Things I've Learned Lately
It’s been a while since I’ve told you the things I learned (since February, in fact). Although these months have been challenging, and somewhat of a whirlwind, I still want to share some of the things that are floating to the surface, and a few other things, just for fun.
Let me know what you’ve been learning lately, won’t you?
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1. Sometimes I don’t know what to ask for.
Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to dare greatly, to ask for what I need and to be vulnerable. It’s been a very freeing experience in a lot of ways, but it hasn’t always turned out the way I thought it should. I’m learning that no matter how sure I am that I know what I’m doing and what I want, that I can’t always expect to get it, even if I ask for it, and that, just maybe, that’s for the best, too.
2. People seem to respond very strongly to this video.
Personally, I thought it was lovely, but I was quickly reminded that not everyone is like me. Let me know where you stand in the comments, if you like.
3. I can move without crying.
Over the course of my life, I’ve never made it through a move without a good cry. Whether I was moving into (or out of) a dorm room or changing houses with my family, it’s always been an emotionally difficult experience. This time, as I moved into a sun-filled house with lovely roommates and places for all of my dishes, I didn’t cry. What do you know?
4. I need a lot less than I think I do.
As I went through boxes and cleaned out my closet, I came to realize how few things I actually need and use on a daily basis. Since I tried to move at the beginning of the year, I’ve been living with much of my life packed up, and though there are books that I hugged as I unpacked them, I found great joy in living more simply for a while. I hope to continue in that vein.
5. Even in uncomfortable situations, there is nothing more comfortable than being myself.
6. Grocery shopping is an art.
7. Labels will only take you so far.
I’m a fan of definition. It’s so nice to have a conversation with someone and recognize your own buzzwords as they speak. But labels, I’ve found, will only take me so far. Even when I use the same words as someone else, I find that I often mean something different than they do. The label is only the beginning of the conversation. This has been a meaningful, rewarding and occasionally frustrating process, but it’s teaching me to engage with people as people, and not as stereotypes.
8. Even life-giving things can cause stress.
9. The world doesn't end if I skip a blog post every now and then.