Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 54

In Others’ Words: Are We Having Fun Yet?

 

It’s been a week …

You know. One of those weeks where you do the work. And sometimes you’re happy with your efforts … and sometimes you’re not.

One of those weeks where you rest … and sometimes you’re up earlier — or later — and you’re tired. Just dragging through the day.

One of those weeks where things go according to plan … or things derail and you stand there and think, “What just happened?”

One of those weeks where the sun shines one day … and it snows the next. (This happened in Colorado. How’s the weather where you are?)

But there was fun in this week. Yes, there was. Laughter. Time for walks with my walking buddy. A few favorite movies — the kind you know the lines to because you’ve watched them so many times, but you still laugh even as you quote them. Conversation with friends. A surprise phone call that knocked me wonderfully off-kilter. Singing “The Wheels on the Bus” with my GRANDgirl because she knows the motions so, so well …

Fun. 

And it’s true: Life is better when it’s fun.

I know not all days, not all weeks, are going to be fun. All the more reason to be thankful for the days that are.

In Your Words: How’d your week go? What kind of fun did you have? Was it planned or unexpected?

In Others’ Words: Are We Having #Fun Yet? #inotherswords #lifequotes
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What kind of #fun have you had this week? #inotherswords #havefun
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In Others’ Words: Is Change a challenge an opportunity or a threat?

I like change a whole lot better than I used to.

I guess growing up does that to you. I’m not who I used to be — and I’m thankful. And, if I have anything to say or do about it, I won’t be the same person a year from now.

I clung to who I was for a long, long time. Habits. Thought patterns. My identity. Wrong thing to do, that. Once I realized that who I was needed to grow up, I realized changing wasn’t a threat — in fact, it was just the opposite.

Changing was a challenge, yes — in a good way. It can be summed up in This is who I was — now who was I supposed to become? I had to let go of what I was used to and be willing to be uncomfortable — to not recognize myself for a while.

Changing was an opportunity to discover who I was according to God’s design, not according to  some other person’s expectations or opinons. Expectatons change. Opinions change. How do you keep up with changing expectations and opinions, much less satisfy them?

The good news? God does not change. What he wants of you, want he wants for you — that remains the same today, tomorrow, and forever.

In Your Words: How do you feel about change? Is it a challenge? An opportunity? Or a threat? Are you experiencing any changes right now? 

In Others’ Words: Is #Change a Challenge an Opportunity or a Threat? #InOthersWords #Lifequotes
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The Opportunity and Challenge of #Change #lifequotes
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In Others’ Words: Switching Gears

 

 

I haven’t been on a bicycle in oh . . . wow . . . about five years now. When the vertigo came along and took my balance on one very long roller coaster ride, I took a break from bike riding.

The good news is, I haven’t had any problems with vertigo lately — except for one brief episode a couple of weeks ago. Emphasis on the word brief. Maybe it’s time to drag the bike out of storage. If I do, I promise to post photos here.

I have to admit that Charles Schulz called it right for me when he said that most of us have gears we never use. He was talking about both bikes … and life. Yep. Guilty on both counts.

I like riding along in middle gear. Middle gear is comfortable. It’ll get me up and down most hills — and allow me to coast too. No need to switch gears. No need to do that mis-switch. You know what I mean — that attempt to switch gears when nothing happens. Nothing engages … and you’ve got no ability to power your bike forward.

Awkward.

Useless.

Frustrating.

Why not just stay in that nice comfortable middle gear that works?

Why not? Because an experience cyclist knows there are ten gears on a bike. 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10. And if the manufacturer made ten, then there must be a reason for all ten of them. A time to use each one of them. Biking isn’t about being comfortable. It’s not about coasting all the time. It’s about knowing the bike — making the bike work for you to the best of it’s ability — and to the best of your capability.

You’re smarter than the bike. Remember that. Use all the gears you have at your disposal — on and off a bike.

In Your Words: Where have you been settling for middle gear? Where is your life set on “comfortable”? How could you switch gears and try something different? 

In Others’ Words: Switching Gears #inotherswords #lifequotes #change
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Remember: You’re smarter than the bike. Switch gears. #change #beuncomfortable
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In Others’ Words: Seeing the Small Joys

I can spend my days so focused on the one big thing that I hope will ensure me happiness …  fame … or accolades … or some sort of self-satisfaction that creates an “I’m enough” feeling — however fleeting …

Or I can gather the small joys that make up the every days of my life.

Laughter shared with friends
Hugs given so freely by my still-can’t-get-over-the-miracle-of-her GRANDgirl
A favorite song that I play over and over again because it draws me closer to God, reminding me who He is … and Whose I am
A too-brief phone call with a long-distance friend that refreshes my heart, mind, and soul
A sunrise … or sunset … or clear blue Colorado sky
The silence of the house in the middle of the night when I’m the only one awake, writing — pursuing my dream — while everyone else is asleep, dreaming
The noise of family filling my house up to overflowing — making memories

 

Is it wrong to pursue the one big thing? No, probably not. But how many times have we trampled the small joys — ignoring them in our haste to succeed?

 

In Your Words: What small joys did you discover in your week?  

In Others’ Words: Seeing the Small Joys #inotherswords #lifequotes #perspective
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What small joys did you discover this week? #life #perspective
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In Others’ Words: Going and Becoming

I didn’t venture too far afield until I married my husband, who was in the U.S. Air Force. For the next twenty-some years, “Uncle Sam” had the say in where we lived — even though we had the chance to fill out a “dream sheet” with our preferences. I liked to tell people that my husband was the military guy and I was the civilian along for the ride.

We didn’t move as much as other military families, but still our family learned the slogan “Home is where the Air Force sends you.” Reading today’s quote had me remembering the various places we called home — including a two-year stay in Turkey. (I didn’t know the air force could send us to Turkey until he announced that was where we were going. I told my husband that must have been in fine print of our marriage license.)

And yes, it’s true, where I’ve been became a part of me. Lifelong memories were made every place we called home. Enduring friendships too. During our two years in Turkey, I went from an extreme case of culture shock — including a very public melt down in a local park — to visiting a remote section of the country with my husband. We shared a meal with the owner of a carpet shop who called my husband “his brother” while bartering with us about his carpets.

These experiences became a part of me … changed me …  broadened my perspective of the world–and myself.

In Your Words: When has going somewhere changed you — become a part of you? Maybe you moved to a new state or maybe you went on a vacation, but somehow, someway, the place you went influenced who you are today. I’d love to hear about it!

In Others’ Words: Going and Becoming #inotherswords #lifequotes #change
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Who are you because of where you’ve been? #life #travel #change
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In Others’ Words: The Hidden Music in Obstacles

My friend Dee said this is one of her favorite quotes — and that I was the one who shared it with her. I’ll take her word for it. The truth is, I’ll take Dee’s word on a lot of things. And whether I came across the quote first, or whether she did … I like it.

One of my favorite sights — and sounds — in nature is a mountain brook. When we’re driving  through the mountains here in Colorado, I’ll insist my husband pull over so that we can get photos of the water on the rocks — even if we’ve been by the same stretch of water dozens of times before. It’s restful … and invigorating at the same time. And yes, it wouldn’t be the same kind of beautiful without the rocks. The rocks create the music of the brook.

What about me? What do I do with the “rocks” in my life? During the challenges, the disappointments, the seasons where I want to ask God, “Can’t we just fast forward through this?” — do I ever listen for the music hidden in the circumstances?  Or do I focus soley on the strident notes … the discords … and doubt that God is making everything beautiful in its time?

In Your Words: When have you been able to look back and thank God for the “rocks” in your life? When has God brought good out of something that, at first, was nothing more than an obstacle you wanted moved out of your way? 

In Others’ Words: The Hidden Music in Obstacles #faith #inotherswords #lifequotes
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The Brook, Rocks … and a Song #lifequotes #circumstances #faith
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In Others’ Words: Doing Well in the World

In my search for quotes this week, I stumbled across a link that featured quotes from children’s books. Quite a lot of fun, reading through the quotes and thinking, “Oh, I’ve read that book!” or “I didn’t realize that quote was from there!”

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m big on knowing the origin of a quote, if at all possible.

But I digress.

I like the simplicity of today’s quote — and that it was tucked into a children’s book:

Keep your promises.
Don’t take what isn’t yours.
Help others.

Good lessons for children to learn — and for adults to remember.

The first one, though, about keeping promises … sometimes I believe you have to amend that one. Keep all your promises … unless it was wrong for you to make that promise in the first place. Yes, I think we need to teach our children the proper way of making promises. Keep all your promises … unless doing so will cause harm to someone else or to you. Keep all your promises … unless you’re keeping a secret that needs to be told — again, because the secret is harmful. I’m all for surprises … but I’m not a huge fan of secrets.

In Your Words: What do you think about today’s list of three? Would you change it? Amend it? Teach it to children? 

In Others’ Words: Doing Well in the World #lifequotes #inotherswords #thesethreethings
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Promises to keep … or not #lifequotes #teachyourchildren
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In Others’ Words: Go ahead — Strike Out!

Babe Ruth is one of those athletes whose life has become legendary. Decades after his death, he is still held up as a sports hero, someone to be admired and respected — to be emulated.

And yet, “the Babe” was not perfect. He struck out. The beauty of it is, he took those strikes in stride and kept aiming for the home runs.

I like his attitude. A lot.

We all have our opportunities to come up to bat — figuratively speaking, of course. To swing — and either hit a home run … or at least get on base. Or maybe we hit a foul ball. Or strike out. The question is: what are we going to do with our chances at bat? If we strike out, are we going to head back to the dugout and hide there? Or are we going to come back out the next time, refocused on a home run?

No one can swing the bat for me — except me. Sure, I can get coaching. (And I think it’s wise to do just that.) But ultimately it’s me and the opportunity … home run or strike. But a strike isn’t lethal — unless I choose to let it be a death blow instead of just one swing closer to a home run.

In Your Words: How’s it going for you right now? Are you hitting home runs? Getting on base? Or striking out? What keeps you coming back and trying again when you’re not seeing the results you’ve hoped for?

In Others’ Words: Go Ahead – Strike Out! #inotherswords #lifequotes #BabeRuth
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Strikes, Homeruns, and a Life Lesson #inotherswords #quotes #perseverance
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In Others’ Word: Life Has Two Rules

Can I be honest and I admit that I quit last week?

I sat on the floor in my bedroom, tears running down my face, and told my husband, “I can’t do this” — “this” basically being the list of “have tos” I was staring at. Yeah … not a shining moment in my life.

So I quit — for all of … oh, I don’t know, twenty minutes. And my husband, wise man that he is, let me quit. And then he reminded me that it’s not the first time I’ve felt like resigning from my responsibilities — and he refrained from saying it won’t be the last time. And he probably did a lot of praying while I was quitting.

I truly believe today’s quote about there being two life rules:

#1. Never quit.

#2. Always remember rule #1.

Just because I believe the quote doesn’t mean there aren’t times when life takes me by the scruff of my neck and shakes me up a bit … and I want to retreat to my corner. Quit. Not play — or do the work — anymore.

But what am I gonna do? Take a pass on the rest of my life? Get to heaven and tell God, “Oh, you know … it just got too hard and I, um, quit.”

Doesn’t God promise to be my strength and my refuge, a very present help in time of trouble? (Yes, yes, He does in Psalm 46:1.) If I quit, well, then I’m acting as if those promises don’t apply to me.

So I don’t quit not because I have a huge amount of confidence in me … I don’t quit because I have a huge God who is worth my confidence.

In Your Words: What do you think of the two life rules in today’s quote? Would you add another rule? Have you ever quit anything? When you want to quit — what keeps you going?

Life has two rules #inotherswords #lifequotes #therules
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When you want to quit, what keeps you going? #lifequotes #perseverance
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In Others’ Words: Just When You Think You Know Someone

March 2 was Dr. Seuss’ birthday — he would have been 111 years old!

I’ve quoted the oh-so-creative Dr. Seuss several times on this blog, usually on Fridays when I’m looking for a more lighthearted quote to end the week. I read various headlines about his birthday and the National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America  week, which was this past week, and highlighted Dr. Seuss’s own particular brand of brilliance.

So, yes, I was determined to highlight a Dr. Seuss quote today.

When you are in love, you cannot fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams. 

Seems for all his whimsical, fantastical characters and stories, the much-beloved Dr. Seuss was a romantic at heart.

Oh, how I love how this quote reminds us that people can be so much more than we think they are … multifaceted, deep … worth a second look. Worth our time. Because just when you think you know someone, well, they may surprise you.

In Your Words: What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book? (Mine’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!) When have you been surprised by someone — discovering something new about them?

In Others’ Words: Just When You Think You Know Someone #DrSeuss #lifequotes #romance
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#Dr. Seuss and a thought on #romance #quotes
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