Standards

I love lavender lattes and sourdough waffles.

I love yellow leaves on sidewalks.

I love thirty minute drives to play volleyball.

I love giving hugs to my friends, even if I just saw them six hours ago.

I love buying stickers and new books.

I love the candle me Mum poured for me.

I love having conversations with strangers at coffee shops.

I love the new plant shop in Goshen.

I love honesty.

I love all of you.

And I really, really love God. He's my father. He's my favorite being. He's the reason I'm still here(literally.)

The writing assignment of the week was our thoughts on standards.

When I think of the word standard, I think of people. People having rules and obligations and expectations. People not living up to those and being stressed and frustrated. People being upset when other people don’t live up to their standards. 

  I don’t like standards. I don’t like being expected to be or do something. I like imperfection and no expectations and freedom. I like to give other people that grace, too. 

  My therapist tells me I don’t have to despair over standards. I like the verse that says something like this- “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind. And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

I like that verse. If I need a standard, that’s the standard for me. There’s freedom in that. There’s love without condemnation. It works. 

  I like Greta’s thought of being as children when we let go of rules and expectations. Jesus said something about being little children. It ties together. 

Smiles to you.