Confidence!

Last week I finished reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time ever! Yes, ever! I cannot believe it took me this long to read it. On the contrary, it is probably better that I did wait, otherwise, I would not have appreciated it as much as I did. You know, like every book you were supposed to read in high school, but they were all "too boring" back then, but now they are great! Funny how that works. There is so much to quote on this one, but I will start today with this...

I love this! It is so strong and full of confidence. Have you ever had an experience where you expressed your thoughts and were laughed at?! (Don't lie). It makes you second guess your thoughts or opinions, doesn't it? Well, not after reading Pride and Prejudice! I admire this so much. May all women (and men, too!) have the confidence of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Of course, as we get older, we naturally become more confident in our opinion (hence, the idea that older generations are "set in their ways"), but imagine this unwavering confidence at a young age? Since I am already past "young age", I can only hope for this for my children (not stubbornness - THAT is a whole different parenting nightmare).... Confidence to not be laughed, mocked, or ridiculed out of their opinions. In fact, I hope this for everyone, no matter your age!

Radar for the Bad Parts of Life

I read Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist a few months back for my women's group, and I loved it! I actually love going back and rereading the pieces that I highlighted, underlined, and circled. Some chapters felt like they were written just for me. I love when I read books, chapters, excerpts like that, don't you? In the final chapter she says, 

"I have to create hope in my life, because there's something inside me that has radar for the bad parts of life".

Please tell me I am not that only one like this? I'm not, right? No, I can't be because Shauna Niequist feels the same!! I have to plug in the whole piece here, so you can get the full picture of why this quote speaks so much to me:  "I have to create hope in my life, because there's something inside me that has a radar for the bad parts of life. I walk into the kitchen and all I can see are the crumbs on the counter, and I look in the mirror and don't even see my face, I just see all the potential wrinkles forming. I have a dark, worst-case scenario sensor, and it takes over. It's all true. There are crumbs on the counter. I am definitely getting wrinkles. I just don't want to live in only that reality". WOW! I feel like she stole my thoughts and put them in her book.

"I just don't want to live in only that reality".

I catch myself always doing that...drawing my attention to the negative in any scenario. I see my daughter tilting in her chair at an angle so far that she is of course going to fall and split her head open, instead of noticing and appreciating the intense concentration and effort she is putting into her artwork. I notice the cream cheese all over my son's hands from his bagel and picture him wiping them everywhere in the house, instead of noticing and admiring the huge smile of pride he has because he is eating like a big boy. What is wrong with me? Yes, my daughter may fall, but it will not be that horrible - in fact, it may be a lesson to her. Yes, my son WILL get cream cheese everywhere (he is only 1), but it can be cleaned up. I do not want to live in the world where I only have radar for the bad parts. I want to focus more on the good, happy, cheerful, wonderful, and hopeful moments that we so often let slip by. No, I will never be able to NOT notice the bad parts, but I sure hope that I can change to where they are not what I notice first.