been reading your blog
seems like you are getting personal on your blog
7:05pmMe
lol
yeah TOO personal, which is why i wrote that last one
to say that the things i write about are almost too personal for the public eye
7:05pmSteve
i know and very emotional too
7:05pmMe
and that's why i rather call people lol
7:05pmSteve
hahahahaha
7:06pmMe
i journal a lot more...and i take my journal with me wherever i go.
7:06pmSteve
thats good
7:06pmMe
i already finished my first one almost three weeks ago..and i'm almost a fourth of the way done with my second journal.
it's really nice to be able to look back at what my thoughts were
7:07pmSteve
wow, a lot of pouring in your journal, huh?
7:07pmMe
and write about the funny things or write about the lessons i learn each day, from small lessons to big lessons
to things that people say or things that i randomly hear or see when i go places.
7:07pmSteve
thats good. mom says hi and she misses you a lot and cant wait till you get home
7:08pmMe
yeah..i've found that the more i take time to reflect on my days, the more i get out of my day
and i can honestly say that every day has so much more meaning
7:08pmSteve
wow
7:08pmMe
and i appreciate everything that happens...and i'm so appreciative of even the smallest things
7:08pmSteve
you are getting old sweetie
7:08pmMe
i think that's why i've been soo happy here.
7:08pmSteve
thats good
7:09pmMe
getting old but still feeling young ;)
7:09pmSteve
do the same thing wherever you are and you will have a happy and fulfilling life
7:09pmMe
like the Bible verse in Philippians..
"i have learned the secret of being happy at any time, in any circumstance."
and really--as corny as it sounds, i' have so much joy and feel like i learn so much here.
not even just here in cape town
it just happens to be that i had the time to learn this kind of lesson..
7:10pmSteve
wow, so the trip to south africa uncovered the secret of how to be content
7:10pmMe
but i know it'll be something that i make sure i take time to do when i go back to the US
everyone knows the secret of how to be content.
it's more of taking the time to appreciate everything that happens.
7:11pmSteve
in theory, but to practice is something different
7:11pmMe
finding novelty in every experience, in every person new and old, in every ride, in every conversation, etc.
i find joy and love in the constant discovery and rediscovery
:)
i'm so corny. and batit! (is that the right spelling?)
haha
but it's true
7:12pmSteve
whats batit?
well, we are glad for you sweetie
7:13pmMe
even in every challenge. it's great to look back at what i wrote from that day...and be reminded of what resulted..
and what i learned..
and why i think God did that in my life
7:13pmSteve
thats good
7:14pmMe
i've been journaling since i was little..and even today, i took the time to read a journal entry from that summer i spent at Stanford and hating chemistry
and not knowing why God put me through that
7:14pmSteve
really
7:14pmMe
i think i know one of the reasons now..(i figured this out a while ago but i don’t think i ever told you) lol
7:14pmSteve
what is that
7:15pmMe
because after that experience, i wanted nothing more than to make sure i NEVER EVER would do summer school again. lol
7:15pmSteve
hahahahahahaha
7:15pmMe
therefore, i would take heavier courseloads so that i could do something else over the summer
and LOOK--the philippines and south africa 2 consecutive summers :)
and LOOK - i didn't get that UNAIDS internship i wanted SOOO badly remember how devastated i was?
7:16pmSteve
thats true and both experiences have been rewarding
7:16pmMe
i kept saying that it was the "perfect internship" and i even volunteered to work for free lol
but i knew God had something else planned for me..
7:16pmSteve
i know, God knows what is best for you if you only trust
7:17pmMe
yeahh. i'm just so thankful
and God is teaching me so much
7:17pmSteve
you now are learning looking at things thru other perspective
7:18pmMe
lol that's true for everyone, at any time.
i'm just more aware of the "new" perspective if that makes sense.
every time we name our world, we give words and descriptions to the same thing.
7:18pmSteve
i know but sometimes we get so caught up with our very own perspective
7:18pmMe
it's just that we're using different words, and in doing that, we're actually re-defining who we are
we use different words to tell the same story. ultimately we are re-naming ourselves.
7:19pmSteve
thats true
so it is always good to listen and listen with an open mind
7:20pmMe
it's not that it's a different story; it's that we're a different person
YES :)
of course.
7:21pmMe
which is why i knew that "open happiness" was the perfect song for my south africa experience
7:21pmSteve
i am so glad for you sweetie
7:22pmMe
have you listened to that song before? or read the lyrics? i write about it on the right side of my blog...
thanks dad :) and thank you both for being so supportive of me staying here and being here..even without financial aid
7:22pmSteve
i read that one but i have never heard that song
...
you are very much welcome sweetie
7:23pmMe
if you click on my link on my blog, it'll take you to the YouTube video
7:23pmSteve
whatever we can do to support our kids, we gladly would do it
i see
i will do that sometime
7:24pmMe
:)
the song is about being open to new experiences with each new day
and being willing to experience and feel something new
7:24pmSteve
how appropriate
7:25pmMe
and learning that it's having that kind of mindset to being happy
thus the song is called "open happiness" although it's the coca-cola theme song. and it's first interpretation is primarily meant for being happy as a result of opening up a bottle of coca-cola
haha
BUT i like my interpretation better :)
AND...it's ALL OVER south africa's world cup advertisements.."open happiness" haha
7:26pmSteve
so even he bottle of coke can have profound meaning, wow
7:26pmMe
so it's literally a CONSTANT reminder which i love
7:27pmSteve
i should stock up of coke at home, lol
7:27pmMe
my friend sent me the song a day before i left stanford, and immediately it became my theme song for cape town
not just on the coke bottles...all the commericals and billboards and posters say "open happiness" haha
7:28pmSteve
well, it could be interpreted in so many ways, but i am glad your interpretation is deeper
...
and full of life application
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