The Aftershock

I am tired, so I'll explain briefly. While I was in Italy, I took the time to write down all the things I learned. It would be selfish not to share, so here you go:

1. Starbucks is overrated. Way overrated.
2. Writing is food for my soul. (Or any type of creating for that matter)
3. My day needs to always include the following: exercise, prayer, quiet time, and Bible.
4. The disenchantment with the church started in Rome. Separation of church and state is the cure for it. Merging of the two started it all.
5. Americans have no appreciation for water at all. It is the single most valuable resource we have.
6. I am happier when I live off less.
7. Treating everyone as if they were Christ makes you a more joyful person.
8. I love the outdoors, and the fact that Europe uses windows as AC is well with my soul.
9. Americans are loud, and if I were not American, I would think that we are very self-important.
10. Don’t trust anyone’s opinion. Try everything for yourself.
11. I love incredibly deeply. I love this about myself, but I now know that it is what makes me miss people so much.
12. I deeply hate when people questioning my knowledge.
13. Doing nothing can be the best thing in the world for you.
14. Language barriers can always be broken, you just have to be creative and humble. Communicating with Italians is kind of like spreading the gospel: you try to speak their language, and they are always willing to meet you where you leave off.
15. Leaders, no matter how effective, completely dictate the overall morale of their group.
16. Excessive PDA is, more often than not, a cover-up for an unhealthy relationship.
17. The sacrament of Holy Communion is one of the most beautiful experiences that we can have, but it has been made into an exclusive ritual by churches.
18. Cathedrals, churches, and basilicas—as incredibly beautiful as they are—are disgustingly excessive.
19. Loneliness is the single most painful of all things.
20. I want a tattoo.
21. Loneliness is also the best teacher. You learn more about yourself when you are alone than you do when you are with anyone else, no matter how smart they are.
22. I am enormously affected by the people who surround me.
23. I judge people who smoke. I shouldn’t, but I do. I just can’t understand how any American young adult could willingly shorten their life.
24. Fresh air and solitude is the best remedy for the funk.
25. It is very important that I always have a strong faith community around me. I am most happy with people to help fill my cup in a deeply spiritual way.
26. It is always too good to be true.
27. The world is always smaller than you think it is. There is no such thing as being completely removed.
28. Americans are addicted to communication in a way that is both alarming and reassuring.
29. Home is where the heart is.
30. I have a strong desire to be needed/wanted. I am trying to solve that.
31. The longer I am alone, the more I can reach the core of my soul, where my deepest fears and deepest pain lies. It’s like a layer is peeled back each day, and it hurts so bad to get there.
32. I feel a calling to minister to the poor, and especially to prostitutes. I don’t know why or how to do it, but I hear it.
33. St. Francis of Assisi is my hero.
34. My dreams frighten me, especially when they are really good.
35. I feel deeply sorry for people who cannot appreciate art.
36. I feel even more sorry for people who haven’t explored the Bible.
37. God’s glory is on tour.
38. A peaceful person is the most beautiful thing in the world. A peaceful woman is even better.
39. Perfectionism is not admirable.
40. I hide behind my busy schedule.
41. I desperately want someone to share my life with. Someone to give my love and my heart to.
42. Missing home is a good thing. Being homesick is not.
43. I used to be that person who freaks out about getting the perfect grade. Now I am the person who calms that person down in disbelief.
44. Just because someone treats me unfairly does not mean that it’s because of me.
45. People will never stop surprising you.
46. The words, “I miss you,” are some of the most powerful words you can use.
47. The more I travel, the more insignificant I feel. Then I think about my God, and I realize even more how much He loves me more than I will ever know.
48. You can’t really experience the glory of God’s love until you have to physically rely on him to provide something in your life.
49. Monetary poverty is extremely frustrating to the core of my soul.
50. Doing nothing feels worse than doing evil.
51. Christians often do more harm when they mean well.
52. Rocks are really fascinating.
53. Based off of its residents, I would love living in California.
54. There are so many cooler things to do than having a career.
55. I care too much about hurting other people’s feelings.
56. I take advantage of what I have at home.
57. People will always complain, no matter how good they have it or how well things are planned.
58. Complaining vocally is both annoying and pointless. As Shane Claiborne says, cynicism is the easiest attitude to have, because it requires no energy at all.
59. The pain that you cause someone by making fun of them is not worth the laughs that you get in exchange. Most people would claim the opposite, however.
60. Whenever you think I’m not going to make it, God shows me that I am.
61. I really dislike vanity.
62. The effectiveness of a teacher is based almost completely off of their passion for what they are teaching.
63. It’s fun to know nothing about something and willingly acknowledge that fact.
64. Laughing feels like home.
65. Traveling changes you.
66. Living in Texas has made me forget how much I love the water.
67. Limoncello is awful.
68. Wine is not just a beverage, it is an experience, and I happen to really enjoy it.
69. Living with “reckless abandon” means to live in a way that leaves behind ALL past beliefs, assumptions, and expectations in an unstoppable quest for the life of abundance.
70. Life sucks sometimes, but it shouldn’t really matter.
71. The sound of running water is soothing to the soul.
72. There’s something really great about sweating.
73. I need to do something that requires faith every day of my life.
74. The best things in life are unexpected and unplanned.
75. Gelato tastes so much better after a couple glasses of wine, because you forget how bad it is for you.
76. Risks are fun, but not when they are at the expense of someone else.
77. I hate micromanagement.