Mindful

Turn the Other Cheek

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Jesus slapped me in the face today. Literally. 

A few years ago, my church passed out a cartoon cut-out of Jesus to all of the children in Sunday School. The teachers told the children to take Flat Jesus wherever they went that summer, and to have their parents take pictures and send them back to the church. We followed the directions, but at the end of the summer we left Jesus in the car. Flat Jesus has been riding around with us ever since. Today, on my ride home from work in the 100° heat, I decided to roll down all of the windows. A big truck drove past me on the highway creating a gust of wind that resurrected Flat Jesus from His resting place. He flew to the front of the car and slapped me across the face. I was stunned, to say the least. I was even more stunned when I picked up the paper from my lap and realized what, or rather who, had slapped me. It’s not every day you get slapped in the face by Jesus.

Flat Jesus

But it got me thinking about what that slap from Jesus might mean. What is He trying to tell me? Is there something I’m supposed to change? My daughter, being as intelligent as only a pre-pubescent, clear-minded child could be, asked me in return, “Why don’t you just ask him?“ Being the old, post-pubescent, cloudy-minded adult that I am, admitted that I wasn’t so sure I actually wanted to know.

In the meantime, I’ll continue practicing the motto of clean living, dirty thinking. Hahaha, no no no. What I mean to say is, “Cheers to the pirates. May we be more like them.” Oh Lord, maybe I should just turn the other cheek.

Groundhog Day

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Have you ever experienced déjà vu? It’s the sense that you’ve experienced something that you haven’t actually experienced before. But maybe the universe is trying to tell you something. Maybe you did experience it, but you did it wrong the first time, and you’re being given a second chance. What was so important about that moment that you’re being made to live it again? What is the impact you’re supposed to make? What should you have done differently the first time around?

Back in college, my buddies and I drove from Penn State to Punxsutawney to witness the strangely fascinating celebration of seeking the meteorological predictions of a groundhog. I was telling my daughter about that trip. and then suggested we watch the movie together. Afterwards, I asked what she would do if she got to live the same day over and over again, and she answered like a normal 10 year old: eat a ton of candy, act crazy, get away with stuff. I, on the other hand, would hopefully take the route that Phil eventually took and become a better person.

Maybe we’re stuck in the same place until we make it better. Maybe we keep running into the same people because we’re supposed to help improve their lives. Maybe we’re not supposed to keep moving on so that we can actually live in the moment. Maybe we get stuck because we keep missing the point.

The days don’t actually repeat themselves like they did for Phil, but sometimes they sure feel like they do, except we continue to get older, and the calendar pages continue to turn. We can reminisce about our younger days, like I obviously like to do, but we can’t actually relive our youth. But let’s just say you woke up and time was repeating itself. Would you know why? Would you know what you had to fix, or who you needed to help in order to move on? And what if you got to pick which day you could live over and over again? What has been your best day? And is that the best you can do? Maybe we all need to be a groundhog for a day and ask ourselves, “When I get pulled into the light, will I be afraid of my own shadow?”

Waste Not, Want Not

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I’ve been pretty busy the last couple of months. Now that I’ve been vaccinated, and the world, for a while there, seemed to open back up, I’ve been saying “yes” to just about everything. Weekend beach trip? Aloha! Stomp grapes at a vineyard? Cheers! Bachelorette party back at my university? Obviously! Outdoor concerts? Heck yeah! Friend’s wedding? Certainly! Trip to the mountains, art show, birthday parties…. I’m there, there, and there! Why not?!

It’s been a blast! And all of this yes-saying reminds me of my youth. I was up for anything! I played sports every day, went to parties on the weekends, ran around town with my friends doing this, that, and the third, all while fitting in schoolwork, extracurriculars, and part-time jobs. Of course my body recuperated a lot faster back then, and I could sleep in until noon on a Saturday if I wanted, but despite the changes, my tiredness is still outmatched by my youthfulness . It’s not so much a case of the FOMOs, but more a case of the YOLOs that inspires me to keep going.

My friend rolls her eyes at me often as she says I have more time in my day than she does. I laugh, but we both know it’s not how much time we’re given, but what we choose to do with it that truly matters. I don’t think she actually wants to do all of the things I do, but I do know she enjoys spending her time giving me a hard time. And, to be honest, I don’t want to do everything I do either, but some of those things are a means to an end, so if I hurry up and do it, I won’t have to do it anymore!

In high school I was given the Briarwood College Book Award for showing promise in the field of business. I was caught off guard, as I didn’t know it was an award, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to be the recipient. I was nominated for the award by my keyboarding teacher. Thinking back, I realize he probably noticed that, while my classmates were chatting, I would fly through my typing assignments and then quickly move on to complete work for other classes, or use the leftover time to plan events for Student Council. I was, and still am, always on the go. Just Do It. Get ‘er done. Shit or get off the pot. East Coast state of mind… move or get run over!

The proverbial saying, “Waste Not, Want Not,” has become one of my most repeated mantras for life. This way of living enables me to do more without needing more. I don’t want to waste time, so I seek out short cuts. I don’t want to waste my breath, so I seek out amiable relationships. I don’t want to waste my talents, so I spend time doing what I love. I don’t like wasting materials, so I’ve become more creative, resourceful, and strategic in my approaches. I’ve become a better cook because I don’t like wasting food, so I’ll get inventive with those three random leftovers sitting in my fridge.

I know, it can be exhausting just reading about it all, but don’t get me wrong, I love a good tv series binge-fest on my couch with the only movement being that of my wine glass to my mouth. Whether I’m sitting in silence, or racing from one event to the next, if I’m enjoying what I’m doing or working towards, then I’m wasting nothing.