True or False?

Circle One:

1. Fear is inevitable in human beings. T F
2. Love and hate are opposites. T F
3. People are, by nature, good at heart. T F
4. Being "scared" & being "afraid" are the same. T F
5. Fears stem from imperfections regarding love. T F
6. Fear is the best motivator. T F
7. Love is the best motivator. T F
8. It is possible to fall out of love. T F
9. Fear is always irrational. T F
10. Love is an emotion. T F

I have had the incredible opportunity to create and facilitate a program at Loyola called "Dynamic Dialogue," a sporadic open forum for sophomore students that focuses on one semi-abstract theme for an hour. We welcome anyone who wants to dialogue, and we allow the conversations to lead wherever they happen to lead, be that a sharing of personal experiences, respectful disagreements, or further probing. We wanted to develop a space on campus that existed solely for engaging in deep, meaningful, critical conversations about anything on students' minds.

This evening was my final DD, and the theme was (duh) "Fear & Love." These are two of my favorite topics, other than our first theme (which was "Vulnerability & Trust"; surprise surprise!). It was one of the most phenomenal conversations I have had in a while, and I am still hatching some ideas that were laid by others during today's session. I am so endlessly grateful for the omnipresence of depth in my life.

I continued my night's quest for life's answers with the EVOKE Scholars. We meet every single Tuesday for 3-5 hours of play time/discernment/encouragement/advice sessions, and that informal routine has only reinforced my thoughts that Tuesdays are my absolute favorite day of the week. We only have 2 gatherings left before I move home, which is terribly heartbreaking because they are the most supportive community in my life right now, but there are already great plans in the works for continuing our involvement with each other next year. I have a deep appreciation of and respect for the 2009-10 Schollies and the incredible gifts they provide me with!

Job searching continues. Prospects are exciting and extremely intriguing to me, but I won't spill on here for sake of getting myself (and all those loyal readers out there) worked up for no reason. Updates will be posted as they are received.

Before I leave, M. Scott Peck's thoughts on what love really is: "The driving force behind spiritual growth; extending one's ego boundaries to include another...the spiritual nurturing of another."

Sending my love to anyone in need of a little extra energy and compassion tonight in the world. P&L!

Am I that big of a mood-killer?

So did my last post REALLY dampen everyone's desire to blog that badly that no one has posted since? I'm a terrible team blogger, apparently.

In an attempt to turn it around before I go prepare my apartment for a JESSICA SHOBER VISIT (!!!!!!!), I will fill in my favorite format of life summarization:

Reading: Eating Animals, What is the What, my calendar, my syllabi, job descriptions galore
Listening: Music from my once-alive laptop (thank goodness for external hard drives), Loyolacappella's Lake Show prep, my new phone's stellar ringtones, Dorian's incessant purring
Watching: Sports (I don't even like baseball), the seasons change, youtube videos ("Sassy Gay Friend" and a revisited obsession with the "Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism" Vids)
Wearing: rain boots, MU ASG sunglasses (thanks, Matthew J. Forrest!!), a bookbag, dresses, my contacts too much
Wanting: letters (but I'm a terrible penpal this semester and don't send responses enough to get any of these), focus & order, more sleep, to move home, a job offer

It was SO incredibly good to be home this weekend. Weekend ratings: Wolfy's gets a thumbs down, Train Station (always) gets a thumbs up, and The Feve (frequently) gets a thumbs up, though I could do without the medieval zombie movies. Makes me look forward to a summer in the E with some of my favorite [dirty] people. I'm talking to you, fellow DM bloggers...!!!


"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."- Lao Tzu