Guest Post!!

Hey guys, here's another GREAT post from my good friend and roommate. I absolutely love what she is saying here! Enjoy!

Bonjour. I really don’t know any French besides “hello.”  Actually, that’s a lie.  I can say ham sandwich. “Croque monsiour.” If I’m feeling really adventurous, I can say “ham sandwich with cheese.” “Croque monsior con fromage.”  But that’s it. “Hello” and “ham sandwich.”

So. How was your day? I really want you to think about this question.  I’m not asking it in the passing sort of I-don’t-know-what-to-say-to-you-because-I-wasn’t-expecting-to-see-you-so-I’m-going-to-politely-ask-you-how-your-day-was-and-hope-you-don’t-answer-with-something-more-than-good kind of way.

 I’m really asking you, “How was your day?”

 Did you smile at a stranger?  Did you pick up that piece of trash on the ground, saving the life of an innocent squirrel who would have mistaken it for an afternoon snack?  Did you pause for a few minutes to admire the beauty of nature?  Did you make a difference in the world?

 I think we often live too much for day-to-day.  We say we are living in the present, living life to the fullest, yada yada yada...but are we? I know I’m not.  I wake up, go to class, come home, eat lunch, meet this person, meet that person, make dinner, activity #1 from this time to this time, TV show from this time to this time, clean my desk, get ready for bed, set alarm, recharge for next day.  I plan everything.  Now, I’m not telling you to go and be spontaneous and jump off a bridge...I don’t want to be responsible for any injuries.  But, I am asking you to examine your life. 

 A quote that often inspires me is, “Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  I think that’s incredibly motivating.  It’s not saying, “Do one thing everyday that compromises your morals and puts you at a higher risk for a premature death.” One thing that scares you.  Saying hi to somebody scares me.  It doesn’t matter if I know the person or not.  The same questions run through my head when I am confronted with the opportunity to say hi to somebody: “What if they don’t see me?” “What if other people see the person not say hi to me and think I have no friends?” “What if the person says hi to me only because they feel sorry for me?” “What if they’re embarrassed to be associated with me?”  It seems almost silly, typing out all of these dumb things that roll through my head.  Sometimes I just want to flick my little inner conscience and give it a bag of chocolate.  Tell it to be a little more positive.  Really, who cares what they think of me?  I should be thinking about how I can brighten their day by saying hi to them.  I need to do my one thing that is scary so that they have the courage to do theirs.

 So, that’s all I’ve got for you.  How was your day? Did you do something that scared you? Will you wake up tomorrow ready to carpe some diem?  I hope so, ‘cause I’ll be right there with you. :)

~Maddie