Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
For me, any small thing that it done with positive intention brings joy. I find it impossible to name just one. That could mean helping a worm go from the hot concrete into cool grass, allowing myself to splurge on little treats because this life is short, and anything in between.
Joy is found wherever you seek it. In pastel-colored sunsets, in the sound of a baby’s laughter, in a homecooked meal made with love. The good always outweighs the bad, and light always overpowers darkness. Find your joy in the little things.
I got my first job at age sixteen, and since then I have had many different ones. I started out working for minimum wage at an odd furniture store, then worked at a car wash during my second year of college, then a few restaurants, a pyramid scheme marketing place, and possibly a few other short, obscure jobs during my gap year between colleges.
Then I did receptionist and shuttle driving work for an automotive shop, where I met my now husband. Then during my last year and a half of college, I worked at a frozen yogurt shop.
Although most of these jobs were minuscule and only to get me by until I finished my degrees, I’m thankful for the experience I gained, for the people I met, and for the satisfaction I felt as a teen and young adult to be earning my own money and working hard to achieve my goals.
I’m excited to see what I do next and I can’t wait for the day when I get to do what I love for a living,
I am a Christian, but I refuse to call myself religious. I believe my relationship with the Creator is more important than going to church every Sunday. To me, religion is legalism. And legalism leads to shame, insecurity, and negativity in many cases.
My prayer time, Bible reading, and the decisions I make are all focused on God and not meeting some criteria enforced by a church. I’ve seen too many corrupt religious groups/communities to not seek a relationship with Christ solo without the influence of others.
However, I do still believe that fellowship with like-minded believers is crucial to spiritual growth; it just doesn’t always have to be in a church setting. Praying in a living room with your friends rather than in a sanctuary has just as much of a spiritual impact.
So, the complicated answer is yes, I technically practice a religion. But I choose to connect directly with God rather than having someone interpret His word for me.
Honestly, I don’t remember a world without easily accessible internet. Being born in the year 2000, my life was filled with computers and other advanced technology from the very beginning. I remember playing online kids games starting around age six, and soon after that gaming devices like the Wii were released and relied on the internet for new features.
I think it’s also important to note that myself, and likely others in my generation, never really experienced a world without technology at every turn. I remember playing solitaire and CD-ROM games on my parents’ desktop, learning from a LeapPad, and having a television in almost every room. The internet only heightened the need for more screens and digital content.
As much as I feel extremely detached from other people my age, there is certainly a uniqueness to our generation and how we’ve never known a world without advanced technology. We were born into an internet era where answers to almost any question are a click away, all while being raised by parents who were alive during a time when babies weren’t put in car seats and seatbelts weren’t required in vehicles.
Although older generations may judge harshly upon Gen-Z and the age of the internet, I think we’re a powerful generation who have access to more tools and knowledge than any generation before us.
I’ll be the first to admit, as I’ve grown older and started my life I haven’t kept in touch with my grandparents like I should. It certainly doesn’t help that they live 600 miles away. But for years now I’ve been needing to pick up the phone and call them more often.
Both of my surviving grandparents (mom’s dad and dad’s mom), are in their eighties. So full of wisdom and humor. I would love to talk with each of them soon and a lot more often.
I believe that the older you get, the more you realize the importance of family. You only get one lifetime with those you love most, so have as many conversations as you can before this life is over.
I definitely consider myself a collector of sorts. As the child of a hoarder, I collect but I keep things clean and organized. I have a certain fascination with antiques, so many of my collections have to do with those.
For starters, I collect “creepy” dolls; mostly vintage/antique and ventriloquist puppets specifically. Carnival glass, oil lamps, and other decor items are also something I collect. Family heirlooms, such as my great-grandfather’s war ration book from the 1940s and my great-great-grandmother’s driver’s license from the 1930s.
My vinyl record and DVD collections are starting to get out of hand; I’m running out of storage space. And lastly, I let my inner child indulge in collecting Funko Pop figurines. I believe I have over thirty of them at this point.
While material possessions mean nothing in the long run, something about collecting brings a little extra joy in my life.
This is a complicated answer. There are many things I wish to be known for long after I have left this Earth. One of them being that I broke harmful generational curses. Another being my journey of taking back my life from mental illness.
But most of all, I long to be a published author. Creating worlds and characters for readers to escape into. Even when I no longer breathe, my legacy will be continued on within the pages of a book. The workings of my brain captured forever.
Another interesting thing I found on Ancestry was my genealogical connection to the MacGregor clan of Scotland. Although their history is not pretty, it is still fascinating to learn about.
Lord Patrick MacGregor, my 11th-great-grandfather (b. circa 1589, d. circa 1648)
The MacGregors have a long and wild history; much of which I am still in the process of researching. What I do know, however, is their history of outlaws known as “The Children of the Mist” (Ominous, right?).
One of the most startling facts of predecessors of mine is their involvement in murdering a party of 140 innocent schoolboys who were observing the fight. After this incident, King James VI outlawed the MacGregors and even abolished their name. After that point, even having that surname meant death in Scotland.
The research I have done so far has me hungry to learn more and I plan to continuing sharing as I gather more information, along with other interesting ancestry-related stories. Thanks for reading!
As someone who is easily overwhelmed, I balance work and home by keeping the two completely separate.
My home is centered around peace, rest, and comfort. I do my best to not bring any thoughts or duties from work home with me at the end of the day.
And at work, it’s easy to long to be home and feel like the clock goes slower and slower as each hour passes. But I’ve found it helpful to focus solely on work duties while on the clock and push home worries (housework, what to make for dinner, etc.) to the back of my mind to deal with when I actually am home.
I’ve found this beneficial for limiting stress and organizing the things I have control over.
A.P. Bensler Blog 