"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." ~ Blessed Mother Teresa
I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because Lord knows I can’t even remember how to spell grammar. Have you ever thought about that? If we say “grammER” then why is it spelled “grammAR”? The english language just doesn’t make much sense sometimes. Or maybe it’s just us. Yes, I think it’s us. Some people must have just gotten together and laughed their heads off when they decided “Let’s make up this language with weird rules, and THEN break all them!”
Mwahahahahahaha
Not funny. (But I kind of wish I had been part of that meeting…)
And that’s why we have spell check and teachers and editors and websites to help us communicate clearly.
I think it’s really made us quite a bit dumber, though. The beginning of the school year always makes me start thinking about this sort of thing. Does it for you? I mean, when we’re writing on the computer, we just use spell check. Often times we write in text-speak without using real words (I try not to, though, and it really annoys me when people do in emails). We don’t understand “big” words anymore, and think a person must be some english freak nerd if they do. And a dictionary? Oh my word, do you live in the dark ages?!?!
I, for one, am thankful that I was taught (in my awesome homeschooling time) how to find a word in the dictionary (though I still don’t get how I’m supposed to look up a word if I don’t know how to spell it). It helps to be able to alphabetize something and be able to sort things that way. And big words are pretty cool. Instead of using “pretty cool”, I could have used glorious, sensational, or marvelous (and yes, I used thesaurus.com to find those). My vocabulary books were fabulous too. I still sometimes come across a word I remember learning from them.
All that to say, don’t fall prey to an elementary understanding of our language. Don’t take your ques from me, though, because I make typos all the time and need to work on my writing style. Here’s to the start of the school year and lots more learning!
Thanks to Grammarly for sponsoring this post and reminding me how much better I could be at writing!
To finish off the blogging challenge, I’m sharing with you some inspirational/motivational photos to kick-start your week. Take the time to set your week off the a good start, and check off that to-do list. You know you can, and there’s only so much left of summer. See ya’ll later this week!
Work on becoming that person you know you can be. Sure, it takes effort. But won’t it be worth it?
“I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and so they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it and then it’s gone. But to surrender who you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying – even more terrible than dying young.”
~ St. Joan of Arc (aka. a beast)
There’s a story about Abraham Lincoln where he called on an excellent soldier during the Civil War. He wanted the soldier to deliver a message to a different battalion, which was a very important mission. Lincoln wanted to attack using both battalions, and needed to communicate this quickly to the others. When he arrived, the soldier said “I am willing to die for our cause.” To which Lincoln replied “I have twenty-five thousand men who are willing to die for the cause. What I need is one who is willing to live for it.”
In this day and age it’s unlikely to be martyred for your faith or die in a battlefield (for those of us in the West at least), but I’ve been introduced to this concept: Instead, we are faced with the challenge to live our faith.
In Rediscovering Catholicism, Matthew Kelly wrote “[Y]ou and I, here in America, in Australia, and in the United Kingdom, are not called to die for our faith. We are called to live for it. The modern Church desperately needs men and women who are willing to live for the faith.”
Doesn’t that make so much sense?!?!?! You’ve probably heard that we’re supposed to live as the light and salt of the world. And it’s true. The authentic Catholic life is something special and beautiful and attractive simply because it is so different from our modern society. So take some time today to think about that.
Are you shining the light of the Catholic faith on the world?
Do you live your life in such a way that people witness the beauty of Catholicism through you?
This is our job. Let’s work together to live for and give our lives, while we still can, to something bigger than us.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about how I spend my time. More specifically, how I spend my time on social media.
To start off, here’s a breakdown of what I might be checking on my computer on a daily basis:
One.more.email.to.check…
3 email accounts (and responding, usually quickly)
Facebook (sometimes chatting or sending messages, or just hanging around my newsfeed)
Twitter (not necessarily every day)
Pinterest (not everyday, but when I go on it’s usally for a while)
My Blog (writing, editing, checking stats)
and many other blogs I follow
After thinking about all these things that occupy my time, it hit me how much MORE I could be doing with my life instead of these things. Take this article as an example, which talks about the seriously awesome things we could be focusing on instead of Facebook.
Sure, I should check my emails. Much of my important communication happens through them. But I could check them twice a day instead of 10 times.
Facebook keeps me connected to people I don’t see everyday, so I’m not willing to chuck it out the window altogether. But what if I limited my time to actual interactions with people and reading personal updates instead of skipping around and stalking people? You know you do that too. What if we spent more time getting to know people in person? Or *GASP* writing old fashioned letters? Aren’t those the best?!?!?!
Twitter could easily be addicting, but I don’t like the format so much. I could easily get this one outta here.
Pinterest. Oh, Pinterest. This is the ultimate way to make you feel like there are a bajillion different recipes you need to make, exercises you need to try, places you need to go, crafts you need to do, cute things you have to remember, and DIY things you absolutely must try out. Guess what? You’re never going to remember it all, and it’s really just clogging up your brain and making you feel like a failure. Honestly, this is one place I have tons of fun finding new ideas on. It’s easy to spend time on. And I love finding inspiring quotes. But I think my time could be better spent learning from people I actually know, and books (which I love!). What ever happened to borrowing a cup of sugar instead of googling 10 alternatives or going to Pinterest for a solution?
My blog is different in that I can’t waste time reading stories here since I write them all. I can definitely focus my time more and brainstorm ahead of time to cut down on time. But this isn’t something I intent to stop.
Now here comes the biggie: other blogs. I have a very weird assortment of blogs that I follow. Some are much better than others. And some I just love following other people’s lives. It’s fascinating and fun, sort of like, huh, actually getting to know a person…except for the fact that it’s purely digital. I recently purged my list of blogs, and brought it down to around a whopping 30. And it’s so hard to get rid of more! Instead of reading so many, I’d like to cut the number down and consider why I follow them. If it’s for no other reason than entertainment, out the window it must go.
In this digital age, many people are suffering from the inability to connect with other people. I don’t consider myself to match that 100%, and really do try (sometimes) to limit my screen time, but I know I need to get better at how I spend my time on the computer. I need to hold myself to higher standards, and show the beauty of that to other people.
Why?
You might call modern technology freeing, but to me it’s enslaving.
“Oh, did I check that blog yet today?”
“What’s the latest on Pinterest?”
“Oh my gosh, did she say THAT on Facebook?”
Um, why do I need to care about those things? These things are not important. Changing your Facebook status will most likely not help you get to heaven, and for the most part, wasting time on the computer does not help you in becoming a better person. For many people, it actually changes you for the worse. I’m talking about wasting time, not work on the computer, or actual material out there that contributes to a better world.
When I’m technology free, I focus on things that matter more like my family, friends, and personal growth. Isn’t that a better way to live my life? Now that is a better version of freedom to me. We were made for so much more than social media updates. And really, we don’t need to know what’s going on in the lives of our seven hundred and thirty three Facebook friends, or how to make custom burlap flowers dyed with the berries from your back yard that you cut with rocks that you dug up yourself because Pinterest told you to.
That’s why I made it one of my goals to cut down on my computer time.
I’m throwing around the idea of concocting some sort of challenge for people out there who want to cut down on their computer time too. And I’m also going to give you an idea of how to do this, and more of the why. Check back soon!
Years ago, I took a solemn vow that I would never, ever, take a math class in college. That was a prerequisite for the major I would choose, and wouldn’t you know it? I’m taking three math classes next semester.
Ha.Ha.
Yes, God does laugh when you make plans.
The three classes are: macroeconomics, quantitative analysis for businesses, and intro to financial accounting. And yes, they’re required for my business management degree.
I’m not sure what to expect besides math (and lots of it). Math was never my favorite in high school, and I did not go beyond the required three years (Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2). I wasn’t actually bad at it. I don’t know what it was about it that made me dislike it. I would just get frustrated and end up in tears when my parents tried to explain some concepts to me.
So I’ve been thinking about these classes….
I still don’t know what to expect, but I am planning on taking full advantage of the free tutors on campus if need be. The teachers at BC are also excellent at doing their best to help students succeed, so I know I can always go to them with questions. And I’ve been planning to break open the old textbooks at home to brush up before I head back. We’ll see if that happens…..
Otherwise, I’m really looking forward to this next school year. I’ll have a car, be president of RRL, and really be challenged by my classes. I’ll have all my goals to work on as well. We’ll see what I think once I’m actually in the middle of it 🙂
A Drop in the Ocean 