You know you live in Ireland when...

You know you live in Ireland when...

1. you start to catch yourself beginning sentences with "ahh lads" or "ah sure"

2. going for a run in your local park is like a game of minesweeper trying to avoid all the dog pooh.

3. every day, no matter the forecast, you can be sure it will rain at some point.

4. most of your facebook and email interactions begin with "sorry, no credit.."

5. the first thing you do upon entering the house is put the kettle on (regardless of the actual intentions to drink tea or not).

6. having a biscuit sounds like a treat.

7. jam is jelly...and jelly is candy...and candy is just a ridiculous word that no one understands.

8. "come over in 5 minutes" translates to: "wait 30 minutes then slowly saunter over, but make sure you stop to chat with all the neighbors on the way.."

9. you are welcomed into someone's home and offered a cup of tea, you decline out of politeness and it is offered a second time. You hesitate but decline again saying "no I'm grand, really".. finally you hear the famous words "ah go on, I'm making a pot anyway..." to which you respond "ah sure if the kettle's on I'll have a cuppa tea."

10. you hang your clothes to dry, 20 minutes later you rush outside to bring them in because of a massive rain cloud approaching. 20 minutes after that you hang the clothes again because it was a false alarm. 10 minutes later you rush out and grab all the clothes again out of fear from another cloud. You wait 20 minutes then hang the clothes for a third time...when the cloud threatens again you decide to hold out. Finally, it bursts and starts lashing rain all over the half dried clothes...the whole process begins again.

The In-between

I have had some requests for a video I was working on over the last week. I put this together after reading a blog post by Simcha Fisher, the contents of which inspired countless conversations with people that, in turn, led me to consider the new ideas in great depth. I don't claim to understand anything more about creation than I did before, but that's the beauty of it isn't it?

There is purpose in the unknown. There is joy in waiting. There is peace in the in-between. The pivotal moments can last much longer than expected, but it's what we do with the time and resources that matters.

Whether you believe it or not..whether you like it or not, you make a difference. That isn't something to play around with. Once I began to realize how integrated and connected everything is I started to take my role much more seriously. You make an impact one way or another; make a positive one.

Confessions of an American Gapper

I caught myself saying "Janie Mac" today. The words were coming out before I could do anything about it. I still tried to stop them, which resulted in what sounded like a truly frustrated "JANIE" followed by a timidly slow-motioned "MAaaaaaccc."
I gasped and clapped my hand over my mouth as quickly as possible (as though, somehow, I could physically take the words out of the air and place them back in my mouth like they'd never escaped).

I honestly never thought I'd see the day. Janie Mac is a common exclamation of surprise or frustration in Ireland. It was the first phrase I made fun of upon arrival and for the past 6 months whenever anyone uttered these words I would chuckle to myself, privately enjoying the secret hilarity of such a ridiculous way to exclaim. Today marks the end of this fun little inside joke I had...with myself.
*I release a defeated sigh and place my hand over my eyes for a moment*

So, with humility I admit to God and to the world, not that I was wrong to laugh at my Irish friends all year, but that I must learn to laugh at myself or not laugh at all. Bam. Lesson learned.

ch..ch..ch..ch..changes!

The incredible lessons of a GAP year never cease to be taught. It's strange living in a situation like this, and sometimes I wonder what the point actually is. Especially because it is taking a year out of my normal life. It can be quite easy to get caught up in the daily "drudge"; the bus rides to work, the research, the prep work for events, the communication, even the weather. It can be slightly disheartening at times. I am entering the the third stage of my Gap year and I think it's a good time to assess.

I often find it difficult to view my service as valuable because, realistically, if I didn't do it someone else would. Most of the things I do aren't really difficult, they're just time consuming. And I feel like I do them just to free up others to do the more complicated things.

But is that really the case? In a practical sense, yes. In a creative sense, maybe not. I am struck, recently by the different qualities each person brings to a team. Everyone has gifts and talents that are often highlighted in the service they do. This can add a life to situations and have a very edifying effect on others. It's helped me to see the value not so much in the tasks themselves, but in the spirit of the one who completes them.

This has proved to be a difficult year in many respects and I think I have been in a continual process of change since I arrived..(which, I've discovered, can be quite painful.)
I find it encouraging to remember that to experience is to change. And if I made it through an entire GAP year without growing or changing at all, it would certainly be a year wasted! So, I try to take it in stride, embrace the changes and learn to enjoy the process as much as possible.

I really appreciate all the prayers and support, and please keep them coming! I will update again soon and I apologize for the scarcity of my posts of late. Cheers.

Highlights of the year so far in photos

Working Away

At Powerscourt

Howth

NYPD Kickoff for Junior, Middle and Senior Groups

At the top of Sugarloaf mountain

Face painting at the "fun day"

Bray Head

Putting up posters on Grafton Street in November

Christmas Dinner

Post Christmas bowling

Spirit Radio

Onesies...for Christmas

The Lord's Day Celebration

Retreat at Dromantine

Satisfying my need for adventure

New Year's Resolutions

Many people have been asking me about my "New Year's Resolutions", lately. I find it somewhat difficult to explain why I don't make New Year's Resolutions because I feel quite strongly about the subject but I never want to offend anyone. So this is my explanation (if you are a person who makes resolutions, please don't be offended, these are just my thoughts on the matter):

I used to make New Year's Resolutions up until I was about 17, when I finally realized my "resolutions" always failed. Literally...always. It took me a while to figure out why, but after much deliberation I realized that New Year's resolutions aren't meant to be kept. You are meant to make them, fail and forget about them...until next January. It's a tool to make people feel good about the fact that they "intend to be a better person this year."

That may sound a bit cynical to some of you but this idea made me consider what it really means to set goals. I believe that if you have a goal that's important enough for you to change yourself fundamentally, or change your life in some way to reach it, then it's probably important enough to start making that change immediately. Why wait until the first of January?

I discovered my reason for waiting until January was I didn't think my resolutions were actually that important. If I make a To Do list I put the most important task first and the things that can wait closer to the bottom.  By waiting to start my goals I was unconsciously giving myself permission to treat them as unimportant. I also found that most of December was spent in dread of my resolutions and therefore, over indulging in bad habits as a last "hurrah" (which, naturally only strengthens those bad habits).
When I set goals I start immediately. I never say "starting tomorrow" or "after I finish this." Putting it off for any length of time places it in the unimportant category: Life's too short to be wasting time on frivolous changes and tweaks that can wait until tomorrow! I either begin now or it's not a goal worth making.
I view New Year's Resolutions as a permission slip to fail and I don't want to fail. So I quit making them.
Happy New Year Everyone!

Nollaig Shona

As the Christmas season approaches I find myself getting anxious because I know I won't be able to see the most important people in my life this year. I am excited to experience the Irish traditions and to continue to build relationships here, but it is certainly tinged with sadness for the absence of the comforting familiarity of my loved ones back home.  I remember all the Christmas traditions and how they have evolved through the years to accommodate different phases of life.

This year will just be a new stage of the evolution into new traditions. Earlier in the month I attended a Christmas themed cookery demonstration, I attended the Spirit Radio Christmas dinner and today I got to watch two of the Mahony kids perform in their school Christmas plays. They attend an Irish school, which means they only speak Irish at school. The plays were performed in Irish and were very well done..as far as I could tell. ;)

Last week I recorded my first ad for the Radio station. I was on the air! It was really fun and a bit strange to hear myself.  Hopefully I will get the chance to do more recording for the station in the future.  Otherwise, my time has been filled with lots of administrative work for the Kairos weekend (coming up in February). I am looking forward to having a bit of time off for Christmas and New Year's. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and know that I am missing you all back home.

Nollaig Shona!

(photo: Rachel and myself going to the Spirit Christmas dinner)