a symphony of extremes

"Our full range of emotions is our palette with which we bring color to our lives."
~Anne Copeland~

I think sometimes I forget this in the squish and pull and demands of life. Contrary to what people think, ignoring the demands don't exclude them from life, they just make them a curled up tickley thing at the back of your brain that wakes up once in a while and makes you feel quite uncomfortable (I'm not saying you personally have this problem, but I get tired of always saying "me" and "I"). But really, when I ignore the dreams, the desires, the feelings, and decide to just live this lukewarm life, I end up only living vicariously, living through someone else's eyes. What a sad fall from the precipice of desire. Just because it's a precipice, and dangerous in places, doesn't mean I should hide in a cave. It means I should learn to navigate it safely, to procure the proper tools, to find the right one to pull me up safely and cradle me against his chest. But running away quite cheats me, and the people that love me most.
I want to find that full range again and learn how to navigate the precipice. I want to do things in my life, to try, and to try my best. I want to learn better how to live, not just survive. I thought about this question the other day.
What would you do if you were going to die tomorrow? Because I could, not to be morbid, and I don't want people to say that all I did on my last day was surf facebook or do laundry or clean my room, although those are perfectly acceptable things in the balance of others. At the end of every day, I want to be able to say that I loved extravagantly, that I forgave generously, that I gave of myself with all the passion that I used to hold back. I want to be fully captured by the One who rescued me, and continues to. I need his colors in my life, the beautiful and full, rich colors. Let me offer a question to those who find this ringing true with them:
If you really were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today? If it's something you can do, why not do it? What's holding you back? That's my bit for the day. Feel free to comment on this; I'm interested in your thoughts. :)

Staying up late can have benefits.

I was thinking about how to simplify my life rather late at night when inspiration struck. I have it here in the form of an acronym because I wanted to chew over the concepts, and what better way to do that than writing it?

Stay focused on one thing at a time.

Indulge in interests—but schedule them in.

Minimize time wasted.

Prioritize activities and people.

Less stuff.

Imagine the ideal in your life--and then work toward it.

Feel free to say no.

You can’t do it alone.

I have a feeling that following this will help me a lot in balancing out my life, but I definitely can't do it without God's help. So this is one of the things I'm going to be working toward. One of those "interests" I'm scheduling in is a lot more writing time. The way to improve in writing is to write--and to write a lot. So this is a thrown together combination plate of what I've been thinking about recently. Maybe I'll give you all a more coherent post one of these days ;)

HELLO!

I sort of feel like I'm resurrecting this blog from the funk it's been in for 2 months, along with its writer. That doesn't mean there weren't some amazing times, but it has been an odd stage since I got back from Texas and the ministry just sort of stopped. I am going to try out a bible study/hangout group with several high school girls I know, so hopefully that'll be a good way to pour in some of the knowledge and wisdom and also hear their hearts as well. :)
Right now my life is pretty low-key, although my relationship with God is great. I feel very close to him, connected in honesty and truth. It's a good place to be.
I am also looking for a job, having applied at Frys supermarket and Starbucks, and hoping one of those works out :)
I have a lot of scattered thoughts right now, but I just thought I should get back on the blogtrain and this has got me going again, so that's a start. :)
Love you all and hope this post finds you well in both body and spirit!

joyfully,
Camila