The Past Week

... In which it snowed. And I got to shovel the driveway twice in the span of 24 hours. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the snow. But it was powdery snow that blew this way and that due to the strong gusts. It was the kind of snow that blows off the tops of snowy cars onto the frozen pavement and dances in a wispy, slightly eerie way before dissipating in the breeze.

... In which it has been cold. Like I'm saying it's cold cold. Still haven't busted out my real winter jacket yet, but for reference purposes, today it went up to a high of 18 degrees Fahrenheit. And it was windy enough that the excess salt for melting snow and ice on the roads was blowing into my face today. How do I know? Well, let's just say the wind tasted salty. Yuck.

... In which I began my essay writing in earnest. It just needs to get done. I have fewer excuses with each passing day. Not to mention less time to get it written and rewritten and rewritten and...

... In which I realized that my Spanish has really gotten much better over the past few months because I'm using it on a regular basis. I'm slowly but surely regaining confidence in my ability to speak it. And verb conjugations? Online guides/ Spanish grammar review are the best. Kind of.

... In which my friend and I made plans to hang out. Plans that involve actual traveling and hanging out in person rather than just virtually over the internet. Plans that involve food, laughing, and chilling. Fully detailed, overly-packed schedules have yet to be developed. However, if our college habits are indicative in the least of how things will unfold, we will make way too many plans, then stick to the best one of just chilling and let the other plans fall to the wayside. More details to follow.

Random Memories #1

I was going through pictures from college and came across this...

Reasons you do not ask a MechE to build circuits for a living. Especially me. (It worked, but the circuit didn't look pretty.)

Katie and the Hershey Kisses

This is a story of a little girl. Perhaps the title is a bit misleading because it's less about the candy and more about the girl and her dreams. You see, Katie is a little girl who loves to build and design things. She's creative and smart. She loves Legos and thinking big. Literally. Last week, she showed me a small colorful chunk of Legos. I asked her what it was, and she proceeded to tug on a block, revealing a drawer made entirely of Lego blocks. She'd seen someone build it on YouTube and decided to try it out for herself. But, reaching into her bag, she then pulled out a box built out of Legos far more complex than the first. There were multiple compartments, and she had a special Lego pole that attached to a hard-to-reach drawer handle and made it easier to access.

The items she was storing in her Lego boxes were nondescript everyday items that would still be special to a child. A few pieces of leftover Christmas candy, a penny, and a quarter or two. And in her childlike way, she picked out a red Hershey Kisses and handed it to me. No formality, no words, just asking by holding it out. I thanked her and accepted it.

Later, I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. Because, clearly every little 3rd grader should have that figured out. I want to become a designer. I explained to her that when I was young, I liked building things, and when I went to college, I studied how to design and build things. She thought that would be cool. I encouraged her to keep pursuing her dreams. To keep designing and building new Lego creations. And I promised her that this week, I'd ask her what cool things she'd designed. 

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That little red Hershey Kisses that has been in contact with who knows how many coins and other little trinkets is currently sitting on my desk. I have it there as a reminder for how simply and humbly we ought to give to others. Like it's no big thing because it's really not. I have it there as a reminder that what we give to others sometimes matters less than the giving of the gift itself. To me, an adult with full access to all the chocolate I want, a normal Hershey Kisses is not extraordinarily special. Yet, this one that Katie gave me is special. 

I love working with kids. Although I'm convinced they have a 5 second long attention span, it's such a privilege to spend time with them when you can get through. To listen to them, to encourage them to pursue their dreams. They, whose whole lives are ahead of them with so much potential and with so many dreams that are as of yet unfettered by the harshness of reality. They, who unknowingly teach me so much. 

*Note, Katie's name has been changed for privacy reasons.

Complacency

I was talking to K, the little kid I wrote about in this post. And I was asking him to explain something to me. He began throwing out a bunch of "churchisms" hoping that I would be satisfied with the answer. And actually, that made me kind of sad. It made me sad to see how quickly kids (and us adults likewise) try to find an easy answer that maybe they don't even quite understand themselves. It made me sad because I see his enthusiasm for knowing God diminishing with each passing week, and there is only so much that I can do. It made me sad because I know that this reaction is something that is true in so many of us. 

Isn't that why we were warned against losing our saltiness? Because it's something that's so easy for us to slip into if we're not constantly on our guard. It's so easy to just take our relationship with God for granted. This year, will you join me in being on guard against being complacent? Will you join me in passionately following God and in obeying Him wherever He leads? And will you join me in praying for all the children out there, that they would realize how precious a gift they've been given?

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 

Matthew 5:13