The problem with fashion, as soon as everyone starts to wear it, its most likely to be out of vogue.
Fashion creates waves because it sets new trends and it takes a while to be accepted as the status quo.
As I flick through instagrams and watch blogs evolve, I am often perplexed at how many people copy what other people are doing and claim the right of setting a new trend.
The only way you can stand out from the crowd, is to accept that you are different from it.
If you think you are cool and have made it, I would like to prepose that you are probably not.
Who sets the standard of cool?
Who dictates what is fashionable or not?
Who judges a piece of creativity’s standard?
Often the crowd.
Problem is, as soon as the crowd accepts it, it is quite often sanitised and consumer shaped.
Which means it has lost its edge.
Which means that it is no longer fresh.
Weird is okay.
We grow up through highschool hoping no one will call us weird.
I have found if you want to be a culture creator or influencer, you need to totally come to terms with the fact that you are different.
How can you create something fresh if you are constantly trying to be like everyone else.
I am realising quickly how damaging living my life through my phone is.
Just a few weeks ago, I was driving home from church, Maximus was asleep in the car, it was 7-something o clock.
My car was dark except for my headlights and a text message beeped through.
The darkness of the car shone the light of my phone even more brightly and I was so tempted to pick up my phone and check the message.
I quickly looked down and decided against picking my phone up and when I lifted my head up again, there was a man standing in the middle of the road.
He wasn’t running across the road to escape my car, I mean standing dead centre in front of my car, pointing straight at me, all most beaconing me to run him down.
I screamed, I prayed, I swerved, I stopped.
My car was truly millimetres away from hitting this man front on.
My heart galloped and I prayed that God would restore his soul. It was clear that he was trying to take his own life.
What impacted me mostly though was the what ifs?
What if I had have looked and replied to that text message?
What if I hadn’t stopped my car in time?
What if?
Mobile phones, from the moment they have been invented have been a part of my life. My dad bought one of the very first bricks, we had a satellite phone and I had my own mobile from when I was a teenager till now. It has not been until the last few months that I have realised how addicted to my phone I am.
As a novice mum, there are many moments that I feel increasingly isolated and the only thing that takes me out of the food plastered across the floor, the cartoons that sing in the distance, is the call of instagram and facebook to connect me with a instant reality.
My mum the other day challenged me, I dare you to go phone free for a day a week. I think she has seen my increased use of its pull and although I have explored this concept on here before, its an ongoing issue that I have to contend with.
I am doing productive things on my phone, I am building pictures, I am building community, but can I put it down and intentionally focus on the people that are in my present.
I have come up with a kind of plan.
Whenever I have my husband home on weekends etc, I go phone free.
Whenever I am in a social setting I go phone free.
During the week when I am with Max by myself, I try to limit my time and put the phone in another part of the house for moments at a time.
In the car I connect my phone and play music and also put it on flight mode, so that I can’t use my phone for other purposes.
It is a major temptation and discipline for me to put my smartphone in its right place. I direct its control over my life, it doesn’t dictate to me.
Take time to be phone free, sometime this week, you will quickly see whether you have formed an unhealthy addiction or not.
I wrote also about phubbing here: if you want to read more about this dialogue in my life at the moment.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…Four life traditions, three doses of patience, two random acts of kindness and a place to express my creativity.
Today was full of Christmas tradition and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This year was our 6th annual cookie bake off, a day of craziness and delight. A day when my girlfriends get together and bake and generally just enjoy each others company. This year with babies crawling and mine in my belly a jumping, there was much more talking than baking but the effort we go to to catch up at this time of year is worth it.
Then tonight was our Annual Christmas production…Carols, antics, skits and songs, so much laughter and lots of embarrassing moments, a time to laugh and cry for young and old. This year was my 12th Christmas production and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.
This monday night at family night we go on a Christmas lights tour, we have a present in my family that has been regifted 7 times which always makes people laugh at Christmas, we have a piñata after Christmas day lunch and a outdoor movie night in the height of summer…
Tradition creates rich memories that are treasured for years to come.
It doesn’t need to be expensive or even take much effort. Its never to late to start a new one, its never to early to bring one back.
The traditions that celebrate family and fun are my favorite.
Maybe this is the year you can start one that lasts a lifetime and creates memories not easily forgotten!
Isn’t It… Funny how a $20.00 bill looks so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to the mall. Funny how big an hour serving God looks and how small 60 minutes are when spent watching television, playing sports, sleeping or taking a lunch break. Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church are but how short they are when watching a good movie. Funny how we get thrilled when a football game goes into overtime, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time. Funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible and how easy it is to read 200-300 pages of a best selling novel. Funny how we believe what newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how people scramble to get a front seat at a concert, but scramble to get a back seat at the church service. Funny how we cannot fit a gospel meeting into our schedule with our yearly planner but we can schedule for other events at a moment’s notice. Funny how we look forward to that big date on Friday night, but complain about getting up for church on Sunday morning. Funny how we are rarely late to work, but always late to church. Funny how we call God our Father and Jesus our brother, but find it hard to introduce them to our family. Funny how small our sins seem, but how big their sins are. Funny how we demand justice for others, but expect mercy from God. Funny how much difficulty some have learning the gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is to understand and explain the latest gossip about someone else. Funny how we can’t think of anything to say when we pray, but don’t have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend. Funny how we are so quick to take directions from a total stranger when we are lost, but are hesitant to take God’s direction for our lives. Funny how so many church goers sing “Standing on the Promises” but all they do is sit on the premises. Funny how people want God to answer their prayers, but refuse to listen to His counsel. Funny how we sing about heaven, but live only for today. Funny how people think they are going to Heaven but don’t think there is a Hell. Funny how it is okay to blame God for evil and suffering in the world, but it is not necessary to thank Him for what is good and pleasant. Funny how when something goes wrong, we cry, “Lord, why me?” but when something goes right, we think, “Hey, it must be me!” …Or wait…maybe all this isn’t so “funny” after all.
I am sitting here (actually lying on the couch) watching the x factor on television. Australian Idol, X factor, australia’s got talent and karaoke style reality tv shows went off my radar quite a few years ago as I found them so same/same.
However last night I stumbled upon the last 5 mins of the show and my heart completely broke as I heard the story of Emmanuel, a beautiful 17ish year old physically challenged young man as he serenaded me to imagine.
In fact, I sobbed!
Tears didn’t stream down my face, they rivered. One of the judges, Natalie blurted out ‘He made me realise that all the stuff I worry about seem so insignificant.’ Then tonight a mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 16 weeks pregnant defied the odds and did everything to come on the stage and let her guard down and move beyond her diagnosis.
See I strongly believe that everyone has the x factor. It is our individual stories.
Your story is your x factor. Where have you been? Where are you going? What has broken you? What has made you stronger?
Weird is okay.
