Beauty Is.

Today I started rereading a book I read over the summer. It's called Captivating, and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. I mean, if you love a book enough to reread it two months later, it's gotta be good, right? Unfortunately I can't give a review of it because I'm awful at that sort of thing. Just ask any of my friends who have ever asked me about anything I've read or watched. My summaries usually end with me saying something like "you'll just have to see or read it for yourself. But it's really good!" after I've tried to make the idea of joining a circus sound serious... Sooo instead, here's what Barnes and Noble has to say.

Anyway, back to Captivating. The chapter I finished up today was about, you guessed it, beauty. (Sorry if you didn't guess it, but come on, the title pretty much gave it away...). So many things stuck out to me, but I'll try to keep it short. And what better way to do that than a list? ;)

1. "Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses" (page 34).
~As soon as I finished reading this part, I looked outside my window and saw a scene similar to this one. If that's not beautiful, I don't know what is. I wonder how much better off the world would be if we all took the time to find 5 beautiful things each day. (anyone up for the challenge??)

Source

2. "Beauty invites." (page 38).

~It invites us to listen, to see, to feel, to experience. I don't know about you, but when I find a new song I like, it gets listened to on repeat for days hours. Everyone has those go-to songs that never get old. According to my iTunes, mine is I and Love and You (which I may or may not be listening to now) but after rereading another book (I really need to find new books...), I've recently discovered this guy. And it's not just music. How many people go to the beach at sunset just to watch the sun go down over the water? What are art museums other than a chance to (hopefully) experience beauty? We crave beautiful things because they invite us to experience joy.

3. "Beauty inspires." (page 39).

~When I hear stories like this or like this, it makes me want to go out and do good. I've got a friend whose goal this year is to find small ways to bring joy to people, even if it's just by genuinely smiling at them or taking the time to talk to the person in line ahead of you, because we could all use a little more joy in our lives. When I heard that, I immediately wanted to adopt it as my own goal. When did we get away from exchanging simple pleasantries with each other? Why do we stare at the ground as we walk by another person? Is it really that hard to smile and say a quick hello? (Do I smell another challenge??) 

Well, it's probably about time for me to get off my soapbox. I'm really excited to continue reading this book, though. I may not be able to change the world, but I can follow the way of St. Thérèse and do little things that could change someone's world. As she said, “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” 

You're Gonna Have One Like Her Soon

Today was a GREAT day! And what better way to tell you about it than with a pictured list :)

0. Within the last couple of days, I decided that I should start training myself to wake up for work. I figured I should have it down by the time I actually start my internship. In January. The only problem? I don't know what time I'm going to be starting work. 10am sounds about right, ay? Good. Oh wait, there's another problem. Waking up earlier means I have extra hours in my day to spend eating. Now if I had any willpower concerning food whatsoever, this wouldn't be a problem. But I don't, so it is. Good thing fruit seems to be doing the trick for now! (I added this one after my whole list was already done and I didn't feel like redoing all the numbers so I'm adding a 0. Don't ask me why I didn't use the "numbered list" button. I don't want to talk about it).

1. I put some stuff on eBay and sold something 15 minutes later! Hooray for people prowling the internet at all hours for Tonka trucks. Who knew...

2. I had made time to read a chapter of this amazing book. I don't know why I'm always pushing it off to the side or finding other things to do besides read it because there are so many great messages in it. Like one of my favorites from today, "It is a duty for you to spread this sweet and joyful peace around you, but, as little Thérèse so knowingly remarked, 'not like judges of peace, but like angels of peace.'" Plus, in the immortal words of one of my good friends, St. Thérèse is a baller.

3. There's always fruit in my house now! Why? Because my mom (and me?) is (are?) on weight watchers. Although can you really say you're doing it if you're not counting points yourself but you're eating the same things as someone who is counting? Well since I'm the one saying it, I guess I can say whatever I want. (I wonder what else I can do with the newfound power this blog gives me).  Now instead of my lunches being crackers and cheese or chips and salsa, they're watermelon and apples or peaches and cuties. I don't think this point deserves a picture, mostly because I think you both know what fruit looks like and I don't want to do one of those before and after pictures after a week. I won't even step on the scale again after the havoc it wreaked on me last time.

4. I got to know the girl I'll be teaching with before class today and she seems great! We didn't get much time to chat but she seems awesome! She used to go to U of I, she's close to my age, and she knows some of my friends! So many things in common. Can't wait to get to know her more. (Again, sorry for the lack of picture but I think it goes against social etiquette to take a picture with someone within the first 2 minutes of meeting each other and then putting it up on your blog. Maybe next week.)

5. Caution--I'm about to get nerdy up in here. When I was in the gym waiting for all my kiddos to arrive, I had the chance to talk to one of them about Pokemon. I'm not ashamed to say that I can hold my own in a Pokemon conversation. I had the cards. I had the Gameboy games. I had the "help" (aka cheat) books that showed you where everything was so you could beat the game better. I. Liked. Pokemon. Maybe that's why the kids liked me ;)

6. At one point while the parents were still slowly loosening their children's velcro-tight grips from their arms, one of my boy's little sisters walked up. She looked to be about three. Out of nowhere, the little boy goes "you'll have one like her in a couple years." Wait what!?! Does he know something I don't??

Yes...that's his drool on my leg. If he wasn't such a handsome little devil, I may have had more of a problem with it.

7. The little guy I'm in charge of is a total doll! After his mom introduced him to me, he gave me a huge hug. Then he gave me two more. Then he proceeded to interrupt all my attempts at talking to the other kids by telling me his answer to the question I asked them. After another couple of hugs and 7 or 8 circles around my body, he asked me the name of our other teacher, ran up to her, gave her 2 hugs, and then came back and grabbed my hand. Well how could I not fall in love with him?? Now if only I had as much energy as him...we probably spent more time out of the classroom taking breaks than we did actually listening to the lesson for the day. Gotta work on that for next week!

I. Love. Hugs.

8. During one of our 25 breaks over the course of an hour, I decided to try a little hallway lesson, since it's hard to take part in class when you're not actually in the classroom and I still haven't mastered the ability to be in two places at once. And it worked! The other teacher had given me a quick overview of what we'd be doing all night, and I happened to remember the five finger prayer she was going to do (pray for someone close to you, someone far away, a leader, someone sick, and all your classmates). Once the little guy and I had walked down all the hallways and decided that the stairs looked like they were leading somewhere scary, we sat down on a bench. Then I asked him to think of someone in each of the aforementioned categories AND HE DID IT! It was so cute to hear him asking Jesus to help each person he named.

OH. MY. GOSH. Couldn't resist putting this little guy in even if I don't know him...hahaha

9. We happened to finish one of our breaks just as the other kids were in the middle of naming people to pray for. They were on leaders, and our teacher decided we were going to pray for the president. One of the little girls raised her hand and said, "but I really wanted to pray for you. You're like a leader because you're our teacher." I was sitting behind her trying to keep my little guy in one place and she leaned back and said "and you too." Say hello to my melted heart.

St. Nicholas, pray for us!

10. I got to talk to a beautiful friend when I got home, and no matter what kind of day I'm having, that A-L-W-A-Y-S boosts my mood at least a googol-fold. (Hahaha one of my kids told me that I just missed him counting to 1000 by fives. I told him how impressed I was because that's a really big number. The kid sitting next to him goes "not as big as a googol." How does he even know that's a number!?) Anyway, it was so great getting to catch up with my friend. She's wonderful :)

Everyone else thinks she's great, too.

11. This was on TV when I got back from my walk. I don't think it needs any words, except it really makes me want some sketti.

Weeellllll I think that's all for tonight. I hope your day was as great as mine!