I have been doing a lot of thinking here lately. And also a lot of reading. Articles, blogs, people's views and opinions on life and "the church" and "christianity" and all that other stuff. It really makes my brain wheels spin.
Just today I read something called, Stop Defining Yourself By What You Don't Like. (You can read that, too, right here.) And as I was reading it I was thinking, "Huh....yeah, that kind of sort of sounds a tad bit like it might slightly, in a way, resemble me. A little bit." And I wondered why that is. Why do I tend to talk so much about, and get so worked up over the things I don't like or disagree with?
One part of the article says this: "It’s safer, in a sense, to share with people impassioned negativity than
to share with them something closer to our hearts: the things we like.
Or daresay, the things we love."
And if I'm being honest, which I am, it's actually kind of difficult for me to try and write something that isn't negative. Now, I'm not going to say that I agree with every single point the writer made, because I don't. I think there are times when we should talk about negative things and the affect they have on us personally, or on us as a group or a nation. If you never talk about things, nothing will ever be done and things won't ever change.
But I don't think that was really her point in writing the article. She wasn't saying (from my perspective) that we should only ever talk about positive things all the time and pretend that nothing ever goes wrong. That's unrealistic. I think what she was getting at was that we shouldn't define ourselves by what we hate. (I think there's also another question in there too; if we shouldn't define ourselves by what we dislike, does it then follow that we should define ourselves by what we do like/love? I'm just gonna leave that right there.) And I agree with that point; I don't think we should let those things take precedence in us.
I said to my mom just the other day, after talking about something I didn't like, "You know, I think I dislike more things than I actually like." I said it sort of jokingly, but now that I've taken some time to really think about the concept, it's actually pretty weird. And sad.
It's not that I don't like things. I like plenty of things. I just spend a lot more time and energy talking and thinking about the things/people/concepts that I don't like. I mean, I can really get going on a topic which I have a negative view or opinion on. I can talk for hours about it! Literally. But if it's something that I do like, I have trouble finding the words to describe my thoughts on whatever it might happen to be.
So, in an attempt to put negativity aside for a little while (as sort of a trial period), I am going to dedicate the remainder of this post to only writing about things I like. Here goes....
........
Hmm......thinking.....trying to think of something I like.....
What do I like....?.....
I like the beach! Yeah, I do. I really like the beach! It's so warm and breezy and salty-smelling. There are countless shops to go in and interesting things to look at and buy. Houses look cool because they're up on stilts or whatever you call them. Sand. Sun. Water. It's incredibly relaxing and refreshing. The whole atmosphere. It's such a huge change compared to what I see from day to day. Seagulls flying and squawking overhead. Sandcastle building. Salt-water taffy that makes me feel sick when I eat it, but tastes so good. Yeah, I like the beach.
I like Fall. I like the cool, crisp air. I like feeling the softness and warmth of my sweater when I pull it on over my head. I like the colors; orange, red, yellow. I like watching Charlie Brown's, The Great Pumpkin. Apple cider and pumpkin flavored and scented everything. I like hay rides and walks in the chilly air. Raking leaves and tromping through them, listening closely as they crunch under my feet. I like driving through a neighborhood and smelling the smoky scent of burning leaves. I like wearing boots and jackets and sitting near campfires, looking up at the stars because it's finally the perfect temperature to be outside. I like taking a trip to the mountains, where I'm awed, once again, at the magnificence of something so massive and beautiful, painted in golds and reds. It's one of my favorite times of the year.
I like to read. I like opening a great book and getting lost in the world the author has created; when I'm so immersed in their world that I feel as if I'm actually in it. I like getting to know each of the characters, building this type of interesting relationship with them and getting so attached to them that it makes me sad when the book is over because I have become a part of their story too. Their story has become a part of me, a part of my story. I like when a writer can pull on my emotions and make me feel what their characters feel. I like when the writer makes me think and question things that I thought I understood. I like when books take me on adventures.
And I like to write. It's the best way for me to express my thoughts and feelings. It's the easiest way for me to connect to other people. I'm not very good at speaking; my thoughts get all jumbled up in my mind and I find it difficult to explain correctly whatever it is I'm trying to get across to someone else. My thoughts come out so much clearer when I write them. I also like writing stories. It's that feeling of creating something. Making something that wasn't there before. I can say and do whatever I want in my stories. I can cause other people to say and do whatever I want in my stories. Because I'm the author. I'm the creator. I get this weird thrill when I write a story. This strange energy that pumps through me. And it's like I have this....this need to write. Like I have to write. I don't know why. Maybe because I have so many words and thoughts in my head and I feel like if I don't get them out my brain might explode.
Well, that wasn't so hard once I got started. It feels a bit foreign, to tell you the truth, but I now know it's possible. There are things I actually do like. It's just not as easy to find them. And I can talk about them without including anything negative. Who would've guessed?
Once again people,
LOVE. PEACE. BACON. (Not necessarily in that order....)
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