Category Archives: Life

Day 3010 – When You Have Nothing To Say

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You share a pretty picture. 😀

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Day 3009 – That Time Something On Facebook Changed My Mind

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I absolutely love the AMAZING Modern Mrs. Darcy blog, written by Anne Bogel. I have received some of my favorite book recommendations from her, and I won’t lie, I totally geeked out when she accepted my Goodreads friend request. She wrote a great article on supporting your favorite authors, and has written countless posts about organizing, reading, and life in general. So when I heard she was writing a book, I got SO excited. I finally got her book from the library this week. Sidenote, can I just say I was SO grateful she said something about getting books from the library in the article linked above? There is/was a part of me that feels bad about that….I mean, I’m an author and I want people to buy my books, but I rarely buy books. So thank you Anne for giving me permission to do what I love and not feel bad about it.

So her new and amazing book is called, “Reading People – how seeing the world through the lens of personality changes everything.” My biggest takeaway so far is to embrace who you are as a person, and not try to fit yourself into who you think you should be, who you want to be, or who others want you to be. I am grateful for all that I have learned about myself over the years, and I am much more gracious and patient with myself. I have learned there are things that really drag me down (thinking about my previous alcoholism too long, spending too much time on social media, watching certain shows, etc.) and that sometimes, I just need to eat, dance, and take a nap. Anne is totally speaking my language in this book! I can’t wait to finish reading it and tell you more about it!

So even though I know social media, Facebook especially, drags me down, I still get on….all….freakin….day. It was NOT easy being on Facebook during the whole kneeling versus standing debate. I have a very passionate opinion about it, I think it’s reasonable, and a number of my friends have a different opinion. I didn’t want to say anything because I thought, “there’s NO way what I say will change anyone’s mind.” But then I saw a post by a friend, asking an honest question, and the conversation that followed was civil. No one got mad at anyone else. No one called another’s opinion wrong. It was absolutely amazing. So even though 99% of what I saw on Facebook over those days made me mad or roll my eyes, it was her post, that caused me to share my thoughts.

Here’s what I wrote on my Facebook wall:

“I think the world would be a better place if we didn’t make assumptions about people. I think that we are all guilty of some ‘ism” every single day. I make judgments of people. I assume things about people. From big things to little things.

I made a little thing judgement today – thinking people would make fun of me wearing a Batman shirt with a cape, and I was proven wrong! To bigger things like – people can’t have civil discussions about things on Facebook – again I was proven wrong.

If we took a minute, even just a minute, to try and put ourselves in someone’s shoes. To understand why they did or said what they did, we might not agree, but would could more peacefully co-exist. The last few days have shown me that people are really passionate about both sides and that’s awesome! It has shown me freedom. It has shown me there CAN be civil discussions. This is a great reminder to look at ourselves and ask ourselves why we do what we do. I think it’s a great reminder that patriotism to one person looks different to another. It’s a great reminder that one person will kneel for a different reason than another person. One person will stand for a different reason than another. I’m grateful to live in a country where we can have different opinions. I’m grateful that there can be peaceful ways to make a statement that starts a conversation. I have to say I have learned more about the NFL, flag handling policies, and things going on in our country that I didn’t know about just a few days ago. I was reminded to be grateful. And I am grateful that I can have an opinion, I can post it on Facebook, and if someone doesn’t agree….well, they’re free to do that too.”

I’m sure I will still hold back sharing what’s really on my mind on Facebook. I’m sure I will continue to think what I say won’t change someone’s mind. But I am thankful that I was proven wrong that day.

When was the last time you were proven wrong?

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Day 3008 – World Teacher Day! – or – My Favorite Teacher!

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It’s no surprise, Mr. G is my favorite teacher. Well before he taught his first class, he taught me about myself, about challenging myself, and about grace.

Who is your favorite teacher?

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Day 3007 – Sneak Peek From My Alcoholism Memoir

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This excerpt is from the chapter currently titled “Change.” It’s funny, I wrote the following months ago, but I find myself here again today. I did very little writing today. I’m at the point where I HAVE to write about my experiences. I have to dig deep into the things I only briefly shared in my testimony. I shared about being hung over at my friend’s wedding, in two sentences. But in the book, I shared a full paragraph. As I’m opening the door to the memories, they are flooding back. I’m remembering when I threw up in my mouth and had to swallow it. I’m remembering getting drunk, multiple times, in Vegas. I’m remembering get togethers where it really wasn’t appropriate to drink as much much as I did. I think at one such event, I drank at least 1 bottle of champagne myself, maybe even 2. My reason? There was a lot extra and it would be thrown out if not.

So it seems appropriate to share the following. Still no idea when it will be ready, but I might have a better idea after I finish the work on the experiences. Oy.

“I am very happy being sober. I’m glad I don’t drink anymore. But there’s something that happens to me. I can get down after I read about my sobriety, or read about another’s story of sobriety, or I engage in conversations about it. I sit here after a great conversation last night with another sober blogger. I find myself this morning very pensive and thoughtful. I feel sad. It strikes me that though I think I’m ok talking about my alcoholism, going deep into those memories and writing about them isn’t easy. I am the type of person that leaves the past in the past. If I think there’s an acceptable time to move on, I do. I try to live in the present. So why does it make me so sad? Maybe I’ve changed so much from that person I used to be that I don’t want to deal with her anymore? Through my learning about business, and life in general, I know the importance of the people you spend time with. If you want to grow, you have to be around folks who are a step or two (or ten) ahead of you. The Jennilyn of the past used any excuse to drink. She kissed a guy who had a girlfriend (before she met Bret). She drove after drinking. She broke the law. She could have killed someone while driving drunk. She needled her way into talking Bret into driving so she could drink many times. I want to leave her in the past. I don’t want to share her with the world. She isn’t worth my time. And yet, she is still a part of who I am. She is a Jennilyn I can measure my current self against. She lets me see how much I have truly grown. She shows me a person I never want to be again. And she can be a person to show others how much change is possible. She may not be my favorite person, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without her.”

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Day 3006 – Nostalgia, Vegas, And Hiding Truth About Yourself

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I have been so discouraged by the horror that took place in Vegas. There is much that can be said, has been said, and will be said. The whole thing made me very nostalgic yesterday.

See, I’ve been to Vegas a number of times. Bret and I have spent countless hours in the airport, and I have attended a wedding conference there several times. If I was still in the wedding industry, there’s a chance I would have been there this week.

The last time I was in Vegas (minus the airport stops), I was still drinking, and drinking heavily. I drank a lot the whole time I was there, but one night, I actually left my friends and went back to our room, halfway down the strip. My cell phone was dying and I didn’t let anyone know where I was. My poor friends searched for me, and thankfully found me. I was in the bathroom puking when they arrived. Looking back, I feel terrible for my actions. I hate that alcohol caused me to do things that hurt others, caused others to worry, and held me back for so long.

This tragedy has also caused me to think about how people hide things. There are so many layers to people. There are so many things that they want to keep buried. I realize it’s cliche, but you never know the battles someone may be fighting. You don’t know how hard it was for them to get out of bed. You don’t know what demons they’re fighting. For years, I hid my alcoholism. I made light of something that was tearing me apart. It’s so much easier to just judge a person and their actions. There is much to be learned from this, and hopefully one is you never know the full truth about someone.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
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Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
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