Let's tackle three blog post prompts in one, shall we?
Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.
Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.
Thursday, September 12: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.
A moment when my life took a turn....well. Jenni D really isn't making things easy on us, now is she? This one could go about a 1,000 different ways. Obviously my life took a turn the first time I met Randy. It took another huge turn on our wedding day. It took two more HUGE turns when I saw those little pink lines on those pregnancy tests. I suspect that my life will continue to take one huge turn after the other, as is the nature of time. But I guess today I will talk about the first one I mentioned....the day I met Randy.
I will never forget it. I was visiting a Mennonite church in Indiana to hear my sister's Bible school choir comprised of young people from all over the states, and he happened to be a part of it. I spotted him almost right away (kind of hard to miss that flaming head of hair) and I liked him immediately. Do you know how some people just arrest your attention the moment they enter the room? You have to stare for a while because you're not exactly sure WHY but you just sort of like them without ever having met them or even spoken to them yet? Well, he is one of those people to me.
All these years later, analyzing it all, I still can't tell you why I felt that way. It doesn't really make sense. But that strange connection I felt upon the INSTANT I saw him, is the closest thing I have experienced in real life that is called "love at first sight" in fairy tales. I hadn't even said two words to him in my life, but I knew I wanted to meet him. I knew he would play a role in my life. I even wrote in my journal that night, "I met the man I'm going to marry" and then realized that people would think I was a crazy person, (and I probably was) and so I scratched it out. I talked to him afterwards and he was funny and friendly and just a tiny bit awkward, and it made me like him all the more.
Our story has a LONG journey after that, that was only the beginning. Don't get me wrong, there were many ups and downs and twists and turns, and not only ends of chapters in our story, but what seemed like an entirely closed book at times. But God worked it all out in the end, and I'm so grateful.
O.k., changing subjects and moving on to online shops.....This is a toughie. I do almost zero shopping online, but if someone were to give me a lot of money and say, "You have to spend this online" these are the places I would go.
1. H+M. I know, it's supposed to be the ampersand sign, but that does weird things to my post. I love this store for its laid-back, carefree clothing styles and low prices. Their dresses are a little too short for me, but I'd love to pair them with jeans.
3. And last but not least, Downeast Basics. This store is known for its basics, (obviously) and they have perfected the camisole in a way that no one else, anywhere else has. This tank-top has an extra-long length, higher-than-normal neckline and stretchy, spandex-y material that all add up to make for well-fitting clothes and ample coverage for modesty's sake. I am completely hooked on them, own about 8 different colors, and will probably never buy a cami anywhere else. I have even gotten quite a few friends hooked on them as well, and so I think I should be compensated for my efforts as a public spokesperson for this fabulous company. I am willing to accept reimbursement in free clothes. Are you listening, Downeast?! P.S. I also have a dress from them that is so comfortable and modest I can just throw it on and go, no layering needed. Check them out, pronto!
Moving on to the next prompt...."What are some ways blogging or social media has changed you?"
1. It has certainly influenced my sense of style. I have always tried to follow my own inner fashion sense rather than follow trends, but seeing so many different mixes and blends of style has emboldened me to try different things. Some of my favorite IG feeds for style inspiration are @kylieturley, @onelittlemommma, @itsahuntlife, and @modernandmodest.
2. It has taught me to have a thicker skin. I have been hurt deeply, healed eventually, and learned from it all. This blog has been such a tool in helping me learn how/when to let go.
3. It has caused me to view "community" so differently. Community can mean the people that live next door to you, and it can also mean people you may never meet in this lifetime. The internet has shrunken the entire world to your doorstep, and encouragement, friendship, fellowship and community is truly just a click away. If I had to choose one thing I love most about blogging/social media, I think I'd choose that.
4. It has give me an area in which to push myself. I have let countless ambitions die in my life. I will get interested in pursuing something, try it for a little while, encounter a few obstacles, and off it goes to the recycling bin. I have an entire graveyard of only partially-developed dreams and goals in my life. But blogging/social media keeps me a bit more accountable. It forces me to show up, create content, put it where people can see it, and keeping trying to improve. Giving up comes far too easily to me and this is an area where I am pushed to continue, and excel.
5. It has forced me to really think through what I say and how I say it. If some of you are snorting coffee out your noses right now, please know that I do not think I have arrived. Far from it. Rather, I am taking small steps toward what I hope to be someday. A better listener, a more sensitive speaker, and a more loyal friend.
I feel like I could go on and on and on, but naptimes only last so long. This was such a good exercise, it really forced me to take a look at what blogging/social media has done in my life. And when you look at it this way, it starts to feel a whole lot less pointless.
There will always be people that think blogging is pointless. Or that don't even know what a blog is, for that matter. And I am OK with that. Because I may never understand fully why someone would want to sit in a tree stand all day or tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon. We're all different creatures. I cannot stress this enough: It's OK if you don't have a blog. And it's OK if you do. Don't feel like someone else's interest makes yours insignificant. I wish I could sew. I wish I could play piano. I wish I could surf. But for now, I can't. I can blog. And so I guess I will keep doing that for now, and you all should do what makes your wheels spin too. Just love what you do, do it well, and do it for the glory of God.
And that's really what it's all about.
