half the year is gone - let's seize the rest of it

It's been a while since I've written something. I've been a bit sick - still am, actually. But at least today I felt like getting out of bed wouldn't make my head explode.

There are a few things on my mind, none of which I really want to get into today - like the horrible accident that happened in front of our house two days ago, or the whole rainbow pride thing. I'd rather just share with you my strategy for success for what's left of 2015.

1. About God:  Find out what His will is for me, and do it. Get close to Him, so that I can
    know His heart about all matters at all times.

2. About relationships:  Have FUN with my husband. Spend quality time with close friends
    and go out and do some new stuff together. Go to towns that we haven't visited before.

3. About finances: Take it one day at a time. Don't just try new things, but stick to what I've
    started. Persevere. MAKE. IT. WORK. Tithe, invest and plan, but also spend a bit, and
    bless others.

4. About time management: There's a lot of time in each day. Make use of it. Watch less TV.
    Spend less time on electronic devices. Have a "to-do" list, and DO the things on it.

5. About health: Start exercising again. Have a schedule and stick to it. Eat more
    vegetables. Oh, and floss daily.

There you have it. That's my plan for success for the second half of 2015. What's yours?

closing car doors and classical conditioning

Yesterday morning, while doing some stuff at home, I heard a few car doors close outside, and caught myself feeling instantly happy - almost expecting something awesome to happen. That's when I realized that my reaction was just the result of years of classical conditioning as a child. Whenever I heard multiple car doors close, I knew that visitors had arrived - most of the time for a whole day of merriment - which usually included a braai (BBQ), playing with friends and swimming till after sunset. 

The image that came to mind, was that of the house we lived in when I was in primary school.  Weird how this conditioning continues, even though I've heard many car doors close after the age of 13 - most of them with gloomier connotations - weird people showing up at our door step, my sister's boyfriends coming to visit or the crazy lady down the street coming to chat to my mom about all kinds of crazy things.

Have you noticed any sounds (or songs) or even smells, that trigger a certain feeling or emotion in you?

stepping on monkey toes

Although there is a lot a lot a lot of scientific proof that the evolution of man is just ridiculous, that's not what I'm going to bless you with today. (Somewhere out there, I heard hundreds of you just give a sigh of relief.) Nope, today I'm not going to be scientific AT ALL. I rather want to applaud the followers of this theory with the following statement:

YOU GUYS REALLY HAVE THE MOST AWESOME BLIND FAITH THAT I'VE EVER COME ACROSS.

I mean, to believe that humans evolved from basically nothing over ... (dramatic pause)  biiiiiillllliiiiooooonnnsss of years;  plus that all this happened "by chance" is quite incredible. The fact that we have bodies that function perfectly:

- a heart that keeps on pumping at the right speed, delivering blood through a network of perfectly placed arteries and veins

-  a digestive system that converts food into something your body can actually use, through a sequence of mechanical and chemical processes

- a nervous system that connects every part of the body to the brain through a highly specialized cell called the neuron, that carries electrical impulses along perfectly placed neural pathways

- a respiratory system that controls the lungs and muscles in order to get oxygen to be absorbed into the bloodstream 

Obviously there are many more magnificent processes to be named. But to think that every one of these things came into existence by accident is quite amazing. Seriously. I don't think my faith could sustain a "shot in the dark" like this one. 

Plus, morality, feelings, justice, reasoning and all the "unseens" just jumped into the mix at some point. By accident. No plan. No greater design. Just natural selection and a great deal of luck.

Is it really more realistic to believe in a gazillion processes happening by pure chance, than to believe that there is a Designer... an Author... a Creator God behind it all? Is it more realistic that we share common ancestors with rats, or trees, or rocks, than to believe that man was made in God's image and formed with His own hands? How hard must it be to believe that there is absolutely no purpose or plan to life. To YOUR life. 

We live. We die. 

The end. 

                           ...Seriously?