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go.

oftentimes, I find myself needing to be told to move.  I have a tendency to sit still in physicality and to move at a ridiculously speedy pace within my mind. 

I do not have to work to think.  it happens as I breathe.

one of the reasons I love city life lies in the absolute essentiality of physical motion.  I find challenges on a daily basis that humble, stretch, and alter me.  

some who I hold dear do not understand the love I carry so deeply for a metropolis.  

what I have discovered during my endless processing sessions is how the heartbeat of a city with all of its hidden virtues, array of accents, and urban realities feeds my hunger for knowledge, thinking, discovery, and story.  

I love hearing people's stories which exist in such contrast to experiences I have had in my own. and yet, we can still connect in some way, even if it is only in the commonality of city life and handling all of its beauty and woes.  

it is good for me to walk into an unknown situation on a daily basis.  my brain stays awake and my character deepens as I face fears and am moved to persevere.  *romans 5.4 pops into my mind, and thereby I am led to another utterly crucial element for authentic living for me:  

Scripture, the Bible, the Word.  

these words, sentences, and paragraphs that to some are simply words written in quite an old book that I learned as a little kiddo in church and in my home began to be poignant and functional in a very unique way when I moved into a city.  I had a need for a spot to *anchor in such a literal sea of chaos that life in a crowded, noisy, building-filled place holds, that of which I had never been previously aware.

I remember sitting at an outdoor table at my st. john's wood starbucks one afternoon with my friends, whitney, courtney, micaela, and claire talking about Scripture.  the question arose about whether reading the Bible had real life application.  

at times when I have one of those "city moments", I think about that conversation.  

do I have faith in what I say I do?  in Who I say I do? 

is the book significant?  or just a book? 

and then, I move (or go) once more.  

faith is in my feet.  

not in my head, in my thoughts, or in my analyzations.  

in my steps, endeavours, and activities.  

I believe the initial light bulb moment of all these earlier enlightenments in this post happened during my time living overseas in my initial encounter with life so different than all years prior.  

I hear myself often describing london as a TRULY foreign experience, in every way.

my time in the mountains brought with it exploration of peace and true community.  

I had the gift of sweet friendships and loads of quiet time to see a healthier way to navigate engagement and retreat.  

for me, the quest is allowing this continuous processing/analyzing in my head to link together with the "go-ing"to hopefully find myself living an authentic, honest, deep, joyful, peace-filled existence in the present moment.  taking it all in, moving ahead, remembering/celebrating victories, regretting nothing, and seeing/believing the Hand upon it all.  

I find myself now in boston, in my second urban home, finding consistency in *Truth once again, in a very real, applicable, day-to-day way that brings with it beauty, humility, and intimacy.  

lessons mentioned here are simply my story. 

you may acquire/have acquired realizations of what rhythm grounds you in an urban, suburban, or rural setting.  none is better than another.  

life is such an intensely personal endeavour.  

thanks be to God.  

were it general and blanket...?

well, the word that comes to mind is dull.  

have you ever watched inside the actor's studio with james lipton?  it is shown on the bravo channel.  this show is brilliant to me, largely because james walks the actor on stage through their story, asking them questions about their career ultimately, but clearly their personal journey is interwoven in defining their acting skills.  today, I watched two we had tivo'ed (truly one of the best inventions ever.):  liam neeson and eddie murphy.  

james made a comment that struck me.  he was speaking about something in the world of acting.

I see it applying to city life for me. (this cannot be separated from that city having been abroad, as well.)

when I moved to london, my first city..."it is like a door has opened.  it will never close."  

I am changed, broadened, impacted, impressed upon, deepened...

what experiences in your life have altered your perspective and given you more corners in the box you previously inhabited?  most likely those corners frequently appear when you have transitioned from one thing to another, from one state of being to another, or from one place to another.  

(another common human connection point.) 

goodness, I am thankful. and blessed.

laura, thank you for asking me lead little ones back in the day for so many sweet reasons.  

the one, I find myself remember today (and SO often) is this verse in the form of a song...

"be strong and courageous. do not be terrified. do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you... (duet.31.6).  *anchor point. 

ok, and something light and seriously smart in humour...

please tell me you watch this show.  it makes me laugh so hard.  so much so that I need to watch each episode multiple times to ensure I hear all the quips.  this link is a classic moment of absurd funny.

nick and schmidt.

happy november.

kb.