So Simple, Yet So Hard

This post is part of my weekly Time for Honesty. I do my best to share something that's on my heart that is honest, sincere, and transparent - something that will get you thinking and get you to be honest with yourself.

If we're being honest (and by all indications, we are), then I have a confession to make:

I'm a little discouraged about blogging at the moment.

I've considered quitting. Posting less. Being ridiculously obnoxious and self-promoting. Doing more giveaways. Changing the layout. Changing the theme.

I've considered a lot of things, and I wonder what's brought on this disappointment.

Not "enough" people frequent Life Before the Bucket.

The fact that very few people in "real" life ever acknowledge my writing.

Just plain, ol' insecurity.

And really, the disappointment or discouragement I've been feeling is probably a combination of all of the above and more. But I keep my ultimate goal in mind: to change a life. One simple life. Even if just in one simple way. And if my goal is so important to me, why would I quit?

Who cares about pageviews or popularity? I don't in "real" life, so why should I "on here?" Or is it something deeper? Something deep-seeded within me that cries for love. That cries for someone to care and keep caring. That longs for people to know me and to see beyond my sickness and my pain.

This longing is within me, and yet, God is before me. Why is this solution so simple? And yet so difficult? Why must I spend my time trimming square pegs so I can pretend that they really do fit in circular holes? They don't. No matter how I frame it, my emptiness cannot - will not - be filled by things that I justify as being "of God."

He's the solution. It's just that easy.

So why is this equation so hard for me to understand?

Question: What have you been struggling with lately? What do you think the source of that struggle may be? What are some possible solutions?

The More the Merrier, Right?

It just started pouring and my first thought was, "How on earth is my rolling backpack going to survive the walk to school?"

My wife is amazing. She's beautiful. She's smart. And I learn from her every day.

Unfortunately, for the saps out there, this post isn't really about her. But I love bragging on her!

The other day she taught me a fact I didn't know. Apparently, on this new-fangled Facebook thing that I keep hearing about, people have, on average, 130 friends. 

In retrospect, I'm not sure what surprised me more. The actual number, or my ridiculous reaction:

"Is that all? Are you sure?"

First of all, my wife is always right. This is a scientifically proven fact. So I don't know why I ever ask, "Are you sure?" But even more surprising to me was my initial reaction. Is having 130 people to network with really not that many?

Goodness gracious we live in some weird times.

What sort of person needs more than 130 people to network with? In fact, when you divide yourself 130 ways, how much of you is really ever given to each of those people? How deep could those relationships truly be?

And then I think about my friends and me. I know very few people my age who have less than 500 "friends" on Facebook. Now, naturally, we know that this includes a few strays, so even if there's 50 people that we somehow managed to "approve" of, that still leaves 450 people to network with.

Who needs 450 friends?!

Not this guy.

Sadly, I'm not sure what to think of this. I finally "de-friended" a few people for the first time the other day. But then a few days later, I added a couple more to my list. And all along, I wonder how deep my friendships truly are. I wonder how committed I truly am to these people. I wonder, is it really possible for me to truly love these people? 

I'm not sure. The example I have set for me through Jesus' life is pretty clear. He had 12ish guys that he kept pretty tight with (which still sounds like a lot to me). And then there were about another 100 people that followed him around. And he had compassion for those people. He loved those people deeply. And he was God in the flesh. 

How on earth can I expect to one-up Jesus? Do I really think that I'm more masterful with relationships than he was? Do I truly believe that I'm capable of establishing meaningful, caring, and compassionate relationships with over 500 people?

Doubt it.

Moral of the story? We need to focus a little more in our relationships. We don't necessarily need to skip straight over to Facebook and purge our "friends" list, but we need to take inventory:

Who am I investing my time in?

Who am I showing love to on a regular basis?
 
Who am I allowing to love me? 

And in all of this, we need to remember: we can have 500 friendships that are an inch deep, but how much of an investment is an inch, really? Do I really care about someone if I'm only willing to give them an inch of who I am? Or do they deserve better? 

Question: What can you do today to deepen one (yes, just one) relationship in your life?

 

K.I.S.S.

Our apartment has this weird thing about not wanting to go below 80 degrees. I wish it knew how much I don't appreciate that.

It's Monday. The second Monday of the school year for us, to be precise. And if we're being honest here, the second Monday is much worse than the first. There's no more excitement. No more nervousness. No more "I don't have any homework due!"

Nope, the second Monday is what the first Monday really should be like.

Because this is true (and it is - I've done research), I've decided that today, I want to keep my post simple. Very, very simple. Which reminds me of a million different talks in a million different settings that have used to the acronym "K.I.S.S."

Keep it simple, stupid.

A couple of issues I have with this acronym (even though I'm using it:

First of all, since when is "it" worthy to be part of an acronym?

And if we're being all-inclusive here, what do we do about the comma?

This is just ludicrous, people. And no, I didn't mean Ludacris. Ludicrous. There's a difference. Barely.

With that being said (and since I've completely betrayed the fact that I wanted to keep this post "simple"), here's what I have for you today: a simple question. I know I ask questions everyday, but we're keeping it simple and avoiding my bad story-telling in lieu of the fact that it's the second Monday of the school year.

So my question for you today is this:

To you, what makes someone a leader?

That's it. Simple as that.

Think, reflect, answer.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Older

I got a rolling backpack in the mail the other day. It's pretty sweet and I'm pretty sure it's going to be the next big trend around here. Or maybe not...


Older

Being older today than I've ever been before is an odd thought. There's so much pressure. So much to learn from. I'm older than I was when I was living yesterday, but am I wiser for that time spent? Am I a better person because of that day?

And what about today? As I grow older in mind and body today, will I progress? Regress? Or simply hole up and give up?

Growing older feels helpless, and yet I look forward to it every day.

I see the growing pains in my actions. Though my body has stopped growing, my heart and mind haven't. I'm still learning to walk as a toddler in mind in this world, and every once in a while, I still fall.

Meanwhile, my body struggles. I cannot breathe like I could 4 years ago. I can't run like I could 4 years ago. I can't even carry a backpack like I could 4 years ago. And I'm not much older than I was then.

But my mind is still young. It's still in its infancy. My heart still beats fervently, as if it were the first day that its ever had.

I'm excited to be older. And I'm excited that each day, I'm older than the next. Being older in body may be painful. But being older in mind and in heart seems to give me a new lease on life. It invigorates me and inspires me. And it lets me lead others to be as excited about living as I am.

End.

Question: Do you enjoy growing older? What about it is good? What about it is discouraging? Surprising?

Today's post was a part of The Gypsy Mama's Five Minute Friday! Check it out if you're interested!

Progress

I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to fix my Keurig. Turns out all I needed to do was burp it like a 2 month old. But much more vigorously.

School started back up this week.

Inevitably, this means I'm back to my life of conversating about facial hair approximately 43% of the time.

So, in the interest of sheer curiosity on your part (because there was obviously a demand for this post... just kidding!), I'd like to bring you a photo-op, featuring none other than...

My beard!

I know, I know, you can't contain your excitement.

About 4 months ago, I completely rid The Beard of its glory. 

The Beard in its Former Glory:

The Post-Fall Beard:

About Four Months Later:

I'd say The Beard is making a strong comeback. It may never reach its full potential again (because I enjoy having a happy marriage), but it's definitely alive and well.

I know, I know, you were concerned for it. You can lay your fears to rest.

So yes, I realize there isn't much point to this post, but I figure it's good to have fun and not need to learn something or reflect on something from time to time. Sometimes, you just need to smile and remember "the good ol' days."

Question: When you think of "the good ol' days," what comes to mind?

I'd love to hear from you! Just drop me a comment or an e-mail, and share this post with your friends while you're at it!