What I learned from the RNC and the DNC

You can laugh. It's a little funny, right?!

Maybe I'm a nerd, maybe I just like to junk out on news type stuff, or maybe I just don't have a life... no matter the reason, I watched both the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. In years past, I have swayed to the Republican party, although that hasn't been the case in this election year. In fact, earlier in the season I wrote this piece which urged the Republican candidates to rethink a few things, but that is all water under the bridge now. Currently, I would say I'm party less.

Here is the deal. I write this piece not to slam on either party. To be honest, I'm really tired of all the back and forth. There are issues on both sides worth debating, but that's not the goal of this piece (and really, I don't understand all the political issues well enough to debate them anyways).

My goal in watching both the RNC and the DNC was to learn (and to understand our culture better).

Here are a few things that stood out:

1. Dream! 
As I listened to speeches in both conventions, I found a common thread. It wasn't always about fear, making changes, or even the political agenda, it was about dreaming of tomorrow and the future. No matter who you are, you don't get to be a presidential candidate without dreaming of all the possibilities. Both Trump and Hillary have accomplished a lot in their lifetimes, and not everything was handed to them. They had to dream and dream BIG. They had to ask themselves, what's next? What do I dream next? I respect this about them and I've got to give them at least that credit.

I believe the older we get, the less we dream and the more we settle. Few keep striving for the dreams they had in their years of youth. I don't want the overwhelming parts of adulthood to drown my dreams. I want to keep dreaming. I want to dream of next year, and 5 years or 20 years down the line and I don't want the hardships of today to affect my dreams of 20 years from now. Do I dare say that I want to dream as big as Trump and Hillary? I may not dream of being the president of the United States (no thank you!), but I do want to dream big. May I ask, what is your dream? Have you given up on it?

2. Do! 
In order to get ahead in life: to make a difference, to see those dreams come true, to keep moving forward, you have to DO something. Trump and Hillary have done things. You may not like what they have done, but they haven't been sitting around waiting for things to change. They are doers.

Let's be honest, doing things can be hard and overwhelming. Just yesterday I knew I needed to do the simple task of cleaning out my closet. It was time, yet, I stood there in front of my closet and had no idea where to start. I called my sister and she said, "just start with your old clothes." Ha! Of course! Just DO something, Sheila! The same with the little and the big things. We all have things we know we need to do, but we just don't know where to start.... or we just don't want to do them. Stop putting it off. Just do it! (No this is not a subliminal NIKE advertisement) DOING keeps us moving forward. Doing helps dreams come true. DOING one step at a time is what helps make change happen. So what do you need to do? I know I need to finish cleaning out my closet. Then I need to find a bigger task to DO.... and simply DO IT!

3. Wake up Millennials! 
Here is where you may not like what I have to say, but I'm going to brave it anyway.

Millennials, we must wake up! Our parents have worked their butts off to give us this beautiful life that we live. We are truly blessed. We hardly know what it means to work hard for our dinner. To give our lives for the causes that matter most. To be called to war without a choice. To pay cash for things and not live beyond our means. To not have something we want. To save for the little starter home. We have been given everything we could ever need or want in our lifetime. Now it is time for us to stop feeling entitled, to put down our social media gadgets for just a little while, and to find our cause and passion. We see pictures of young people from different eras fighting for their cause, taking a stand, and sacrificing for the sake of good things. We see pictures of us, millennials #yummyshushi, #amazingadventure, #skinnystrong, #pokemon, #donuts, #lifesamazing, #yolo, #blessed... We hardly care for anything deeper than ourselves and our own comforts. I, unfortunately, can write this so easily because I am a millennial too. I am part of #lifesamazing. It's an easy life.

Millennials, we must wake up because we are the near future. We are where America goes. If we have no cause, if we have no fight, if we have no passion, where will that leave us? I believe America is at a very pivotal time in history and it is up to us where America goes. Let's not miss the greatest opportunities to make real change happen because we are too busy #livinglifetoitsfullest.

So thank you, RNC and DNC for helping me wake up, do things and dream again! No matter the outcome of this fall, I know that I have my own work to do to help make real change happen.

The One that Got Away

It was vintage. 

Like the real kind of vintage.
Old, not new trying to be old.

Cherry red. Shiny. A basket on the front and the back.

It was perfect.

I've been wishing for a cruiser, vintage bike for a while now. Summer is here which means that cruisin' around the neighborhood is exactly what I want to be doing. I know vintage things are pretty trendy right now, especially vintage cruiser bikes, but seriously, this one bike was perfect!

~ ~ ~

I stumbled upon it one morning when I was going for an early morning walk with my fatty dog, Bear. The goal was to speed walk around the neighborhood before meeting up with a friend for lunch. At first, all I saw was a silly, old garage sale. I don't really garage sale much so I was a little annoyed by the extra traffic and people.

Dodging between people, dragging Bear behind me, I kept my eyes set on my destination. Home bound! It wasn't until I was almost rounding the corner that I saw it. The vintage, cherry bike just standing tall and strong on the corner of the garage sale lawn.

Hault! Double take. Pause.

Eh... it's probably too expensive, I thought and proceeded home.

I got ready to meet my friend and on my way there, I drove by the garage sale again. I couldn't get this bike out of my mind so I pulled over, contributing to the annoying traffic, and walked right up to the cherry red, beauty.

75$ Are you kidding me?! 75 dollars for this PERFECT bike?
The DEAL of a lifetime!

I wandered through the rest of the sale so as not to come across as too obsessive. For some reason, I felt a little creepy just standing there in awe of this bike. As I looped back around to the bike, there was an old man and his daughter checking out my bike. I overheard the daughter say, "I think this would be a great bike for you to ride, dad." The old man grumbled as he stroked the handlebars. I felt a little stalkerish watching this exchange so I did another loop. I checked out the sign that said, "CASH ONLY" and I realized, I couldn't even buy the bike if I wanted to. Who carries cash anymore?

After looping the garage sale for the third time, I talked myself out of the bike. I decided I would leave it to chance. If the bike was there when I returned, it was meant to be. I would get cash, just in case, but really it was best if the old man got the bike. Surely it would keep him healthy or something.

Later in the day I drove by the house, breath tight in my lungs, and then a long exhale. No bike. It wasn't meant to be.... or was it?

I still dream about that beautiful bike for 75 dollars. I think about the deal of a lifetime I missed out on because I wasn't brave enough to claim what I wanted. All I had to do was commit and say, "Heck YES I want this bike. It's perfect for me!"

To be honest, I think this happens more often then I want to admit. I ask and pray for good things, but when it's right in front of me, I rationalize it away. God says, "here Sheila, here is your dream bike. It is right here for you, all you have to do is say yes!" Instead, I stand there quietly, afraid to be brave enough to simply say, YES! Why am I so scared to say YES to great things and so I settle for good things instead? Is it just me? Am I the only one who has a hard time claiming greatness for my life?

It's not like I am without because I missed out on the deal of a lifetime. I already have a good bike, but I am missing out on riding a beautiful vintage bike with a cute little basket that was perfect for me.

I think more often than not, God longs to give us exactly what we hope and long for....

we are just too scared to say YES to greatness and we don't see it until it's no longer there.

Bare Faced and 33

Dear 33,

You don’t look how I imagined you would, but then again, I don’t know that I actually imagined 33. When I was a kid, I imagined the teen years, the 20 somethings, and maybe even 30, but after 30 the picture got dark and fuzzy. Too far off and too hard to put into clarity.

The first picture of 33. Unedited. Bare face and all.

Now you are here and this is what you look like. Bare faced and 33. Can I just say that you look young! I’m a little surprised. I would of guessed 33 to look a lot older. Those eyes though, the window to all. I see the age starting to creep into them. A few wrinkles settling around those blue windows. Yes, you may look young, but no longer youthful. You wear a smile on your face; a genuine one too. Yet, you look like you have a few stories to tell: places you’ve been, people you’ve met, heartbreak, and perseverance. You have walked a few roads and are smarter for it, but I wonder if there are a few cuts and bruises that you wear close to your soul.  Perhaps you have learned from the cuts and bruises, but maybe you haven’t. Maybe you just think you have.

I write to you, 33, because I don’t really know you yet.  This is me reaching into the unknown and asking for you to be good to me. I’m sure we will get to know each other well over the year. We will have good times and bad. I expect you to teach me new things and I hope I will lean into you and let you teach me. Often I’m so stubborn that I dig my feet into the soft soil and refuse to learn the lessons of the ages. I hope I grow wiser than that this year.

Just between you & me, these are a few things I want to learn from you, 33:

• How to live well in this adult world. I often feel like just a little child disguised as something bigger.
• to pay bills on time. Yeah, I get distracted by more exciting things in the world.
• to change my bike tire. This would alleviate a little bit of worry every time I want to go for a bike ride. I’m a big girl. I should be able to do this.
• to be a good student again. Grad school is coming. It’s unavoidable.
• to eat a well balanced diet. I’m an adult but I love sugar. It gravitates to me. It’s sugar’s fault! It’s certainly not my own.
• to enjoy coffee more! Is this even possible?
• to be a more understanding teacher. I always need this lesson in my life.
• to write more. To write well and uninhibited. I’m not sure why I keep coming back to this, but it’s something I know I need in my life.
• to be a more in touch friend. The older I get, the more “in my own world” I get. I hate that! I need people!
• to LOVE the ones I love harder! Stronger! Better! I need love in my life. I want to be a better lover.
• to forgive myself and those I love over and over again. Really, what is life without forgiveness?
• to trust Jesus more. Trust is a hard thing for me.
• to experience more sunsets
• to sing more songs at the top of my lungs
• to dance more in the kitchen when I cook. Yes, this means I need to cook more.
• to laugh everyday
• to embrace the moments where I want to cry. Crying is good!
• to give more hugs and kisses.
• to look at the stars every night.
• to pray more.
• ……………..

The list could go on and on.

I’m sure some may look at this list and wonder what I’ve done with the first 30 years of my life. I should have learned a few a these lessons by now, but honestly, the older I get, the more I realize the less I know and the more I need to learn.

I guess you have a lot to teach me, 33. Cheers to you & me, I think we have quite the year ahead of us!

XOXO,

She