Live In The Moment
-I choose to be present-
// presence, noun: the state of existing, occurring or being present in one place //
So much stress and joy has been packed into one day. As midterms are approaching, I am realizing how much I need to focus on my classes, focus on my grades and focus on my readings. Whenever I actually sit down and begin to study, I get distracted by a conversation with a friend, something on my phone or become overwhelmed by how much I need to get done. I have been noticing for a while that while walking around campus, many students are more interested in their phone than in the people around them. I am guilty of this as well, but it saddens me how normal this is becoming. Even within conversations I have with other people I find myself having to resist an urge to check my phone. Everyone knows how much disrespect is felt when the person you are conversing with is more interested in their phone than with the person right in front of them. I am becoming so immersed in this social media culture that sometimes I forget how to interact with real people. I know, it sounds weird, but face-to-face conversations are awkward sometimes. Especially since we are so used to immediate responses, sometimes its hard to keep a conversation going. With my dad visiting this weekend, I wanted to be as present as possible when I was with him since it has been 5 weeks since I last saw him in person. After further reflection, I though why I don't want to be like this with every person I meet. You never know how much a smile, a glance up from a phone, slipping your phone in your pocket, or even turning it off can affect someone else's mood ((and your own)). Friday, I sacrificed unneeded Internet and music. It was really humbling to see how much I am actually on my phone just to look at something. After experiencing this for one day, I want to make the conscious effort for the rest of the month to be mentally present with all I meet because I know how loved it makes me feel with the other person puts away their phone and focuses completely on our conversation, being completely present.
-I choose to be a servant-
// servant, noun: a devoted and helpful person who performs duties for others //
~Make me a channel of Your peace~
Eyeopening experience today: we serve each other everyday. This little thing goes really well with the one from yesterday. It's been a humbling experience attending Franciscan. Lots is different from Marquette, from the dining hall to meal swipes to laundry to the mail room to how I get to class. Everything so far this year has been a blessing and I am loving the life I have here. Today, however, I was really shown how important little acts of service are. Running out of my dorm this morning since I was late to meet my dad, a man was coming out of our flat bread shop on campus called Sandella's. His arms were full of food and in his hands were two hot coffee's. As he approached his car, he realized he had a problem: he had no open hands to unlock his car. He looked flustered and confused and very stressed. As I was racing down the stairs, he heard my footsteps on the pavement and a smile came across his face. He politely called out " Miss, could you do me a favor?"
Now at this point I had a choice: I could keep on running to my car and ignore his calls, or I could put aside my daily schedule to help someone in need. ((Clearly, I choose the second choice))
I answered with an enthusiastic 'of course!' and he proceeded to ask me to open his door. As I was in the process of opening the door, his smile got wider and he called me a life saver.
These instances are around us everyday, but most of the time we are blind to them because we are too caught up in our own little problems in our own little world. After performing this act, not only did I make this man's morning, but his happiness rubbed off on me for the whole day. Originally when I wrote my 31 little things list, I thought today I would be doing some service in regards to a multitude of people, not just one man. But the truth his, this service to one man was just as important to a similar service to many people. This instance really reminded me of our call to a relationship with the Lord; we can either be caught up in service to Him or caught up in our own little worlds. We need to open our eyes to all the people who are in need of our assistance, from little things to big things. It's my dream to serve others through missionary works, but why not start living this dream in the now rather than putting it off until the future. Live in the present, make little actions of love; you never know how much people will appreciate.
31 Little Things
// October 3 & 4 \\
-I choose to be a servant-
// servant, noun: a devoted and helpful person who performs duties for others //
~Make me a channel of Your peace~
Eyeopening experience today: we serve each other everyday. This little thing goes really well with the one from yesterday. It's been a humbling experience attending Franciscan. Lots is different from Marquette, from the dining hall to meal swipes to laundry to the mail room to how I get to class. Everything so far this year has been a blessing and I am loving the life I have here. Today, however, I was really shown how important little acts of service are. Running out of my dorm this morning since I was late to meet my dad, a man was coming out of our flat bread shop on campus called Sandella's. His arms were full of food and in his hands were two hot coffee's. As he approached his car, he realized he had a problem: he had no open hands to unlock his car. He looked flustered and confused and very stressed. As I was racing down the stairs, he heard my footsteps on the pavement and a smile came across his face. He politely called out " Miss, could you do me a favor?"
Now at this point I had a choice: I could keep on running to my car and ignore his calls, or I could put aside my daily schedule to help someone in need. ((Clearly, I choose the second choice))
I answered with an enthusiastic 'of course!' and he proceeded to ask me to open his door. As I was in the process of opening the door, his smile got wider and he called me a life saver.
These instances are around us everyday, but most of the time we are blind to them because we are too caught up in our own little problems in our own little world. After performing this act, not only did I make this man's morning, but his happiness rubbed off on me for the whole day. Originally when I wrote my 31 little things list, I thought today I would be doing some service in regards to a multitude of people, not just one man. But the truth his, this service to one man was just as important to a similar service to many people. This instance really reminded me of our call to a relationship with the Lord; we can either be caught up in service to Him or caught up in our own little worlds. We need to open our eyes to all the people who are in need of our assistance, from little things to big things. It's my dream to serve others through missionary works, but why not start living this dream in the now rather than putting it off until the future. Live in the present, make little actions of love; you never know how much people will appreciate.
31 Little Things
// October 3 & 4 \\
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