10 Things I Learned in December
The month of December has been full to bursting. It's amazing to look back, as always, and perhaps just a little more poignant as I come to the end of the year, getting ready to bid 2013 farewell. I know I say this every month, but there is something wonderful about paying attention to what I'm learning month-by-month. I'm finding a great deal of meaning in small things which look big when grouped together.
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I hope that you will share what you're learning as well. I'd love to know.
I grew up in a Christian culture that did not frequently celebrate the body as a gift (especially not for single people). It's taken me a long time to learn that it was okay to enjoy living inside my body, in fact, that was part of why God put me in it.
2. Web design can be a wonderful experience.
If you haven't been here in a while, you might notice that the website has changed (in my opinion) for the better. I started thinking about this change in the spring, and began talking to someone who wanted to help me achieve that goal. Unfortunately, that relationship did not work out. Within a few hours of realizing that fact, I had found a new web designer who has made the experience delightful and my site exactly the way I wanted it to look. (If any of you ever want a website designed, have I got a guy for you!)
3. Although I have been told otherwise throughout the course of my life, women in the Bible were, in many cases, initiators.
I've spent a great portion of my life trying to act like a good Christian girl. As far as I was taught, that meant that I couldn't make the first move, seem too interested, or initiate in any way. Slowly, the Spirit has been showing me that I don't need to try to fit myself into these inflexible boxes, and that I can embrace who I am.
4. I really am capable of living in the moment.
Last month, I wrote about living in the moment. It was exciting, and it was new, but I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to sustain it. I've faced some tests over the course of December, and I'm finding out that what I've learned about holding the moments loosely still holds true.
5. The words Advent and Adventure are related in a surprising and meaningful way.
6. I am capable of negotiating and signing a lease.
I'll be completely moved into a character-laden yellow house on Thursday. So far, though there have been moments of stress, nervousness and signs of mice, no one has died.
7. Happiness has been absent from my theology.
I've had a lot of conversations this month about where happiness fits in with my view of God, His love for me and His desires for my life. I was surprised with my thoughts, and inspired to pray about change, which has been hard, but delightful.
8. It makes a huge difference to hear people's voices, instead of just reading their words.
I recently discovered Voxer and I've been loving the way these voice "texts" or "emails" have connected me to people both near and far. I love hearing the way they laugh, the tone of their voice or the way they say certain words.
9. I can survive someone not loving the way I write about them.
I wrote a piece this month about last year at this time. I was about to break up with someone and it was a season marked by tension and deciding whether to hold on tighter or let go. It was a healing piece, and it apparently resonated with a lot of people. However, my ex-boyfriend found it and read it and didn't love it. I have always feared this very situation, and though it was awkward, I did find out that I could walk through it with grace, and that the world wouldn't end.
10. There are people who like me more and more as they get to know me.
I've written often in this space about longing for friendship and community. This month has given me the opportunity to learn and hear once again from people who are happy that I am in their lives (not just the other way around). I've gone from thinking that good, supportive friendships were myths, only found in books, to being in them. Such an immeasurable gift.
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As always, I'm linking up with the lovely Emily P. Freeman, at Chatting at the Sky, as we share what we're learning in community. You may want to check out the other lovelies linking up. I always learn something.
And just in case you're wondering, Single Minded Mondays will return next week. Stay tuned.