As a lot of you know, I picked a word of the year for this year just like most of the blogosphere. I chose the word “learn.” I wanted to focus on learning as much as I could about everything this year. I have talked about learning in my a few of my marriage goals posts, but other than that I’ve only given one real update. So I’ve decided that I’m going to do an update at the end of every month. How does that sound?

It will be a fun way to recap the month. And it may take the place of my “What I’m Up to” and or my “Personal Goals” posts. I haven’t decided yet but things could get a little repetitive toward the end/beginning of each month. We’ll see. Anyway, lets see what I’ve learned in May!

God:
I’ve heard the phrase “God is sovereign over everything” a few times in my life. And I know it means God has governing authority over everything. Everything. But I really enjoyed this explanation I stumbled across. It sort of drives the point home.

Another thing I learned, which is more about Christianity than about God specifically, is that a long time ago, William Tyndale decided that it was not cool that he couldn’t read the bible in his own language and study it for himself. From there he set out to change that and today, he is mostly to thank for the fact that we have such easy access to the bible in our own language and can make our own decisions about it instead of blindly following the Pope. It’s really a cool story!

Myself:
I can actually sing and dance well enough to be in Worthington Community Theatre’s production of The Music Man! I haven’t done any of that sort of stuff in a long time. The last (and only) time I was in an actual musical was middle school. I was in Chorus all through middle and high school and I did Spring Sing freshman year of college. But other that that, I just sing show tunes on my own and watch musicals at every opportunity.

What I really learned though is that if I don’t let myself chicken out, I can do it! And I will be rewarded! I was so nervous for auditions. When I saw that we had to sing in front of everyone auditioning, I freaked out even more. But I made myself go through with it and I got a decent part in the show! I am so glad and I’m looking forward to months of rehearsals and a wonderful production!

I also learned that I cannot stay motivated to do much of anything without accountability. Whether it’s reading the bible, working out, eating healthy or anything else, I need accountability or I’ll just get lazy. I’ve tried to be self motivated. I have plenty of reason in my head to do these things. But the truth is, it’s not enough. And that saddest part is that I love being alone. But I’m going to have to find some accountability.

Pearson:
He gets angry and frustrated quickly and easily and that affects his whole attitude. I already knew all this BUT I learned this month that he knows this about himself and is trying really hard to just let things roll off his back. And he’s doing a great job.

I also finally learned what he means when he says “I’m doing the buffer right now” or “I still have to do the buffers for these three proteins so I’ll be a while longer.” Not that you care, but the proteins that he’s working with (he shoots a laser at them and collects data from that to learn about the proteins) need to be dissolved in a buffer or protective solution before he shoots the laser. However, the resulting data will have spectra from both the buffer and the protein. So then he has to shoot the laser at a sample of only the buffer so he can take that data and subtract it from the data with the protein so all he has left is protein data. It makes so much more sense now!

I learned about Wheel of Time. Whenever Pearson starts to tell me about something, I actually mostly understand it. I know the names of a lot of the main characters and I know how the fantastical world work. If I ever decide to read them for myself, it should be pretty easy now.

Other People:
Some people are very strong willed and will never change their mind no matter how hard you try to convince them. And a lot of times, those people are the ones that speak out the most and are the most intolerant. Why can’t we have an open mind and love and respect each other?

What have you learned this month? Did you pick a word of the year? How is it going for you?
Thanks for reading!