Of Podcasts and Plays, Rain and Reflection

Hey friends!

I thought I'd do a slightly different post today, although it's one that you're probably familiar with. It's one of those "what I'm currently doing" posts... because they're always fun, right? ;)

Currently, I am:

Catching up on - heh, EVERYTHING. I just got back from a week long mini holiday/road trip/wedding, so now I'm trying to get my life back together get back to all the things I left behind.

Reading - "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, and I have no idea how many times I've read it now. It's been a few years, though, so I thought it was high time for it. (And also, I just read "Rebecca" and "Jane Eyre" and I REALLY needed some uplifting, easy literature in my life.) It's as good as it's always been. (If you've never read it, well... I have no words.)
I also just finished "Love Does" by Bob Goff, and greatly enjoyed that one. I would say I actually enjoyed "Everybody, Always" even more, but they're both refreshing and witty. He's a captivating writer, and it's very thought-provoking material. Highly recommend!

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Watching - TV shows, mostly. Nearing the end of Season 4 "Gilmore Girls" (and to be honest, I think I'll give it a break because you can have too much of a good thing ;) And also Lorelei and Rory are making some really silly decisions that Annoy And Vex Me Greatly). I'm also re-watching "White Collar" with my older sisters and wow, it's as good as I remember. If you haven't seen it, please put it on your list - it's my favourite TV show EVER!
I'm also watching "The Musketeers" with one of my sisters, which is quite riveting.

Listening to - lots of podcasts. My new obsession, I think. Currently delving into the "EnneaSummer 2019" series on the show "That Sounds Fun" by Annie F. Downs. It's all about the Enneagram personality numbers and I find it absolutely fascinating. It's wonderfully presented, and has it all from a Christian perspective as well which I greatly appreciate. If you're a little skeptical, it's truly helped me learn to love other people better because I can better UNDERSTAND them. (Also, if you ARE into it, let's talk! What number are you? I'm a 2w3.)

Learning - so much. Learning how to tap dance (!!), learning how to talk to God more, learning how to make an omelette well, learning how to be more open and honest with people, learning the Sherlock theme on the piano, learning how to canter well on a horse, learning what my motives really are behind my actions, learning how to use gentle, kind and encouraging words when I want to let fly a sarcastic comment... learning and growing never ends.

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Daydreaming about - being in musical theatre, what it would be like to live alone, and always, the beach.

Singing - multiple songs! (Not all at once though, haha.) I'm learning five at the moment with my singing teacher - "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods, "In My Dreams" from Anastasia, "Your Grace Still Amazes Me" by Craig and Dean Phillips, "The Lass With the Delicate Air" by Michael Arne, and "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. (And of course, any Disney song ever.)

Writing - a new play script! I'm super excited about it - I have written down a rough outline, with heaps of notes on separate fly-away pages, and I just have to pull them all out and join them into one cohesive play. Sounds easy, right? I'm also eager to try my hand at writing a song myself as that's something I've never done, and I have some ideas on it (though I'm not sure how well I'll do).

Appreciating - all the green grass that has sprung up the past couple weeks. Most of you would know about the fires that have been ravaging our country, so it's an even more exciting thing to see the summer rains FINALLY come at the last month of summer. Our tanks are finally full, and there is luscious green grass right outside my window. It's beautiful (and also reminds me of a rain forest).

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Failing at - keeping up with some of my goals. Honestly, I think I always bite off more than I can chew. ;) But especially with my flexibility goals - I went to do my stretching last night, and guys, I couldn't even touch my toes! I've definitely lost all my progress... have also been failing at keeping up a proper exercise routine, and keeping rigidly to a lactose free diet which I've been asked to trial. (Guys, chocolate and ice cream is just too nice! How can I say no?!)

Meditating on - living a life that means something. You know, I had ample time for lots of life reflections during our giant road trip down to Sydney, and I had a lot of thoughts. One thing I'm always regretting is spending too much time online or doing trivial, selfish things, when I could have been building up relationships and loving others better... and also just DOING MORE REAL LIFE THINGS.
So I figured it was time to practice self-control; one thing that I had been letting take control was my time spent on Instagram, so I decided to log out, take the app off my phone for an unknown length of time, and use my spare time to do other things. Instead of looking at social media, I want to make my own memories - and what's more, I don't even want to share them with anyone other than the people I made them with. Because that's part of the magic. That's part of the memory. There's nothing wrong with sharing things on social media, but after awhile, it really can distort your view on reality (at least for me) and soon you find yourself doing things just for the sake of a post on Instagram. And that's not how I want to live my life!
So I want to replace scrolling on my phone with walks outside; I want to swap YouTube videos for baking days with my siblings. I want to exchange screen time with real time - time spent reading good books, talking with friends, making music, learning a new skill, making a cake, drawing a picture, rehearsing a play... these are all things I want to pursue and hone in on. I want to live my life not just for others but WITH others. That doesn't mean I'm going to only read my Bible and volunteer at a local church all of my days; it just means I want to be more intentional with what I'm choosing to say yes to, and what I'm giving a no.

This is something God's really placed on my heart of late. Even reading "Little Women" has reminded me of all the fun that can come from simple activities shared with the ones you love! So if you're currently feeling stuck or unhappy, maybe try a new perspective or a new angle. Switch it up a bit, and pursue the things in life that will have a lasting effect.

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And that's all for now! I realize this is a super random post, but hey, life isn't one simple cookie-cutter experience. It's a mess, and it's a beautiful one. ;)
Now I challenge you to go out and spread some sunshine to those around you!

5 Reasons Why I Journal (+ a little message)

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Well, I guess it’s kind of obvious I’m talking about journaling today. Are there any other journalists (not in the career sense, haha) out there? ;) Or maybe it’s just old-fashioned me?

Perhaps I should make it clear, before I start, that when I say ‘journaling’ I don’t necessarily mean “Dear Diary, today I...” That’s a diary. There’s a difference. To my knowledge, diaries are for everyday use of the more mundane experiences, merely keeping records and recording things such as daily habits and the weather. Journals are used for more important experiences; they’re generally more personal and involve more of one’s feelings and thoughts. Not that it really matters, but y’know, I like to be accurate. :P

I started journaling when I was 10 years of age. My very first entry was the day my little brother was born (I only intended to enter important and interesting information, so that seemed like an obvious choice at the time). To being with, I was terribly inconsistent, and sometimes would write a few times a year, and other times would write multiple times a week. I’ve had ten journals since then, and that was over eight years ago. I later went through a phase (of a few years' worth), where I would faithfully write in it every day. When life got busier, it turned to ‘whenever I have time’. I recently started a new journal and decided to go back to a daily entry, as I find that suits me best. So here I get to my first reason:

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1. Mental organization – Literally, journaling gives me extra brain room. No joke! I get to the point where I have so many thoughts, ideas and emotions swirling around in my brain that I can’t even concentrate on a book. That’s when I know it’s time to write it down. It’s like a form of self-care for me; it helps me get it off my chest and see my feelings and thoughts clearer. Often times I understand myself better when I make myself write it down.

 
2.  Accurate information – Because sometimes, it’s important to know whether or not you wore your white dress or your navy dress to your cousin’s wedding. ;) And sometimes flicking through your old journals can help solve family debates about certain events (whether or not we REALLY had three tubs of ice cream for dessert that one night or not). A number of times I’ve even used my old journals for things like remembering when I went to the dentist last! (Yeah, maybe I should organize that information outside of my journals... :P)

3. Clearer memories – This is partly sentimental for me, but I love being able to remember the smallest details about things that no one else remembers, simply because I wrote them down. Just like photos help us remember what something looks like, journals can also help us remember what it looked like outside of the photo, how we felt, what we noticed, what we smelt, what was said, what we experienced... all the precious memories that get lost. I love recording funny, totally random conversations I have with people (even strangers!) because I know I’ll forget them, and I don’t want to. I want to remember what I’ve learnt, and store up everything I’ve experienced. 

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4. An improved memory – Okay, so this one is very similar to the one before, except that I mean it in the present tense. The one before was about memories you look back on – this one I mean your actual MEMORY. I have a MUCH better memory for things if I write them down... just like how my Mum made me write down notes for science in school, and the definition of every list word I had to spell. It sticks a lot better. So I’ve found that whenever I have a conversation with someone, and later record the main points of it in my journal, then I’ll be much better at remembering what was said to them next time I see them. It’s so much less awkward than repeating yourself constantly, and it also makes the other person feel special because you remembered them.

5. Sentimental Benefit – Honestly, being able to flip through my journals and find out exactly what I was doing and thinking five years ago, three years ago or even one year ago, is reason alone for me to journal. I’m a sentimental sop, I’ll admit it. But I’m truly blown away every time I do it – to think that one year ago my biggest fear was driving, or to think that two years ago I was struggling with the exact issue I'm struggling with now... Journaling helps me to see clearly how far I’ve come, how each season of life feels challenging, and yet we still make it, and then THAT season prepares us to face the next, until we’re staring our giants of five years ago in the face, realizing that... they are no longer giants. They are what have helped us grow the most, and be who we are now.

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      So I want to leave you, friend, with this little message. Don’t run away from the things that scare you, because chances are, those are the things that are going to change your life and grow you like nothing else will. Stand firm, have courage, and ride that wave. You were born to do great things. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and work hard – it will only push you forwards. And soon you’ll look back, and be amazed at just how far you’ve come!  

      So tell me! Do you journal? And if you don’t, have I convinced you to give it a go? ;) Hope you all have a fantastic Thursday!

Who's the Hero in LOTR?

I was at a house warming party once. (I know this seems completely off-topic. Just stay with me, okay?) I met a bunch of new people, and one of them was a young man. He was a writer (not full time - just as a major hobby) and so he told me a lot about his stories and I told him some things about mine. Then we got to talking about the inspiration we got for story writing. I said I got inspiration from reading really good books, like Lord of the Rings. Instantly, I realized I hit upon a gold mine there. We talked for ages about it. But the first thing he said was,

 "So, who is the hero in Lord of the Rings?"

I wavered, a bit confused. "Well... I... I'd never really thought about it properly before," I stammered.

He waited, patiently. For a long while, I awkwardly tried to think really hard, but nothing clear came to mind. 

"Well, it could be a number of people," I mumbled, "I guess Frodo is generally considered the main character." I looked at his eyes and knew I had to give up. So I asked him, "Who do you think is the main character?"

"Sam."

WHAM. That was a new idea. I'd always considered Sam as the loyal friend, the secondary character, always beside, supporting his Frodo. He was the sidekick - the "add-on" to the 'main characters'.

And it made me realize how much I underestimated those quiet, loyal characters that don't ask for fame or stand out in the spotlight, and yet they're some of the most vital to the story. In a way, it helps me see how important people who are like that in day-to-day life are.

Everyone knows that person who hardly says a word, but is always there to listen for you; who never searches to be the centre of attention, and yet everyone thinks well of them. That person who doesn't come to mind when you think of a hero, but who, when you consider it, rescues the story. 

So it really hit me hard, that Sam was one of these. He didn't seem like the main character - when you first meet him, you certainly don't think he'll play an incredibly vital part to the story. But, as the young man pointed out, Sam truly was the cause for the Ring ever being destroyed. He was the cause for Frodo ever making it to Mount Doom. Sam really was the hero.

(For the record, though, I don't agree with everything that young man said. (He tried to convince me that Peter Jackson should have added the part when Saruman tries to take over Hobbiton, but I stubbornly stood my ground. I think the story ended perfectly well without that part and I always felt it seemed a bit 'out of place'. His argument was that it showed the strong, courageous side to Hobbiton which probably would not have come out otherwise. Before that, Hobbits were just known for eating and gardening etc. However, I'm still not convinced. But that's a discussion for another time.))

What do you think?? Is Sam the hero of Lord of the Rings?