More Thankful

For dreamers, for sentimentals, for lovers, Christmas has all the right ingredients. Colorful lights paint the beautiful winter sky. Hours are spent searching for the perfect gift - for the friend, the lover, the brother. The seasonal music fills our souls with optimism, beauty, and holiday cheer. Cookies, egg nog, and wine top it all off to make Christmas a very romantic time of year.

This year, Christmas took on a whole new meaning for me. I must admit that the first question I ask after Christmas is "Did you get everything you wanted this year?" To me Christmas has always been synonymous with receiving gifts. But this year was different, this year was special.

This year (whether consciously, or not) I decided to spend less money on gifts and engage more in conversation - and not because of frugality, but because I wanted to be reminded what Christmas is really about. I was surprised how refreshing it felt to focus less on the new stuff, and more on simply being with family and friends.

With the economy in shambles, job opportunities at a minimum, and prices slowly increasing - I wonder if the "economy" issue our country is facing could actually be good for us. Yes, you read that right. I believe there are some positive effects from our country being in a recession right now.

People are re-considering driving 2 cars when they can car pool. People are carrying reusable water bottles (http://mysigg.com/index.asp) rather than wasting plastics. People are more grateful for the things they've been given because they know how tough times are.

I challenge you to try what we did this year: spend less, but give more.


KL.

Love

I'm so encouraged by the amount of people who are willing to give, serve, and love during this holiday season. It's just been fantastic to see people from all walks of life living out the ways of Jesus - whether they know it or not.

May we never forget what Christmas was originally all about.

Happy holidays to all of you - keep up the love. KL.

I Don't Know, What I Don't Know

Most of us go through this phase - this phase of fearlessness, invinsibility, and even borderline ignorance. It's part of being a boy (on the inside) and being a man (on the outside). It's part of sometimes acting like I'm 21 and othertimes acting like I'm 26. I'm learning the difference is simple: patience.

I'm turning 24 this New Year's Eve and it's really exciting. The other night around the dinner table, my mom asked me, "Are you happy with where you are at 24 years old?" Great question mom. Part of me is content with today, the majority of me wants so much more for tomorrow. I know I can't wait for what 2009 holds in store.

Lately I've been walking through this stage of not knowing what I don't know, let me explain:

I can make it on my own, I can finish grad school, I can complete a triathlon, I can do doughnuts in the snow and still be in control, I can do whatever the hell I want - mixed with some sass.

Or can I?

I'm learning that the 20's are all about figuring out who you are and who your friends are. Most people think it's all about finding your career and perhaps that's part of it. But I think it's more about the discovery of self.

I'm learning to embrace the fact that I don't know what I don't know - and that there's positivism that comes with that (persistence) and negativity that comes with that (arrogance).

It's all about pursuing balance. Take care of one another,

KL.

Movement

We often associate movement with change, which actually makes perfect sense.

If you've never seen the view of the Grand Canyon (assuming you want to), it won't happen unless you pursue movement - unless you book a flight, a hotel, and a rental car. You've got to get time off from work, be at the airport on time, and get from the airport to the Canyon, which requires a lot of movement.

I've been pursuing that "view" for quite some time now and I'm seeing that movement doesn't necesarily mean it has to be external. Perhaps my movement has more to do with my building passion that makes me want to see the beauty of the Grand Canyon - before I'm actually able to experience literal movment.

Let's get practical:

I've been trying to get a new job, apply to grad school, and find solid friends for a while now. I've sent my college transcript to more places than I can even remember. I've spent countless hours online looking at schools, programs, jobs, etc. I've been pursuing the "view" of some kind of movment. My world still looks very similar to my world a year ago - but it's completely different, internally.

My heart is focused, my drive is stronger, my love is deeper.

This is movement, this is change, for the time being. KL.

Stay Hungry

This is about making the choice to be a warrior, a fighter, a competitor.

This is about the relentless pursuit of running a faster pace tomorrow than you ran today (but also accepting the feeling that you gave everything you had today).

This is about refusing to settle.

This is about staying hungry.



I'm not satisfied with where I'm at, although I accept who I am (liabilities and all) - I want so much more.

I want to become more, I want to learn more, I want to be more.

When faced with a decision, I've been living by these 2 simple questions. I ask myself these questions before I decide to do something:
1) Is it beneficial, optimistic, or productive?
2) Is it investing in myself or my future?

Try it, ask yourself those questions before you do something. Clarity has been more accessible since and I'm loving who I am more and more everyday.

Stay hungry, work hard for what you want, eat your fruits and veggies, hug each other, and most importantly, don't ever give up.

I'm ready for a five course meal. I'm competing to win. KL.

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning...

"In the wee small hours of the morning
While the whole wide world is fast asleep
You lie awake and think about the girl
And never ever think of counting sheep

When your lonely heart has learned its lesson
You'd be hers, if only she would call
In the wee small hours of the morning
That's the time you miss her most of all"

-Frank Sinatra

For some reason I can't get these lyrics out of my heart...

KL.

After Hours

As I'm training for my triathlon, I'm learning a lot about myself. It's been quite interesting to see progression in my times, my motivation, and my excitement as I finish with more contentment than ever. There's something about long distance training that tests your perseverance like nothing else.

I'm learning that behind the glory of finishing something difficult in life, there are hours of hard work and sweat when no one is watching. There are late nights of fighting for something you believe in, when everyone else has gone to bed. And it's in those times where character is made - when most people grab a water, I approach the hill with a smile because (like Kanye said) I'm better than I've ever been.

Last night I was riding the bike and decided that I was going to ride for 30 minutes at a fast pace. I always have a goal in mind before I ever run, bike, or swim - ya gotta know where you're going before you can get there. My goal was to keep a pace of riding 1 mile every 3 minutes. After 10 minutes, my legs started to burn and I thought about slowing the pace. Immediately, I put that thought out of my mind and went faster.

I pushed through the next few minutes and was 15 seconds behind keeping my pace of a mile every 3 minutes. I looked at my watch and saw I was coming up on 27 minutes, which meant I really had to push to reach my goal of 10 miles in 30 minutes.

And the last 3 minutes was all up hill - how fitting, I thought to myself.

I gripped the bars, put my head down, closed my eyes, and put everything out of my mind. I didn't even give myself a chance to think about times - I pushed my legs into the pedals as hard as I could. As I got closer to 30 minutes, I knew I had to give it everything I had. My legs were burning, my heart rate was at 180, and I felt amazing. With 20 seconds left, I had a tenth of a mile to go and just before 30 minutes passed, I hit 10 miles.

Insert amazing feeling here.

Work hard for what you want and you'll see what I mean.

KL

Outside Ourselves

Balancing the Christmas act is really difficult. People seem to be much more stressed around this time of year. Walk into any mall and you'll see what I mean. Everyone wants the perfect gift, with the perfect size, and the perfect price. Black Friday has come and gone - showing us just how crazy things are during this season.

A man in New York died unlocking the doors at Wal-Mart because people were more concerned about saving a few bucks than they were about the safety and well being of another individual. Two others were shot at Toys R Us over which toy they wanted to buy. This reminds me of some of the issues middle school teachers deal with.

If you mix common sense and rationale, you'll easily see how crazy (and by crazy, I literally mean "insane") some people are in our society. I'd like to think those 2,000 people who trampled over this man didn't realize he was in serious danger. I don't think it's that people are completely apathetic - I think it's that we are often so selfish that we only see what's in it for us. So many people are willing to do almost anything just to get 20% off.

There's no point of judging the reader because neither you nor I had anything to do with any of these situations. But during this season, that was intended to be one of joy, peace, and love, let us remember to slow down and think about others before ourselves. Let us realize that we have been blessed beyond what we deserve and that we can have the privilege of giving back. Let us all think outside ourselves during this Christmas season.

By the way, if you haven't heard her, check out Clara Lofaro. She's beautiful. KL.