Let Your Pile of Good Things Grow
Life has not been a cake walk lately, to say the least. Even in your mid-twenties, homesickness can still be as real as your grocery bill. I miss my family loads and I've lost count of the number of times I've wished teleport machines were a real thing so that I could go see them, even for just a few hours. Since that's not an option, my wiser twin sister suggested a brilliant alternative. Here's where the light gets in, friends... She said that we were each going to find one good thing that we encountered in our days, and text it to the other person. This way, it gave us something good to look for, amidst the seemingly giant pile of hard things. It may seem too simple or maybe just cliche, but it's been such a sweet thing to share with her, and a good way to know what's going on in her life, 1500 miles away. The beautiful thing is, once you start looking for the good things, you realize just how much you have to be grateful for. A few nuggets so far:
being able to run on the treadmill after work and blast the new James Bay album
picking berries on the side of the road and turning them into mulberry pie, while watching a bootleg version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding
rollerblading in the desert on broken skates, then having to walk home barefoot carrying said skates
random gas stations in the middle-of-nowhere utah playing LAUV (and purchasing a dress from said gas station)
afternoons spent editing videos and listening to our new favorite artist- corey harper- cover "I Fall Apart"
finding old videos of our parents dog eating potato chips
If you want to join us in this little share fest, we're calling it "TGT" (today's good thing). Life is too short to focus on all the bad things, friends.
So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.
- rainbow rowell
Here's a handful of good things I've been stockpiling lately, may they bring you joy, too:
Açaí bowls- discovered they sell frozen packets of these babies at trader joes
Beautiful and lovely music videos (Like Corey Harper's California Sun, but I've got a whole playlist going here if that's your thing)
Sunrise/sunset drives. If I can drag myself out of bed, driving before the sun is up is one of the most peaceful ways to start your day.
Spending time on things you used to love, and still do, but don't always make time for them. For me, that's working on video editing projects or reading old Shauna Niequist books.
A sermon from church last week, about ways we are called into a life of bringing the kingdom of Jesus into our daily lives. It sounds so simple, but this was a truth I needed to hear. From 1 Peter 3, don't miss this friends. You can listen here.
And finally, my final nugget of good things I'm passing to you is the updated boombox playlist! If you've read any of my posts before, you know how much I love sharing music with people. Per usual, it's a mix of mellow/synth pop/acoustic tunes, bookended by songs from a new favorite artist. Take a listen, friends. I hope it finds you dancing at a red light or in your cubicle.
