Make the Most of the Alone Times

Last Friday, I did something that I'd never done before. Aside from getting my hair dyed completely honey blonde, I decided to make a trip to the movie theater. Alone. In all my years of life, I'd never done that. I always thought that was so weird and loner looking. However, I must say that I really enjoyed the time I spent with ME!

If any of y'all (mainly ladies) have fallen in love with The Notebook, then you will really enjoy The Lucky One! It's ranked up there for me! I mean, any movie that has the power to make me cry must be good in some way. And my my my...if my desire for a white man wasn't refueled in that movie! Move over Noah...and come on in the house Logan! =)

So I guess that little bit of eye candy on the screen made my solo movie going experience worthwhile...lol. However, I don't think I'm ready to go by myself to a sit-down restaurant or a night showing of a movie yet. And I mean, I shouldn't have to do anything alone. And don't get me wrong; I have friends that could have very well accompanied me. This was by choice, and I wanted to spend time with myself for a change.

For some people (maybe you), doing anything alone is a scary thought.  They feel lost without noise, chatter, and events with friends filling up their schedule. They don't know the essence of who they really are without their trusty clique and/or significant other.  Everyday they "grind," and pretty much they live for the weekends. And it's just a repeat cycle, with a mix of random events and the annoyances of life.

My question is: What are you gonna do on those days when you have no one to call? When you're just stuck with you?

The real prayer is that you will have enough sense to look above and call on Jesus. That's the only friend that will be closer to you than your brother, sister, parents, boyfriend, fiance, best friend, etc. He's availabe 24/7 and He knows you more than you know yourself, so why not consult the Master?  

***NewsFlash: Anyone other than your big brother Jesus will always always always find a way to disappoint you (in some way). Don't kid yourself. So, you might as well make Him the priority. When all else falls through the cracks, He will still be there in all His consistency. 

This is YOUR life. Don't wait on others to accept your dreams before you start living them. Don't hold yourself up from having a good time, just because others may be doing their own thing. The choice is yours. Embrace the surprisings and blessings each day offers. Enjoy time with friends, as well as time spent hanging out in your own company. When you're comfortable in your own skin, it shows!

I remember when...

Everyone this is Candice! I'm sure if you read our blog you know her as the silly clumsy one who always finds herself in the craziest situations. Well all that is true lol I know that Candice as well. But I also know the Candice who is the funniest person I know, full of life, pure at heart, and destined for greatness!

One of the things I appreciate about Candice most is that she is incredibly trustworthy. That is an extremely important characteristic in a friend to me. She stays true to her word. She always holds up her end. It's nice to have someone around you who you don't have to worry about whispering behind your back. Or sharing personal things with the people around them. She's one of those people. I can tell her whatever and not worry about hearing it repeated. I never have to say "Keep this between us." She already knows and that's a characteristic you don't come across a lot. Maybe a handfull in a lifetime.

As I said, she has a pure heart. She never aims to hurt or disrespect anyone. She wants the best for people. She's not envious or prideful. She's full of joy and energy. She also believes in me as well as the things God has placed inside of me. We encourage each other. We fuss and get on each others nerves too. It's kind of funny actually.

Her brother thinks we're crazy I think. I'll admit, we are pretty strange. I've always felt weird but it's pretty cool to know someone even weirder haha It's cool to just be able to BE. One day in particular we were at Short Pump shopping center and this swing music came on and we started swing dancing in the middle of the floor. Who else could I do that with?? lol Or recently, we saw a new couple at our church who are dating, walking to their car. We were not expecting it AT ALL and were so happy. I turned on shouting music and we started shouting in my car lol It was quite a funny scene but a typical day for us.

She's the type of friend who never feels obligated to know everything. She doesn't pry into my life but leaves the door open for when I choose to share. I can count on her to pray. Plus I don't doubt that when things are going in my favor that she is sincerely happy for me. She's also consistent. She isn't a different person every day of the week.

One of the best things about her is that she isn't draining. She encourages me in the same ways I encourage her. She vents to me in the same ways I vent to her. She doesn't make more withdrawals than she does deposits. She's not full of drama. She isn't ALWAYS having a bad day or having an issue. She's pretty laid back and doesn't gossip. Just an all around cool person.

I felt led to write this because Candice and I have a funny friendship and I wanted to change it up a bit. We're always fussing and cracking jokes on each other. Figured I'd be civil for the purpose of this blog. :-)

Her parents actually told me that when her mother was pregnant with her brother, Candice wanted him to be a girl so they could name her Chelsea. Funny how things work out lol So yeah. Everyone needs a friend like Candice. There are very few people who have the type of heart that she does. And although we're both on this journey of becoming BETTER, I think she already has a great character to build upon.

Yall better watch out! There's a treasure on the inside of her. I believe God is going to use her for some amazing things. And lastly, the BEST thing about her is that she LOVES God. I'm excited for her future. One day we'll look back and say "Wow I remember when..."

*Gasp* She did what???

I decided to look up the word GOSSIP. By definition gossip is conversation about the personal details of other people's lives, whether rumor or fact, especially when malicious; somebody who habitually discusses the personal details of others' lives.

I think alot of people including myself at one point have thought of gossiping only as spreading rumors against a person in a harmful way. I've never been a blabber mouth but I have entertained gossip. Even if I haven't said anything, by standing around to listen I've engaged in gossip.

It's a great thing to be in a position where people can trust you to share their struggles, fears, and insecurities. But their trust is taken advantage of when those same struggles, fears, and insecurities are spread to others. We've all been guilty of saying too much at some point but I'm at a point now where I understand FULLY the importance of just keeping my mouth shut as well as my ears. No matter how important or insignificant some information may be.

It's deceptive. When a person comes to you believing they can trust you and tell you things they wouldn't tell just anyone, you are responsible for guarding that conversation. That includes not answering personal questions about others or casually bringing up that conversation when conversing with someone else. People probably don't realize how much damage can be done to a person by airing out their insecurities or fears. People receive things in different ways and the person whose receiving this information will more than likely share it with others putting the initial person in a vulnerable position to be taken advantage of. Stop the chatter!

Let's look at gossip the way God looks at it.

Proverbs 11:13 – “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”
Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”
Leviticus 19:16 – “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”

It also includes sharing someone else's information to close friends or relatives. You tell them everything about you anyway so it's not a big deal if they know about so and so right? WRONG! Telling business that is not yours no matter who it is, is gossip. You may only tell one person and think that it's cool. But that one person may tell one person who tells one person and the next thing you know, it's been spread.  I've been guilty of this before, but I now understand the harm that is done.

A lot of people probably question why I'm as private as I am, and that's because I can only imagine how much of my own personal business, fears, insecurities, and secrets that I've shared with someone in the past have been gossiped about. Or how much of what others have observed about me have come up in a conversation or two. "Chelsea deals and struggles with this. Chelsea is afraid of that. Chelsea did this or that. Blah blah blah." That's not cool and I would definitely never want to do that to anyone else. I tell as much as I wouldn't mind sharing with most people. I tell Candice alot and that's because even though we're close, she never tells me other people's business. That's a good sign that she'll hold on to mine too!

So we have to hold ourselves accountable. No talking of course AND no listening. It's hard to walk away from gossip when an interesting topic comes up. But if it's not your business then it shouldn't come from your lips or into your ears. YOU have the power to cut it off before it goes further than it needs to.

Hold onto a person's secrets and innermost thoughts just as you would hope they would hold onto yours. Keep your ears free of other people's business that does not directly come from them. It's a sign of immaturity and just morally wrong. Being trusted by a person is an extremely great blessing. Don't take advantage of it!

Day 9: My Thankful

So I missed my posting for yesterday....

I'm thankful that God made guys so differently. There are so many varieties, shades, sizes, colors, etc. That being said, ahem, "White waiter from BWW. I'm waitin'!" lol! Just kidding! Referring back to an old post, I'm down with dating guys of different ethnicities! As long as they love Jesus and me, why not?

I'm thankful for good times with friends. I truly cherish gut-wrenching laughter and memorable conversations over great food.

I'm thankful that I have the trait to be completely calm and collected in the midst of chaos on my job.

Day 6: My Thankful

I'm thankful that prayer really works. Sometimes I find myself praying for things, and then I realize that what I've prayed for has actually come to pass. It amazes me. I know God hears my prayers, but sometimes I feel that I'm not doing something right when I talk to Him. Like I'm talking to air or something. But, NOT so!

I'm thankful that I'm finally through with a group project I had been stressing over.

I'm thankful for joy.

I'm thankful for LIFE!

I'm thankful that I have at least 3 good friends in the world.

I'm thankful that my Netflix bill will actually come out next week's check. So, extra cash pocketed! Whoot Whoot! =)