Feeding the Brain

Check this out... Fascinating thoughts on Post-mdoernism and its affect on the Arab world and Arab - American relations...

Ever had one of those weekends...

So this weekend was incredibly busy. So much to do I now have residual things to deal with in my already crowded week. Oh well. Its a beautiful day out. I thank God for that. So I'm really just posting because some people (wink, wink) keep fussing that I am too sporadic in my posts. So here's a post just to say hello and put something up here. PLEASE COMMENT AND SAY HELLO ! :-)

Down-sizing

There is much to be said for simplicity. Something that my life has been lacking lately. I find it so easy to get carried away with what is going on around me and forget to pause. Being an extrovert, I get energy being around people and I often go a long time before I realize that even I need a little time to myself. Which is interesting because there are times when I think it would be nice (or at least less exhausting) to move and enjoy the adventure of not having any demands on my time, but rather having the freedom to just be alone and quiet. But then I realize that from experience - I get tired of that very quickly. Still all the business of the last couple months - and lack of "Tamara Time" has taken its toll. While reading my homework one night I came across a comment made by J. Hudson Taylor

"I believe we are all in danger of accumulating - it may be from
thoughtlessness, or from pressure of occupation - things which would be useful to others, while not needed by ourselves, and the retention of which entails loss of blessing"

Which got me thinking - as I was already thinking of all the things I ought to probably get rid of. There are plenty of activities that I would like to eliminate as well. In fact, I think there are going to be real changes to be made in my life. I need to simplify. To what extent, God hasn't shown me yet, but I have the ambition of it being drastic. God may have to reign me in, but I'm fairly certain (and continuing to pray) that there is much in my life that needs to be altered. I may begin with things and activities, but it will also entail relationships.

This is really the issue I am praying the most about. It sounds very harsh to downsize my relationships, but that's where I'm at. A few years ago I felt pulled in too many directions. So my New Year's resolution was going to be "start being mean to people" My thought behind that was, if people didn't like me I wouldn't felt pulled me in quite so many directions. Okay so not the best idea ever - and I didn't go through with it - but still the easiest way to downsize the number of friends you have is to quit being nice to them.... Or so one might think :-)

At any rate, I certainly do need to rethink what I'm doing and as I posted before it's all a part of keeping my perspective out of the moment and being proactive. But I sometimes feel that there is a lot of relationship clutter in my life.

There are so very many people who have meant a great deal to me that I don't even know where they live now. Or if they ever think of me. Then there are those relationships that survive because on the rare occasion we talk it seems like there hasn't been any time at all between our last conversation... We pick up with the ease of long-time friends whose relationship was never based on our commonalities but rather our appreciation for our differences. Then there are those friends that I forget how much I love spending time with them and how much they encourage and challenge me spiritually. Those are the friendships I enjoy.

But then there are those that seem like lots of work. And I don't mean ones with people whom God has given me to love with the love of Christ so that they might know Him, but rather those who know Him as savior already and yet I feel the need to attempt to keep up relationships with. These one sided relationships that would die without the effort put forth on my part. These are the ones that drain me.

So as I've been considering downsizing the things in my life, I find a great temptation to eliminate these relationships as well. Not in a hostile way, but rather as clutter removal which will in turn free me up to focus on new people in my life and the people who God is bringing for me to share my life with and walk with as I share what God is doing in my life. But I'm just not sure that is what God would have me do. So with much prayer I consider carefully how I am spending my time and what God would have me do. This is a real struggle for me. I hate to let people go..... to let friendships become the casualty of time....

Cutting Edge Architecture

One of the reasons I went to Auburn University was because of their College of Architecture, Design, and Construction. It's one of the best in the country. The most unique aspect of which is the opportunity for students to participate in Rural Studio and Urban Studio (whose website isn't up and working today). Both are amazing opportunities for students to study and gain practical experience.

Rural Studio, specifically, generates some of the most cutting edge Architecture (built with found and donated items) in the world. People come from Europe to see and study these structures. A really fun and interesting approach to low income housing and student experience. Students move to the poorest county in Alabama, live and work among their neighbors. Year year they choose a family to build a house for. Spend time getting to know the needs of the family. Then the design process begins. As students transfer in and out as semesters change, they are allowed to redesign, the only restriction is they cannot tear down that which has already been built. They not only design but build the structures as well. Its a totally awesome experience. Check out the website and enjoy the creative minds....

House Sitting Part II

I am house sitting, again. I love house sitting. It's like a vacation without going anywhere. A change of scenery for a short period of time. Just long enough to make you ready to go home. This time I'm house/pet sitting for a new family. I don't roll uphill at night in this bed. Again, I am keeping two dogs but I also have a cat. A Psycho cat. Its one of those felines that comes over and rubs against your leg and looks up at you and purrs making it clear that he wants to be petted. But the moment you reach down he hisses and tries to bite you.

After deciding the best policy was to simply ignore the cat and go about my business, the cat decides that it wants to get to know me. Friday night Andi came over and we watched a movie (I think), met a friend for coffee (I got an Italian Soda!!) and then stayed up talking. Needless to say it was already quite late (or early depending on your perspective) when I crawled into bed. I was getting myself situated and about to turn out the light when psycho cat decided to join me on the bed.

At first he went to the farthest corner, glared and hissed. As if to say, stay on your own side. But then he began to back his way across the bed to my leg. He sat on my ankle and slowly began inching his way up my leg to my stomach. Hissing at me the entire time with his devilish eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Great! I just know this cat is going to kill me in my sleep! Then he would bat a paw at my face, show me his teeth and move back to my ankle. Then the process would begin again. After an hour, I am completely exhausted - its around 4 am now, and I give up. I decided to pull the covers over my head and hope that if Psycho cat attacks me in my sleep - maybe there won't be much damage done through the blankets. When I woke up 2 1/2 hours later to a large dog sniffing in my ear wanting to be let out.... Psycho cat is asleep on top of me with his face towards mine. So that when I shift to try and get up, he wakes up hisses at me and goes racing out of the room. Talk about fright, he nearly took my nose off.