closest we’ll ever get to Heaven on Earth.