ever felt this way?

 
I recently took this photo while sitting at red light behind a gigantic truck. The sign drew me to it because the little image at the top reminded me of Heat Miser. Don’t you think so, too? I keep thinking about this little guy, and I’ve decided he is my new go-to image for feeling out of control. It just fits, doesn’t it? The flaming hair, disembodied face with no features. And the word “oxygen” — something I feel short on whenever life seems to close in on me. The way he looks is how I feel a lot of the time. More often than I wish, in fact. So, this is my new mascot — my personal character reflection for being out of control and overly stressed. At the very least, it will make me laugh at the absurdity of each new situation.
 

one word: better

Like many other Americans, there is a part of me that wants to be the very best, but for me, personally, I have always felt it enough to simply be “better”. Better than before, better than most of the competition, better than I believe I can be. That is quite often enough for me. It doesn’t mean I have no drive or ambition; it simply means I’ve learned to accept that I am human and that I will fail. Miserably and often. And I’ve learned to be okay with that. As long as I have a small measure of success — in my own eyes as much as in the eyes of others — then I am quite content with my life and with all the times that I will fail. Because… I can see many times when I didn’t fail. When I did better than failure. And that is truly enough. I believe that’s all we can ask of ourselves, in fact. To be “better” more often than “worse”, and to love ourselves even when we are not the best. Because there will be more opportunities, and on those occasions we can strive to be better than before. It’s always about having another chance. And honestly, it’s just a relief when I take the pressure off of myself and expect nothing more than to move forward in my life journey. Forward is better than backward, and another opportunity is better than none at all. Each new step, with each new chance to succeed or fail, is truly better than standing still and doing nothing at all. And I never want to find myself standing still if there’s something better to be had.
 
This post was derived from the list of inspiration words gathered on Ali Edwards’s blog and from the concept of writing about one word.

6 things that make me smile

1. Children from numerous cultures and countries singing praise and Hallelu-Jah to our God and Father, and singing it in their own languages.
 
2. Being grabbed around the waist unexpectedly at church on Sunday morning and hearing, “Hi, Scooterhead!” before seeing my nephew’s smiling face. Such joy and such love between us!
 
3. Trusting and knowing that God has a plan for me, even when I can’t quite see it.
 
4. Dreaming about all the possibilities of that plan and just how they might manifest in my life… wondering how my life might change.
 
5. Knowing that Phase One of my current work project is coming to an end, and being proud of the work that I’ve been able to accomplish.
 
6. The recent release of my cousin’s second novel, What the Bayou Saw. I don’t think I could be more proud than I am of my family and their talents!