Five Minute Friday: Alive

I was originally doing these five minute Friday posts with another blogger, but she stopped doing them.

When I saw that it was happening with another blogger (here), I was very happy. I loved doing these five minute Friday posts, and have missed it.

Today's Five Minute Friday is Alive.

Like Meg from Still That Girl, I am going to do a list of things that make me feel alive.

1. Bike riding
2. Delivering library materials to patrons who are unable to come to the library, and them telling me that they really appreciate it.
3. Journaling/blogging, as it allows me to write what's on my mind, what I can't say out loud.
4. Listening to my favorite songs/artists.
5. Laughing until I cry.
6. New experiences.
7. Photography.
8. Baking.
9. Knitting and crocheting
10. Making prayer shawls for others.
11. Seeing flowers bloom in spring.
12. Friends who truly care for me, and help me in a time of need.
13. Long walks.
14. My favorite foods.
15. Arts and crafts (I LOVE making things!!)
16. Animals.
17. Going to places I have never been before, and making new memories.
18. Road trips.
19. Warm showers.
20. Getting to live anotherr day.

Make Today Great

Yesterday, I saw the above saying written on a sidewalk near my church. It was an unexpected, yet next little experience for me.

It's unexpected little reminders like this that remind me to truly enjoy life. That life is precious, and should be loved; it should be truly lived. Not just survived.

Each day should be great, not just ok, or good. Each day should be lived to the fullest.

I love these kinds of reminders. I shows me that there are still good, decent, beautiful people in the world, and that they want to enjoy life as well.

Don't give up hope on life. It is worth living, even if it doesn't go the way you planned or hoped. That is what life is all about. Taking the unexpected with the expected.

So, make today great!

Bullet Journaling

I just found out about something called bullet journaling (I think from a post on Facebook), and I have become instantly obsessed with it!!!

The post I saw on Facebook was from Boho Berry, whose website you can check out here.

As described on http://bulletjournal.com, it is:

The Bullet Journal is a customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less.

 Note-taking and traditional journaling take time; the more complex the entry, the more effort is expended. The more effort expended, the more of a chore it becomes, the more likely you’ll underutilize or abandon your journal. Rapid Logging is the solution. Rapid Logging is the language in which the Bullet Journal is written. It consists of four components: topics, page numbers, short sentences, and bullets.

Bullet journaling was created by Ryder Carroll, and I think he is a genius for coming up with it!!

I love to write, make lists, and all that, so bullet journaling is perfect for me. I can't wait to get started with my own bullet journal!!

Not All Disabilities Are Visible

A while back I saw this post on Facebook, where a woman was accused of faking a disability, because it wasn't visible.

To those who do not have disabilities, please know that there ARE invisible disabilities, and people with invisible disabilities are NOT FAKING IT.

Some cause pain, some cause shortness of breath, and many other ailments.

This quote from the woman's article sums invisible disabilities pretty accurately:

Just because you can’t see someone’s disability doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Invisible disabilities are just as real as visible ones, and should be taken as seriously.

So, please, do not judge someone just because they are different from you, just because they aren't able to do some of the things you are able to do. Do not judge what you know nothing about. You do not know what they are going through.

Be more open-minded when coming into contact with people. More compassionate. It doesn't take much to be nice.

My Finished Prayer Card

My church had offered a prayer card workshop for anyone who was interested in making a prayer card.

I decided to check it out, and to make one for myself.

The workshop was divided into two parts, spread out over two weeks: the first part/week was figuring out what prayer/quote/saying/etc. we wanted to use, what materials we wanted, what colors we wanted, and to figure out how we wanted our card to look.

The second part/week was to actual make the card.

I really enjoyed this process, and am very happy with how my card came out.

This is what I chose to do:

The woman who was in charge of this workshop brought in lots of different fabrics, different types of paper, and lots of different decorations for us to choose from.

I chose Amazing Grace, because that was my mom's favorite. Although, at first I was debating between using Amazing Grace and The Lord's Prayer, because both were/are favorites of ours. In the end, of course, I chose Amazing Grace because of my mom's love for it.

It was a fun process, and I hope to be able to do it again next year.

I Am Not What I Have Done, I Am What I Have Overcome

I saw this quote on Instagram (which you can check out here), and I loved it so much, that I thought I would share it.

I think this quote is absolutely true.

People are always making choices, whether good or bad, but that doesn't define who they are. Who they are is what they have gone through in their life. And that is what makes them beautiful.

No one has the the same experience as anyone else, and that is what makes life worth living. If everything was the same, life would be boring, and not as beautiful.

Don't be ashamed of what you have overcome. It is what makes you unique; it is what makes you, you.