Spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon reading and enjoying a delicious frozen
hot chocolate drink. Of course, it would have been nice if
I was at the JT and Jay-Z concert, but having dinner
with friends was a wonderful second (first) best.
After dinner, we walked over to Piccomolo for gelato.
Delish!
Now, I've been thinking a lot about time and age. Getting older.
At first, I was really dreading it. Well, okay, I still dread it a little
(maybe a lot on some days). But, after last night, I realized, I
really wouldn't want to be that young again ... meaning, high school
or even college or law school in my mid-twenties.
I guess, for me, it was stressful times in my life.
Not to say that I don't get stressed out now or
my difficulties have become less. Just different.
How I feel and handle the stresses in my life
are different. And it has a lot to do
with age and experience.
At sixteen, I thought having a boyfriend was the key to happiness, and
at eighteen, I thought heartbreak would kill me and be the end of the world.
At twenty-one, I thought that acceptance was being a part of a social group,
and success was achieving the road most taken.
At twenty-five, I thought that if I wanted to go to law school,
I needed to let go of being a writer.
And at thirty, I thought that being a lawyer meant actually acting like one
(what the heck does that mean, right?).
But, with age, I've learned that ...
being in a relationship doesn't guarantee happiness,
and heartbreak doesn't kill you even if it feels like it.
It may feel like the end of the world, but it's not.
And being a part of a group doesn't mean I actually belong.
Acceptance has nothing to do with what others
think of me, but with how I feel about myself.
And success does not mean achieving what society thinks I should be,
it's becoming the person God has planned for me to be.
Going to law school didn't mean I needed to let go of being a writer,
and being a lawyer didn't mean I was no longer me.
Anyhow, I was inspired by Tahnie's 30 acts of kindness project
that she's doing for her birthday. (Read about it here.)
So, I thought, what do I want? What is something that I want
to change in this new year in my life?
Love.
Act with love.
Show love.
Speak love.
I struggle with it.
But, I've been working on it.
And for my birthday, that's what I want.
So, on Tuesday (July 30), which is my birthday, I challenge all of you
to celebrate love. Show love to others around you. Extend an act of love to a stranger
or to someone you may have neglected for awhile. Maybe call your best friend, who
you haven't spoken to in awhile and tell her you love her. It's simple really.
Anyhow, celebrate love however you do. I challenge you to spend
the day with the intent of love in all of your actions.
If you join me, email or comment to let me know.
If you decide to capture your celebration of love on Instagram,
use #lovealwayswins hashtag.
Hope you had a beautiful weekend!
