Some thoughts on moving.

I have lived in Sioux City for 24 years, except for the nine months I lived in Des Moines while attending Drake University. That’s a long time. That’s 86% of my lifetime in one city.

I’ve been ready to move away for quite a while. I’m totally ready for a change of scenery. For an adventure and feeling of purpose. Now there’s a good possibility that we will actually move in the near future. And it’s a little freaky. What I’m not totally ready for is being miles and miles away from my family. And my friends. I know people do it all the time, but I’m a wuss.

I don’t like having such conflicting thoughts about this, but whatev. I’m pretty sure that I’d prefer a meaningful life to a complacent one.

God is Green

Michael and I have been thinking a lot lately about going green, as cheesy as that phrase is to say. I'm embarrassed to admit that we have not recycled since the start of our marriage. And we've done little to nothing in the way of reducing and reusing. I could blame our previous non-green attitude on ignorance, but the truth is that we've pretty much ignored our responsibility. It's too much work, I thought. During these last few months we've started to feel really convicted about our poor treatment of our environment. And this last week, Michael took the initiative and called the city to ask for a recycling bin. I'm hoping that that's just going to be the start. We're thinking of ways we can conserve energy, and I'm hoping to use my creativity to be more effective at reusing things around the house. Yesterday I brought up that maybe we should get one of those cloth bags to bring our groceries home in.



I'm feeling really good about our decision to move in this "green" direction. Not only because I feel like I'm making a difference, however small, but that I'm becoming more in tune with what God envisioned His creation to be. This morning I listened to a message given by Rob Bell; it's part of a series that Mars Hill Bible Church (www.marshill.org) is currently doing titled God is Green. He speaks to Scripture (Job 38, Proverbs 8, and Psalm 104), emphasizing that all of God's creation is for His joy. Matthew 6:25-29 also speaks to God's love of his creation. But it goes further than that. The earth doesn't even belong to us. Leviticus 25:23 says "The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me." Psalm 50:10-11 "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine."

After all of that, Rob took a look at how we're treating creation, and he gave a few statistics that are staggering:

We are losing 1.5 acres of rainforest every second.

70% of rivers in China, for example, are polluted (which means that they are unfit for human contact)

Last year the World Health Organization estimated that 4,600,000 people died from air pollution diseases.

In any given year, we lose 50,000 different, distinct species of plant, insect, and animal.

Last year we dumped 14,000,000,000 pounds of waste into the oceans.

We produce 80% more trash than we did 15 years ago.

Obviously, these are just a few of the many devestating statistics involving our consumption and waste. And, obviously, I can't prove that any of these are true. But say that they are. . .what is going to happen to our living situation in a matter of years? And how are we honoring the Lord by living in this way?

I'll get off of my soap box now. I just wanted to share what's been on my heart and mind lately.

Short.

So, my husband thinks it’s really funny (and maybe slightly annoying) when I shorten words to one syllable. I believe he thinks that I’m either lazy and don’t want to use two syllables, or just trying to be cool. I think it’s more that I’m lazy. And it’s funny to me that he pretends to get mad when I do this. Here are some examples of my one syllable (or shortened word) usage:

nast (aka: nasty) – This I got from my friend Mindy several years ago, and it’s how I began shortening words.

oj (aka: orange juice) – Obviously.

tp (aka: toilet paper) – Again, very obvious. And used universally.

Barnes (aka: Barnes & Noble) – You have to admit that Barnes is easier to say than Barnes-and-Noble. And easier than B-and-N.

Tom’s (aka: Tom Foolery’s) – A pub and grill here in Sioux City. Michael thinks with this one that I’m really trying to be cool. (Tom’s is a favorite for many in my age group who grew up in Sioux City.)

whatev (aka: whatever) – This is a recent addition. Try saying it; it’s pretty fun.

comf (aka: comfortable) – This one squeaked out accidentally in a comment I made to Michael. For some reason, I just didn’t finish the word. Comf is growing on me.

These are all that are coming to mind at the moment. I’m open to using more shortened words, if anyone has suggestions. :o)

More Reasons

So I thought of a couple more reasons why I do not like to write. . .I will add to my list from yesterday:

1. It takes up so darn much time.

2. My hand ends up cramping up.

3. I feel kind of cheesy when I write. I’m writing out my thoughts and sharing them with who, exactly? I don’t know!!! Who’s reading this? Do I even know you? Worse yet, is no one reading this? My fear is that I’m rambling to myself. However therapeutic, it’s embarrassing.

4. Assuming that someone is reading this, it’s still embarrassing. I don’t remember where I’ve read or heard it said, but there is something incredibly intimidating about having your thoughts down on paper, or in this case, on a website, for people to read. . .and possibly scrutinize or mock. It takes vulnerability, of which I don’t readily expend. I think I’ve always kept to myself to avoid being exposed.

5. What the heck do I write about? If I write the things I think about, there’d be a whole lot of complaining (i.e. this post), blogs about superficial stuff (i.e. previous post – hair), and just plain confusion (what is going on in my head is not pretty. I’ve explained it best as a bunch of pick-up sticks – remember that game? – that someone dropped on the ground and they’re all jumbled up. Or like spaghetti noodles).

But I’ve proven to myself that I can overcome these additional objections. I am on my second post, right?! And I vow to move on to more non-complaining, non-superficial, non-confusing thoughts in the near future.

New hair! New blog!

Here is my final attempt at something remotely resembling me taking a pen to paper and writing. I'm grasping here, with a blog title of "The Writing Life". I don't keep a diary anymore, nor do I journal. . .that seems a thing of long ago in my past. Not because I don't see its value, nor is it because I'm necessarily bad at it. . .I've come to the conclusion that I don't write because it takes up so darn much time. That's what I don't like about it. And that my hand ends up cramping up. But I'm a fast typer, hence me overcoming my sole objective to writing. And isn't the Internet fun?

Also, I got a new haircut. . .why not try something else new while I'm in the mood?!