Living My Story

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my life. I know, this is an extremely general, vague statement. But I have.

One of my very dear friends from college is coming to visit me this weekend. I met this girl when she was my suitemate during my sophomore year and she means so much to me. She is one of very few people that I actually keep in touch with. We have a lot in common, and many of my good memories from my years at ETBU involve her.

 

 {You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find a normal pic of us! Haha...}

She lives in Dallas now, and is very much a big city girl. I am so excited to see her!  But I find myself wondering: what will we do? What will she think? She has never been here – to my domain; my dwelling place. I think she will be truly SHOCKED by just how far I am from civilization. Every time I go visit her there is a constant flow of fun activities. We go to concerts and shopping and great restaurants. I always have a great time being there with her – getting lost in the city and experiencing art and music. I feel like my little home will pale in comparison.

This is compounded by the fact that I have been catching up with my friend Courtney and her Seattle adventures through her blog. After living in Houston forever, she randomly packed her bags and headed to the Northwest. She felt the tugging on her heart, sold her car and enrolled in graduate school there. And she LOVES it. She has discovered so much about herself through that city and the relationships she has built there.    

{Love you CourtNOW!}

As I was reading I wondered: “do I love where I am? Is this where my heart is?”

And do you know what I’ve decided?

It is.

No, I didn’t leave college and get an apartment in downtown New York. I don’t live in a loft in an environmentally friendly city in the mountains of the North. I’m not in a suburb of Dallas working as a career woman. I live in the middle of nowhere. I wear jeans to work nearly every day. I don’t run by Starbucks in the mornings, or work out at a gym. I run outside. I make my own coffee with supplies I bought from an extremely small store where they only have three flavors of creamer for sale. And I love it.

I love my job. I love impacting the lives of students through camp ministry. I love having co-workers who I consider to be family. I love being a short drive away from my Mom and sisters and nephews. I don’t go to mixers. I spend most evenings working at my little church, or having friends over for dinner and games, or sitting by the pond reading and playing the guitar. I don’t get my hair highlighted on a regular basis. I don’t wear heels. I don’t care what brand my purse is. I’m living my story....which happens to be in a little blue house in the middle of nowhere...and I love it.

And I love Toyia. I can’t wait to see her. I know it won’t matter what we do. The most important thing is the time we spend together. The stories we share. Life is about people isn’t it? Toyia is impacting the lives of people in and around Dallas at her job and at concerts and in art museums. Courtney is living her story in Seattle – and making a difference to students in graduate classes and coffee shops and people she meets on the bus. I live in the smallest town in Texas and the people I meet are the ones trying to escape distraction; to get away from city lights. We all have different stories – but they are the ones God has chosen for us – and there is nothing better than that.

Now hurry up Toyia! I can’t wait to see your face!!