Friday, December 24, 2010

Day 30: Strawberry Shortcake (Round 1)

Strawberry Shortcake is Round 1 because Amy bought me two pairs of Strawberry Shortcake socks and this is the first one I'm wearing. These socks are made for small children so I tried to stretch them out before I put them on, but apparently I can wear kids socks, no problem!

I was given a lot of new pairs of socks from Melissa today at work! It was awesome to get so many pairs. Each pair came with a story of what she was thinking when she bought them and what kind of days I might be having when I wear them. It was extremely thoughtful and I really appreciated the gifts!

I had lunch with a group of people from my old work today and it was great to hear about and see everyone and find out how they are all doing. I wish I had the time to spend with everyone while I'm here, but it's hard to fit everything into just two short weeks. I thought two weeks was a long vacation, but it's really not at all.

I had dinner tonight with Rachel. I just adore this girl. She is absolutely beautiful, inside and out. And I love, love, love that we get past the small talk stage almost immediately when we are together.

Can I just explain that recently I've realized that I am not one for small talk? It may be that I feel like a broken record when participating in small talk, or maybe it's that I feel that if we aren't getting past small talk then we are really not investing in each other's lives or each other's stories in a significant way. Intellectually stimulating conversation is where I like to spend most of my time, and I so appreciate when others feel the same way.

I like it when people challenge me. I like it when a conversation really makes me think. I like it when people encourage me to be a better person and to explore other ideas and opinions rather than just forcing their own on me. I like to be encouraged to think outside the usual realm of my thought processes in order to discover new ideas and thoughts about myself, my life, my faith, etc. As Rachel and I talked about, I want to be investing my time and effort in relationships that build me up, not relationships that bring me down. Getting past the small talk is the first step to building lasting relationships with other people. I hope that I encourage other people in the same way that I hope to be encouraged.

Get past small talk with someone you know. Be intentional about making solid friendship connections with people that encourage you and encourage happiness within you.

xo

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