Of Being Intentional

Welcome to the 5-minute read of my thoughts!  What’s been swirling around lately is being intentional.  I’ve heard that word “intentional” a lot over the last few days.  I don’t hear it that often so I started thinking about its meaning.

According to the British dictionary, intentional means, “performed by or expressing intention; deliberate” or “of or relating to intention or purpose”  I chose this definition because of the word deliberate; I can grasp a better picture of deliberate for whatever reason.  It’s as if you’re setting your mind to do something no matter the cost, consequences, or things you’ll have to do or even give up to accomplish it.

Now then, you can be intentional in many different facets.  You can be intentional about getting work done, about your hobbies, about planning a vacation, etc.  I think of being intentional with people.

I have some amazingly intentional friends in my life.  Too many to list or describe them all, which is incredible when I stop to think about it…  So much good has come from these relationships!  Hats off to you, friends! :) 

I know some will invite myself and others to events or to hang out in order to include people and get to know me/them.  I know some will ask how they can pray for me (and they will actually do it).  I know some of them send me texts saying that they’re thinking of me or asking how I’m doing, which a nice little surprise during the day that doesn’t happen enough.  I know some of them are far away but take the time to catch up in person if coming through town (best!) or will call and catch up (second best!). 

A sweet friend did just that this past weekend.  She’s been working non-stop it seems, so we hadn’t been able to talk on the phone/Facetime in a couple of months.  No matter.  We picked up right where we left off and were able to encourage each other, among many things.  Crazy to think that she was only able to live in Texas for a few short months, but I’m so very glad she did!  Now I get to visit her in the Northwest sometime and she has a place to stay here in Texas or wherever I go!

What about the guy who actually tells a girl his intentions?  Now that’s refreshing.  I’ve had it happen.  I gleaned a great line to let someone down easy come to think of it (because a guy used it on me)!  Ha!  Anyway, it could go either way, like “I want to get to know you/go on dates/talk to you about xyz/whatever” or “I don’t want to do those things with you.”  Simple as that.  Either way is good, in my opinion.  Of course with the former you’d, in fact, get to know a cool person.  With the latter I’d think, “Still friends, nothing wrong or weird, I just don’t want to date you or get to know you outside of group events (or the guy just doesn’t want to pursue me).  Great!  I didn’t waste your time or energy; you didn’t waste my time or energy…”  It’s a win-win.

Because, yep, ain’t nobody got time for that!  Everyone is busy with work, pets, children, DIY projects, exercise, school, you name it!  We’re all busy, and I’m just as prone to use that card as the next person.   However, you really do make time for what or who is important to you.  I’m also in that crowd.

Now I know it takes effort to be intentional with people.  It takes planning ahead and juggling schedules a lot of the time.  It takes away from your virtual world of social media.  It takes more than just saying, “We should get together!”  It takes thinking of others.  It takes your precious time.   It takes committing to what you said you’d do.

Yet think of all the good that can come from being intentional in your relationships.

I’ve decided to try to be more intentional with my time, especially with whom I spend it on or with.  I’m going to set aside designated time for others, try to be more flexible to accommodate their schedule, and plan something right when I think of it or have them in front of me.  Now, this isn’t a “if you get to spend time with me, you know you’re hot stuff” kind of thing.  Sorry to burst that bubble.  There’s just so much I have to do, need to do, and want to do!

So, it just means that I feel I have to be choosy, to be selective.  If I say I’m going to dinner with a friend, I’m going to do my best to show up, put my phone down, and be engaged.  I really want to know them better.  (Have to say that this scenario happened and that this particular friend was super gracious and forgiving due to my poor foresight what with a conference call in the middle of everything…)  Then if they want to go do something else and I can squeeze it in, yay!  It’s great if more friends are there.  I mean, bonus! :)

Seriously though, if I weren’t intentional, I wouldn’t have nearly as many friends all over the country and world nor would I have my closest friends.  

It doesn’t take too, too much, come to find out.  Dangle a marathon in front of me and bam!  I got the best running buddy and friend a girl could ask for!  Or have a coworker tell me they like sushi too, and I’ll start an “every Monday of the month” schedule to try sushi restaurants.  A little effort can go a long way sometimes!

Besides, I just don’t know how much longer I’ll have with the people I’m surrounded by.  I’m not trying to be morbid or sad, trust me.  I’m just not sure where exactly I’ll end up with my dreams and passions, quite honestly. 

So, it just means that I want to be intentional with people now and always.

Mending a Broken Heart

A friend and I were talking one night, and she mentioned reading my most recent blog posts.  She complimented me on being so transparent.  I blushed, laughed, and thanked her. 

It’s true, though.  I write the truth as it is in my life and as seen in my eyes.  I write what’s real and really happening.

1)  Who wants to read someone’s blog that’s not true, especially when it’s about real life stuff like relationships, joys, struggles, and blessings?  Plus, there’s enough rubbish and facades out there!  I don’t want to fall into that…

2)  I wouldn’t write what I wouldn’t say in person.  I very much enjoyed my friend bringing up the post because we had a GREAT conversation!  The blog was just a jumping off point.  Hope this happens more often, especially because the blogs only say so much.  It’s condensed sometimes because I feel that the “long version” needs to be given in person.  …with my famous voices and facial expressions that make up my “cutely excited” self, of course! ;)

3)  It’s easy.  I can’t exactly explain it.  What I write just comes to me, so I write it down and share it.  Plus, I don’t know who reads my blog besides my Mom and Grandpa, honestly, so I guess it’s easy to know that no one could possible see my thoughts.

4)  However, I do write and write the truth because I think, “What if just one person reads my blog and it helps them in some way?”  Then it was worth putting out there.

So what does being transparent have to do with this post?  Everything.  Glance at that title once more...  Now keep reading.

It’s a bit uncanny how many friends have talked to me recently about relationships.  Several have mentioned a past relationship breaking their heart.  That breaks mine.  I don’t want to see my friends hurt or hurting and I most definitely want them to heal.

My own heart is not immune; it’s been hurt as well.  So much so that I felt that Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” was written just for me.  So much so that I didn’t know when my heart would mend.

It was the typical head-over-heels kind of thing.  “Stupid Jessie” I would think not too long ago.  Can you help whom you fall for??  Haven’t gotten an answer about that one… But, yes, I wasted a lot of time, energy, and emotions on this guy.  I kept asking God questions like why doesn’t he like me, why do I like him so much, and why God couldn’t just take the feelings away. 

Well, I’ve stopped asking all of those “why” questions.  I got some answers and even wrestled with them.  I went through a good range of emotions and prayed.  Much more could be said and at least one story of some real anger, but what I’ll say now is that I’m now healthy and even still friends with that guy (remaining friends was not my plan originally but God is in control and gives us forgiveness and grace so that we can extend forgiveness and grace…)  Trust me, I’ve learned a lot, and several things have happened that have been key factors for me to be okay.  Here are the top three:

Time.  This is the most important, even if it is a cliché.  Starting out, there was no way to know how much time I would need to heal, but now that I’m healthy and a better person for going through all of this, I’m glad I took time to go to God and ask questions, get answers, and process everything.  It also took time for me to get out of messed up thinking -- I was questioning people’s motives for most anything; I noticed I didn’t want to do nice things for people like making/sending cards; I didn’t think people cared; and I was very guarded, not wanting to share much about my life or experiences.

Moving.  I moved to Texas for a job; it was a much-needed change.  I wasn’t around that guy for sure and no one knew me so I could be whomever I wanted.  Of course, I couldn’t escape my dominant characteristics and qualities but I did tweak some things.

Dating. At one point, I remember thinking that just replacing that guy with another guy was what I needed but really I needed to replace him with God.  I did, though it’s a process to be sure.  I do fail, yet God’s got me.  And honestly, I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that dating would have helped as much as it did.  I dated a guy for an extended period of time, and even though it didn’t work out in the end, it was a big piece of the mending heart puzzle.  I let my guard down a bit to let him in, and it was good.

So, number one word of advice is go to God.  He is the only one who could possibly give me the healing I needed, that you need, and the healing I’ll need in the future because I know that no person can give me unconditional love and people, no matter who they are, will disappoint and hurt me.  It’s fact.  We aren’t God and we are all fallen people needing to be saved.  

Another piece of advice is that time is important.  I’m not the only person who’s been hurt nor will I be the last but taking the time to become healthy again is essential.  Among other things, I’ve noticed my wrong thinking is gone -- I don’t question people’s motives; I’ve started doing nice things for people again for the right reasons; I think and know people care about me; and I’m guarded in the sense that I want to be smart about the when and to whom I open up.  Again, I’m not perfect but learning and definitely leaning on God.

I know people have been hurt by their girlfriend/boyfriend/love/spouse and it’s truly terrible.  There’s no denying that.  However, life doesn’t end there.  Maybe you focused on the other person instead of God, like me, or maybe you need to take time to completely heal, like me.  I’d encourage you to get to the root cause of the hurt or anger and do something about it.  Someone is missing out on you.

The People You Meet

Isn’t it amazing who God brings into your life?! 

Think about all the people who you’ve known or met thus far.  I’m sure the list is incredible!  I remember my grade school teachers, my high school teachers, my family members, youth group leaders, crushes, my good guy friends, my coaches, my teammates of various sports, best friends in all stages of life, my roommates, the group of friends I traveled with, camp counselors, etc.  The number of people seems so vast!

I think each person you meet is meaningful.  It may seem like a random encounter like at an event or a fleeting one like all you do is smile at them or maybe you know you’ll never see that person again in life, but it doesn’t matter.  I think what matters is what you do for that person and what you learn from that person. 

It doesn’t have to be earth shattering.  A simple smile can go a long way.  I think I’m realizing this more and more as I work in the hospital and visit patients and their family members who possibly going through a very tough time.  Another example is when I met a woman while in Cape Cod who was staying at the same place as me.  I knew I would never see her again but it didn’t stop her or me from sharing a little bit of our lives.  Come to find out, she was from Canada and I was actually looking at Dietitian jobs there at that time (very long story)!  We also enjoyed telling each other our adventures and great finds (i.e. best beach to see the sunrise).

You don’t have to have known them forever to see beauty in their life.  I met a girl literally tonight who was telling me how she was involved with her church’s residency program.  She told me about raising thousands of dollars to go to 11 countries in 11 months doing work with a company.  Very early on in the trip, her appendix burst!  She needed surgery and time to heal from infection and a parasite, so she had to come back to the States.  As you can see, this year was supposed to look A LOT different for her, but you wouldn’t have known her disappointment without her saying so because she was so very happy with where she was and how God had clearly arranged for her life to look the way it does right now.   She further explained other things God was doing in her life in such a way that made me feel like I had known her for years.  All of this makes me appreciate the infectious joy that God has given her and the willingness to let God take control of life even more.  This is challenging, to be sure, to see what God has done and is doing in my life as well as evaluate how much I don’t want to give up control in my life.

Sometimes, it’s a two-way street.  There’s a guy I don’t know that well but would like to get to know better since I believe he has a unique life story.  While talking one day, he said some things that made me stop and think, yet made me curious as to why he’d say what he did or just curious to know the whole story.  He has a very different perspective than me for many reasons.  I want to know it, but I don’t think he wants to share.  That is okay and definitely his choice; I'm not trying to pressure anyone.  Too bad for us both, though, I think.

Because maybe you need to share with someone to help them or positively influence them rather than the reverse.  Of course, you must be given the opportunity as the above example alludes to but you must also take advantage of the opportunity.  I remember debating on sharing details of my life with a guy because I didn’t know where things would go.  In the end, I figured that that was ridiculous and very selfish.  Who knows the impact of what I would say to him or how much he would need me to listen to him, encourage him, or give him asked for advice?

I know that finding out about such an impact doesn’t always happen but tonight it did.  He wrote me a sweet card, in which he stated how much he appreciated me helping him with his walk with the Lord, reminded me of how much people loved me, and how influential I was on the people around me.  Wow.

I can’t take credit.  I am who I am and act the way I act and say what I say because of Christ.  Granted, it’s not always elegant or perfect but by God’s grace it will be what someone else needs.  It is God who has changed me and works through me.

Looking back at who all have influenced me is awesome.  Looking for whom all I can influence is the adventure I’m on.

FOMO

FOMO. 

It’s real, yo.  And I was totally called out on it!  I was texting a friend in regards to a relationship and how unsure I was about the future.  They said FOMO (stands for "fear of missing out" for those, like me, who are acronym illiterate sometimes)… and that everyone has it!

Well, that struck me, especially since I decided a few years back that I wasn’t going to live in fear.  It’s beyond crippling since it can seep into every facet of life, be it relationships, work, personal health, family, life goals, etc. etc. etc.  Fear also possibly the number one thing Satan uses against God’s children so that we don’t accomplish what we are meant to do – to love and glorify God while bringing others to Him.

If you don’t know me, I’m stubborn.  So, I decided I wasn’t going to let fear (or FOMO or whatever) win.  I stepped out and got into a dating relationship. 

Obviously, beating fear was not the reason to get into this relationship.  It was just a hurdle that needed to be overcome.  I wrestled with other things, too, which is a reason why I think getting into the relationship as well as the pre-relationship phase was good and necessary.  I answered some questions like,

“What if it doesn’t work out??”  So be it.  At least we tried.  I thought of several things: 1) as a good friend once said, “There are how many people in the world?!  And you’re only supposed to end up with one, so you’re gonna to be saying ‘no’ to a lot of people!” and 2) I figured we could still be friends even if it didn’t work since that’s my track record.  3) I might have felt like a hypocrite because I know I’ve said to a friend who would be getting into a healthy relationship, “If you really like her, go for it! You never know… and at least you tried.”

“Why even date this guy?”  To see if there’s zing-pow, of course!!  (I have a whole theory on zing-pow that only some have the privilege of knowing…)  So, I could take the time to get to know a guy who impressed me with his character and shared mutual interests and see where things went or not. 

“What if I actually fall for this guy??” (but in the sense that I fall and he doesn’t)  Déjà vu.  It will hurt but surely not as bad since I was on my guard, whether that was good or bad, I’m not sure.  Still though, there has to be some good to come from it if it did end up like that, just like the other time, even if it is just a clear “okay, you’re not for me; I can move on” kinda good.

“Am I willing to not be selfish?  I love my single life.  I can do what I want, when I want.  I also happen to like the dating life.  I can do what I want with a guy I like :)  Yes, there is give and take.  There were also schedule hash-outs to give him part of my day so that we could get to know one another.  It worked out in a good way.

“Am I willing to open up?”  Boy, isn’t it easy to tell someone only what you want them to know?  It might be even easier these days with social media.  Everyone has skeletons in the closet and is scared of rejection.  For me, I think that I’m more of a cracked open book.  I will answer questions honestly and pretty much to their fullest extent if prompted.  In other words, I’m not good at just offering up information (unless they shared something that I have a similar story on or I write it in this blog, apparently, haha!).

New questions will come as I move forward, since every guy is different as well as the time I meet them, and these questions will most likely be re-visited.  Thankfully, I've at least thought about them.

In the end, I don’t regret getting into the relationship neither do I regret getting out of the relationship.   Both of these were good for me and for him, in the long run.

I know I can live my life in fear not just in relationships, as I highlighted here.  However, I also know that I don’t want to live in fear nor do I have to.  Realizing what the real issue, what the root cause of the fear truly is and then tackling it with God is the only way to go about it.  I’m a work in progress to be sure yet have the best One molding me!