Can I tell you about what I’ve been learning lately, maybe over the past 6 months? Cool. Let’s get into some real talk.

I am slowly-but-surely learning that you don’t have to like and/or be good at only one thing. You don’t have to pigeon hole yourself into ‘being’ only one type of person. This is the biggest thing I am figuring out for myself in both my professional life and healthy-lifestyle life. Do everything. Try everything. Be anything. Do more than one thing. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Don’t be afraid to walk away from a steady job to pursue a scarier-but-more-fulfilling dream. Don’t be afraid to be a lot of things at once. A photographer and a swim coach? Do it. (my life) A freelance web designer and a cake baker? That is amazing. You can work in retail and own a small business at the same time. One year you can be a dental hygienist and the next year you can be blogging your way through Europe. You can be a runner and a swimmer, you don’t have to pick just one. One day you can love biking, but another day you can love yoga, and that is totally ok.

It’s all up to you. You do what makes you happy. There is no right answer. You do what makes you smile. You do what makes you want to keep doing whatever you’re doing. This is what I’m learning.

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“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through, love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13 

Recently God has been teaching me about love, and more specifically, about the different ways to show love.

My Grandma passed away last week. It’s a sad way to start a blog post, but it’s what has been going on in my life lately, and how God has been teaching me.

My Grandma was a wonderful human. She was the kind of grandma who baked cookies with my little sister and I every Christmas, and loved to swim with us in the lake during the summer. She valued people over things, as evidenced by the last ten years of Christmas presents: donating to Samaritan’s Purse in our honor, instead of buying presents. More recently, she fervently showed off our wedding album to anyone who would look at it and would call every other week just to talk (I probably should’ve been the one doing that, now that I think about it.) In short, I love her and I miss her already.

Nate and I have been married for 3 years and this is the first time as a couple that we’re experiencing the loss of a close family member. The night my mom called to tell me the news, I was ok for about an hour. And then, right as I was climbing into bed, the weight of everything hit me. And the tears started. Nate snuggled up next to me and held me for a while. He didn’t try to fill the silence with words (what words are there, really?), but instead quietly consoled me through his presence. That’s all he needed to do. I felt loved.

Your intentional presence is a way to show love. All you, all in, no words needed. (Example: Jesus)

~*~

I got coffee and went on a walk with two friends this morning. About 45 minutes into chatting, the conversation was getting deeper, so I went for it. “Well, to be honest.. my grandma died last week, so it’s been an emotional couple days.” I don’t know why I waited for 45 minutes to tell them that. It probably should have been the first thing out of my mouth. Telling them about my Gram then turned into stories of all of our grandparents and how wonderful they are (and how much we miss the ones who are gone). At the end of our two hour conversation, these friends prayed over me and my family, which was such an unexpected blessing for me.

Opening up is a way to show love. I love and trust my friends enough to share the deep things.
Praying is another way to show love. And not just “I’ll pray for you”, but also “Let’s pray right now”. (Luke 22:32)

~*~

Just in the last week, God has visibly shown and reminded me of 3 ways to show love. Of course these aren’t the only ways to love, but definitely a couple that can help me live more like Jesus, and therefor more like love. So, I just wanted to share that with you guys. <3

P.S. Nate met my Grandma not too long after we started dating. She loved to tell the story of the first time Nate was with us for a holiday (Thanksgiving 2010) and she heard someone call her “Grandma!”. But it was neither my sister or I, it was Nate calling her that! 🙂 She was really touched by that moment and I’m really glad that he had a chance to get to know her over the last 5 years.

I recently had a conversation with my best friend about a subject that is probably relevant for most kids in our mid-to-late-20s. We both expressed that we’re feeling in limbo; in general, life is good, but not exactly where either of us want to end up in the long run. There are days when it feels like it’s taking forever to get to where we’d ideally like to be. Certain aspects of the future (like graduating law school, or moving to a new country) have their set timelines, so there’s not much we can do to hurry those events along. But there are ways we can take initiative to feel more content and peaceful with how life is now, while patiently awaiting those bigger things. Here’s are 4 tricks my bestie and I have been putting into practice to get out of that ‘limbo’ feeling:

Shift Your Perspective
Every day I dream about a cozy kitchen with morning light streaming through big windows (exactly the opposite of what I have now). Ideally I’d love to start house hunting, but in this season of life we’re apartment people, it’s just what makes sense. So I remind myself to think about all the things I DO have. It’s the classic way of shifting your perspective to see the good stuff. And guess why it’s classic? Because it works. I have a lovely back porch with comfy chairs, where Nate and I can eat our summer dinners, my own little office and even a working dishwasher! 🙂

Plan for the Near Future (not the super-far-away-future)
If you’re always planning for 5 years down the road, you’re never going to enjoy what you have in your life right now. Live for today. It sounds so cliche, but this little phrase has been helping me a lot lately. Plan a fun date night for tomorrow. Or plan a relaxing get-away weekend with your friends next month. Give yourself something exciting-yet-reachable to look forward to, so you’re not just spending your days just waiting for those long-term goals to happen.

Practice the ‘One Thing’ Rule
Do one thing today that will lead you closer to your big goal. Do you really want a new job? Update your resume today. Itching to go on a big adventure? Block out two weeks on your calendar today. Want to launch an Etsy shop? Think of a shop name today. And take the next small step tomorrow. Take initiative for those big things you desire!

Trust God
It’s easier said than done, but trust God! He is the one who marks our steps and makes the plans for our lives after all. Life is always moving, evolving, and changing and if we put our trust in Him, it will be easier to be content with the season we are in right now. (Pep talk!!!!) “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on You, because he trusts in You.”  Isaiah 26:3

If you’re like me and my best friend, if you’re feeling in limbo between the ‘right now’ and the ‘where you want to be’: A) know that you are not alone and B) try these 4 things. See where these perspective shifts take you. I think you’ll feel better. Know that the big goals and plans will happen in time, but that shouldn’t mean you can’t enjoy life right now!

-Stephanie