Three Degrees of Separation

I have finally arrived at the University of Northern Colorado for orientation! Today I went from Greenville to Detroit to Denver. At Denver I waited for hours with other people for our bus, where we then again lugged our weight in luggage (with a broken wheel) to the bus for our hour long trip to Fort Collins.

At the airport, on the bus, and at UNC I made an amazing discovery...there are only three degrees of separation for all team members.

Examples:

• I met Jake who went to language school with Elisa
• I met my future Harbin teammate in Greenville, SC for coffee (neither of us live in Greenville)
• Beth's friend's cousin is here (or something like that)
• Wheaton seems to always be a connecting point in some way

Literally, I feel as if I have a random connection to everyone here...

However, I must say that Moody is not well known out here. I was sitting at dinner and overheard someone say, "I was reading the bios and one said that she was a Moody grad. What's that mean? That she hated every class but graduated anyway?" Much laughter abounded...*Sigh*

Dwight*...sometimes I wish you had had a different last name.

*D. L. Moody was the founder of Moody - hence the name. (in case you didn't already know)

Checklist

I have a verbal rut that drives some people crazy...my over-usage of the word "check!" I love checking things off lists. Saying "check" helps me mentally add or subtract something to one of my hundreds of lists. I have mental, digital, and paper check lists.

One of the many lists I have is entitled, "Things to do before China." I have been checking things off like crazy. Below are some of my checked off items.

• Write Philosophy of Teaching Paper - Check
• Get Ears Irrigated - Check!
• Spend time with friends and family - Still checking
• Write thank you notes - (I would say check, but this one spawned a whole new list)
• Go to Doctor - Finally Check (yeah this took about 9 checks to complete)
• Eat Chickfila - Check (checked that one about 4 times just to be safe)
• Buy Coffee Press - Check!

I still have roughly 35 checks to go, but the good news is that the lists are getting shorter.

If you were leaving the country, what kinds of things would you need to check off your list? Can you think of anything I should add to my lists?

Also, I thought of some checklists for you, my friends.

• Sign up for Skype and find Lizzie
• Read about Harbin, China
• Give Lizzie one last hug 'cause you love her

Feel free to add to the list!

Common Responses

At this point I have told many, many people that I am moving to China. I have received so many different reactions that I thought I would share some of them with you.

My Statement: "I'm moving to China."

Responses:

• "Say What?"
• "Oh that's...nice."
• "Cool!"
• "Why?"
• "Do you know Chinese?"
• "Where in Japan are you going?" (my response, "Uhhhh")
• "You are going with blonde hair?!"
• "Hey, you'll be tall for the first time in your life!"

My Statement: "I'll be living in Harbin, China."

Responses:

• "Where?"
• "Oh, that's cold!"
• "I have a lumberjack song for you."
• "Now where is Siberia again?"

Perhaps I'll post the responses to the statement, "I'm from Indiana" once I get to China.

The Power of One Thousand and One

We've all heard about the Power of One. Now at ExactTarget you hear about the Power of One Thousand.

This week, I learned about the power of One Thousand and One.

My friend Megan is on her way to Kenya. She and her husband will be working to help widows and orphans by providing aide and education. ExactTarget coworkers rallied behind her and hosted a service auction (what's that you say: It's an auction of people's times, talents, and services to help Megan be able to serve those in Kenya)

With the power of one thousand, Megan moved closer to her goal.

At the auction, I had hoped to buy some graphic design time. Doing so would allow me to have some awesome email templates for my newsletters all the while helping Megan - Win Win!

However, I was outbid.

As I resigned myself to the loss, the winner came around and informed me that he had bought the graphic design services to give to me. I literally could not believe it. With one bid, he helped Megan and then turned around and helped me.

With the power of one, I was helped and encouraged.

That is what the power of One Thousand and One is all about. Sometimes it takes a whole group of people working together to accomplish a goal...
but at the same time if each person is looking for ways to help the person laboring beside them amazing things can happen.

Interested in rallying behind Megan? (or just learning more?)
Go to: www.lcms.org/dooms

Good Bye

The month of goodbyes has begun. With that, I have started contemplating the word, “Goodbye.” Why must we add the “good” to bye? We do not have to say “Goodhello” so why must we say good bye?

My conclusion: Because we all know hello is intrinsically good whereas bye rarely seems good. So we add the adjective good to the word with the hopes that we can will it to be good. For example, your mother never needed to say, “Would you like some good brownies?” But she would have had to say, “Would you like some good brussel sprouts?” Even as children, we knew brownies were good by their very nature, with or without the adjective, and we knew the brussel sprouts were not good, with or without the adjective good. (and while our moms were bringing us these mythical, supposedly good brussel sprouts didn’t you always wonder if the unicorns and other mythological beings could serve them?)

Therefore, we say goodbye to help us believe it will be good. We say goodbye hoping the word will bring about a truly good bye.*

With that, what does a true good bye look like?

I believe my goodbye will truly be a good bye. Why? Because only good things are inspiring the Bye. I’m leaving to do something I am incredibly excited about. I’m leaving so that I can work with some amazing people. I’m leaving to begin an adventure that few ever dream of. I’m leaving with the support and encouragement of those I love. I’m also leaving knowing that this is not a separation that will last forever.

With all things considered, I will wish all of you a Goodbye knowing that it is truly a Good Bye.

*Side note – the same argument could be applied to “Good Morning”…just saying.

Guest Blogger!

I was invited to be a guest blogger on The Year of Exploration Blog. For those of you who don't already follow this blog...follow it! You won't be disappointed.

For my blog as a guest writer, I wrote a piece called "Acceptable Bargaining."

Soo... head that way, read away, and if you like it - "like it." Maybe they'll ask me back, and I'll write about running in the Beijing mini-marathon or something like that... :-)

Keep Going

This weekend I finished my fourth Mini-Marathon.  I was then asked, "Why do you do it?"

"Why?"

My answer... because I want to do something that pushes me...that dares me to go farther.  I want to remember what it is like to work for something, something that is hard, and to achieve it.  I want to dream bigger and to never accept mediocrity.  I want a bucket list that is all about living life.

But most of all...It's because I want to remember that it's OK to dream big.  My brother Chris has taught me to never accept ordinary, to never bend to the flow of normal.  Below is one of his blog posts that has stayed with me through the years...

Today I asked myself the question: “Why do we dream?”

Why do we dream of a better world?  A better life?  An exciting adventure?  Why do we yearn and long for something more?  Something bigger and better than ourselves? 

Why do we dream?

As a kid I loved to catch lightning bugs.  Running around the backyard with my arms stretched out I would close my hands over the flashing brightness of that glorious bug.  With my prey closed tightly in I would run back to my dad, ready to show him my amazing catch.  As he leaned over my clutched fists, I would wait for just one second, as if a magician, ready to dazzle his audience.  Then, slowly, my hands would open…a smile stretched across my face…my smile beaming as bright as the noonday sun in summer…blue eyes blazing with a shimmer that no lightning bug could ever duplicate…

My hands opened…

Nothing…I held nothing. 

Somehow he had escaped.  My eyes searched for an answer.  How could he have gone?  It isn’t fair.  My heart crashed deep, mimicking my body as I slumped in utter defeat.  It was gone.  How could I have missed it?  How did it get away? 

I hung my head and turned to walk away.  I had lost it.  It had slipped away. 

I come back to the question…why do we dream? 

And I know the answer.  Here’s why I dream.  Here’s why I long for more.  Here’s why I keep running after lightning bugs…

Because I’ve been given permission to dream. 

With empty hands, I turned to walk away dejected, slumped, and ashamed.  My dad’s hand caught me.  “Go ahead, Chris, go catch another one.”

“Go ahead, Chris, DREAM.” he said.  He might have used different words, but the meaning was the same. 

And somewhere along the way, someone has said that to you.  Someone told you to chase after another lightning bug. Someone told you to run with wild abandon after your dreams.  Someone said “Go ahead, go catch another one.” 

Maybe you were lucky, like me, and it was your parents.  Maybe it was your teachers, your coach, your friends, or your youth pastor.  Maybe it was your grandma.  Maybe you don’t even remember who it was.  But you were told. 

And we all need a reminder every now and then.  A reminder that it’s alright to dream, it’s alright to chase after lightning bugs. 

So here’s a reminder:

“Go ahead; go catch another one, DREAM…”