guest post: molly

Today's guest post is from my lovely sister, Molly.  While we have always been two-peas-in-a-pod, our lives are very different.  With these differences, comes sweetness and stickiness.  Thanks for sharing sister (little sis, you will be guesting next time!), love you!

“...stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. ”― Robert J. Hastings, Tinyburg Talesmountains

When asked if I would write a guest post for this blog, I was a little incredulous.  You want me?  What could I possibly have to write about—I live a rather routine, some may say boring, life in Indiana—far from the adventures of Europe, the Middle East, or even a state that is known for something other than corn and cars.  But I was honored to be asked and really wanted the chance to write and think for a little bit, so here it goes.  Let this be your warning, though, my life is a little different than my darling sisters.

What makes your life sweet?

Ice cream cone life—sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s a little sticky.  While mid-America may seem mundane to some, there are just some things that draw me to this place.  Of course there is family—most days that’s pretty sweet.  Sister time, a mom to fix your problems and cure your colds, awesome dad who knows how to repair everything, a stepmom who cares for us like her own, the brother who reminds me that I am actually as lame as I think I am, and all of the other cast of characters that I’m just lucky enough to get to spend time with whenever I want.

But everyone has family, even if they define it a little differently.  So what else about my life is so sweet?  That’s an interesting question—not because I don’t know but more because I’m a 26-year-old with an old soul and yet, still the teen spirit.  I love fall days, decorating for Christmas, reading books while listening to classical music, mornings at the lake and Jeopardy.

I love building forts, cannon balls into the lake, Harry Potter, girls nights and craft time. 

Don’t get me wrong, every time I travel, I love it.  But there is just something about this fly-over state that draws me in. 

What, at times, makes your life a sticky gooey mess?

While most of the time I live a pretty content life, it can get sticky every now and again.  I would chalk most of my gooey messes up to two personality characteristics:  perfectionism and a general naïve-ness.  I put too much pressure on myself to be perfect which often means that I take on too much, sleep too little, say yes too often and ultimately achieve only about 50% of what I’m going for.  Something that I so admire about Em is her ability to make a decision, based solely on what is best for her, and her only, and go with it.  I am often held back by the what-ifs and the then-whats and never really do what I want to do.  And sometimes I tell myself that I’m just looking for the good in everyone, or every situation, but really it is just me being naïve and sometimes that means that people take advantage of me. 

So maybe instead of just pacing the aisles and counting the miles, I should just eat more ice cream.  

photos found here, and here, the rest were personally taken.