What We Keep

“Why do we have this?”

I was in bed reading when Ryan asked the question. I looked up. He was standing at my closet door, holding up the end of a purple and gold Knox College lanyard that hung over the doorknob.

“I got it at Homecoming.”

“And … ?”

“And … what? I have two of them. The other is in my car.”

He shook his head and dropped the cord. What else could I tell him? Keeping the lanyard made perfect sense to me. It was a souvenir, a keepsake from Homecoming, which was itself a celebration of memories — a reminder of four monumental years spent at Knox, shaping my values, my goals, my true self. Besides, what if I suddenly found myself in need of a long cord on which to hang something? It could come in handy.

Investing in Our Inner Selves

I remember once hearing the idea that we should invest as much time, energy, and money in our inner selves as we do our outer selves. Think about that for a moment. How much time and money do you spend monthly on new clothes, haircuts and coloring, manicures, pedicures, waxes, makeup, perfumes, etc.? Maybe less now in the current economic climate than you used to, but I’m willing to bet there are certain things you aren’t willing to give up. As someone who strives to live a simple, inwardly rich life, I’m almost embarrassed to admit how long it takes me to get ready in the morning, or that if I have a bad hair day, it affects how I feel about myself for the rest of the day. How much more successful would we be in our careers, relationships, and personal conduct if we put as much effort into our inner selves as we do on our outward appearances?

Not Bad For a Monday

This morning I was adding something to my work calendar for October when I had the strong feeling that I would not still be at my job at that time. Call it intuition, call it a premonition … I’ve learned to listen to these little hunches whenever they pop up. It was an exciting moment, because over the weekend I started reading Nacie Carson’s book, The Life Uncommon, and started planning what my new life as a full-time writer would look like (complete with energy-efficient home in Colorado with a view of the mountains!). Kelsey first introduced me to the Life Uncommon Web site a couple of months ago, and I’ve been inspired by Nacie’s story and blog posts about leaving the rat race to pursue a more meaningful, authentic lifestyle.