Revisiting Rome

I’m not gonna lie to you. I love Rome. I love the food, the irresistible aura of the Italians, the fact that you stand at a bar and order espresso and drink it while still standing there, the tiny little back streets that are just oozing with character, and the gelato- oh the scrumptious gelato! My stomach is grumbling now at the thought of it and I can almost taste it. Creamy, cold & fresh. Yum.

I will revisit Rome one day. I promise. For now, I’m content revisiting Rome at the time that Paul was writing letters to the Romans, trying to teach them about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, about God, and about the Christian faith. About how to live life as a Christian. I’ve blogged about it before, and I guarantee you that I’ll blog about again, but the Book of Romans truly inspires me. And I’ve decided that it’s time that I revisit Rome. Please join me on this journey….

So what brought all of this up?

I’ve been reading a daily devotional book about praying (as I think this is one area of my Christian life that I particularly struggle with), and it’s been surprising to me what I am learning. On one hand there is a “formal” method of how to pray (look at and dissect the Lord’s prayer), and on the other hand, God wants you to talk to Him freely, to have uninhibited conversation with Him, and to tell Him what you need, what you are struggling with, praise Him, and the list goes on. So which way is right?

I’m no expert, but I think the purpose of prayer is to acknowledge God: His power, His strength, His abilities, His perfect love for each and every one of us, and His complete and utter devotion to us, and to develop and enhance our personal relationship with Him. Prayer evidences our faith in Him (who would pray if they didn’t believe that something could actually happen as a result?) and helps us connect with Him on a personal level. And that’s what He’s really after in the end. And that’s also how we find out His will for us.

I’ve been having many conversations with people and with myself about this topic lately, and the consistent message that I am hearing is, ask God, talk to God, and believe that He can help you and has your best interests at heart. Ask. Talk. Believe. I can do that! So can you!

Let’s get in the Word.

So I’ve concluded now that I need to ask, talk, and believe. Totally doable. But what am I going to ask for and talk about?

One of the Bible verses that has struck a chord with me lately is my favorite verse (if it’s even really possible to have only one favorite verse of the Bible). I’ve included below both the NIV and The Message versions, because I think it’s important to see the similarities and distinctions between the two (I like The Message version for its layman’s terminology and straight shooting):

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 (The Message)

Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

If you’ve read my blog over the past month or so, you’ve seen a constant theme……Losing My Way……Judgment Day….. I’ve been struggling with being in my happy place with God. I’ve become unfocused and feel that I’ve become so well adjusted to my culture that I fit into it without even thinking and at times have been dragged down to my culture’s level of immaturity. But I want to have God bring out the best in me. Luckily, I have certain people in my life who are very good at pointing me in the right direction when I need them to; people who have been there, and who know what a struggle it can be to get out of a routine that it takes a while to even realize that you’re in.

You’ll be happy to know that I have been to church AND to Sunday School very recently (which is a start to accomplishing my goal of finding a church home), and it completely refreshed my spirit. I could tell that God was happy to see me there. I was happy to see me there. I remembered that I actually have a spirit – and a strong one at that!

So all of these things have led me back to Romans 12:2. I think deep down we all want to know what God’s will is for our lives, but I don’t know that many of us are willing to do what it takes to really find out what it is, and then actually listen to Him when he tells us. I know I tend to have a bias towards what I want to believe is God’s will and can analyze the heck out of something just to make it fit.

This brings me to my next Bible verse of the day, which in perfect timing, was brought to my attention by one of my favorite people recently:

James 1:5-8 (The Message)

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all options open.

Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like when I ask for help from people, I get condescended to. And expecting that may prevent me from even asking for help in the first place. Is it the same way for you? The good news, is that God WANTS us to ask Him for help. How great is that! But we have to believe that He will answer our prayers, and believe it wholeheartedly. We have to really & truly think that He will show us His will for our lives, and be willing to accept it even if we don’t like it. Are you still on board?

Good. Because I think that this is very exciting. It’s like having your fortune told by the one person who knows everything about you; by the one who actually created your fortune. But unlike a hokey fortune teller, He is not getting paid. He just has the good intentions of any father who wants to keep their kids on track in life. And He has great plans for each of us, and if we just listen to Him, we will come to know what those great plans are. It’s not to say that they are what we would’ve chosen for ourselves, but they are His plans, so they have to be better than any earthly plans that we have for ourselves.

Bringing it back to music.

This discussion reminds me of a favorite song of mine that goes something like this:

(Excerpt from “What It Feels Like” by FFH)

This may not be the road I would choose for me

But it still feels right somehow

‘Cause I have never felt You as close to me

As I do right now

So this is what it feels like to be led

So this is what it feels like to just fall apart

To be totally unglued

Find out that if I accept my brokenness

I get more of me, I get all of You

So this is what it feels like to just walk away

From everything I thought kept me safe

To depend just on you for every meal

And find that it’s better this way

Can I do it? Can YOU do it?

Wrapping it all up.

So what does all of this mean? Well, for me, it means that I need to prepare my heart for accepting the will of God, and continue to pray about it. George Müller wrote, in reference to determining God’s will for making decisions: “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that is has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lords’ will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is”.

I’m going to give this a shot. And I’m going to continue to go to church and to Sunday School. And I’m going to become best friends with my God. I'm going to ask, talk, and listen. I’m revisiting Rome and I have a feeling that this is going to be a life-changing trip.

Making Wise Investments

I just returned from a girls’ trip to San Francisco and the California Wine Country – the Napa Valley to be exact. I needed a little break from work since I just finished busy season and my mind needed an escape. Throw in a couple of good friends, some wine tasting, and sunshine, and it was just what the doctor ordered.

One evening at our hotel in Napa, I was sitting by myself in the lounge area that’s covered, but still outside, so I got the benefit of the cool, fresh air, but was also warm and protected from the wind. I was a happy camper as I had my book and glass of wine, and had just completed a self-guided tour through the vineyards on the property. Next to me was a group of about eight people – I think four different couples. They were considerably older than me, but clearly they were in Napa for the same reason: some wine tasting with friends and an escape from the real world. As I listened to the deep, hearty laughter radiating from their table and heard snippets of their stories, it became wildly apparent to me that they are how I want to be when I’m their age. Not obnoxious (ok – maybe slightly obnoxious on occasion), but joyful, happy, relaxed, and at ease with the people that they were with.

When we are young, we can make investments in lots of different things: investments in our health, investments in stocks & bonds, investments in a house, investments in our career. There are plenty of options, and we each have the liberty to invest in whatever we choose, but ultimately, don’t we all put in the effort with hopes for a positive return of some sort? There are some investments that are meant to be short-term, but I think of those more as business decisions. What I don’t think of as a business decision, is an investment in people.

Although everyone comes and goes into our lives for a reason (and I truly do believe that), there are some people who are worth the long-term investment. They are the people who give you the positive return, because after all, an investment is give and take right? They are worth the time, energy, effort, and sacrifice. They are going to be the people you sit with around a table at a hotel in Napa when you’re 50 years old, sharing a bottle of wine, remembering old stories and creating new ones, and radiating laughter. That is a great return on an investment. It’s a wise investment.

So what do we do with the rest of the people out there? The ones who are good for short term benefit? Those people are important too. And I emphatically do not believe that they are not worthy of time and energy and effort. We all need different relationships at different points in our lives. Every year I meet a new person who may or may not become a staple ingredient in the basic recipe for my life. If they do, they become a long-term investment. They have potential to be sitting around a table with me in Napa sharing stories and radiating that laughter that I keep talking about. But some may just be entertainment. And I’m okay with that as I like to be entertained. The trick is, where do I invest my time and my energy? That’s the lingering question.

I don’t want this to sound snooty at all. And I certainly don’t want people thinking that they are not worthy of being one of Lisa’s long-term investments. I know that I’m a short-termer for many people, and I’m okay with that! It’s fun, it’s living in the moment, and there are some great experiences that come out of it. But the reason I even wrote this blog, is to really remind you of the long-term investments that you have made. You may not have known it at the time, but since you started investing in someone years ago, they have become very valuable to you and have, and will continue, to give you a return on your investment like no other. They are the truly special people, the foundation, the basic ingredients to the recipe for your life. So think about those people often, make the effort to call them, or better yet, write them a hand-written letter and send it United State Postal Service. You’re helping the economy that way too!

And then next year, or five or ten or twenty years from now, grab together those long-term investments that you’ve been building up all these years, and reap the benefits of them. Cash them in. Sit around a table together, radiate laughter, make fools of yourselves, and tell the stories of today. That's when you know that you've made a wise investment.

Judgment Day

My blog post last night got me thinking……

When I write blogs, I sooooo believe everything that I say and am encouraged and excited about what I write. I get caught up in the moment and have all engines fired up. I love it! I feel powerful and armed with a purpose.

Then, the unthinkable happens. I get caught up in the other things. I get distracted. And those ideas and revelations that I’ve had in the past and blogged about, well, they sound good, but I have a hard time turning them into real life; a hard time converting them into truth.

I’ll give you an example:

I was re-reading some of my recent blogs, and the one that struck me the most was my Breaking the Mold blog from early December. I love that blog, and I remember exactly how I felt when I wrote it. I still get encouraged when I think of that day. I was sitting on my couch on a Saturday morning when I was supposed to have gone to a conference in Oklahoma City that weekend, but it snowed in Houston and we couldn’t get out. A lot happened that morning, and my blog was purposeful; I was going to make a difference in my life; I was realizing things that I had not realized before. And if you go back and re-read it, you’ll notice that I had Action Plans set for myself on what I wanted to do in response to my revelations. Here’s a summary of those Action Plans:

Action Plan #1: Break the mold. Be the puzzle piece that doesn’t fit. Find my own purpose and way to do God’s works through my life.

Action Plan #2: Break the mold by finding a church and diving below its surface. Don’t value it for its entertainment factor, but determine what qualities of a church are important to me and seek those instead.

Action Plan #3: Break free from the idea that I should wait for God’s will in my life to make daily decisions. Live my life for now, for today, and not for what I’m waiting for in the future, all the while glorifying Him, listening to Him, and continuing to learn from my mistakes.

So what is my progress? I’m ashamed to say, not much progress at all. It really does hurt me to say that. It bothers me that I can’t follow through with things that I was truly so passionate about, and that made a difference in my life, even if just for a day or a week. How am I supposed to grow and become more purposeful in life when all I can do is write about things instead of actually doing them?

I’m angry with myself! Well and truly angry. And I’m not real sure what to do about it. I think I need a watchdog; someone to judge me; someone to keep me accountable. I don’t know. Ugggh! But one thing I do know, is that something has got to change.

Now don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been living this heathen lifestyle for the last three months. To be honest, I’ve barely had time to do anything of my own choosing. But I do know that I have not been committed to finding a church and have come up with every excuse in the book to use. There are no more excuses. I need a church, and I need one now.

And I also know that I haven’t been truly seeking God’s purpose for my life lately. I’ve just been going along, taking what I’m dealt, and not seeking what He would have for me. I haven’t been listening for Him, or really talking to Him for that matter. And I can tell. I can tell in the way I interact with people, I can tell in the way I approach each day, and I can tell when I start worrying about things that are really not under my control. That’s not what I want for myself.

So today, it’s judgment day. I’m judging myself, and I want YOU to judge me too. Maybe that will ignite the fire beneath me to start doing things that I know, that I need, and that I crave. Judge me against the goals that I have set for myself. Judge me against the things that I need to do to accomplish what I have set out to achieve. Tell me when I’m not focused and need to divert my eyes back to what is real, and honest, and good. I want the verdict to be good and I P-R-O-M-I-S-E you that I will get there. Cross my heart! You just wait and see, and have faith in me! Then judgment day will come again, and I will be in a better place.

Losing My Way

Lisa, it’s okay. Life sometimes gets in the way. Don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on track. Pick up what you know you need to be doing, and everything will be just fine.

Yes, I talk to myself on a regular basis. I think I keep pretty good company with myself. I know you do it too. I think we all do. Sometimes we need that little conversation that only we can give ourselves at just the exact moment we need it.

This time of year, I always find myself in this situation. Life happens, and I lose my way. I get distracted by things that have to get done and are seemingly more important than anything else. My schedule becomes the schedule of someone who justifies to themselves that they don’t have time to take the extra 5 minutes in the morning to pray, that they don’t have 10 minutes to call someone who they’ve been meaning to call for days or weeks, and that they can’t take 20 minutes to relax at home to catch up on the news and perhaps have a glass of wine. I’m accustomed to this lifestyle, it happens every year at the same time, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I still lose my way.

I think that everyone likes to have some sort of normalcy in their lives. At least during the work week. But why is it that when work gets crazy, our normalcy becomes dictated by it? Shouldn’t we weave in other things that come up in our lives with what we know as normal? I really admire people who are able to stick to their guns and keep some consistency in their lives when things start getting hectic. I tend to get all wrapped up in those things that are making me feel out of whack. Those things that are making me get off track. I tend to not find time to do my laundry. Or take out my trash. Really you ask? Yes, really. It’s horrible, I know. But I get sucked in by this twisted, windy road to nowhere. I need a compass. But I don’t have time to look at it once it’s given to me! I’m walking blindly down a path. And I lose my way.

I recently heard a new song by Tobymac that goes something like this:

We lose our way, We get back up again

It's never too late to get back up again,

One day you will shine again,

You may be knocked down,

But not out forever,

Lose our way, We get back up again,

So get up, get up,

You gonna shine again,

Never too late to get back up again,

You may be knocked down,

But not out forever

So why is it, that in the midst of going through all of this, that I can't do something about it? It seems so simple! Make yourself do it Lisa! Make yourself. Don’t give yourself another option. But it doesn’t really work that way. If I took the extra 5 minutes in the morning to say my prayers before leaving for work, I’d be blabbering some words, but they wouldn’t be the heartfelt words that I really would like to say. They would be rushed, and hurried, and just enough to tick the “to-do” of praying off of my list. That’s not how praying is supposed to be and I know that! And why can I not let myself have 10 minutes at my kitchen table in the morning to eat breakfast? Why must I insist on having an instant oatmeal while sitting at my desk checking emails in the office? Is it really that important? No, it’s not.

I’ve decided that I’m not going to let this knock me down. I will shine again. I will find the way back to my life. I will not be out forever. I am going to grab my compass and point it north. I will find time to do laundry, make my bed, take out the trash, enjoy breakfast at my kitchen table, read the fabulous book that I’m half-way through, pray, and by all means, blog. Oh how I’ve missed all of this.

I know that there are times that I have to sacrifice normalcy, and I'm okay with that. But I need something to keep me on track. I need one of those pocket compasses that will always be with me and help me remember what my life is and what my priorities are, no matter what I'm going through . I need to always remember to put God first, let Him lead the way for me, so that I don't end up on the twisted, windy road to nowhere. So that I have His light to follow, and to help me shine in my world. So that I don't lose my way.

Perfect Timing

I learned something last week. My mom had a total knee replacement last Monday, so I stayed at my parents’ house so that dad & I could go visit her in the hospital and I wouldn’t have to make the long commute from downtown Houston to the far north suburbs. I also arranged to work at a client site near the hospital to cut back on travel time even more.

Every day I made the drive from my parents’ house, to the hospital, then to the client site, then back to the hospital, then back to my parents’ house. Here is what I learned: the main road that I drove on has several traffic lights. Lots actually. The speed limit was 45mph; I don’t like to drive 45mph if I can help it, so I was going just a tad bit faster, but still keeping with the flow of traffic. And I was stopping at EVERY SINGLE TRAFFIC LIGHT. Uggh. That gets really frustrating considering that my normal commute to the office is only 3 miles and has only 3 stop lights. I thought I was just doomed to be in a commute funk for the rest of the week. Hurry hurry hurry hurry – STOP. Hurry hurry hurry hurry – STOP.

So I’m riding in the car with dad one day and he says, “I love this road because once you hit a green light, as long as you go the speed limit, you’ll hit all green lights after that”. WHAT?!?! I was causing this suffering and misery myself? The traffic lights were perfectly timed, as long as you went the speed limit. Ahhhh, a revelation (which I’m sure is true on many roads) that made my life much better, as long as I could stand to go only 45mph.

You see, I was getting to the next traffic light too fast and it hadn’t turned green yet. I was messing up the perfect timing of the traffic light system. I was speeding, and the traffic lights laughed in my face every time they made me stop; so did the old men driving 45mph behind me who pulled up to the lights just as they were turning green. I was not gaining the benefit of the perfectly timed traffic light system on that road. I was trying to speed to my destination.

What if life is set up with traffic lights and we’re supposed to go the speed limit so that we can get through it at a consistent pace? Is it meant to be that way? None of this stop and go, stop and go, that is so brutal on a car’s engine, and likely our bodies and minds as well. Do you think that sometimes we rush life and things stop us dead in our tracks until we’re ready to move on? And we get frustrated by it, but then when the timing is right, we move on to the next thing and hopefully learn to slow down the next time. I don’t know the answer. I just ponder the question.

I wish that I could slow down and enjoy the life that I am in now rather than thinking about what’s in the future and trying to get there as fast as I can. I think I’m actually pretty good at it some days. But then there are the many, many others where I get caught up in dealing with “stuff” and can’t wait to get through that “stuff” , so I speed along, and then BAM – I have to stop at a red light. It’s life’s funny way of making us slow down.

Like life is saying, “Lisa, it’s just not quite time for that yet. I’m not ready for you to move on to the next stage until you’ve enjoyed the view from where you are. Why are you always in such a hurry to move on to the next place?” I think that’s so true. I try to force life to happen and realize that I am messing with the perfect timing that God has created for me in my life. Do you do the same thing?

I’m not saying that we don’t learn things when we are forced to stop at traffic lights. Sometimes some of the detours are the most interesting spots along the way. But, eventually we all end up back on the main road of life.

So I learned something last week. And after that lesson, my drive along that road was relaxing and enjoyable. I wasn't stressed about getting to my destination, because I knew that the perfect timing of the traffic lights would get me there in time. So next time that you find yourself speeding along on a road (or in life) and you are being forced to stop at every traffic light, try talking yourself into being patient and going the speed limit. I will do the same. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll find that the road of life that we’re on really does have perfect timing.

Upgraded

So, you may think that I’m a bit of snob after reading this blog, but heck, I’m just being honest :-) And who doesn’t enjoy a little First Class Treatment.

Between Christmas and the New Year, I went on a trip over to Scotland to visit some dear friends that I had met while living in Australia. I try to see them as often as I can, but it never seems to be often enough. I miss those girls! Anyway, I used my frequent flier miles for my ticket (since this was the only way that I could justify going on a quasi-last minute trip), and decided that I would sacrifice the extra miles for the upgrade to First Class on the way over there. This is where my snobby factor comes in – I LOVE FIRST CLASS!!! Especially on an international flight where you really do get pampered and the length of the flight makes it totally worthwhile.

On the flight, I was sitting next to a young lady whose father is a pilot for the airline, and who gets to fly all over the world for free (albeit standby) and often gets upgraded to First Class. As we were chatting away, she was saying how most of her friends have never flown First Class and don’t understand just how different it is from coach. People, believe me, it’s different.

But then it got me thinking: when I’m NOT sitting in First Class, I always think that the people who ARE sitting in First Class are snobby. I think they are too good for their britches, act like they are elite, and have paid extortionate amounts of money to get there. When in reality, they are the same person whether they are sitting in First Class or coach; they only act elite because the flight attendants treat them that way. Besides, most of them probably used airline miles like me, or were automatically upgraded based on their status with the airline.

So does that make them better people than the rest of us? Does the fact that I get to fully recline in my chair, get a five-course meal that lasts 3 hours, and receive the cutest little travel kit with toiletries and an eye mask (neither of which I use, honestly) really make be more superior to anyone else in the back of the plane? Does the fact that I get to choose my meal from a menu and eat on china rather than from a plastic container or bag mean that I deserve it any more than the woman sitting on the other side of the curtain?

Then I started thinking: do I act like an “upgraded” person sometimes as a Christian? I would like to think that I get special treatment from my God that non-Christians have chosen to not have access to. But am I a snobby Christian? I don’t want to be one of those Christians who is too good for my britches, acts like I’m elite, or pays extortionate amounts of money to be one. But being a Christian: People, believe me, it’s different.

Then it hit me: the glory of being a believer is that I realize that I will never be good enough on my own to enter the kingdom of heaven (therefore, I’m not too good for my britches), I try to be humble and meek before my God and realize that He is sovereign above all (and therefore I don’t act elite), and I know that Jesus has already paid the ultimate price for me (and therefore the extortionate price has already been paid). But, I still get the benefits! How fantastic is that? I get to live in First Class all the time!

I get someone to help me carry my burdens. I get the grace of God.

I get someone who promises that He will always be there, through good times and bad, all I have to do is ask and welcome Him in.

I get someone who has such a perfect love for me that it’s almost unbelievable.

I get someone who has the perfect plan for my life.

I get someone who knows that I’m going to screw up in my life, and loves me in spite of that.

And I get someone who sacrificed His Son so that I can have all of that.

I feel like being a Christian gives me First Class Treatment. How does it compare to a five-course meal, served on the airlines finest china, with a reclining seat and that quaint little toiletry bag? That airline as NOTHING on my God :-) I’ve been upgraded for life!

Barefoot

Recently I was with a friend and her toddler, and noticed that he was barefoot and had the cutest little toes. She mentioned that some people disagree with letting their children go barefoot, but in her opinion, if he’s somewhere that it doesn’t really matter, then why not let him go without shoes? She said he is so comfortable and at ease when he is barefoot. That he sort of lets his guard down. That shoes constrict him and he likes to feel free and uninhibited. So it got me thinking – why shouldn’t we all go barefoot? Not barefoot, literally, but why not try to find those places, or things, or moments in our lives in which we feel completely unrestricted, comfortable and at ease, and try to get there more regularly? I started thinking of these places, and wondered how many I could come up with. How many places or moments or events in my life do I feel like I can go totally barefoot?

• At home karaoke – most people know how much I love to sing. And I’ll sing just about anywhere – in the kitchen, in the shower, in the car, at work, in a store, at a pub, walking down the street, anywhere in my house, anywhere in someone else’s house, anywhere really. And I don’t even need music. If there is no music playing, I’ll make up my own.
  
  Today, as I was picking up stuff around my living room, tidying up a bit from the holidays, I had music playing and one of my recent favorite songs came on (Hey, Soul Sister by Train – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVpv8-5XWOI – check it out). And it is SUCH a happy song. As I started singing it, I couldn’t help but begin to dance around my house, and then the thumb microphone came out. The one that my friends & family know comes out when I get excited about a song. And I found myself happily performing my own little karaoke show. I didn’t have an audience, but I didn’t need one. Kenna the fat cat wasn’t even at home to watch her mom act ridiculously. But I loved every minute of it. I realized I was totally barefoot – literally AND figuratively. I had no walls up, no inhibitions, I was completely comfortable and enjoying the heck out of myself.

• My parent's house at the holidays – I don’t spend as much time at my parent’s house as I probably should. They live just under an hour away from me, but I have this conceptual problem with just going up there and sitting, doing nothing, when I know that I’m only 45 minutes away from home and could or should be doing something productive. But I have absolutely no issues with spending time up there during the holidays. It’s like I have a reprieve from my real life, I have no “to-do” list, and I can spend as much time as I want up there without feeling guilty about not getting anything in my “normal” life accomplished.
  
  We are only a family of four, so my sister and I enjoy just hanging out, going shopping, cooking a meal, going to the movies, drinking wine, and reliving all of our family holiday traditions with mom & dad that we’ve been carrying out ever since I can remember. So, when I’m up at my parents, I’m totally barefoot. It’s a comfortable place for me. It’s home, and I didn’t even grow up there. I know that no matter how silly I act, how unattractive I look, or how often I gorge myself on holiday leftovers, nobody there will judge me. They will love me despite the fact that I may not have showered yet that day, that I’ve gone back for another helping of pie, and even when I’m grumpy. It’s a comfort zone for me. I get to go barefoot.

• Catching up with old friends – there’s just something about hanging out with people that you’ve known for a while, but haven’t seen for a while. It’s a certain comfort level that is not achieved anywhere else. They may not know what’s going on in your life at that exact moment like your “current” friends do, but they know you differently. They knew you during the time that you only talk about as memories with your newer friends. They were there to experience those events that molded you into the person you are today. I was lucky enough to catch up with one of these people over the holidays, and it was such a cherished couple of hours.
  
  We may have been at a Starbucks, on a Sunday afternoon with people coming in and out the entire time, with distractions all around us, but I was barefoot and enjoying every minute of it. I didn’t care what else was going on around me. I didn’t care that we were taking up the only leather sofa in the place for two hours, when we probably should not have been so selfish to sit there so long. All I cared about is that I was catching up with an old friend, that we were sharing the stories of our lives with each other, and that I was happy and barefoot. No walls, no inhibitions, just me and my friend. Ahhhhh.

So, I challenge each of you to get in touch with your childish roots and find the place, or the people, or the moments in each of your lives in which you feel like you can go totally barefoot. It’s such a liberating place to be. And if you’re lucky enough to find that place, you can likely take your shoes off too :-)