Take Time Share a Smile

Hello blogging world. 

I hope everyone is feeling awake, alert and healthy. I on the other hand, I seem to have ingested one of the 3 particles of influenza in Milledgeville this week. That’s right I have to flu. But my flu declaration is not the reason I am writing. Here is what I am getting at;

So since Monday I have been feeling a little off. I had a dry cough all Monday but I brushed it off, even though I coughed all day long. (which is quite annoying) But I just though that it was a fluke bout of coughing and went on my marry way. So that night i took some nyquil so I can get great sleep and bounce back better than every Tuesday. So I do this and pass out before 11 (I know what a grandma move but I didn’t feel good). So I woke up Tuesday morning and full blown sickness has set in. Me being the tough cookie that I am, still trudged to the shuttle so I could study in the library before a quiz in my first class. Later that night I went through bouts of chills and burning up in my apartment. I just brush it off, I mean I couldn’t possibly have a fever. So I enlist in night 2 of nyquil treatment. This morning I wasn’t lucky enough to wake up in a fairly health state. My entire body felt like it had gotten run over several times by tractor trailers. But again, you can’t get me to admit that I was too sick to go to class. (see my confession about being nerdy and you will understand) So I get to my 8am and wait it out. By this point I realize I have a fever. You may ask why, well because I walked in the pretty chilling air this morning without a jacket and got to my class and proceeded to sweat for umm an hour before my body calmed down and made me not look like the girl that had just ran a marathon before class. So there I sit in 8am chemistry sweating like a hairy Russian man running a 5k and I realize that this sickness has gone too far! So being the cheap and resourceful college student that I am I got to the free (what what) clinic on campus. They take me back pretty quickly and record my symptoms. After taking my temperature and seeing that I was running a low grade fever ,even after taking medicine with fever reducer in it, they do a flu test. I don’t know if any of you have had the pleasure of having a flu test, but here is how it happens. They stick this skinny swab like thing up you nose. I am not talking delicately, I am talking about my sinuses feeling a little violated. So finally after I get over my watery eyes and the ensuing coughing that comes with probing my sinuses, she comes back with the results. I have the flu. The flu people. I have never had the flu in my life. So I battled the flu for 3 days and did all of my work for class and showed up diligently to every class meeting. The way I see it I can safely considered myself a tough cookie. Well back to my story. So after my influenza diagnosis I was told that I had to go home until I had been fever free for 24 hours. What? I have been trucking to class for 3 days sick with the flu and you tell me to go home. I contemplated staying in Milledgeville just so I could study for my 2 tests and a quiz next week, but hey they told me to go home. So I flew home so I could have a fast recovery and get back to Milly by the weekend. I realize this may be a big goal, but a girl can only sit around for so long on a sick bed while she has responsibilities.

So all I am saying is how tough are you on most days, do you stay strong until its over (how ever long that might be) or do you make it a priority to listen to your body and medical warnings to focus on getting well. I think my tough cookie routine had run its course and my body will do much better listening to a sound medical opinion.  

I have a confession to make. I know it is a little out of the blue but I do. I confess that I am really nerdy. You may ask why and here’s the reason.

I truly like going to school. I like learning. I like to take notes and understand concepts that I would have never learned about if it were not for school. I enjoy the responsibilities and the structure that going to school gives me. I love that I can feel accomplished and productive when I am doing what I am suppose to be doing for school. And lastly, but really there are probably more reasons, I like how school makes me feel. I have always done pretty well in school, and every time I get an A on a test or a C on a quiz that I worked really hard on I feel like I am growing and it reaffirms that I have the capabilities to do what God has lead me to do.

Even though I am really nerdy and love school I do get overwhelmed, but who doesn’t. Sometimes the structure and responsibility is too much and I crack under the pressure. But as time does on this stress gets worked out and I am back to loving school. So that is my confession for the day. I am a nerd and I am proud of it because it allows me to do what I feel like God is leading me to do. 

So my day was pretty suburb today. I got up early made some lasagna to put in the fridge for roomie dinner and trucked right on through the rest of the day. I was so productive until I hit the door of my apartment. Which if I say so myself, was a pretty lofty feat. 

Part of the reason that I was so productive was because I was in the library killing time before my afternoon class. My lovely afternoon class was Cell and Molecular Phys, which I do really love. I don’t mind a 75 minute lecture on different parts of the cell and various other things that my professor deems important enough for me to learn. Today I got the special treat of having my class start 45 minutes later than it normally does because my professor had a meeting or whatever. So I was pretty pumped, 30 minute lecture, right on. So I am bebopping my way to class today, in quite a hurry because I was running a little behind schedule. I finally arrive at the lovely Herty science building where I have called my home for the past year and a half to find that my professor is no where to be found. I was shocked. Normally this professor is late but I mean come on we already cut 45 minutes out of class, I figured you would be here early or something crazy. So I take me seat and wait. We wait 5 minutes, then 10 minutes which stretches into 15 minutes. Finally someone from the office comes and says that our professor is going to be late. First thought: “Really, I would have never guessed” that’s just the sarcasm in me. Next though; “why on earth would you bother coming if we have 10 minutes left by the time you get here,” but I kept my mouth closed and waited. Finally with 10 minutes left (just like I guessed), an hour and 5 minutes after our actual start time for the class, my professor shows up. He lectures and lets us out and that was the end of that. 

I left the class and called my mother, like I most often do, and I tell her about it. After rehashing all of the story I pondered on the concept of punctuality. I mean for me being punctual is me being 5 or 10 minutes early and I rarely run late unless something comes up. So I was perplexed. After running through all of these crazy scenarios of where on earth my professor had been. And trust me they were crazy. I stopped and though about how important being punctual is. I mean when things aren’t on time it puts us in a bad mood. When shuttles don’t come on time, we don’t get to class, when people aren’t at meetings on time and the meetings go on longer than they should and the list goes on and on. So I decided to rank punctuality on my list of important things. Here it goes;

1. Be like Christ.. trying everyday but fail 10 times out of 10 and always will. But that’s the wonder of my savior that he still loves me in-spite of my failures

2. Fulfill all of my responsiblities; school, work, family, sorority and the list goes on

3. Punctuality 

Really that’s everything that I think is important. You might ask where fun things fall into this. Right under responsibilities. I have a responsibility to act age appropriate which includes a little fun with friend or whatever. 

So that, my friends is my list of important things. Simple and easy. The only question that remains is what falls on your list?

You maybe shocked to know that I find writing very soothing. So this is my way of letting all the creative energies out. 

So onto the actual blogging. 

Today I ran into one of my fantastic sisters, sorority sisters that is, and I loved seeing her. During the conversation, she made reference to my bright and sunny disposition. Her comment made me think. Why am I so happy? It certainly is not because everything in my life is going right by any means. As a matter of fact, I was a complete hot mess less than 2 weeks ago. Due in part to the crazy hormones that control the female body. But none the less, it still perplexes me as to why I am happy. 

I guess I can trace it back to that same crazy instability that was my life two weeks ago. During that time, due to stress of school and family and other responsibilities I was completely overwhelmed. Trust me when, I am overwhelmed normally I can handle it but those 2 X chromosomes were not helping with my mood. So of’ course I was crazy. One night when my hormones and stress had gotten the best of me I finally looked to God’s word for comfort. I came across several verses in the book of Psalms, chapters 3-6. One verse that really gave me perspective in the sight of all of my problems was Psalm 5:11; “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” Well that verse kind of kicked me in the seat of the pants. Why am I crying about silly things? I follow the King of Kings and I have so much to be thankful for. So I stopped crying and started to praise Jesus for all that I had. 

I don’t know about you but it is so much easier to go through life when there is something to be joyful about. So since my little bump in the right direction from the Lord, I have tried to truly get over my junk and be thankful for all that the Lord had given me. 

So I guess what I am saying is Jesus makes me happy. We were made by a creator that blesses us with so much. So my goal is to look up to the creator instead of all the junk in my life.