I’ve kept a somewhat consistent journal since high school. Usually it was just emotional ramblings about an event — nothing really reflective. My freshman year of high school, my best friend Jess and I were in different grades and classes. As a way to keep each other up to date on everything, we made each […]
Read More How Bullet Journalling Helps My AnxietyI remember sitting in his office. I remember a church member peeking in, “Pastor, there’s someone on the phone for you.” He told her to take a message because he was busy, was having an important conversation. That conversation was with 17-year-old-me. I treasure the memories of those hours. I wish I remembered how he […]
Read More What the God of the Old Testament WantsIt started out innocently enough. I just asked my brother how life was in Hawaii. Simple. So simple. Then he tells me he’s on the last few days of a detox. I’m intrigued. He tells me all of the health benefits. I’m more intrigued. He tells me where to find the resources, says he feels great, […]
Read More The Longest 26 Days of My LifeDuring my last year of teaching, I had the privilege to teach a few upperclassmen a Communications class. Among other things, I took the opportunity to teach them from the book Crucial Conversations (which I beyond-highly recommend to every single human). Essentially, it walks the reader through practical ways to handle high-stakes and high-emotion conversations. I sure wish I learned those points when I was 16! Many of these practical points are adapted from these fantastic book.
Read More The Case for Being Direct // the HowA few years ago, I was on a walk with a good friend. We shared our current happenings, and she related a recent strain in one of her closest friendships.
“She just never listens to me,” she explained. “I’m always there for her, but I feel like she dips out whenever I need her to be there for me. And it’s been like this for awhile. I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but I don’t know,” she sighed.
Read More The Case for Being Direct // the WhySee, most of my anxieties are so ridiculous, so extreme, so convoluted, that when I can finally think rationally again they completely dissipate. As soon as my mind is clear for a moment, they evaporate. It’s wonderful. However, this one line of thinking won’t go away.
Read More Our Worst Fears: Even Through ThatAs I type this, it’s eight minutes to 5PM. It’s a Monday. By now, I’m usually wrapping up my todo list for the day, which has nine objectives currently. We usually take Everest for a walk in about fifteen minutes, to signal the shift from work day to evening relaxation. But all I’ve marked off […]
Read More Reminders from Unproductive DaysLike a typical teenager I struggled with FOMO throughout high school: the fear of missing out. But mine was more information focused than experiential: I didn’t want to miss out on knowing anything. I wanted to know who was dating who, what official and unofficial events were happening, and what crazy things were happening in the […]
Read More When the Devil Tells the TruthI have an apathetic view towards my birthday until the week before. All of a sudden, it consumes my mind — not for the sake of celebration but for that of reflection. What New Years is for most people, my birthday is for me. Time is weird. People always tell you it speeds up as […]
Read More One Score and SevenWhen we are excited about starting something new, we tend to jump into the deep end. This isn’t necessarily bad — sometimes it’s good to start there! But other times jumping straight into the deep end simply overwhelms us and makes us not want to be in the water at all.
Read More Prayer: How to Start Praying
hi there, fellow sapling 