Lately I’ve been frustrated with the word TRY. I know it sounds strange……really, who actually thinks that much about a word?!?!
I understand that there are times when we need to use the word TRY. Here are a few examples:
2. People need to try-out for a team or a part in a play.
3. Trying new foods is another good example – in fact, in our family we have a “try-club” that my boys belong to and this is how we encourage them to try new foods.
I could continue on with many more examples where to “try” something is positive, encourages growth, and gets people to experience more in life – that’s GREAT!!
I’ve often caught myself using the word TRY as a cop-out or an excuse to just move on to the next thing instead of being truly honest. So let me give you a couple examples of what that looks like:
1. A friend is telling me about a new seafood restaurant that they LOVED and they recommend it to me. I say, “OH that’s sounds GREAT, I’ll have to give it a try sometime.” (SERIOUSLY I have NO intention of ever trying this restaurant – I don’t eat seafood – thanks for sharing!!! Why couldn’t I have just said that? That’s REAL!)
2. I’m talking with someone about a situation that I’m going through and they give me their advice sharing with me something that worked/helped them and I say, “OH that sounds good, I’ll have to try that.” (BUT, Inside I’m thinking, you have absolutely NO clue what I’m talking about – I soooo don’t agree with you and I’m NOT going to do that – SORRY!!)
Again, I could go on with more examples of this type of “try” and now that I’ve written these, I’m embarrassed to say that I do this OFTEN…….I need to focus on keeping it real with others, WOW!
The “try” that has been frustrating to me are NOT the two I’ve shared above. You see, over the past month I’ve noticed in others and haven’t been able to understand why some people close to me continue to tell me their “trying” to change certain things but the “certain things” continue to stay the same. My thoughts are – this trying thing is NOT working!! JUST DO IT!! DECIDE and DO IT – don’t try anymore – MAKE IT HAPPEN!!
Here’s one that I see with my boys. Boys will be boys, they fight, like boys do, and sometimes (ok, a lot of times) are rude and disrespectful – UGH!! When I talk with them about their behavior the response I typically get from them is, “Ok mom, I’ll try to be nice to my brother.” NO LESS than 10 minutes later the behavior they said they were TRYING to change comes right back at me. COME On, BE NICE!!
As I write this I’m reflecting on me and how I am; Usually when I’m frustrated about something in others, I have to look in the mirror. I’ve got a lot of work to do in this area in my parenting, relationships, and other situations. Looks like it’s time for me to answer the question: What is it that I need to STOP “trying” and DO?
I grew up in a rural farming town of about 1200 in central MN. Life was simple then. People took the time to stop each other on the street and visit. Have coffee. Make cookies. Life wasn’t as rushed as it is now. In my opinion, there was a lot more focus on relationship. Relationships with children, spouses, friends, neighbors, teachers, pastors, bankers… Kids weren’t running from this activity to that sporting event- or at least not as often as they are now. Families sat down and had dinner together at night. I suppose because the work day predictably ended at 5pm (at least it did in my parent’s home). There weren’t fast food restaurants to run to, or pizza delivery options to choose from.
I remember my mom getting together on a regular basis with other women and their children for ‘coffee’. This ‘coffee’ group I suspect, was really a group of amazing women getting together to talk about parenting, marriage, life experiences both good and bad. They shared each others joys and sorrows. They were a built in support group for each other and never hesitated to pray for one another. If my memory serves me correct, these were all stay at home moms, who in order to stay connected with each other, made an effort to get together in each other’s living rooms and talk. Even if it was about a new recipe they found, or a new quilting pattern they were going to try. In fact, this ‘coffee’ group continues to this day, in a more limited fashion. They are still getting together throwing bridal showers, baby showers and attending weddings for the children who were carted along to these coffee groups. (We enjoyed it by the way!)
For me, Keeping It Personal is about bringing to my life a deliberate effort to do just that. Keep it Personal. I don’t expect it to mirror my description above, as life is different now. In fact, I am sure it wasn’t as ‘simple’ as my memory would have me believe. But there are changes I can make, which I think will ultimately impact my children, my marriage, my relationship with God, and others. I was talking to Teri earlier tonight, and told her this. I have no real idea what this blog is going to turn into. Seriously, I don’t think I even knew what a blog was a year ago! I feel like we have a blank canvas in front of us. We have given much thought and prayer into KIP, and don’t feel like either of us has a clear picture of what this final work of art will look like. We want to take this opportunity to be real, to share from our own experiences, to learn from others’ experiences, and to inspire people to take it back a notch. Occasionally step out of the high tech, fast paced world we live in, and into the ‘living rooms’ of our friends both old and new…. and keep it personal. Kind of ironic that we chose a blog to carry out that message, right?
There is a bit of anxiety on my part about putting this blog out there for everyone to see. A vulnerability. I just pray that God-willing, we will encourage each other, and those who choose to follow us to keep it real, by keeping it personal.
Keeping it Personal: not as in keeping it to yourself. It’s not, NOT sharing with others or being in your own private thoughts and keeping IT……….what ever IT may be to yourself. Not ‘keeping it personal’ in the selfish sense of the phrase similar to a child who wants this to be “mine, mine, mine” or an adult who doesn’t want to share a good idea, thought, or compliment.
We’re keeping it personal – we’re about the relationship, sharing what’s real on a personal level. We’re taking the “impersonal” out of what society has made impersonal to speed up the process, to get going with the next thing. We want to inspire you to keep it personal in your daily interactions. Inspire you to look for the moments where you can impact the lives of others around you by sharing your experiences and your story. By freely giving compliments and encouraging words to others. We want to motivate you to reach out to others by keeping it personal, by using your special gifts and talents; by being real, honest, kind, genuine. We want to educate you and provide you with ideas that will impact your life, which in turn, you can share to impact the lives of others.
Keeping it personal is what customer service lacks. Keeping it Personal is what can turn an acquaintance into a life long friend. Keeping it Personal is what can give someone hope who is hopeless- because you were transparent and shared a story they could relate to. Keeping it Personal and sharing your passion could be the start of an organization to help a family in need or a homeless/runaway on the street. Keeping it Personal is dropping that personal handwritten card in the mail. Taking action with those lingering thoughts; NOT ignoring them. Keeping it Personal is taking the time to make a phone call to the person who’s been on your mind. The personal touch may be just what one person needs on a particular day to bring joy to their world.
Our mission is to be a daily reminder for people to keep it real by keeping it personal. Through sharing our experiences and our stories online, we hope to inspire you to keep it personal as you connect with your community and others around you.
Who are WE? We are simply two women, two mothers, two daughters, two friends, two aunties, two sisters-in-law, two wives, two children of God who have come to realize through our own past experiences on this journey of life, that keeping it personal is what keeps us grounded. We have not mastered this by any means or claim to be perfect, but are striving to keep it personal in all our affairs. We find joy and fulfillment by reaching out and sharing with others; and in return we grow and are inspired by what others share with us in their stories and experiences. Our hope is for others to find what we’ve come to realize.
Keeping it personal is a community of twos. We hope to attract and influence a community at large who share our vision of keeping it personal.
Teri and Leah
