“a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

hi friends! can you believe that may is halfway over?! azy-cra! and now i’ve made it halfway through the may photo journey of self-discovery. and you know what i have discovered about myself so far? that i am a multi-dimensional person. yep. last week’s focus was all about the heart. how i use my heart, how i live from my heart, what is close to my heart. i realized a lot about how much my heart leads me in my journey. but, i rely not only on my heart…

the theme for this week’s part of the journey was all about the mind. and you know what? my mind is fully engaged in my journey as well. in fact, i use my mind, my thoughts, my brain as inspiration. not that i am inspired by my own brain… but i am inspired by others words, thoughts, ideas. and then i use my mind in order to analyze, explore, discover new ways of thinking, new ideas, new information. this is one important part of my journey in life. the part that keeps me growing and changing and learning. no, i’m not afraid of new information or new ways of thinking. in fact, i crave it. i thrive on it.

when i was in seminary, i remember how my fellow colleagues and i reacted to different professors. they say that one of the processes and purposes of a theological education is to break down everything you have learned/believed in the past so that you can reorient yourself and build your own theological beliefs. you know, basically strip away the beliefs that you may have been “taught” and just accepted in order to find your own, true beliefs. by all accounts, i experienced this to be true. and it was a transforming process.

for me, acquiring new information, or new ways to think about things i had always wondered about, was freeing. i completely soaked up the days that my professors blew my mind. of course, i had to go and ponder things before i could reconcile or understand what i was learning, but it made me a better person. it took me out of the box i was in, expanded my world. and now, there’s no stopping me. hehe.

in fact, the teacher in me loves to pass on the torch from my professors and challenge the people i now work with. i love to rock the boat. or blow someone’s mind. i’m not one for being stuck in a box. but, it’s all with good intentions. it’s all because i hope that people will grow to be their own unique person, proud of who they are, with their own beliefs, thoughts, and dreams.

you know, people who favor using their mind often are also logical, organized, traditional, and prepared. i can’t say that i am all of those things (at all), but i most definitely love learning and teaching. and this week’s part of the photo journey has gotten me thinking about being a student again. when i graduated with my master’s, a couple of professors suggested that i study further and get my PhD or Doctorate. that has always sounded amazing to me, but it has not been the right time. i wonder, though, as i make another move in my life and begin again a new chapter, is it time now for me to consider studying again? perhaps not as early as this fall, but within the next year… i know that studying more is something that i will feel that i will regret not doing when i am older if i don’t try. but, i trust the process, i trust the universe, and i trust myself. when it is time, i will know. and just the fact that i am beginning to ponder this again let’s me know that it is time to consider it a possibility…

well, enough of all of that. here are the photos i snapped this week as i thought about what i think about…

day 9 | i am thinking about… moving to asheville and beginning to make a list of all the practical & fun things i need to do!

day 10 | organized. what would i do if my love (my hero) wasn’t all motivated & detail-oriented?! i’ve learned so much from her… and i’ve got more to learn!

day 11 | tradition. i love a saturday morning with breakfast in bed.

day 12 | words. sitting by the river in the sunshine. soaking up rays, wisdom, and inspiration.

day 13 | study. looking over my lines for the children’s musical on sunday. gonna be great! and, yes, my work is fun!

day 14 | motto. nothing more to say.

day 16 | wisdom. on a visit back home to north carolina about 2 years ago, i had the chance to see a dear, amazing friend. she is the wisest woman i have ever known. together, our favorite mantra will always be a quote by Julian of Norwich… “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”

 the journey of self-discovery is an ever-changing, never ending one (thank goodness!). and now, the week i have been waiting for is coming up… the week were we focus on the soul. i have imagined that this is the week that i will connect with the most, but if i know myself and if i trust the process of transformation, i am fully aware that it may not turn out to be that way at all. this journey of life is full of surprises!

join me, if you want!  you can click here to get the word prompts for this week. we begin today with #16. let’s get snapping!! enjoy spending sometime with your soul this week. listen, feel, and dig deep. get to the core of who you are. happy photo journey-ing!

sending you thoughts of peace and love.