Well, I hope that all of you are enjoying this nice stream of hot weather that seems to have engulfed not only my home, but yours all across the US and Canada. So much for coming over here to Korea to escape unappreciated parts of North America- the really hot weather has finally landed here, and I for one am not enjoying it (its also barely begun)...
Thanks to those of you who have sent encouraging notes after my last post - things are going good, thanks in large part to a strange listening mix. Allow me to explain in as few words as I can.
A while ago, I'd been given The Killers album "Hot Fuss" to listen to, with strong recommendation. At the time, I was sick of their songs "mr. brightside", and "somebody told me". Well, I was removing the songs on my mp3 player before I was going to go out on an inline skate ride for an hour, and I decided to add the Hot Fuss album. Now, allow me to add this fact; I'm sorta strange, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this - but I have conversations with God when I'm out by myself - I'll have sorta rhetorical conversations about things that are bothering me, work struggles, faith struggles, etc. Most of the time, its in my head, so as to not scare people I pass by at pretty quick speeds (I use speed-skating training inline skates - they're fast) As I was nearing the end of one of my skates, I ended up thinking to myself "Why am I not happier?" - I've got everything that I could need - what am I missing? And as I nearly tripped over a stone, I realized humbly what I was missing - and that was nothing. I was somewhat getting discouraged by pretty much nothing - it sounds stupid, but I know that I'm not the only one who at some point has felt depressed, and then when they take an account of what might be making them feel down in the stink-hole, until they humbly realize they have nothing to be depressed for - except their own embarrassment at realizing this. And the song that made me realize this was "Smile Like You Mean It"... I'm a Christian - I'm saved, and I've got the best friend I could ask for - I'm also coincidentally employed, paying off my loans at record pace, living with a great roommate and friend, and although their might be much more that I feel I'm missing, it's nothing compared to just what I need. Strange how a song does that to people -never mind one by The Killers....(I'm musically inclined - I figure that if I can't play an instrument well, may as well enjoy those who can).... So thanks for the prayers - they were much appreciated.
You'll notice, if you scan even a few scrolls down the page, that I've added a new section on the right side of the page. I'm somewhat of an internet geek, and I've spent far too much time just reading other people's problems on the internet. For those of you who didn't know, I have a younger brother who's currently working in Arkansas - HAHA - Arkansas. Sure, he's probably going to surpass my earnings once he gets a job as a civil engineer, however, I'll be complaining to him every time I drive over a shitty road, or anything else civil-engineering related. The other thing you might notice are two blogs from teachers who work in the Public school system in the United States. For those of you who didn't know, I did my student teaching in an inner-city school in urban Chicago (98% Latino neighbourhood), in a crummy school no less - I can relate somewhat to their stories of frustration and despair, while trying to work in a struggling system. The last thing you'll notice are two blogs about Iraq. As much as I might get flak for this, I'm currently contemplating doing some teaching in or around Iraq, Afghanistan, or possibly the Middle East. (I'm currently reading a book by Thomas Friedman entitled "From Beirut to Jerusalem", in an effort to learn more on the Middle East.)
So if you're bored, give some of the blogs a check, and who knows, you might learn something. And if you think I'm nuts, I dare you to do the unthinkable, and comment on it....
God Bless,
Me