life- a series of small seemingly ordinary marvels.

Is there anything better than getting a brand new book?  or perhaps a brand new old book?  The answer is obviously a resounding, no.  Well, my new book came today.  I already love it.  I teared up by page six.  I'm wondering when I became so easily moved by truth, beauty, and perfect sentiment that I can tear up by page six of anything.  I've found lately that I've become so passionate about living life, about finding meaning and purpose, and seeing the beauty in the world that God created that the tiniest thing that inspires me can cause my eyes to well up to the brim and at least a tear or two inevitably escapes down my cheek.

My new book.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller.

Hands down, he's one of my favorites, he makes you feel like you're sitting across the table from him drinking a coffee and your conversation is full of genuine, truth, sarcasm, and silliness. I like all those things.

Here's the thing, I have an insatiable desire to see people living their lives as if they were doing so intentionally.    It's kind of a big deal to me.  Sure, life is full of certain things that are boring like working, paying bills, and folding laundry, but what if you didn't have a job, so you couldn't pay the bills and then you didn't have any clothes to wear and fold...  I feel like we'd rather have option A.  I think the problem lies within us, and our expectations for life.  Like, all of a sudden we're supposed to have these amazing adventures, travel the world, and change the lives of everyone and everything that crosses our path.  That's when life begins. False. In order for life to ever reach that peak of excitement and wonder, today has to be an adventure, today has to be filled with small, seemingly ordinary marvels.  It has to start with you, right now, where you are sitting in this exact moment.

For example:  last week, my little family of three went to the park, bought a pumpkin spice latte, and brought our camera, park blanket, and our desire to just have as much fun as possible.  We attempted to play tether ball, took a bit of a walk and spend the majority of our time laying on the blanket under the trees, feeling the cool fall breeze and the warm sunshine.  It was perfection.  I loved our afternoon, I loved it so much.  Nothing could have been better than that moment, not even strolling through the streets of Paris or eating pasta in Italy.{I, obviously, wouldn't mind doing either of those things, forever.}

I read recently that we must live our lives to the fullest because that enables other people to do the same.  Have you ever considered that?  Perhaps we should.  No matter who you are or what you're good at, by fully living your life you are making the world better.  Now that is something that we can all do.

I want to give you a small taste of the book.  I hope it strikes you as it did me, in a simple but overwhelming way.  I hope it makes you think about your life, the only life you've been given.  It's yours to do as much or as little as you choose.

Author's Note from A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller.

"If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers.  You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen.  The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back.  Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.  But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful.  The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either. "