I don’t think that I will ever feel like I'm doing what I need to do with my life without a component of connection. For some reason, God hardwired me with a need to connect with people. I was in conversation with a friend about when we feel really good, and I shared how I love that feeling of when you’re with a group of people, say around a table eating, and the conversation is flowing and everyone is involved and the connection is alive. That is my magnum opus, when even if I'm not the one that initially orchestrated the moment, I can take part in great connections.
I think this is why relationships are so important to me. I like to see people and to let people know that they are heard. We move through the world quite rapidly, but there is something so enduring and beautiful about looking someone in the eye and letting them know you see them and hear them.
My reflections of this intrinsic quality of mine is coming after some time with God. Given the #unemployed status is still here, I've continued to use my free time to listen and understand somethings the Lord may want me to notice. One being that the vision of my life aligns with what I'm feeling called to do. For the first time in a while, I’m finally feeling like I have direction and purposed hope.
As the days go by and I really lean into the background work to bring some type of video content to life, I'm feeling quite invigorated and as if I'm doing something right. I’m a staunch believer that feelings aren’t facts, but I mean it must mean something if the emotional and spiritual cloud lifts, I'm moving my hands for things to benefit my future, and my inner feelings are incredibly positive. While I may not let the feelings guide me, I do think I can use them as a telltale of going in a positive direction. They hint at traces of the Holy Spirit at work, in my opinion.
Me: “Is this the right time?”
God: “You're right on time.”
The timing of everything is not lost on me because I sense with Spring, a lot of newness is coming. As I take stock of the changes going on around me, I can tangibly see new dreams, projects, mindsets, and more, taking shape in people’s lives. It’s is a very “woah” thing to recognize because it can seem a little coincidental since most things start before we actually see them. However, I don’t believe in coincidences, so I know that this season, Spring 2025, is marked as the start of ___. You fill that in.
It's a beautiful thing to think of how the very things we say yes to now can impact us in ways we never imagined once we give it a bit of time. Considering that we're always moving from glory to glory, I have to wonder what’s to come and what is behind each of our “yes”. I’m also wondering how our stories will intertwine because we're not put on this earth to do life alone or without impacting someone else. The human experience is best experienced together (to my introverts, let’s not argue about this) and I’m quite thankful you are one of the people im sharing this journey with.
Questions That Need Answers:
How do you best connect with others? Do feel like something new is being ignited in your life?
A Few Things I Liked
Hilary’s Glasses
These were so cool to me. Like, stop and stare and not really listen to the conversation because I’m thinking about how CUTE they are. Pink is my favorite color and I love a quirky thing… these give me both things in the right doses. Apparently they can be worn running (thanks of that tidbit of info, Tori haha), so not only are they stylish, they are functional for the athletes. If I were to actually make my running dreams come true, this would be the vibe of eyewear I went for.
Food
Within the last month, I've had a few good things to eat and will share them in no particular order:
Smoothie King’s strawberry bluegurt blitz smoothie w/ kale. I don’t drink smoothies regularly and have had it twice in one week, which is saying something.
Xamán Café power bowl. I had it and wanted to go back the next day (and the next) for it. I love something healthy and simple that gets me to eat veggies I normally don’t - specifically speaking of peppers.
Luby’s teriyaki chicken. Judge ya mama, not me. But seriously, we found a really great Lubys in farmer’s branch and they had this on the menu one day and it HIT - a solid 9/10. I went back the next week for it.
Kyoto Brew Shokupan Toast. We have a Japanese coffee shop in my city and this Japanese toast is literally a dream. I’m trying to be good and not go buy a piece of toast often, but I will be buying a bag of it when I go back :)
SINNERS
I saw it twice. I have so many thoughts and I'm like, is this the best way to convey them? It’s not, but I'll give it a go because I liked this thing and want to share it.
First, Ryan cooler is amazing and I respect him so much! I appreciate a black man that’s authentic, about his business, and grounded. I gave this film a 7 rating, but after sleeping on it, I bumped it up to an 8.3. It has a very good cast, tells a very good story, and possesses very good themes that just continue to unveil themselves the longer you sit with the film and read about it. I did go see it in 70MM and 8/10 recommend. I do not know if I would’ve caught some of the differences without some callouts from Ryan, but I do think them shooting it in film added to the time period of the piece. It added more texture to the visuals.
Can I also just say that I'm not a MBJ fangirl, but being from the south, there’s something about him with an accent and the grills that got me. If you can, I do recommend you see it while it's still in theaters because it's not as scary as one may think and the story is quite deep, if you go there with it.
Till Next Time,
Syd