As it was intermission, the musicians were on a short break, so my friend and I got to talking and catching up. She recently started seeing a guy she had met at church, so we got on the topic of dating. She surprised me (in the most beautiful way) when she said she's always thinking about a guy she could send in my direction. I chuckled a little because over Christmas break a close friend who is getting married this summer was thinking out loud about single guys that would be at his wedding - his comment caught me off guard too: "Nope, not good enough for our Kelly."
I have to wonder if I come across as some kind of "holier than thou" or "in need of a perfect man" person. (I don't think my friends mean it that way; I think it's some form of compliment.) But the truth is, I'm just looking for a guy whose heart's in the right place, someone of faith and with morals. (That's not so unique, is it? Sometimes I feel like I should be wearing a sign.) If this guy likes the outdoors, enjoys ice cream, has a corny sense of humor (or can, at least, put up with my word play and corny jokes), and will listen to endless stories of students without getting bored, that'd sure be a bonus, but those aren't necessarily deal breakers. (Well, if he doesn't like ice cream, that could potentially be a deal breaker...)
I think a large part of the problem is that I have never had much confidence when it comes to the dating scene. In fact, I once told a friend something along the lines of this: There are so many incredible women out there, why should someone pick me? To this, she said she better not hear me ever say that again. (And I'm grateful for that comment.) But, you see what I mean, don't you? Another piece of it, in my humble opinion, is that while I pride myself on being able to read people when it comes to if/how they are attracted to others (I have high rates of getting this right, for the record), I have never been able to do so when it comes to myself. A guy could be sending all the right signals, but I could be completely oblivious. (And I'm not so great at flirting, either.)
What's the answer? Well, I'm definitely grateful for my friends who are trying to look out for me - maybe one day soon they'll send someone along my path. In all seriousness, it's something I offer up to God every night (especially now that my sister has a good husband, which is what I was asking for first) - it seems selfish, especially with all of the hurt, violence, and bigger things going on in this world (though, I pray for these things too), and maybe it's not meant to be in terms of God's plans for me, but I find it helpful to talk to God about it regardless. Sometimes my prayer is along the lines of asking God to hit a guy over the head (and then to hit me over the head too) - whatever works, right? (For the record, I still draw the line at online dating, even though that clearly works for some people.)
Whew. Just kind of spilled my guts there. Admittedly, that was tough to write - enough about that. Let's change the subject and move on to a few other things...
In school-related news, my school just held its annual St. Baldrick's Day event. It's a tradition that started 9 years ago, when a 7th grade student was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer, and his classmates wanted to do something about it. They started this fundraiser as well as their own nonprofit for him. While he ended up passing away the fall of his 8th grade year, it's safe to say we will never forget this young man, Pat Mac - the energy and support in the gym on Friday was unreal. His parents came, as they do every year, and some of his classmates (who are now graduating college) were there too. The event started with a local police officer playing bagpipes up the aisle and an Irish Dance performance by six of our students. After weeks of fundraising efforts (through which we raised over $50,000!), many students shaved their heads, donated their hair, or got their faces painted. Even our pastor and I took part this year - and they had us on the stage before the classes were dismissed. (Shout out to those who donated to my efforts!) 8 inches of my hair is being shipped off with the rest of the donated hair to Children With Hair Loss - woo hoo! Now I just have to get used to using a heck of a lot less shampoo. (See before & after pictures below.)
On the faith front, as you probably know, Lent started on Wednesday. The kids keep asking me what I'm giving up, but, while I am giving up something, for me it's more about what I'm trying to do for my prayer life. I kept hearing podcasts and reading articles about "Memento Mori" ("Remember your death"), so I invested in the related daily Lenten journal (image below). Additionally, I have started a practice that when my alarm goes off in the morning, I then set it for 10 minutes later...but I don't let myself go back to sleep. Instead, I lie there and use that time to talk to God and offer up my day. At the end of the day, I have started praying the Examen (the young adult version on the "Pray as you go" app, which I highly recommend!) - I used to do this all the time, but the practice had fallen to the wayside for me. I can honestly say that I wake up feeling more rested and at peace, and this particular prayer brings to light so many small moments of grace during the day.
Finally (and unrelated to anything I was just talking about), I just thought this was worth sharing, as it is good for a chuckle - Happy Daylight Savings!
