Learning Challenge: Caffeine Causality Loop

(Cartoon by John Atkinson sourced from Wrong Hands)

The caffeine causality loop is something that haunts my daily routine. This year I have felt like I have been in a constant cycle of meetings, school, University Sing, and coffee. Normally, I have my life under control, however this semester is throwing me for a loop. I found out on the first day of class this semester that I am graduating a semester early.


That day rocked my world. No longer was this semester just a semester full of game days, classes, and social functions, it was a semester of goodbyes. I am learning how to manage my time all over again because I am really trying to be intentional in my friendships and encourage those around me, but that takes more time than I thought.


I'm quickly finding out that there is not enough hours in the day to get everything done, which leaves me praying for a personal assistant and sucking me into the caffeine causality loop. Coffee and prayers are the only things getting me through these long days. Not all days are bad, but every day calls for coffee.

Story: Jesus and the Leper

(Image of Jesus healing a leper sourced from Wikimedia)

Many of you don't know me; In fact, many of you have never even looked my direction. For years and years, I have waited with bated breath on the side of the cobblestone road that you people walk every day to get to work. You go and you visit with your families for meals, you go and laugh with loved ones at local wineries, and you go about your everyday chores and never bother to look in my direction. While you go go go, I sat in the same spot longing for someone to talk to me. I sat there with skin falling off my very bones, deformities altered my face, and contagiousness left me completely and utterly alone. Day after day, I sat and I could feel my muscles wither away leaving me paralyzed. My skin was discolored and my heart was empty. There were tears, there was sadness, and depression often crippled my bones. I was among those who were infected by disease and labeled as “outcast.” I did not know love, I did not know kindness, and I did not know what compassion looked like, until I saw the face of Jesus.

Jesus is a controversial name and man in this town but He is one of the best people I know. He extends a helping hand to those who need it, He hears those who go unheard, and He reaches the hearts of those who are deemed unlovable. I was touched by this man and I was cleaned by this man. This man made me whole and I am who I am today. Jesus is the reason I can stand before you today and He is the very reason all who are listening will now look upon my face. I once was a leper. I was one of the many people that you dared not to come in contact with. You passed by every single day. I have finally been seen. I have finally felt what it was like to have been known and to be valued. My skin was once discolored and now is normal, my face was once was deformed and now is in place, my heart once was broken and now is whole. I once was infected and now I am clean.

This Jesus saved my life and He can save yours. I am who I am today because a Man, who is of the utmost authority, got down on bended knee and whispered "Be thou clean." While He told me not to go out into the streets and tell of what has been done, I cannot help but shout it from the rooftops. He has healed me and my heart is overflowing. For all my days I will sing His praises. The messiah has come and he has touched my heart and cleaned my wounds. Go forth quickly and see this man named Jesus for He is the real reason we are breathing, moving, and living this blessed life.

I leave you with the same words Jesus left me, "Be thou clean."

Author's Note:

I have read the Gospel of Mark numerous times throughout my life. I’ve heard it in Sunday school, mission trips, and in my own personal quiet times. That being said, the story of Jesus healing the Leper was not new to me. In fact, I practically knew it by heart. The prompt I chose for week 3 was to write a motivational speech. While doing my reading this particular story seemed to jump off the pages and exclaim “Write Me.” I couldn’t say no. It would've been easy to write a speech motivating those in Biblical times from Jesus's point of view, but I wanted to change it up. I wrote my speech in the leper’s point of view who couldn't help but tell other people of how he had been healed. In fact, Jesus told the leper NOT to tell people, but the Leper couldn't contain his joy or words, in the same way I couldn’t help but write this story. That is one of the most interesting parts to the story I think, the fact that Jesus said don't go tell people. I believe Jesus wanted the healed man to show his gratitude through his actions and not necessarily his words. However, most people including myself will often do the opposite of what we are told and that is exactly what the healed man did.  I think this story adds depth to my portfolio, because it shows my heart’s cry. I believe my own beliefs and morals shine through this story. I don’t know this healed man personally, but I do know my heart beats for the Lord in the same way I imagine this man’s does too. I think this story reveals my own values that I carry with me, thus adding substance to my portfolio.

Bibliography:

King James translation of the Gospel of Mark, link to the online reading.

Story: The Broken Pot

(Image sourced from a blog for teachers)

Hey, hi, hello. Down here, yes, me in the rice bowl. I may not look like much, I’m nothing but a wee little grain of rice, but I have feelings and thoughts. You may be wondering, “What in the world am I doing listening to what this little grain of rice has to say?” Well, let me tell you, the little guys count too.


Let me go back to the beginning. I was one of many little grains of rice who cohabit in this beautifully crafted rice bowl in India. I came from a long line of other kinds of wheat and grains and after a long period of time had passed I somehow plopped into this rice bowl in the hands of a sweet and tender Indian man who daydreams far too often. Daydreams are not always bad but in this particular case, my owner's daydreams made me feel betrayed and unwanted.


The other day my owner was daydreaming aloud and I heard some things that I was not too fond of. My owner proceeded to tell the tale of how he was going to sell me, my friends, and my family in an effort to gain more and more materialistic things. I would be traded for goats, the goats would be traded for cows, the cows would be traded for buffaloes, the buffaloes will be traded for horses, the horses would be traded for gold, the gold would be traded for a house, the house will be used to gain a wife, the wife will have a child, and then my owner shall have everything he wants in life. Or so he thought...


His daydream took a turn and he dreamt that his wife is distracted with the daily household work and cannot hear him. In his frustration, he went forth and claimed he would give her a kick with his foot. Only, it was all in his head. In reality, he kicked the very thing that was supposed to give him his heart’s desires. He kicked the beautifully crafted pot where I and all the other grains of rice reside. In an instant, the pot broke from all sides and like a waterfall we all poured out onto the dirty ground and in the crevasses of the floor of our Indian household.


I may be nothing but a grain, but there is a lesson to be learned. That lesson is that all things hold value. The goats, the cows, the buffaloes, the horses, the gold, the house, the distracted wife, the child, and a teeny tiny grain of rice shouldn’t be tossed aside. There is worth found in all things and in all people, don't let dreams get in the way of understanding that principle.


Author's Note:

In the original story, this plot line was told from the point of view of the Brahman. The Brahman expressed his desire to grow in society through a trail of daydreams where he would trade one item for another to eventually reach his desired social status. However, the dream was interrupted with a kick to the rice pot bringing him back to reality. I read this Indian fairy tale and wanted to do something a little outrageous. When I read the prompt I tried to think of the most absurd minor character I could find and I couldn’t think of anything zanier than telling the story from a grain of rice’s point of view. In my reading, I saw that every story had a lesson. I kept that within my story by putting emphasis on the fact that the little guys hold value too. Don’t count them out. The image that I chose came directly from the desire to give the grain of rice a humanized effect. I wanted to bring the rice to life in a novel way and I believe that this image sets the tone for what the story is going to be about.



Bibliography:

The Broken Pot, Indian Fairy tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1912). Link to online reading.

Reading Notes: Indian Fairytales Part A

(Image sourced from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1912))

For this week’s reading I decided on reading Indian Fairytales: Part A. I wanted to hear and learn from fairytales that were not from the English origin to discover similarities and differences between the two of them.


After reading a multitude of Indian fairytales I noticed that their plotlines follow that of the higher power they believe. It is specifically centered around lessons taught in Hinduism or Buddhism. Each story began as a creative plot line and then ended in a lesson. Much like in the way Jesus taught through the parables.


Each of these stories held a powerful message that went far beyond a fairytale, these stories were meant to cut to the core and allow for critical thinking.


This reading made me realize the power in storytelling. Humans use their stories to pass down vital lessons that are critical to culture, well-being, religion, and society. A story is much more than some strategically placed words and sentences, there is depth, value, and life breathed into them.

Bibliography:
Indian Fairytales: Part A, link to online reading.

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland, Part A

(Image of the White Rabbit Sourced from Wikipedia)

 I have read Alice in Wonderland many times, I have been seen the stage production, and my sorority's mom's day brunch was based off the mad hatter tea party. Alice in Wonderland is something near and dear to my heart, so I assumed when I read it that I would already know everything there was to know. I was pleasantly surprised that, that was not the case.

When I was doing my readings I forgot all of the minute creative details that makes the reader fall in love with the story. To what the late white rabbit was wearing to the advice from the wise caterpillar. Lewis Carol does a great job of setting the scene with incredible detail. Down the rabbit hole, with the multitude of doors, and an abundance potions to choose from.

Creative writing is one of my favorite things to do, it's for sure my favorite pastime. Lewis Carol is an expert in creative writing. Her details each have a purpose and it adds another dimension to the story. Creative details give a plot line depth, it's what captivates the reader and brings them in. I hope to do the same thing with my storybooks and future stories in this class.

Bibliography: Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carol, link.

Feedback Thoughts

(Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons)

Feedback can also go by the name of constructive criticism, which is a term that has followed me for many years. I have grown up doing musical theatre and I have received numerous amounts of feedback on my performances both positive and negative. While I stopped doing theatre when I got to college, feedback doesn’t go away. Every presentation, every project, and every blog post in this class sits on the foundation of feedback. If we didn’t receive feedback how would we know how to improve or to keep doing what we’re doing. Due to the many years I have spent on stage, I like to think I can take feedback very well. I have learned not to take it personally when someone corrects me because in the long run they’re trying to help me out.



The most helpful article I read was the “5 Tips for taking Feedback like a Champ,” because it provided the reader with practical advice on how to receive feedback well. This article was structured in a way that allowed the reader to easily follow and understand what the author was trying to portray. I personally liked that the first tip validated the reader’s feelings by stating that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable, in fact it’s healthy. This tip not only applies to receiving feedback but in life in general. When we get out of our comfort zone and push ourselves to learn from our peers we as individuals grow to be better versions of ourselves.