Saturday 3 January 2015

Don’t Overthink It & A Brief Overview Of My Life

Day 3 Prompt for The Ultimate Blog Challenge: Don’t Overthink It

We all have things that are unique to our experience, talents and life. Just because it’s something you live with everyday doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting to someone else. Share about your unique talents and gifts, this inspires, builds credibility and influence in your reader’s world.

This prompt is in two parts, to me. First of all, the title.

Don’t Overthink It.

I’m a thinker. There’s a definite philosophical bent to me, part of which comes from being alone with my thoughts a lot. I’ve always held a lot in, and it’s allowed me to develop my own opinions and ideas. I don’t share a lot of them because I prefer to leave a lot of them to myself. Some of my ideas would be fairly controversial to a lot of people I know, and I don’t want to bring forth controversy. I’m a firm believer in keeping the peace if at all possible, although I know that’s not always possible.

I just hate confrontation & being on the outs with people. So I usually prefer to keep my thoughts to myself, although sometime they just have to come out.

Thinking is one of my favourite things to do, & that includes daydreaming. Sometimes I use my daydreams to work out problems & to think things through.

Sometimes, though, I tend to overthink things. I’ll get into full blown thinking mode, & I’m lost in my thoughts. I over analyze & get my brain so full of something that it’s too hard to just do something. It’s also too hard to just make a decision because I can see more than one side of things. Ooh da lolly, that’s a hard place in which to be!

Then I have to stop & let go of the issue at hand & take a break from it. Usually when I do that, I can sort out my thoughts & really get a good handle on things. That’s always a relief! Smile

The next part of today’s challenge is:

We all have things that are unique to our experience, talents and life. Just because it’s something you live with everyday doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting to someone else. Share about your unique talents and gifts.

I don’t know if I have any talents that are unusual. I’m good at crochet and music and photography and other things, but lots of people are. I’m actually good at writing as well – at least when I take the time to really work on what I’m writing & to keep it organised & such – but, again, lots of people are. Not everyone who’s good at one or two of these things is good at all of them, though, & no one else has had the life that I have.

Not even my brother, who’s the one person in the world who’s closest to me genetically. He’s been married, but I have not. He’s worked on a farm & as a tiler &, now, as an egg farm inspector, but I have not. He’s been a property owner twice, & I only once. I owned an apartment with a friend for a short period of time. My brother also has a different personality than me. He’s quite easy going and a lot of things come easily to him. I’m a lot more easy going than I used to, but I’m still not as much as my brother. Also, I take things really hard and am a lot more emotional than him. My brother does feel, of course – pretty well everyone does – but I’ve always shown my emotions more.

So just because people come from the exact same genes like my brother & I do, that doesn’t mean that they’re the same people. It helps to keep things interesting, I think. I also wouldn’t want someone else in the world to be just like me. Ai yi yi! haha

No one else has had exactly the same life as me. I was the only girl born in the Royal Columbian Hospital on 6 March 1970 – the other children born that day were boys. I was six months old when my parents & I moved to our second family home, & then a year old when we moved to our third. When I was 2 years 9 months old, my brother was born.

We moved up to the Arctic in 1974 & moved back down in 1976. When we were up in the Arctic, I asked Jesus into my heart – I was 5 & remember that moment. I also started kindergarten half a year before I was due to because there wasn’t anything else to do, & in that community, no one minded. Also, there were days when I was the only student in class. So I went to grade one – the first time – a year early. Again, I was often the only student in class since most of the students were Inuit & their parents would take them out onto the land many times.

When we moved back down South, I went to grade one again because the education up in the North at the time wasn’t up to Southern standards. Also, I was actually with my age group. I was at that school for a year and a month, after which we had moved to Abbotsford. I was the new student a month after school started & was in grade two. From then on, I was in school until I graduated with many of the same students.

After I graduated in June 1988, I went to Saskatchewan for Bible college & finished after four years with my BA in Church Ministries, Christian Education major. After that I worked for 2 1/2 years as a care giver in a group home in which four ladies with profound mental & physical disabilities lived. That was a good job. I then went & got my certificate for working as a resident care aide – aka nurse’s aide. I worked in a nursing home for 8 years 4 months.

Then I moved back up to the Arctic, to Inuvik. My first job up there was as a housekeeper in a hotel, & then I got a job in the town office as the receptionist. I loved that job! After 2 1/2 years or so up in Inuvik, I moved back down here to BC, & it’s been a really weird time.

I’ve had a number of low paying jobs that haven’t been all that great, although I’ve been blessed enough to meet some great people. That itself has been the best part of the past 8 years.

Now I’ve come to a place of change once again – I’ll write about it sometime in the future. I’m not ready right now. So I have to figure out what to do & in what direction I need to take. I’ve been praying a lot & seeking advice from people who know me well & who I trust. Something good is right around the corner – I hope – & I’m more than ready for it.

Well, this ended up as an overview of my life, didn’t it? I just wanted to share some of what makes me unique. Some people may have lived similar lives to me, but no one’s had exactly the same experiences as me, & no one else has exactly the same combination of friends & family as me. No one has the same fingerprints as me, and I was fearfully and wonderfully made by God, known by Him before the world was created. That’s a bit overwhelming to think of, in a way, but I love it. I’m God’s image bearer – we were each created in God’s image & all His image bearers – & that’s a great responsibility. It’s also a comfort because it shows that He values me as He does each of you as well. It’s amazing that He entrusted human beings to bear His likeness.

I love that each of us is unique and special – I hope that each one reading this knows that or discovers it if you don’t already know it.

Well, I must go now. Dublin – my cat – has just emerged from the bedroom, where he slept under the covers since this morning (it’s almost 4:30 PM now), & will be wanting some snuggles soon. So I’ll return later. Bye, all! Smile

2 comments:

  1. You've had quite an interesting life! And now I know who to ask when I run into problems with crochet - are you also on Ravelry.com? I've learned tons in the past year and a half, but there's always room for improvements. Fortunately, improvements come steadily and I'm always learning new things.

    I can see clearly from the first half of this that you DO overthink things! :) Avoiding controversy, keeping the peace - laudable goals. Keeps life pleasant - at least for others. But are others as considerate of you? Is "keeping the peace" worth swallowing back the thoughts and opinions that make you YOU, and is it right to keep them all to yourself when they might broaden or influence others' perspectives? I have many friends who do not see eye to eye with me on everything from faith to politics to food choices to just about any topic you could find a smidge of controversy in. We have lively, but respectful, discussions. I feel enriched by them. If I'm forming an opinion, they give me food for thought. If I'm not - if I've already formed it with certainty - why should I feel afraid to hear a different one? Doesn't bother me, but I know where you're coming from - many people cannot disagree and still be respectful and pleasant. I'd rather not have those people in my life much.

    I look forward to reading more of what you have to say. :)

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    1. Hi, Holly. Thanks so much for your comment! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. It's been a weird week. Yes, I am on Ravelry - MEJKreations is my handle there. :)

      As for your part asking me about whether I have friends who let me have my say - I do have those, & I do say what I think around them. We don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but that's fine. We agree to disagree, & we mutually respect each other. It's wonderful to have that, isn't it? It allows each of us to see the world a bit differently & to perhaps change our views a little bit if need be; yet we still accept the things that we don't change & leave it at that.

      The times when I almost always keep my mouth shut are when I don't really know other people or in public situations. I'm not afraid to have my own opinions & to have my say when asked, but it's not always a good time to share, especially at work & at times when I'm just getting to know other people.

      Thanks again for your comment - it was excellent to read your thoughts. :)

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