Quoting Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I were dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! for goodness' sake! what the dickens! but me no buts - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare. (The Story of English, 145)

Defying Gravity...yes, I'm flying solo!

Defying Gravity...inspirational in the title alone. This might possibly be my favorite Broadway show-tune. It tells the hopes and dreams of two best friends soaring above the status quo and the equilibrium of image and what looks right and doing right to look good. When I think of this song, I want to be on a broom, flying through the air with the wind blowing through my air, with no worries of being held down by social standards, but flying above those and being myself with my best friends, Kara, Hannah, Danielle, and my mom, next to me. Together, we can do anything and I believe that.

So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately:
"Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am
Defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!

                 -Elphaba, "Defying Gravity" Wicked: A New Musical.

Running and Stepping Out

So I am running a 5K next Saturday through Cameron Park with Xterra. It kind of freaked me out to realize that it's only a week away. I'm planning a long run tomorrow afternoon/evening sometime. But even so, I have no idea what I'm doing. All I know is that I'm running. I'm running as fast and as hard as I can and surviving. When I run, I feel happy, at least if the weather is clear. I'm kinda nervous because I know that it might be harder than anything I have ever done before. I'm hoping that I will be able to finish. 

So RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) is participating in Stepping Out on Saturday. For my Aggie friends, it's kind of like Big Event, except there is this novelty called the Baylor Bubble and Stepping Out is a literal stepping out into the Waco community and helping the Wacoans for a Saturday morning. I've participated in Big Event before when I was in high school. Aggie students came to my house two years in a row and helped clear out behind our garage and build up garden beds. 

I am excited to be able to do something like this for the community here. And I'm even more excited to do it with my RUF friends. It's giving back to the community with our time and energy that we might be able to make a difference on Waco and those who live here.

Light

"And when the night has finally gone.
And when we see the new day dawn.
We'll wonder how we wandered for so long, so blind.
The wasted world we thought we knew,
The light will make it look brand new.
So let it shine!!" - "Light" Next to Normal

In a way, this can be how we looked upon our world before the Light of the world came into our lives. There was a wasted world, but the Light will make it look brand new when He comes in glory!