An afternoon of re-connecting...

I've spent the past three hours sitting in a nice air-conditioned corner (something i'm sure all Ontarioans and Quebecers without AC at home can appreciate) of Second Cup catching up with what's going on in the lives of my friends, my family, and the rest of the world at large. You know what i love the most about blogs? I'm sure i've blogged about this before, but let me reiterate:

I love how they provide an instant window to a person's thoughts and mood, without having to go through the usual ice breaking process in a conversation. Fast forward past the hellos, the how's it going's, the what's up in your life lately, the things are good, and of course, the awkward silences...and get right to the heart of things. Now, i think it's important to note that the heart of things doesn't always preclude humourous moments or light hearted banter about how the lady at the Tim Hortons counter doesn't know the difference between a double-double and a single-single. I cherish those "i stubbed my toe today" moments, too. But i think what most people don't realize is how we're all walking around with these self-contained plastic bubbles on our heads. We fill our bubbles with thoughts, fears, gushings, quandries and musings.

What's more, we only let certain people with a peep-hole into these bubbles - our significant other, our family, and those who regularly spend time with us can usually figure out what's going on inside the bubble based on what it looks like from the outside. But for those of us who don't have the privilege of observing the bubble first-hand, it makes bubble-guessing a sport you really have to make an effort to play. I guess lately, i've been letting my bubble-guessing skills rust a little on the back-burner. (i'm mixing up my metaphors again, aren't i? This is why i'm not JK Rowling) So for those people whose bubbles i've neglected lately: i'm sorry.

So now...who wants their bubble burst??! (hahah get it?!)

*This thought just blurted itself out on the page as i was typing, and it kind of caught me off guard. The truth is, all my life i've been told that i'm a leader. I poured most of my life into Leadership in High School, i've always been to those youth leader conferences, blah blah blah - but i think i've been realizing for some time now that perhaps i've been deceiving myself. I've always been a bit of a chameleon....put in a box full of popcorn, and i'll start popping like the popcorn. Then put me in a box of rubber, and i'm your flexible rubber-maid. (hahaha, okok, i'll stop with the lame jokes). There were times when i just didn't know WHO i was, because i was too busy trying to adapt to my environment. Accommodating at best, annoyingly unoriginal at worst. And although everyone treasures the leaders, everyone wants to be the people who have individuality and their own style, i realize the source of one of my biggest inner demons comes from the fact that i have neither. But i refuse to feel sorry for myself, because (a) that doesn't do anyone any good, (b) God created me this way for a reason, and (c) most people don't get to discover who they are and be fully conscious in the process.