Making Friends on Vacation
This blog is from a topic request.
Often it is said it is hard to make friends when you are an adult. While I agree there is some truth in this…I find it is much easier to meet people when you are social!
There aren’t too many places I visit and don’t meet a friend, or two or three! I find this to be true especially when I travel.
You never know who you can meet by having a conversation.
In the words of my Pastor, every conversation begins with an awkward hello and the rest is history! By chatting with others you can discover common ground, learn similarities and or differences.
Here are 5 of my conversation starters for making friends while traveling:
- Introducing yourself and ask them how their trip is going
- Asking where they are from
- Discuss the current location (climate and or scenery) of where you guys are located
- A compliment goes a long way
- Discuss local cuisine or drinks
I think the most important thing is to not overthink it and to allow the conversation to flow! If it does, great - if not, it’s okay!
This blog is dedicated to my new friends I met in the 🇧🇸 Bahamas! Swipe for some of our pics! ❤️
How did you get so confident?
This is another topic request!
First off, thank you! The answer is short, sweet, and simple - God. There’s absolutely nothing I can do or desire to do without him. Point blank period.
To be honest, while I know I may come off as confident on social media I have struggled days just like anyone else. 😳 There are some days I want to stop posting on social media because I’m exhausted, I feel inadequate or im working through imposter syndrome. Additionally, sometimes I’m concerned about how I may come off to others!
But then I remember people are people and we are all flawed and I rather please God than man. And when I’m not feeling as confident I read the Bible. There are so many beautiful stories of God using people who others consider inadequate to fulfill his promises.
Moses - speech issues (Exodus 4:10)
Rahab - a harlot (Joshua 2:1)
David - a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:1-12)
Saul - persecuted the church (Acts 8:1-24)
So many more!!!
My confidence only comes from God.
This question also made me think about King Herold. (Acts 12:18-25) Read the entire chapter for context!
Here’s the point I want to make - King Herold made a speech to the people. The people enjoyed his speech and responded and said, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
“Then immediately an angel struck him with sickness because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving glory to God.”
Crazy story right?!!! I try to tell people the Bible has the most interesting stories! But the main point of that story is to always remember to give Glory to God!
“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT
Throwing Shade
This was a topic request, so let’s talk about it!
Chiiiilllleeee!!!! I’m sure many of us have been there - on both sides of the spectrum for either throwing shade or receiving the shade thrown. As I’m writing this, just know my hands are raised as guilty for both sides. It’s not my finest moment, but I’m human. While I don’t agree with this, I feel shade-throwing is a commonality seen widespread on many reality shows as well.
Additionally, I honestly don’t feel shade has to be verbal because nonverbal communication can be just as strong as verbal communication. If you have ever been caught by someone’s mean side eye or a death stare then you know what I mean.
While some shade is playful between friends and may appear funny on the surface when you are throwing shade at someone else it could lead to them being offended. Unfortunately, we don’t know what people are carrying and a shady comment could lead to a not-so-pleasant response from someone else, so I would air on the side of caution even with friends.
In closing, while we are all in need of God’s grace I try to remember to treat others how I want to be treated while also realizing words have power. I can choose to throw shade or to bring life to someone with my words.
Which will you choose?
Also, please DM me more topic requests!
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
Broken Windshields
My friend recently shared a story with me about their car. In the story, they shared they had a crack in their window shield, which they recently repaired. After the repair to the windshield was completed they realized they would still look for the crack in the windshield when they drove around because they were so familiar with it. This story stuck out to me because this is a situation we can often find ourselves in. We leave a broken situation for a little while and on our road to healing or doing something different we miss the old and familiar situation and start looking for the cracks again. Remember, forget the old cracked and broken things and stay on the road to healing.
“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3 NASB2020
Baby Steps ...
This blog topic came from a conversation I had with my friends this week.
The week of February 15th was a challenging week for many in Texas with the winter storm. I know for myself - I had no motivation to work out as my main concern was trying to check on family and friends, get through a busy work week, and prepare food and have water on stand by just in case my power went out. While dealing with this, I even indulged in a few delicious cookies and to be honest - I don’t regret it. ?
However, last week, I tried to get back on a healthier path with working out, meal prepping, and drinking a gallon of water a day - but sometimes life happens or you may not feel like doing anything and that’s okay. Remember, we are still in the middle of a pandemic! ?
As always give yourself grace because baby steps count.
If you worked out one day - that’s a baby step!
If you increase your water intake - that’s a baby step.
If you prepped a healthier meal option - that’s a baby step!
Baby steps may look different for each of us on our life journey. But remember baby steps add up to progress as long as you continue moving forward!
“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” Job 17:9 NLT