k.e.g. on tap: life, quotes, and random musings

I have always known that friends come and go in one's life. It seems like a natural part of life. There are some friends who are meant to be there for a long time, and then there are others who are only in our lives for a short time. Then there are those friends who you think will be there for you for a long time, but life sometimes has other plans for those friends. I am thinking of one friend in particular. I met this individual my first few days at Coe. Things seemed pretty great. We had a lot in common, hung out all the time, and got to know the inner workings of Coe together. I always imagined that she would be one those friends that I would have in my life for years to come. That all seemed to change right around the time I graduated from Coe. Suddenly our priorities in life seemed completely different. I was worried about what I would be doing with my life after college, and she was worried about who her next boyfriend would be. I realized that we were drifting apart and wa...

Ever think that big cities can be confusing to drive? Lots of traffic, hard to read street signs, no sense of direction, feeling turned around? These seem to be pretty common issues that people face when driving in larger cities that they are unfamiliar with. I know that I have had some interesting adventures while driving in Chicago, St. Louis, etc. However, I would not think that somewhere like Pella, Iowa could be as infuriating to drive in as a huge city. I mean, in all honesty, Pella only has about 10,000 people within its city limits. How confusing could it really be? Well Pella itself was not the issue tonight. In fact, Pella has great streets with little windmills and all. They are easy to read. The roads seem pretty much straight--no strange or unexpected turns due to rivers and what not. The issue came in tonight due to the following issues: the individual in charge of the logistics of the conference did not provide attendees with the address of the college president's...

"Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine." -- Buddha "Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return." -- Mary Jean Iron "To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." -- e. e. cummings "Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow, grow." -- The Talmud "To have striven, to have made an effort, to ...

Upon meeting me, I think it is generally quite evident that I care about the people around me. I am always conscious of how people feel. I work hard to make others feel included and as if their views matter. I try to be polite and acknowledge those around me (even if they are not favorite person). This all stems from my view that we are all human. That in itself requires us to treat everyone with respect and dignity. That is not to say that we must like every person we encounter or that we need to agree with everyone's position on volatile issues. We do, however, need to recognize our joint humanity and respect that. This is something that has been on my mind since sometime around August, when my co-workers and I took a personal leadership assessment. It was at this point that I was designated as the "touchy, feely" one in the office. I didn't see anything wrong with this. So I care about those around me in addition to doing a good job. What is the problem wit...

Howdy hey there! So I realize it's been quite awhile since I've written. I guess I just haven't felt inspired to write about anything lately. Today that changed... Here are a collection of random thoughts for the day It is super freakin' fanstastically awesome when you find that someone has dug your car out of the 1 1/2 feet of snow that surrounded it! Thank you Verlyn!!! You are a rockstar at life! It is also fantabulous when that same person lets your dog ride shotgun in their snow plow after she invites herself in for a ride! People who live in your building should not steal your favorite pink and green socks from laundry and then wear them around the building (especially when there are only 8 girls in the building). It's just not cool! I now have 2 incomplete pairs of socks. I refuse to wear one pink sock and one green sock. They need to match!!! Students should not walk around a common area in only their boxes that are literally falling apart. Being connected...

So I am all for the use of reusable grocery bags. I think there is no need to waste resources and to make so many plastic bags. They will probably just end up in a landfill anyways. I can't say that I am always the best at remembering to take them to the store, but I have been getting better at it. I went grocery shopping the other day and took 3 of my reusable grocery bags with me. I didn't have a ton of groceries, and they would have easily fit within in three bags. They lady who was checking me out asked, "how heavy do you want them?" I said, "Just spread the groceries between the 3 bags. I don't want them to be heavy." I guess she wasn't listening or thought she knew better. She ended up cramming all my purchases into only 2 of the bags. As a result, they were overly heavy and awkward to carry. In the end, one of them ended up ripping. This isn't the first time this has happened. It hasn't been at the same store either. Why is...

I have noticed that in recent days it has not taken much for my mood to change from positive/optimistic to frustrated and downtrodden. I have not been a fan of how much it has been happening. Generally, I am extremely optimistic and peppy about life. I like being like that. It keeps me going even during the rough patches. I have been trying to figure out what needs to change so that I can continue to be the peppy person that I have the tendency to be. I don't know that I have figured out exactly what needs to change, but I feel like I am taking steps in the right direction. I found a quote today that I think is going to be helpful. It should help keep things in perspective! Dennis & Wendy Mannering once said, " Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? " I suppose at first glance, this isn't the most astounding quotation ever, but at the same time, if you stop to think about it, it is quite profound. If you have a negative attitude, why would pe...