changing lanes

dearest readers,

i am temporarily putting this blog on hold, as i explore some other blogging ideas.

i am sensing God may be calling me to "change lanes."

as soon as the good Lord reveals to me His plan, I'll fill you in too.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

eat your type

i'm a type A. no, not that kind of type A. those kind of type A's would never try to slow down.

i'm a blood type A.

a while back i was introduced to the concept of eating based on your blood type. the person that told me about it swears by it (she happens to be a type A also.) up to this point in my life, i haven't been all that into dietary stuff, but i'm starting to think a lot more about it. and i have to admit, this idea really intrigues me.

i found this website that discusses differences in blood types. but it goes well beyond eating. it also talks about what makes each type an individual, gives some history, strategies for handling stress, appropriate exercise, life style strategies, and even talks about how other cultures view the blood type. kind of like we might use the meyer's-briggs, they assign personality traits to each blood type, and might even go as far as to ask your blood type in an interview!

i found the information rather enlightening and was shocked at how accurately it depicted me. it actually shed a lot of light on things i always thought were just these weird quirks about me.

here's what the opening paragraph said about me and my types:

"Intense and intellectually curious, blood type A individuals are best suited to a plant-based diet. When in balance, they are capable of tremendous bursts of creativity and self-expression. Physically, type A must concentrate on maintaining the health of their cardiovascular and immune systems."

plant-based diet? yuck. | balance? yes!

they also claim that based on blood type, people "are susceptible to different diseases, they should eat different foods and exercise in a completely different manner."

hmm. that seems logical enough.

this stuff totally fascinates me. i may just give it a try. check it out for yourself.

addicted to hurry

way back in my first post, i described the meaning of "in the fast lane going slow" and my attempt at being intentional about slowing life down.

it seems i'm not the only one that struggles with this fast-paced life. i recently picked up a book on my bookshelf called Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down. the book actually belongs to a friend of mine and has been sitting there unread for years. but the time has finally come for me to read it!

i've just gotten through the introduction and a few pages of the first chapter and i am fired up!!! it will be a challenge in and of itself not to rush through the reading of this book.

here are a few amazing tidbits from just the little bit i've read so far.

"hurry is not just a part of life, hurry is life. when hurry becomes a chronic condition, when we run even when there is no reason to, when we rush while performing the most mundane tasks, it may be said that we have become addicted to hurry."

"chronic hurry is a serious malady of mind, heart and soul, putting at risk relationship with God, each other and ourselves."

"beating hurry addiction is more than a matter of merely slowing down. a viable alternative to hurry must yield joys and fulfillments that rival those of hurry."

"envision an achievable alternative to hurry: cultivating your own sacred, savoring pace...savoring pace is about taking the time to notice more. while we cannot notice everything, believing that everything is worth noticing can dynamically enrich life."

can i get an amen here?

the book also gives a brief list of some of the more common phrases in our language that have to do with hurry. they are:

i am going as fast as i can
speedy recovery
hurry up
mad dash
get a move on
ASAP
the sooner, the better
step on it
shake a leg
get cracking
i've got to run
i don't have much time
wait a minute
just a second
right away
how soon can i expect it?
running late
running scared
run down
running out of time
grab a bite
on the run
it'll only take a minute

...and i'm sure you can think of even more.

i'm not saying (and neither is the book) that speed isn't necessary and doesn't have it's place. but where it's not required, i can work on slowing down.

i'm going to investigate my hurriedness. would you like to embark on an experiment with me? for one day, let's see how many times we verbalize our hurriedness and/or become impatient in different situations.

the results could be shocking.

handwriting analysis

one day, a long time ago, in a place far-far away...i had my signature analyzed.

i was working for a woman who was getting anonymous mail, and no one could read the person's signature. to be sure she wasn't being stalked, she asked her assistant to send it off for analysis.

i ended up being tasked with the job, and like any assistant would do, i typed up a cover letter and sent it off. i really didn't think much more about it until we got the response back. and to my delight, free of charge, the handwriting analyzer included some comments about me, based on my signature from the cover letter. (i am totally into this kind of stuff, and was very anxious to read his thoughts!)

here is what he said:

stong literary ability
fluent mind
cautious
concerned about the way i look
objective
stop and think before i talk
very creative

pretty accurate, if i do say so myself, although i don't know if i would really consider myself objective. funny enough, i can't even remember what he said about the stalker :-)

self-talk v. truth

I do a lot of self-talk, and sadly, a lot of it can be negative. I've posted in the past about my strategy for taking my thoughts captive and for trying to hear the Truth, instead of my own self-talk.

I ran across an old email I had printed out the other day. I love its simplicity in addressing many of the things I hear myself saying in my head. It is a good reminder to me that His power is made perfect in my weakness.

You say: It’s impossible
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: I’m too tired
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: Nobody really loves me
God says: I love you (John 3:16, John 13:34)

You say: I can’t go on
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 91:15)

You say: I can’t figure things out
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: I can’t do it
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:!3)

You say: I’m not able
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: It’s not worth it
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28)

You say: I can’t forgive myself
God says: I forgive you (1 John 1:9, Romans 8:1)

You say: I can’t manage
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: I’m afraid
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: I’m always worried and frustrated
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: I don’t have enough faith
God says: I’ve given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)

You say: I’m not smart enough
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: I feel all alone
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

When I catch myself repeating one of these lame self-talk phrases, I'll just follow it with the Truth, and surely God will say, "AMEN!"

word clouds

sometimes i need a quick creative fix, and wordle is just the e-toy for easy, immediate results . i made a couple of "word clouds" using the text from the post i wrote about my dad shaving, as well as from the tags on my delicious bookmarks. check them out!

• the saturday shave

• funyummylicious

try it out for yourself and leave a comment with the link to your word clouds so i can enjoy them too!

a new year, a new way

well, i've thought about it (even though it isn't thursday :-), and i've finally made a decision about what my blog will be like this year: unpredictable.

yes, i know. this type of word goes completely against the nature of a perfectionist...but hey, i'm trying to overcome the limitations that go with this quality! so here is yet another attempt at doing so. no schedule. no deadlines. no expectations. no pressure. yikes!

in 2009, i'm simply going to post here whenever i'm inspired, and whenever i have time. but getting those two things to occur simultaneously will no doubt be a challenge in and of itself!

so thanks for staying tuned in to the fast lane, where i'm still trying to be intentional about going slow!