How To Be Great

Do you ever plan to wake up early on a Monday morning to go to the gym, get in to work early, or to just have some quiet time? Last night before I went to bed, I set my alarm for 5:03AM so I could make it in to the gym before work (I’m weird and have to set my alarm for odd times – I never set it in the 5 minute increments because that would just make too much sense…) This is early for me. I consider myself a morning person, but by morning I mean like 8AM. Definitely not 5:03AM.

So when my alarm went off this morning, I snoozed it. Then I snoozed it again. Then I set a new alarm altogether for 6:02AM. Then I snoozed it yet again. And finally, at 6:11AM, I got out of bed, ashamed that I did not stick to my plan to work out.

Yes, I was tired and groggy and it was raining outside which made me just want to pull the covers back over my head. But, then on my way to work, the radio DJ said something that really stuck with me.

You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.

When I thought it about more (after I had coffee, of course), I realized it was my insecurities holding me back from going to the gym. I don’t work out as often as I should, and after I noticed my pants fitting a little more tightly than I would like, I vowed to myself I would try to keep in better shape. But, I’m not very familiar with the gym equipment and I certainly don’t know how to do all those workouts I see on Pinterest! I mean, the list of excuses I used to justify not going to the gym can go on and on. But if I never start going to the gym, how am I going to overcome my insecurities, my worries of self-doubt?

Last night, Zach and I read about Moses and the burning bush. When God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt to the promised land, Moses felt completely unqualified – Moses was insecure about his abilities to accomplish what God had called him to do. But you know what? It wasn’t solely Moses’s responsibility. Moses wasn’t ever alone – God was with Moses every step of the way, helping Moses live out what he was called to do.

Do you ever have these worries and concerns that you aren’t good enough, that you can’t do something? Often I think I’m not experienced enough at work to agree or disagree with a coworker’s interpretation. But I’m never going to build my experience if I don’t start now. I’m never going to learn how to use the workout machines at the gym if I don’t ever go to the gym. And for those bigger things in life we feel incapable of accomplishing, the paths God leads us down that we feel unqualified to walk, remember we are never alone. We can’t let our fears to hold us back and keep us from being great. With God on your side, you can’t help but be great!

Tiranky

Hi friends! Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve posted an update. Zach and I have been on some crazy adventures this past month. We’ve traveled to OKC a few times, I’ve been learning how to cook (well really just how important seasoning with salt and pepper is – who knew?!), Zach went to the Masters in Georgia, I went to my first crawfish boil, we had a garage sale, went on vacation to Fredericksburg, and I have been on a bit of a spiritual journey this past month (more on that when I have the courage to share in this digital world of ours…:) ) So, needless to say, we’ve been busy.

This past month has been a whirlwind, but it’s been a good whirlwind. Well, until the weekend ends, and then the daily grind, routine, and hustle and bustle of the work-week kicks in leaving very little time to unwind and rest. There’s always something on the agenda, something to prepare for, a deadline to meet.

You know the term “hangry” (hungry + angry = hangry)? I think there should be one for tired + cranky = tiranky (take note Merriam Webster). Sounds silly, I know, but that’s an accurate description of how I’ve been feeling. On these days when I’m feeling “tiranky”, it just seems that every little thing frustrates me.

Take this morning for example: I woke up at 4:45, 5:05, 5:20 and then my alarm finally went off at 5:30AM. Why couldn’t I just sleep solidly until my alarm woke me up? I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet, and I was already “tiranky”.  When I made it to work and parked my car (not to mention my usual parking spot was taken….! <- see? tiranky), I opened the door to get out, only to have it slammed back in my face (opening the door uphill is hard when you’re not fully awake, y’all). I dug through my purse searching for my badge to get access into the building, only to result to dumping everything out and luckily finding it tucked inside some papers. I got to my office, opened an upper cabinet to grab some papers, forgot to close it, bent down to grab something out of a drawer, then I hit my head on the cabinet as I stood back up.

Each and every seemingly harmless thing was just getting under my skin, my crankiness was increasing, and it wasn’t even 7:30AM yet!

When I got back to my desk, frustrated about digging through my purse for what seemed like 10 minutes, I decided to throw out all the unnecessary things in it. While doing so, I had to stop and pause because I found my “gratitude list” I started a couple weeks ago. I was having a day like today, “tiranky” and frustrated, and decided to change my attitude by thinking through things I was thankful for. So, that’s exactly what I did this morning.  I did not want to spend the whole day angry at the world, blaming everything other than my attitude for my bad morning, so I thought about what I was grateful for.

Do you ever have days where bad things just seem to stack up on top of each other making it hard to see the good things past them? It’s definitely easier to complain about them, blame everything (and everyone) around you. But, you’re probably not going to feel any better, at least I didn’t. The negative feelings just fester inside me, making me feel even worse. So, instead, choose to push through the metaphorical stack of negativity, see the good. Think of what matters most to you. Is it that your parking spot was taken when you got to the office? Or is it that you got to spend a little extra time with your pups in the morning, making you later than usual to work? It’s easy for me to say I pick the time with my dogs over my parking spot!

Next time you’re struggling with finding the good, start a gratitude list! Keep it in your purse or wallet, forget about it (like I did). Chances are, you’ll find it again when you need it most.

Bluebonnets and Red Dirt

It’s funny how as you get older, the things you like doing can turn into things you dread. Like driving. When I first got my drivers license, I couldn’t wait to drive. I loved driving out to my grandparents house 5 hours away in Midland. But now? Not so much. I dread making long drive-time trips now. So yesterday, I was not looking forward to my trip I had planned this weekend to Oklahoma City. Zach was in OKC this week for work, so I was planning to drive solo with the doggies.

The pups and I got on the road this morning around 6:30. Waking up that early on a vacation day is just plain evil, but I wanted to avoid traffic, and, well, I just wanted to get to Oklahoma as early as possible. I heard about the cherry blossom frappuccino from Starbucks earlier this week and really wanted to try it. Mostly because it was a limited release (y’all I’m a sucker for these marketing strategies…). So, of course, we had to make a pit stop this morning! The pups even got a couple puppy lattes 🙂 Kona loves them. I wish I had a picture of her mouth after she eats (/drinks?) one. Whipped cream entirely covering her snout. Cutest.thing.ever. Until it gets all over my window (thank goodness for wet-naps!!) Oh, and if you are curious, too, about the cherry blossom frappe, go ahead and take a hard pass, unless you are in the mood for ice cream – it is on that level of sweetness.

I am so happy I had the pups with me. I love looking in my rear view mirror and seeing their smiling faces. It does make the drive a little bit easier. But, note to future self, the dogs definitely need a bath before going on road trips. It didn’t take long before my car reeked of smelly dogs!!

I hadn’t driven up I-45 since this past winter, so it was amazing to see all the fresh, spring plant-life along the highway. All the trees were blooming and the grass was beautifully green filled with pockets of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and bright wildflowers. I was mesmerized by all this God-given beauty around me. Then add Adele’s new album of love ballads on the radio, and I was feeling all the feels.

And then, BAM! A rock comes flying at my windshield as I was driving around an 18-wheeler and cracks it. I was immediately frustrated. I blamed the driver of the truck, I blamed the car in front of me, I blamed my luck for ruining my new-found joy on this dreaded drive.

Does that ever happen to you? You are in such a good mood, feeling happy and grateful, and then like the switch of a light, your mood is ruined by something happening outside of your control?

In the grand scheme of things, that rock hitting my windshield wasn’t the end of the world, it didn’t ruin my day (or the rest of my drive). Sometimes we overreact to things that definitely don’t warrant us being upset (like the rock made me upset). I need to ask God for perspective more often to see that these things are not a big deal.

But today I am so thankful that He did give me perspective. My anger was a fleeting moment – as I continued to drive, the bluebonnets became more prevalent. When I got into Oklahoma, I drove through the mountains (well, the mini-Arbuckle mountains, but when you’re a geologist in Houston with no rocks to be found, you’ll take what you can get!) and saw all the red dirt that I’ve missed so much. I was again in awe of the beauty He created.

Friends, if you struggle with perspective every now and then, go out and smell the bluebonnets, hike around the Arbuckles, track red dirt in your shoes. Go outside and observe His creation. PS – don’t forget your Claritin 😉