change (again)...

Lately I've noticed my writing has been inspired by others... and I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. When I first started blogging on the ever popular myspace, I wasn't really sure what blogging was other than a place for me to vent. There was this crazy adrenaline rush to post something and not know who might read it while I tried not to care. Now I've found dive this other world of blogs where I can blog-hop from one to another inspired by family, friends and complete strangers' writing. 

Tonight I checked in on Lindsey Nobles. I've been following her blog for awhile and this year she has chronicled her journey quitting her job in Nashville and moving across the country for a new adventure in California. She recently posted a blog about reflecting on the last year and it made me think... 

I want to take a look and figure out, am I really living life or am I letting life happen? Am I taking control of my life or am I living vicariously through other lives I read about and watch on tv? I want to make sure I'm staying in my current job and city because this is where God wants me and not out of fear of change. At the same time, just because I have the same job in the same city doesn't mean I have to be stagnant. 

There are moments when I feel useful here... like I'm making a difference. And then there are moments when I want nothing more than to pick up and take a risk on a dream. Sometimes I think the dreaming is more glamorized in Hollywood than it is real life. I just wrote the other day about balancing tradition and change, surprisingly enough I'm still seeking that balance and not just in Christmas traditions. As much as I love tradition and security, I don't want my life to be out of tradition. 

Just another rambling moment of 2011...

tradition...

I'm a big fan of tradition, but lately I've been asking myself, am I protecting tradition or am I afraid of change?

My family has a number of traditions especially around the holidays... Some of my favorites are Christmas shopping with my mom and sister on Thanksgiving Eve, wrapping presents with my dad and sister on Christmas Eve and our whole family donning matching pj's Christmas Eve. I remember the first time my sister spent Thanksgiving with her now husband and missed our shopping trip. I wasn't thrilled and I make sure to remind her of the two trips she missed.

A couple of my single friends and I have created a tradition of going to the beach for New Year's. It's been a huge relief to know we have single company on probably the No. 2 couple's holiday (second to Valentine's Day in my unofficial ranking). I would think we all secretly hope that someday we won't need a single's beach trip once we have boyfriends and/or husbands... (or do we drag them along with potential extra wheel scenarios) but who is the first to "break the tradition." Or is it breaking tradition?

I think I'm realizing I work best with tradition because I don't work well with change. When it comes to my faith, I'm usually arguing against traditions and rituals and yet when it comes to my family and friends or my daily routine I'm holding on to tradition for dear life. I want to work on it. I think I'll always need some structure in my life, but I don't want to resist change for the sake of tradition.