Metamorphosis...

So, I keep telling Andy that I've updated "our blog" and he keeps asking "why do we have a blog?". So, this blog may experience a metamorphosis into a hybrid of Ashleigh and Andy's/just Ashleigh's blog. haha. We'll see.

So, I had a WONDERFUL conversation with my great friend Liz yesterday. Andy laughs every time we talk on the phone, because we're guaranteed at least 1.5-2 hours of conversation :-). Anyhoo, Liz is in the middle of changing her life in some pretty significant ways, all of which I'm very interested in. She's given up TV; she's spending her money in intentional ways...etc. Anyhoo, I won't give out all her secrets, but our conversation Saturday sparked a revival in me!

I was especially interested in her hiatus from TV. Of course I immediately thought about my own life, and how much mindless television I watched. I thought back to last semester, when I spent so much time angry at myself for "not having enough time to do things". Then I realized that I had become quite attached to my television shows. And it's not like I'm watching National Geographic Channel or Discovery all of the time. No, instead, for the last year I have strategically planned my Mondays around "The Hills"...yes, folks, The Hills. Oh, and E! News. And any reality show on Bravo. And the only thing that ends up happening for me is that the show ends and I'm immediately envious of the gorgeous women, sad that I'll never have that liftstyle, and disgusted that I just spent 30 minutes - an hour watching nonsense.

So, I'm detoxing. I'm sure it will lead to a much better use of my time. We know for a fact that everyone has the exact same amount of time of their hands each day; so then why do some people get so much more work done?! Heck, just in the first evening of turning off the TV I was able to journal, read for leisure, read and reflect on scripture, spend time in prayer, call my mom and call my grandfather! Now, getting all of that accomplished was MUCH more satisfying than sitting on the couch watching men and women that live in a totally different reality than my own.

The other thing that Liz has so influenced me with is taking time to be more thankful. Thankful for all of the blessings God has given and continues to give me. When I stop to think about it, it really is amazing. And I know that, in this field, life can get pretty difficult, but so much of it is about an attitude adjustment. I know that spending more time thanking God for what he has given me is sure to lift my spirits!

So, I'm going to work on giving up television (sorry Liz, I'm totally copy-catting) and Andy and I will talk about intentional spending. I'll keep you posted!