Perspective

A lot of life is about perspective and attitude.

Bad: This one likes to sneak up on you. It is more present on bad days obviously, and suddenly you hate your life. Yeah, it happens. For example... I graduated with Early Childhood Education and now have loans to pay back. I now work at Starbucks. Not where I wanted to work. I am paid very little, there are grumpy customers or people in a hurry, I mess up a lot because I'm new and there's a lot to learn, I always smell like coffee even when I'm not working there because it stays in my hair, I get splattered with milk and syrrups that make me sitcky all over my hands and arms, and I'm on my feet for 7 and a half hours. I clean bathrooms, mop and sweep, and take out the heavy trash. I deal with crazy people. The headset messes up my hair and makes it hard to hear drive through and people standing in front of me.

Good: I finally have a job! I had no job for 4 long months, and while I enjoyed my free time, I also got very bored and wrestless. And needed money. A lot of my friends that worked at Starbucks said they loved the job, so maybe I will too eventualy, when I'm better at what I'm doing. There are some great people that I work with that I enjoy talking to and laughing with, and that are patient with me. I get free coffee, which is where too much of my money went in the first place! I get the chance to smile and be nice, and make someone's day better. There are a lot of nice and patient customers - some bring us food or say really nice things to us. When I work there 3 months I'll get insurance and a 401k! I smell like coffee and not like a sandwhich shop (like when I worked at Firehouse Subs). I get to see some people I know and friends that come in to starbucks and that's kind of fun. I'm able to begin paying off my student loans that will take me forever to repay. I remember in high school people saying, "When I get older I want to work at Starbucks, that's so cool," and now I am, even though I wasn't one of those people who said that. If I'm going to be working somewhere, I might as well take pride in it. Starbucks is expensive, but tastes good, is brewed every 15 min or so, and we re-make any coffee that we do wrong or you don't like for free. I still get to go to church and Thursday night bible study. I don't have to work 40+ hours a week. I haven't had to work early mornings yet, and it's nice to stay up late and get up late. I no longer have homework, and it's nice to go home and just do what I want instead of doing things like grading papers or writing lesson plans.

Godly perspective: Ah, the one that is the hardest to see sometimes. It takes more thought or more reminding. I am not making much money, but the money I do make is going to help me go to Kenya on a mission trip. It's going to church to help it run and flourish. It's going to a 5 year old girl in Kenya each month to help feed and clothe her and her mom and brother. While I take out trash and mop the floor, I'm often reminded with a smile on my face that I am doing that work for the Lord because I'm serving those in Kenya through sending them money. It's worth it when it feeds people. I'm working with others and interacting with customers that are not Christian, and I am able to share my faith with them, whether it be through my actions, facebook, my words, what I don't do or say, or just through praying for them even when they don't know it. It is a mission field in itself, and I am willing to be the "odd one out" if it means seeds are planted and some day they come to know the Lord. I hope to see them in heaven one day. It doesn't matter where I work, all that matters is that others come to know Him.

My Christmas was good. I worked 2-6:30 on Christmas eve and it was busy. I helped in the nursrey and we had 2 crying babies and another one was mostly content. I had dinner and birthday cake for my grandma's 80th birthday. I went to the 11 PM xmas eve service at my home church. Sunday morning for Christmas (yesterday) I went to church, came home and took a nap, and then we opened a few presents after. Nothing hugely eventful, but good nonetheless.