after a break....

i have taken a break from the blogging world for a while. looking back, it has been about two months since i have blogged consistently. and its not just my blogging either. i have only read two blogs consistently in this time as opposed to the many i used to peruse. i have started writing in my journal again. and i have gone back to painting. basically i have returned to my roots and make some sense of life.

so what has transpired you ask?

-i have filled up almost an entire mole skin with my random writings and drawings.
-i had a manicure
-i have eaten lots of cheese
-i feel i have overcome a fairly large hurdle of comparing myself with people whose life's are so drastically different that a comparison really isn't even possible.
-i pierced my ear
-i have nearly convinced my husband that instead of moving straight to america in 2011, we should take a detour by Denmark and live in Copenhagen for a year or two. (I am looking into paperwork for that option now)
-i re-discovered my impulsive side
-i will soon advance my tattoo count to 4.
-i taught eleri a new song. she loves it.
-i cleaned out my closet
-I have dusted off my book collection of philosophers and have started reading again.
-i sold a necklace on etsy.com
-i remembered that i am in fact a laid back person and have decided to make the choice to not be so crazy.
-i almost won a pub quiz
-did i mention i have eaten loads of cheese?
-i have consumed more pints of beer than water in the past month
-i stopped listening to music whilst running and started listening to sermons. awesome.

so aside from the major events such as moving and trying to immigrate, that is what i have been doing. and it has been necessary.

There are times in our lives where we need to step back and have a breather. a chance to re-evaluate what life is really all about. because lately, that has been my big question. what is life really all about. in the world we live in today, i think it is quite easy to become overwhelmed with the 'everyday' aspects of life. work. children. husband/wife. routine. quickly we lose sight of all the other things, becoming jammed into our schedule driven life of responsibility. whilst pondering this solution to this problem, i had an indept discussion with a wonderful danish friend. he has lived a full and long life as a student of history and philosophy. and he is quite wise. he believes that Soren Kierkeggard's existential philosophy is the way to live life. the basic tenet of existentialism is that the individual has the sole responsibility for giving ones own life meaning. and the individual must work tirelessly towards that goal of full life and self fulfilment. even at risk of alienating friends and family. Kierkegaard said one must be willing to accept the consequences of society and make a choice that suits ones own best interest. my Danish friend (Kierkeggard is a Dane as well) argued that living by the principles of existentialism would eliminate the 'rut' of routine. if you didnt want to do it, if it wasnt providing you with the fullest life possible, then simply dont do it. i responded it was a self centered and unhealthy way to live. not to mention unbiblical. you cannot simply remove yourself from responsibility if they are not pleasing to you. the discussion continued, with many other intellectual greats being discussed. but at the the end of the conversation, my heart had been settled. turning your back on responsibility was not the way forward. Jesus tells us what life is all about. His message, His word, His love. like Kierkegaard, Jesus too commands us to live life passionately and fully. not to serve our own self interest, but to serve those around us. for whoever is least shall be first.

I value that conversation because whilst we finally had to agree to disagree, and still share a pint of good danish beer afterwards, it did my mind and heart well to be able to pit the principles of my Christian faith against one of the worlds most highly regarded intellectuals and have them stand up. because isnt that what life is all about? jesus? and when He is our focus, all the other things seem to slot into place.

these past few months have been really good for my heart. and my time management skills. because aside from relaxing, eating cheese, discussing philosophy and drinking beer, i have been working on making the best use of my time. for example, the little one goes down around 9.30 for a morning nap. she sleeps for two hours without fail. instead of fiddling away this chunk of time doing nothing important, i have been grabbing a cup of coffee, finding a quite spot and having some early morning prayer, meditation and bible reading time. starting the day off by calming my heart and spirit before the Lord makes a massive difference in the rest of the day. everything seems to run smoother. and life is all around more enjoyable.

and so, i have emerged from my mini blogging sabbatical refreshed and ready to start this new phase of my life in wales.