Perspective

Do you remember when you were a little kid, you would grab your toy cars, or toy dolls (in my case they were mostly cars) and you would build racing tracks in the sand; you would have complete control over those cars, and the tracks would become a world on its own.

Or... I had a few dolls too, and my sister and I used to build little houses inside drawers, stacking the drawers in a fashion that would resemble a neighbourhood, complete with streets.  This would obviously entertain us for hours (or until her doll made my doll mad, and then we would refuse to talk to each other for a while).

I reckon it's pretty safe to say that, at some point in everyone's life, you've constructed a mini-world around you, and you were the ruler of that world.  Everything was small enough for you to control, and nothing was so big that it freaked you out.

And then we grow up, and we allow things to freak us out all the time.  I know there are quite a few things in our lives nowadays that cause us to hyperventilate, become insecure or force us to curl up in bed.  I'm not here to diminish the problems and pain you may be going through, but I want you to do one thing...just one thing:  Take one step back; and if one step isn't enough, take two, or three.  Does that thing look even a little bit smaller?  Is it small enough to fit onto your race track in the sand?  Just a little bit, I hear you say?

Well...that's progress!

Gaining perspective on the things that are in our lives is a surefire way of keeping yourself sane and healthy, but you can't do it alone.  Surround yourself with people you trust; people that are NOT freaked out by the same things you are.  Chances are they'll help you see the loopholes; help you see it for what it truly is.

Now...go stand on your head and look at the world!

To Infinity and Beyond

When it comes to remembering dates and things, I really am not as good as society says I'm supposed to be.  So I won't be able to tell you exactly when my fascination with superheroes and science fiction began.  The one thing I can tell you, is that it was long after I left school. 

I skipped the comic-book fase and went straight for the series and movies.

It may have been Jessica Alba as Dark Angel that made me want to be a super-powered, highly skilled, genetically engineered soldier (all the while rockin' the sexy like it's the most natural thing on the planet!).  But I've always favoured Superman.  Always.

So, I got to thinking: IF (and it's a big "if") I get chosen by the Universe to receive awesome ass-kicking powers, what would they be? How would I use them?  And more importantly, what would I be called?

This is why I decided to submit a list of the powers I'd most like to  possess, in the hope that the Universe would glance at it and decide to surprise me for Christmas (or my birthday...I'm not picky!)

Top of my list would have to be the ability to fly.  How amazing would it be to zip around the world, seeing everything from high up above?  And I honestly don't care about the lame, real-world excuses that scientists have been making for why flying is a skill we'd very likely never explore.  I want to fly!

Next, I'd defintely want to be super strong.  Yes, I'd lift things off people and animals to save them, but...the satisfaction of seeing the look on some beefcake's face when I effortlessly match and top their skill...well...that's all the reward I'd need!

And then I would love to be extremely good at learning new skills.  As in, REALLY good.  Do I even have to explain how freakishly awesome this would be?

But then I realised, I already had a superpower!  I know, I know, it's just one, but I'm working on it.

Hold on to your chairs, your office desks, your hover crafts; here it is:

I'm really good at organising; and the more work you give me, the more I get done.  *THUMP*...that's the sound of coolness, expectation and hope hitting the floor.  Yes, I have the lamest superpower on the planet.

I have managed to find myself a name though:  Snowball; because snowballs move faster when they gather more snow.  Get it? Get it? Ah, forget it, even the name is lame.

Maybe I should try timetravel...control the essence of time?

Right, back to the drawing board.

Afterlife

In danger of sounding patronising (and very much like a broken record), I have to state the following: We live in a world where it's completely normal to wish your life away by focusing so diligently on what lies ahead, that we completely forget that the only thing we are able to tangibly enjoy, is the present moment. And I'm definitely one of the biggest culprits.

Let's take my iPod as an example. In total, it has approximately 7 gigs worth of music on it, so when I have it on shuffle, any one of a few thousand songs could be playing at any minute. But I get impatient and I skip ahead to the next song, and the next song, and the next song. This in itself is not a bad thing, because we like what we like, so we want to hear what we like, and we have a choice, so we choose what we like.

Unfortunately, as a result of the above-mentioned "world we live in", choosing and owning something has become near instantaneous. Yay. And by "unfortunately", I meant the following:

We're always wanting the next thing, the next moment, the next experience, next...next...next...hoping the next glittering piece of bling will be "it". And we apply this to our view of the Afterlife as well. As Christians we have to be extremely careful of concentrating so hard on the Afterlife, that we have no idea how much fun we are supposed to have in the during-life.

I'll leave you with some Switchfoot lyrics (which was obviously the inspiration for my short little blog up there!):

"I'm ready now, I'm not waiting for the afterlife."

Cut It Out

I was making my way through High School and have most probably recently hit my sixteenth birthday, when my mom told me: "You have to stop over analyzing things." Granted, at that very stage in my life her concern was only aimed at my ability to be over-sensitive to whether the boy I currently had a crush on liked me back. But her words stuck to the far, dark corners of the not-yet-developed recesses of my mind. I suspect that the dormant wisdom of that statement found itself in a very lucrative and fertile environment back in those corners of my mind, and without any outside interference it developed, grew and matured to something that inevitably rooted itself in my subconscious. And doing what our subconscious mind does best, it worked it's way into my everyday life with the stealth of an experienced Top Secret Agent. At some point in time over the past eight years, I found myself changing the way I think about the things affecting my existence, my character and my very being. Or, to put it another way: I started thinking less, which resulted in me moving on much quicker. Okay, I have to confess, my over-analytical brain still sometimes takes over when it comes to the opposite sex, but in every other aspect of my life I've learnt to not take things too seriously. For instance, why on earth would I be bothered about whether or not a certain object is the new "It" thing to have; and as an extension of that, why would I be bothered if not having said "It" object causes people to look at me funny. Nowadays I notice their funny looks, or their judgement and immediately decide to move on and concentrate on more important (and fun) things. The Top Secret Agent I mentioned earlier didn't only change my thinking about what is important in life, it also gave me a manual; a "How To" guide for getting rid of the suffocating conformity that is very efficient in helping us lose our grip on who we are. It's rather quite simple. Every single on of us have come to a point in our lives where we realize we're not quite sure what our own likes and dislikes are anymore. Mainly because we analyze what other people say on such a dangerously deep level, that we forget that most of these opinions and behaviours don't have to have any effect on us. Here's what I do when I experience an "I've lost Wanda!!" histeria: I retrace my steps to a point in my life where I was happy with who I was; when looking in the mirror didn't automatically jumpstart a judgement session and where I smiled more easily. This helps me to realize the things and people that surrounded me at that time where the things and people I chose to have in my life, not because society dictated or I was emotionally bullied into it, but because I wanted it. Secondly, I get rid of stuff. Mostly this would be material things that, after careful consideration, don't represent who I am, but rather what I THOUGHT other people would want me to be, own, say or do. Obviously this doesn't just apply to material things, but also to emotions, characteristics and behaviours that are foreign to who you truly are. Lastly, once I've reached a place where I'm reintroduced to the "me" I like, I make a conscious decision to be careful about what will make it's mark on who I am in the future. Funnily enough, this process doesn't repeat itself too often anymore, because I'm not over-analyzing everything anymore; I've come to a point where I know what is worth delving into, and what is just a load of rubbish. So, take a scalpel, a lazer or a butcher's knife and cut out the useless, shallow opinions, influences and even people out of your life. You'll feel lighter, you'll run faster and you'll smile more.

Waking the Dead

I promise this is not a reference to any kind of zombie movie, or no-budget slasher stuff. I've actually realized that I have neglected one of my favourite things over the last eight months: Writing! It might just be a great time for a quick catch-up of what's been happening in my life since I last visited this blog-site. I'll keep it short and sweet...I promise! The irony of the eight month break from the airwaves and the eight months I've been working at my new job, is not lost on me. I literally lost my life to this job! Usually, in the past, I'd be blogging, emailing, texting and chatting up a storm with anyone and everyone that I've met, that are my friends, that I spend time with. But as soon as I started working where I am now, I have had absolutely no motivation to do anything. The reasons are vast, and I'm not going to tell you why this job is interfering with my life...let's just say I'm keeping my ears to the ground! On a more positive note; I've also joined the production team at church and as from 17 April 2011 I will officially be one of the lighting operators on team. How exciting! I'm meeting so many new people, great people, potential friends...it's totally great! It doesn't sound like I've been up to much over the past eight months, but believe me, I'm keeping busy! A typical week consists of three hip-hop classes, lighting training and youth, and then I'm usually rostered for lighting assistance or operation on a Sunday. I love it! Well, that's the short and sweet update from me! PS...hopefully I'll be able to blog more from now on...if I have something interesting to say! Love ya'll