Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Skimming Through the Table of Contents

A lot of times when we start a new chapter of our lives, we typically use the metaphor, "When one door closes, another opens." This summer, I have made an effort to go back and visit people that I haven't seen since the last door closed and this one opened. I've spent several hours driving all over this beautiful country and have genuinely learned how to appreciate what my own home country has to offer. Those several hours driving have literally forced me to sit still (with reference to the car, for my nerdy physics friends), listen to some awesome tunes and really reflect on the last year, as well as this short summer.

The mindset I've had since I left Kuwait for the summer is that I have found paradise. Kuwait really is a place I don't mind calling home. I've reached a new happy chapter of my life, and I couldn't ask for more. I honestly was a little afraid to step back into my old stomping grounds. What should I expect? Who would still be around? Who got married? Do we still all go to Molly's on Mondays and Stan's on Tuesdays? Thanks to Facebook, there were far less surprises than I could have encountered. For the record, no Molly's on Mondays. They shut down, but you better be at Stan's on Tuesdays.

I've absolutely enjoyed catching up with everyone. I have literally been going non-stop since I landed. As soon as I landed, I visited with my parents for a bit and then headed straight to a friend's gig followed by a comedy show in which I was featured. :) The next few days were spent catching up with friends at local hang out spots and indulging in foods I haven't had in a year. I went on a road trip with my dad that included, Albuquerque to see family, Santa Fe, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas to spend time with more family, and the Grand Canyon. I stayed a few more days in Dallas before heading to Houston and New Orleans to visit some awesome friends. I just got back in Sherman yesterday to go visit my aunt who has been battling cancer for years. She's reached the end of her rope. I've also just planned a spontaneous trip to Waco for the weekend. After that, I'm off to Chicago! I'll go into much greater detail about all of these trips a bit later.

What I've realized in this adventure of which I'm halfway through is that our lives aren't much of a novel at all.  Novels are fictional. Novels lack one thing - a table of contents. Why? Because a fictional story wouldn't be the same if you started in the middle. You never have to refer back to previous chapters because it flows so easily already. I feel like looking back in life has always gotten a bad wrap. We should only face forward and see what life has to offer for our future. I'm learning that this isn't always necessarily true. Old doors are never locked, and you can always refer back to your personal table of contents. Pick up where you left off with old friends, and reunite with people who you haven't seen since chapter one.

I came up with this metaphor on the spot in class a couple of years ago when my students asked why I never go on dates. I told them we are all big tall sturdy trees. In order for trees to stay strong and thrive, they have to have a good set of roots. The people who keep me grounded are my roots - my mentors, family, best friends. Trees also have leaves that come and go with the seasons. Why spend your time on ones you know will just be leaves?  Leaves are the ones who make an impression and I share my life with, but when seasons change, we don't keep in touch.  This past year has shown me the importance of the leaves. It's important to keep in touch with the people God blesses your life with. Don't take the leaves for granted. I've made more of an effort to make time for every leaf, root and whatever else in my life the last month, that I did the whole time I lived in this country. When there's a time limit on things, it makes you make time for stuff and people that you might have thought was that important in the past.

So, I challenge you to make time not only for the roots, but also for the leaves - the grocery clerk, the Starbucks barista, your old college roommate you haven't seen since you were a freshman, the family you babysat when you were 18, family you've never met, friends you met once, etc. God created leaves for a purpose, figure it out. Slow down, water them and see what they become. What's the rush anyway? Flip through your table of contents, read old chapters, and make sure there's nothing you missed the first time around. Just remember which chapter you're currently in, and always grow. I have four more weeks left in my old chapters, lets see what else I missed the first time around!


Here are a few pictures! ...totally out of order
This is a pretty special group of kids...definitely roots. 


He's totally a natural!

I was trying to capture the neverending rain in New Orleans, but I ended up with a pretty picture of the porch view instead.

Fish in a bag!!! So delicious and totally worth it!

Everyone in the south is so hospitable, even the chef!


I met these two guys over a year ago in New Orleans. I made a trip out there is summer, and they totally became roots! Danielle enjoyed the trip as well. :)

 Bourbon Street New Orleans.

I went to Vegas to visit my Uncle Joe and Aunt HuiSu who I haven't seen in 20 years. They're great people and I don't make enough time for them!

My dad braved the longest leg of my summer road trip with me. This is at the Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

I love my Grandpa. We visited him in Albuquerque and he took us to a nuclear museum, Madrid and Santa Fe.

We stopped at the Grand Canyon on the way back to Texas. Breath-taking!

This is my youngest cousin. I met her for the first time the day before. She cried when we left. They're such a sweet family!

My grandpa has it all figured out. There aren't many grandpas that would choose to go get pedis with their granddaughter. He's definitely a root!



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