The Real Thing!

So, the new year has begun! I am so excited about the new year and all that it holds! Today, I had a meeting at church at 6. I had a little bit of time in between work and my meeting, so I decided to stop into Subway to feed my craving for a sandwich. I wanted a real sandwich, as opposed to the puny ones I make in the comfort of my home. I went through the line and told the man that I wanted a 6 inch turkey sandwich on wheat with American cheese, lettuce, pickles, and ranch. I then decided to make it a meal deal because you have to have the chips and drink, right? So, after receiving my change (which was a process for some reason), I proceeded to get my drink and chips. It was here that I had a decision to make. I really wanted a diet coke with some sort of flavoring, maybe vanilla or cherry. To my dismay, the only option was REAL coke with cherry. Considering I had long day and was in DIRE need of some caffeine, not to mention that I had a craving that needed to be filled, I decided to live a little and drink a real coke. I took a sip, and my eyes were opened to a whole new world! I immediately thought, "What have I been doing drinking diet coke all this time?!?!" I will just say that it tasted like a little bit of Heaven in my mouth. And to top it off, I decided to go with Doritos, as opposed to the bland taste of original baked lays I usually opt for. Oh what a glorious day of the real thing it was!


I know that this sounds silly, but as I left Subway tonight, I began to think of how many times I often settle for the "diet" products in my life, as opposed to waiting and expecting "the real thing." I began to think about the new year and what I want to accomplish in my life this upcoming year. I want to be able to look back on my life and say that I lived a full, happy, adventurous life. I want to be able to say that I accomplished and set out to do what Christ has called me to do. For some reason, I have been settling in different areas in my life. I have been accepting mediocre things as normal. What I have failed to realize is that while I have been sitting there sipping on a diet coke, there is a whole open wide world that I have been missing out on: "the real thing." This metaphor seems utterly ridiculous, but I hope that you could relate. If the coke thing doesn't work for you, think of it this way: I have been settling for clothing at Target, all the while failing to accept the significance of saving and waiting for the quality and goodness of Anthropologie! So, in an attempt not to settle and live life to its fullest, I have set out to adopt these principles in my life this upcoming year.

• I will stress less. Life is too short to be stressed out all the time. It affects my health, energy, mood, etc. So, I am attempting to stress less, especially about the petty things that don't matter anyways. It is taking years off my life and giving me too many gray hairs.
• Invest my time in things that truly matter and that enhance my mind and spirit.
• Take more risks by being more spontaneous. A.K.A. Enjoy life more, but in ways that are honoring to Christ.
• Do things I have always said that I wanted to do and have never done. What better time to stop dreaming and start living?
• Invest more time and energy in the meaningful relationships in my life and not take them for granted.
• Do my best and make a difference where I am at, wherever that may be, even if I am not in a place in my life that I pictured I would be or in a place that I may not particularly want to be. Christ has placed me where I am for a reason, so I might as well seize the opportunity while I am there.
• Save money to spend on things that help me accomplish my dreams (aka: less shopping and more money for my future, travels, helping others, etc.)

Tonight, I went to see "Bride Wars" with Jenni. It was a pretty cute movie, and I related well to Anne Hathaway's character. So, if you have time, grab a girlfriend and go see it! If nothing else, you will get a few good laughs in and burn a few calories from the real coke you are going to start drinking after reading this blog, as opposed to the diet cokes you have convinced yourself you "love!"

Until next time be blessed!