Articulations from the Extroverted Introvert

Respect. One seemingly simple word that is far more complex than we were taught about on Sesame Street. Ever since we were young we’ve been taught to respect our elders. This is apparently done by saying Mr. and Mrs. before their last name unless they have an overriding title such as Dr. or Pastor.

There is more to respect than that. To some extent, respect is earned in the sense that is a great form of admiration. In other regards, respect should be given out of pure decency to another person, a human being like yourself. It is so unbelievably important to respect the thoughts, feelings, and boundaries of others. You owe a certain amount of respect to others.

What is often overlooked is the concept of respecting yourself. Of course, you may have heard about that when learning how to dress modestly or have proper standards. Still, it goes further. Respecting yourself is necessary to maintain healthy relationships, be it with friends, significant others, parents, siblings, teachers, or whomever. It is vital to respect our own thoughts and feelings, instead of always dismissing them. You deserve to respect yourself and be respected by others.

Lyrics from Make a Plan to Love Me by Bright Eyes.

Summer vacation is officially underway. There’s work to be done, skin to be tanned, friends to be seen, food to be tasted, and thoughts to be shared. With summer comes a new world almost as I have returned to the apartment and no longer have internet, cable, or physical space at my disposal. This shall prove interesting as I take two online classes…library anyone? Blogging may become a bit more sporatic for the time being sadly. Perhaps a few unpublished posts will pop up here and there to fill the space. Hopefully this will subdue your eager desire to read my opinions from time to time.

For those of you who have not yet noticed, sometimes I write blogs to have them written. For me I need to write and write to eventually get to something worthwhile. Everyone has different styles of writing. Some write only when they have something worthwhile to say, while others write as much as possible hoping to touch on various meaningful things along the way. I’ve come to realize that it is similar with other art forms like music or actual art work. Creativity is an interesting thing to express.

Recently I’ve begun to express my creativity in a slightly different manner, through song. In no way am I qualified to do so, but it has been something that surprisingly I have enjoyed doing. Maybe one day I’ll spend a little time with garage band or something and record them just for the sake of having them. Until then, I am writing down some thoughts, events, feelings in a different form. Some of them are incredibly personal, but written in a subtle way, while others are almost deceiving in their actual meaning. I’m gaining a better understanding of what it takes to write lyrics and apply them to a tune. Never did I think I’d be writing lyrics, but it’s been fun. Now that my access to the internet is limited for extended periods of time, this is a bit easier to do via notebook.

Lyrics from Paperback Writer by the Beatles.

I am not deserving, but He deserves better.

There is a section in Ephesians that compares a husband and wife to Christ and the church. I am a terrible wife.

Although it is not specifically required of me to read my Bible daily or go to church weekly, it really would be one way to show love. I could show that I care enough about the relationship to go further than a nightly prayer as I fall asleep. My money should be better invested in the church. Just overall time should be given, instead of “fitting Him in” my schedule.

While the passage is often viewed as a way to better understand how to love your spouse, I feel it can be reversed also. Dates are not specifically required, but it is a way to show love. Nightly conversations are fine and even important, but there is so much more to a relationship than just that. Gifts are not a must either, but again is another love language, same goes for time.  You should want to spend time with your spouse, and the same should be for God.

I want people to know that I am in love. I want to show it. More than anything, I want Him to know it too.

Lyrics from Love Song by Jason Morant.

This semester I was accepted into the University Ambassadors…aka tour guides. You’d think they would get paid, but no, the joke’s on you - please pay $15 for dues, another $15 for the polo and an additional $35 for the “waterproof” jacket in case of rain (which is does constantly here). Now here is your binder, memorize the contents of all dates and numbers in order to give an excellent tour. And don’t forget - meetings are every other week for an hour! All this just so you can walk backwards around campus with a few families dawdling behind you, complete with ridiculous questions that in the end will have no weight on their decision to attend school here. Kind of a rip-off if you ask me.

Last week I had a shadow tour with the guy who just was voted UA (University Ambassador) of the Year. Seriously, this guy (Chris) is a maniac when it comes to giving tours. He gives one probably every day and the requirement is only once a month. Granted, you do get paid minimum wage (which is much less in Missouri than in Iowa) for extra tours, but still. Afterwards, we had a short discussion about stuff. Essentially, he vented about a bunch of things with his girlfriend and how he hates the idea of greek life.

“So where are you living next year?”

“Oh, um, I’m transferring.”

Just goes to show how easy it is to make it seem like you love a school to ten other people without liking it at all. I never even lied. Really all you have to do is talk about all of the things they have going for them or say factual things with a smile signifying that it’s a good thing. Like the size of the school, or how all of the construction is going on within the next few years - just smile. Make friendly jokes about walking backwards or say something about how fun it is to go from class to class outdoors and in your rainboots. Tell them we have football games and basketball games, but then don’t mention that no one stays past halftime (and really that’s only to hear the band).

Omit the fact that you watch all your friends go home every weekend because there is nothing going on at school. Leave out the details about all of the classrooms you didn’t show on the tour because they are hideously ugly. Forget to mention the fact that if you are without a car, you basically are stuck on campus unless you decide to venture out to Taco Bell down the street. Don’t tell them that no one has school spirit and that on any given day you will most likely see more Mizzou t-shirts than Missouri State ones. No need to tell them that they are coming to the Bible belt, complete with all kinds of crazy religious folks that make you want to throw up. Definitely don’t bother mentioning that you have yet to meet someone who loves it here.

So it at one point was an April Fools joke, but now it looks like it’s coming true. I’m transferring to ISU. The reasons why were pretty well outlined in the post from April 1. I’m kinda thrilled. Sometimes I have my doubts and question myself, but overall I think it really will be the best decision for me next year. That all being said, I am incredibly grateful that I did not start out there. Some of the people I’ve met and things I did get the opportunity to be a part of were wonderful. Still, let’s go Cyclones.

Lyrics from La-Da-Da by Basia Bulat who is amazing and a new fave.