Jack Fell Down and Broke His Crown…
This morning I closed the fridge door and turned to face my breakfast when I heard a terrible smashing sound. A bottle of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey had just shattered on the floor as it dived off the fridge and onto my tile.
As I bent down to mop up the liquor I couldn’t help but wonder, where was I on a scale of 1 to Ke$ha if I woke up in the morning and washed my floor with a bottle of Jack?
Waking Up
It’s been 4 1/2 months since my return from the adventure of a lifetime and I feel like I’m finally waking up from my post-race coma. I won’t even apologise for my lack of blogs…if you’re still reading this, then you know me well enough by now.
The first week home this summer was like a weird alternate reality where everything was sunshiny and comfy but not quite the same. It was a bit like a dream wrapped in an old t-shirt that’s been washed too many times. The same life, a new me, and jet lag.
I spent a couple weeks sleeping off the race and unpacking for the last time. People asked about it and I told them it was the best thing I’ve ever done I never want to do again.
Summer was hot in God’s frying pan but not as hot as Cambodia, which my sister quickly tired of me saying. Still, after a year of summer (if you skip spring in Nepal and Ireland) I was pretty over it. On the other hand, I’d never been more in love with America. I spent my abyss of newly freed up time reading the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence and then proceeded to enter back in to the world of politics. I wasn’t ready for that one…
Skip to September when I was blessed with a wishlist job. Great co-workers, tasks that utilize my skills, working with kids and people, lots to do, variety and great pay. It was worth the wait.
Oh, where do work you ask? Now, it’s cooler than it sounds. I work at a Rec center! 🙂
Sharing a bunk bed with my younger sister was luxurious by race standards but even our close relationship began to strain by the lack of personal space. Add that to the general mix of ongoing chaos at my parents house (I’m the oldest) and it’s safe to say finding a new place to start fresh couldn’t come soon enough. But God is always right on time, never late and not too early.
October
I’ve been blessed to share a 3 bedroom house with two girls I met on Craig’s list of all places. It’s really a funny story… With all the lessons I learned living in close community for a year I think this one is going to be a comparable smooth ride. With new challenges that grow me, of course…
This Week
I’m gonna be brutally honest, it started with PMS. I kept walking into my empty house and wanting to cry. I just felt lonely. But as days passed I realized that God generally pushed me toward Him and into new things by making me uncomfortable. And that’s right where I was. It hit me that I was feeling this need to push and kick and move from where I was into more. I was ready to wake up from my post-race sleep and start a new day. A new adventure.
The race was exhausting for me. But so was a bit of what I faced when I came home. It took time for me to step into the new, both literally and figuratively. But now I can say I’m ready and walking forward.
Blogs Blogs Blogs…
I read a few newsletters/emails/blogs from friends in missions around the world and it stirred my heart in a new way. It was amazing to feel so connected to red light ministries in India, the orphanages in Africa, and at the same time feel so content to be the one here. Home.
Today I enjoyed being an encourager and supporter. I loved peering into many windows of many works happening around the world.
I don’t know if this is my new season. I don’t know if I am still in a waiting season. I don’t know if I will end up in Georgia like half of my squad… I just know that today was a gift and tomorrow is an adventure. And I’m ready to wake up to a new day. <3
Thank you for all of your prayers, support and encouragement! Big things happened while I was on the race inside and outside of me and I look forward to spending a lifetime letting those big (don’t forget the little things too) things change the world. Praying God rocks your world too <3
