I can scarcely remember being quite so anxious for a semester to end. And while my semester will not officially be done until I turn in the paper (which will undoubtedly be mostly B.S.) for my Intro to Music Research class, in exactly twelve hours, I will be a much freer woman, having just finished my oral presentation for the same class and also my jury. Huzzah!
I think my plans for celebration will be as follows:
1. Change out of my nice clothes
2. Eat some ice cream
3. Take a nap
4. Exercise
5. Take a shower
6. Take another nap
Yes, sounds good to me.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
I've had a lot of random thoughts lately, and no time in which to record them. In fact, even as I write now, I should be doing something else. However, I have sadly discovered that there is an inverse relationship between the amount of things I have to do and my desire to do them. The same is true of the relationship between how vitally important or urgent a task is and my desire to complete it. Am I crazy or does this happen to anyone else?
Thought #1: EMPATHY
I consider myself to be a pretty empathic person, but I could definitely be doing better. I think my concentration lies too heavily on relating to people I'm close to in one way or another: friends, family, schoolmates, etc. This isn't the sum of it, though. We are, after all, part of the same human family. It's unbelievably hard to strike a balance wherein you are concerned with the well-being of your fellow man without being consumed by guilt and pain because so much of the world is suffering so much of the time. I guess the main idea is just to trust that God puts in our paths those people who we need and who need us, while still maintaining an interest in mankind as a whole. I believe that we are all connected, and what happens to one happens to all.
Thought #2: YOUR REACH SHOULD EXCEED YOUR GRASP
Some people are always trying new things. Some people are always afraid to try new things. There are those who thrive on challenge and the uncertainty of results, and there are those who shrink away from anything whose end cannot be seen from the beginning. Much as I'd like to try and convince myself otherwise, I definitely fall in the latter category. There are times in my life that I reflect, and wonder what would have happened if I had opted for a gamble rather than a sure thing. My whole life, it seems, has been lived on the Path of Least Resistance. In everything I do, I consider carefully whether or not there is a chance that I will fail, and if so, how drastic the failure will be. If the risk is too great, I don't even bother. The result of this is that I am never sure of my full potential. I don't know what my limits are, because I always try to stay safely inside of them, rather than stretching them. It's safe because I can always fall back on, "Well, if I'd REALLY tried, I could have done it." My mistake is in believing that any growth occurs while inside the comfort zone.
Thought #3: WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION?
WE all know it's possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason. I just don't want to be that guy. So, I often opt to avoid doing it at all, whatever '"it" may be. Again, probably not the best approach.
Anyway, I know I've had more random thoughts, but my nearly-dead computer is freaking out now, so I'd better cut it short.
Thought #1: EMPATHY
I consider myself to be a pretty empathic person, but I could definitely be doing better. I think my concentration lies too heavily on relating to people I'm close to in one way or another: friends, family, schoolmates, etc. This isn't the sum of it, though. We are, after all, part of the same human family. It's unbelievably hard to strike a balance wherein you are concerned with the well-being of your fellow man without being consumed by guilt and pain because so much of the world is suffering so much of the time. I guess the main idea is just to trust that God puts in our paths those people who we need and who need us, while still maintaining an interest in mankind as a whole. I believe that we are all connected, and what happens to one happens to all.
Thought #2: YOUR REACH SHOULD EXCEED YOUR GRASP
Some people are always trying new things. Some people are always afraid to try new things. There are those who thrive on challenge and the uncertainty of results, and there are those who shrink away from anything whose end cannot be seen from the beginning. Much as I'd like to try and convince myself otherwise, I definitely fall in the latter category. There are times in my life that I reflect, and wonder what would have happened if I had opted for a gamble rather than a sure thing. My whole life, it seems, has been lived on the Path of Least Resistance. In everything I do, I consider carefully whether or not there is a chance that I will fail, and if so, how drastic the failure will be. If the risk is too great, I don't even bother. The result of this is that I am never sure of my full potential. I don't know what my limits are, because I always try to stay safely inside of them, rather than stretching them. It's safe because I can always fall back on, "Well, if I'd REALLY tried, I could have done it." My mistake is in believing that any growth occurs while inside the comfort zone.
Thought #3: WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION?
WE all know it's possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason. I just don't want to be that guy. So, I often opt to avoid doing it at all, whatever '"it" may be. Again, probably not the best approach.
Anyway, I know I've had more random thoughts, but my nearly-dead computer is freaking out now, so I'd better cut it short.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Taste of Perfection
There are few things in life that can be classified as perfect. It's an ideal that we are all constantly striving to achieve, and constantly missing. There are flaws, there are mistakes, there are shortcomings to everyone and everything.
Or almost everything. Today, I found a rarity.
This diamond in the rough exudes perfection and beauty simply by existing. I was brought nearly to tears when I first saw it, and found myself trembling with anticipation, aching with a desire to become intimately acquainted with such perfection. I could hardly contain myself, and although it would have been wildly inappropriate given the time and location, nevertheless, it was all I could do to keep from giving in to such desires.
So there I was, standing in the ice cream aisle of the grocery store, looking for the perfect flavor to celebrate my post-concert adrenaline. I'm a huge fan of ice cream in general, but not a huge fan of paying seven bucks for a half gallon, especially when it's just some boring flavor. By the same token, I also believe that some things (ice cream included) deserve only the very best treatment. I figure if you're going to eat ice cream at all, it'd better be the good stuff, or else you better be making a root beer float or something.
But the light of heaven shone down upon this carton of ice cream.
Peanut butter cookie dough.
That's right, peanut butter flavored ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough chunks, which translates into SHEER BLISS. Now, I would happily have paid five dollars for such a flavor, but it was the STORE BRAND, so it was less than three dollars! Way to go, Kroger. I gotta say, I don't know why that's not a standard in ice cream flavors, because it is AMAZING. You should all go try some.
Or almost everything. Today, I found a rarity.
This diamond in the rough exudes perfection and beauty simply by existing. I was brought nearly to tears when I first saw it, and found myself trembling with anticipation, aching with a desire to become intimately acquainted with such perfection. I could hardly contain myself, and although it would have been wildly inappropriate given the time and location, nevertheless, it was all I could do to keep from giving in to such desires.
So there I was, standing in the ice cream aisle of the grocery store, looking for the perfect flavor to celebrate my post-concert adrenaline. I'm a huge fan of ice cream in general, but not a huge fan of paying seven bucks for a half gallon, especially when it's just some boring flavor. By the same token, I also believe that some things (ice cream included) deserve only the very best treatment. I figure if you're going to eat ice cream at all, it'd better be the good stuff, or else you better be making a root beer float or something.
But the light of heaven shone down upon this carton of ice cream.
Peanut butter cookie dough.
That's right, peanut butter flavored ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough chunks, which translates into SHEER BLISS. Now, I would happily have paid five dollars for such a flavor, but it was the STORE BRAND, so it was less than three dollars! Way to go, Kroger. I gotta say, I don't know why that's not a standard in ice cream flavors, because it is AMAZING. You should all go try some.
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