For today’s Wednesday Wandering, I asked my friend Haven to share a funny story & a little wisdom. Haven is amazing, & I hope you enjoy her words. So please welcome my very first guest blogger, Haven Watts!
A Little Laughter…
I’ve known Carissa for nearly four years now, although it feels like I’ve known her forever. We met during The Sound of Music at LifeHouse theater, where she was Louisa and I was Brigitta. We got into all sorts of shenanigans, and to tell you the truth, the shenanigans still haven’t stopped.
There was the time we snuck under the stage at LifeHouse and signed our names beneath it. We felt like such rebels, even though there were already hundreds of names signed down there. Triumphantly, we turned around to go and found someone’s week old Denny’s to-go. That was pretty gross. Lesson to you all: DO NOT leave your leftovers under the stage.
There was the time we built a gingerbread house and it collapsed. We then pretended an earthquake had hit and destroyed some more of it.
Then there was the time when we played a sort of indoor capture the flag game – only it was in complete darkness. I found it the perfect opportunity to scare her out of her wits. She screamed so loudly she nearly woke my little sister. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t forgiven me for that yet.
That’s not to mention all of the sleepovers and inside jokes and laughs we’ve had. She and I are two peas in a pod, and I know we’ll be getting into many more shenanigans for years to come.
A Little Inspiration…
In this day and age, it can be hard to stay positive. Everywhere you go, whether it be the store, the movies, or just on your phone screen, you see glorified images of what (they try to convince you) you COULD be. But, obviously, that’s not you. And that’s not what you could be, either. Because you are YOU, not a photoshopped model. So don’t try to be someone you’re not. Be yourself. But, of course, there’s the question that precedes that. People say “be yourself” but we always end up asking “who am I?” Everyone has trouble with that question, and it’s one whose answer changes all the time. It helps me to make a list. Start with the simple stuff. Like your age, favorite color, appearance, etc, and go on to other stuff. Book characters you like, people you like, and most importantly, things you like about yourself. Improve on those things, figure out what you like, what you want to do. Experiment. Try new stuff. If you fail, so what? You tried. Talk to people. Go on hikes. Hang out with people. YES, text them first to see if they want to hang out. Be brave. Go live your life and love your life. Do what makes you happy, and if you feel like you’re not good at it, get better. Don’t be so hard on yourself. See the good things in your life. Because you know what? God put you here for a reason. You will make an impact on the world. You were not born in the Middle Ages. You were not born in 3056. You were born exactly when you were because God put you here on purpose. It’s a domino effect. You affect all of us. So be you. Because you are who’s affecting us. Not some model who’s always happy + can do everything first try. You.
