twenty 20

My dear friend Laurell started a trend on her blog awhile ago that she calls "20/20". She makes a list of 20 things she's noticed or learned recently and posts them for her readers. I liked it so much I decided I should do it here, but have failed to come up with anything quite as clever as she does. Regardless, it's been that kind of a week - lots to think about, too much to absorb, and just enough word power to come up with 20 unrelated, context-less sentences. With no further ado, here are twenty things I've been thinking about lately.



1. Sometimes the most effective way to love your neighbor is to keep your mouth shut.

2. I think I'm just smart enough to recognize God must be trying to teach me something, but just slow enough that he has to "lesson" me eight times in a row.

3. Good intentions are good. Follow through is better.

4. Every few weeks, a black cat crosses my path. Is this bad luck? Or do I just live in a neighborhood filled with black cats? Let's go with option B.

5. If you're having trouble seeing the good in someone, try taking that giant piece of wood out of your eye first. See? Much better.

6. In 32 days, I will be in the same room as Marcus Mumford. Tomorrow, it will be 31.

7. I have recently taken up two pen-pal friendships...with two existing good friends. One lives five minutes from my house, and the other lives across the country. That doesn't change the feeling I get when a handwritten letter arrives on my doorstep.

8. We are forever tied to our parents, whether we like it or not. Make it a good tie, while you can.

9. A budget only works if you follow it.

10. If you find a friend who sticks around through 93 awkward first impressions, I think it's safe to say they'll stick around for the 94th.

11. Life is better when it's organized. Occasionally, though, it is even better to lock your Type A in the bathroom and run through the front door without it.

12. Kissing once is dangerous; it makes you want to kiss ten times. Proceed with caution.

13. Sometimes, I like to pretend that it's not rain on my sunny sidewalk, but rather, that God spilled the glitter during arts and crafts time.

14. This week, a kind word saved my heart from breaking entirely. Don't keep kind words to yourself - they may be just the thing to do this for someone else.

15. Taking a day off on a day you "shouldn't", and doing nothing with it, is remarkably liberating.

16. My good friend Anita recently commented that she was "feeling dowdy, faking svelte." Some days, that's all we can ask of ourselves.

17. Never underestimate the power of retail therapy.

18. There's nothing a run by the ocean can't temporarily fix.

19. Grace. Is there anything better?

20. I know the expiry date is there as a mere precaution, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that it is actually a death sentence.