Hey guys. Today is a Garamond kind of day. For those of you who don’t know, that’s a font. I’m using it. Deal with it.
Anyway. This is just going to be an update on the practical details of my life. I had a good day and it’s Friday night, so I’m gonna tell you about my week.
I am feeling much better than I did earlier this week, thanks to many things… well, God through many things. This one time, like as in yesterday, I asked Him to help me feel His love, because I know He loves me, but I don’t feel it sometimes. Or I don’t let myself. Or I don’t even know how. Like, will it come in the form of a hug? Or do I just have to think really hard until I realize some new truth (which surprisingly does happen sometimes)?
No. Sometimes I can meet God by myself. Because he’s already here with me anyway. But this time, he was like, “No, you need other people.” So here’s how His love got to me through other people this week.
Inspiring places and certain people who work at them
Eli is in Tampa this week, so he told me to stay home to work (again, best job ever). I needed to just get out of this town. So I escaped to Fika Coffee.
“Fika” is a Swedish social institution. It’s like the Mexican “siesta” or English “tea time.” Except it’s a special time where everybody meets to go get coffee with someone. How cool? I wanna go to Sweden. They birthed IKEA and Swedish meatballs, too. Genius.
It’s a local shop in Parker. Back in college, my small group from went on a weekend retreat in Elizabeth, and we all had a hour-long personal Bible/prayer time at Fika one morning. So I was drawn there. I grabbed my brand new lunch box and cruised over.
This is my new lunchbox, for those of you who don’t know.
I met the manager, a guy named Josh, and we talked graphic and web design. And franchising coffee shops out of churches because we can do better for our community than Starbucks. Amen.
I sat in the chair in the far right corner. So cozy!
So yeah. I worked there for 6 hours straight. It was much easier to concentrate than at home. At home all I do is get on Facebook, master the art of bored-eating, and wish I had a comfier chair at my desk with more lumbar support.
This is my current desk chair. As you can see, it lacks sufficient lumbar support. Which keeps me from wanting to stay in one place. I need to get me a comfy old chair from a garage sale or something. That’s what Fika did.
Random acts of grammatically incorrect kindness
As I was driving home, I realized there was a piece of paper on my windshield. It was someone’s number. So I was like, “Oh crap. Someone must have run into my car and left my number so I can call them and tell them take legal action or something. Eek.” But when I got home and looked at it, it said:
“Saw you at [street name]. your cute :)”
*reverse side*
“[phone number] [first name] text me :)”
My cute? What about my cute?
Just kidding. It kinda freaked me out, and the grammar was iffy. But it was also really flattering and made me smile. I was also relieved that nobody damaged my car after all.
But then I also asked myself, “Why does it take some stranger making a move like that for me to feel good about myself?” Is there something special about it coming from a stranger? Why don’t I believe God or people who are close to me when they tell me the same thing (and in a more profound way)? I don’t know. Women logic.
My job
Okay. Can I just say “I love my job” without feeling guilty? I am sorry if your job sucks. I have been there. But right now, I have the coolest job ever. But it’s really, really hard to describe.
This isn’t our logo. But I like the design. I wish it was our logo. It’s something I found on the internet from one of those “Four pictures, one word” phone games. The answer is “Mad Hatter.” I know, who’da thunk, right?
We work with amazing small businesses and entrepreneurs, local, national, and international. Just whoever has good ideas. Like today, I wrote all day about a company called Poppy Soap Co., based in Central Coast Cali. They’re like TOMS, only not. Every time you buy a bar of their organic, fair-trade soap, they donate a bar to your local women’s shelter, wherever you live. So as you exfoliate your face, you’re also helping a domestic violence survivor to feel beautiful, empowered, and clean. How awesome is that?
No, Lindy LaRoche. Good job YOU!
Another girl, Erin Giles, just started this campaign called End Sex Trafficking Day. She started the campaign while she was on food stamps because she saw a movie called Nefarious that opened her eyes to the sex trafficking industry (there are more slaves today than ever before – 27 million of us around the world have been SOLD and treated like objects). She’s a young mom and was pregnant when she shot the video on her Kickstarter site, which you can tell if you watch all the way through. It’s only been four days, and she’s already raised over $5,000! Though she still has a ways to go to reach her goal, so consider buying a sticker or a fun piece of art.
This is Erin. She has an amazing cause. And amazing hair. It’s blue.
We work on like seven projects at once. Others include high heels that are, omg, both sexy AND comfortable, and designed by astronauts from SpaceX (the company responsible for privatizing space flight); an interactive web series about treasure hunters, which includes a national geocaching challenge to find real coins we’re gonna hide all over the U.S.; and après-ski shoes that are warm, light-weight, waterproof, and actually comfortable because ski boots hurt.
You know. Just chillin’. Privatizing space flight. Inventing the hyperloop. Redefining the high heel.
I get to write about all of them, and about why these causes are important. Then I get to tell everybody about these businesses through blogs, articles, emails, Twitter tweets, Facebook posts — and asking influential people in the community to hop onto cause. Which means pretty soon I’ll be communicating with and meeting some really successful/influential/famous people. Who are only equally as important and valuable as anyone else, of course, but still.
On another note, I just ordered 50 business cards for myself. A networking must. Mainly I just ordered them because they were cool and I found a spanking deal on moo.com.
Yes, those are business cards.
Music
I’ve been listening to Imogen Heap mostly, some new music from my big bro, and this band I found on Relevant Magazine’s “The Drop.” It’s a page where you can stream albums from artists who have a positive message AND actually make GOOD MUSIC. I didn’t think it was possible, so this is kind of a miracle.
The band I’m stuck on this week is Kye Kye, and their album “Young Love.” The name of the album bugged me at first. But I looked up the lyrics and it’s all about Jesus. But their songs are ambient and packed with emotion. So they actually somewhat approach doing justice to the message they carry. Thank you, Kye Kye. I listen to your music during my times alone with God. It really sets the mood. But don’t tell anybody because that’s personal.
Here’s one of their songs. I included the acoustic version so you can meet the band better. You can listen to the album here (for a limited time).
You chased my heart so I could see, but I stood unacceptable.
You called my name with infinite time, and I lost sight so easily.
Then oh, I stood in the silence, I lay in the night, a voice in the stillness
“Oh, my love, you’re my child, take all these good things, soften your heart.”
Also, my worship pastor Scot told me this week that I’m getting better at drums. That just made me feel really good about myself. I need affirmation sometimes.
Hangouts
A few folks who have been spending time with me. Yesterday I got to Skype my little sister in Christ, Stephany. Stephany is incredible. She just surrendered her life to Jesus this summer, and her faith has probably been the most encouraging I’ve gotten to witness and share in this whole entire year. Originally I saw Steph as someone God put in my life to pour into, but she has poured God’s love back into me at least as much as I have her. She writes a lot and speaks in metaphors like me, which is exciting. But also gets lonely if you live in a world saturated with shallow interactions with many people (aka college). So we have to stick together.
I also got to talk to Brooke, one of my many second moms, over text. (Much of my communication happens electronically these days, but most of the time I can express myself better through writing anyway.) She reminded me of how much I miss my spiritual family back in Fort Collins. Which was hard for me. I like to think I’ve moved on, and that it’s good and right to move on from my life there. But I’m starting to think it’s okay, and even that it’s really good, to miss people. And to let myself miss them. I don’t want to mistake being strong/mature/solid/hopeful for being callous. Because I don’t want to be that person.
This morning, I went on a walk with my friend, Brittany. Brittany has stuck through many trials with me in ministry. We’ve led a bunch of studies this year. She stood strong when I became disillusioned with ministry and confused about my life’s direction this summer. Sometimes we don’t understand each other, but we at least know how to forgive each other. This morning, I had a lot on my mind, and she just listened to me. And she told me she didn’t have answers for me. Which is just what I needed.
Tonight I went out with my Dad to a Thai restaurant. I ate a lot of pork, and I know it will go straight to my Thai’s. My dad is so great. It was good to talk to him about not work, which has been sucking away his time and his soul of late, and family and relationships and what phone he should get and just laugh with him.
When we got home, my mom was hanging out with a woman from MOPS named Brandi. We watched a movie and then talked about motherhood and whether it’s okay to doubt God. I told her I think it’s very important to doubt God. She and my mom are incredible women.
Food and friends tomorrow.
It’s late. But tomorrow/today I’m eating crepes (pronounced “creeps”) with my dear sister Tara, who has amazing discernment in breakfast foods and discernment in things in general. And then I’m getting froyo with an old friend who is not who she used to be in a good way, but is still who she used to be in other ways in a good way. She’s super smart and graduated early like me, and she is refreshingly honest. I should probably go to sleep now so I won’t narcoleptically plunge into my breakfast.
Good morning.
