Lost shades

My shades and I in Gravatai, Brazil 2011

I lost my sunglasses yesterday. They were old. The lenses were scratched. Superglue held the rubber nose pieces in place. In just the last two weeks I had been thinking about getting a new pair. But that's not the point. I hate to lose things. Maybe I'd eccentric, maybe I'm mental. But I hate to lose things.

This past week was awesome. Jon Acuff's great (and top secret) "Start Experiment" kicked off Monday. I woke up at 5AM every day and wrote, wrote, wrote. Our small group of local STARTers (props to group #60) has inspired each other while kicking our own goals in the pants. But Saturday I lost my sunglasses.

Because of my eccentricities (or insanity), this awesome week almost became defined by my loss, not by my gains. One thousand incredible experiences, a renewed walk with God, a handful of new and incredible friends were almost overshadowed by shades. Almost.

Walking the street of Queluz

Today, my task is to make a quit list. Things I can quit today to free up more time, energy, or hope for my dream.

With Milton and Ricardo in Gravatai 2011

1. Stop letting temporary, trivial, or insignificant things overshadow the awesome, life-changing, or even ordinary things in life. Let. It. Go.
2. Quit the negative self-talk. My wife is my biggest fan, speaking words of encouragement into my life daily. She needs some support, so I think I'll help her out. My action step: find one promise of God in the Bible every morning and then keep it in my head all day.
3. Quit participating in gossip. Last week was so good that I became much more aware of the negative talk around me. I realized that I normally participate in it. Talking about others is an energy drain, unless we are bragging on them.

Yeah, I'm sentimental. Those glasses had been with me to Brazil. Twice. I wore them everywhere. I've walked miles and miles with them on my head or my face. The thing is, those glasses aren't the memory. Those shades weren't the experience. They were just a $10 pair of Walmart shade. Those experiences were awesome, the memories were awesome, walking with God was awesome. Those shades were just shades.

In an old cemetery in Queluz, 2012