oxymoron

After receiving some life-giving teaching on Saturday (more on this to come later), I started making a list of things that fill my "tank" and things which I find draining.

And as it turns out, one of the things that I find incredibly draining is conflict.

Which is weird, because I am a lawyer. Go figure.

becellaneous

becellaneous [bec-uh-ley-nee-uhs] - adj - consisting of elements of different kinds, all of which are of interest to bec.

1. Inflorescence has nothing to do with lights. It has to do with flowers. Another word for inflorescence is raceme.
2. I like the front room of my house. It has been too hot to spend time in this room much lately and I have missed it.
3. Adelaide has had 39.4 mm of rain this month. That is nearly twice the January average 0f 19.6, and there is more to come. That excites me.
4. I like cooking, which is something I never thought I would say.
5. I read this week that Eddie Maguire feels drawn to politics and has been approached by both parties at a federal level but has no plans just yet. Hmmmm....
6. I played touch footy on Thursday night. We lost 10-1 despite the other team having less players than us. I was average at it. I liked it. I inspired our team's only try.

the eye of the beholder

Have you ever stopped to think about the beauty that others bring to the world?

I am lucky enough to live with 3 other young women who are extremely different from me and, at the same time, are extremely different from each other. Yet each of us brings with us a unique beauty, so much so that the world would be different without it.

One housemate brings joy, laughter and optimism. Her very presence exudes a light which is so bright it darkens even the darkest places. Another housemate sees potential in every person, event and circumstance. She is alive, real and present in every situation, deep, thoughtful and without pretense. Another housemate sees beauty in everything, and creates beauty out of anything (including plaster, linoleum and 3-chord tunes!). She radiates a peace and a contentment which my (often-stormy) heart desires.

What do I bring? Well, it is probably best determined by others, but I believe that I bring realness, passion, determination, strength and hope. While I am sometimes afraid, I try to walk into the unknown, the unfamiliar and the uncomfortable places as much as possible.

But its (relatively) easy to see the beauty in the people I know well and love dearly.

Have you ever sat in a public place, say on a bus or in a food court, and not only watched the people going by, but REALLY looked at them to see the beauty that lies within? I have, and I remember very clearly one occasion that nearly moved me to tears. There were people on the bus that I probably would not have spent much time looking at normally (ie, no George Clooney look-alikes :) ), but on closer inspection I noticed their beauty. It was different for each person... It was their hair, their lively eyes, their care of others, their smile...

Everybody's beautful, in their own way.

I dare you, take the time to look (just not in a stalker-ish kind of way...!)