That "FRANKIE SAY RELAX" T-shirt is wise

I'm not always jealous of infants and toddlers, but I think they have something going for them with that whole required nap time thing.

It's genius.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good at resting. Don't get me wrong—I love a good nap, but I often have a difficult time letting myself slow down long enough to do pretty much nothing. But, what I have come to realize is that "nothing" is sometimes actually so much more than "something."

I went on the women's retreat with my church over the weekend, and at first I was somewhat stressing about it. I mean, I just felt like I had so much work to do on so many different things, and an entire weekend away was a lot and not exactly what I needed. Well, it turns out it was actually so much more than what I needed.

I was reminded of three extremely important truths on the retreat that I overlook far too often:

Disconnecting isn't always a bad thing. I think it's quite easy to get caught up in constantly checking emails or social media networks that we often forget that it's OK (and even healthy) to escape from them every now and then. Leave work behind you for a bit. I was able to chat and have authentic conversations with people all weekend without a phone constantly in my hands. And there was no need to take and post a boatload of pictures, either. A picture may be "worth a thousand words," to some, but I'd prefer a genuine chat with actual words any day. (I'm not saying I don't love pictures and never post them; I'm simply saying not every single moment has to be documented.)

Everyone has a story. You might read that and think, "Duh," but how often do you actually consider that in your daily life? We're surrounded by other individuals—many whom we don't know—yet we rarely take the time truly to care about who they are. Maybe the person who rolled her eyes at you when she saw you were struggling with the self-checkout process while she was standing behind you at the grocery store is going through a rough divorce; perhaps the man who cut you off on the highway is rushing to be on time to his son's last high school baseball game ever; it's possible that the guy at the gym you think is cute won't look your way because he's trying to recover from a broken heart; maybe your workout buddy has been moody lately because she's enduring some storms in her personal life.

Sometimes we have to look at situations and try to see beyond what's simply on the surface.

I enjoyed getting to know so many different individuals of all different ages and walks in life over the weekend and being able to hear their unique stories. We all have stories—sometimes we just need people to listen to them.

Yes.

True peace does exist. We live in a very busy world. It's full of chaos and struggle. The madness can consume you if you let it. But there is so much peace in Christ. Just seeing the work of God in nature can be enough to make you sit and stare up at the sky in wonder. How does He do it? And why does the same God who created all of this love me in spite of how flawed I am? Being reminded of His crazy agape love He has for us—a love that loves us simply for who we are—is comforting in a way that I can't explain. It provides a peace like nothing else can or ever will.

Every once in a while, it's good to get away and find that rest and relaxation our souls long for and need. Your iPhone (or whatever you non-Apple people use) can't function for you if you don't charge it. Similarly, people need their own versions of recharging in order to live life and to live it fully.

And when you find that peace, you may discover just how big of a "something" that "nothing" really is.

Not all tales are as old as time

I think Disney is often more profound than we give it credit for.

Because many childhood movies are chalked full of wisdom and life truths.

As I was watching Beauty and the Beast the other day, I realized something: sometimes we are all like a girl who wants “adventure in the great wide somewhere” and finds herself in a strange castle full of talking objects and a beast—and uncertain of anything that lies ahead.

Somewhere in the midst of my singing along to all of the songs, I couldn’t help but realize how much anxiety Belle was likely feeling once she realized the impact of her decision to step into eternal imprisonment in place of her father. And it struck me that these are the same feelings we have when we face situations that are completely unknown to us—because it’s kind of scary to throw yourself out there and simply hope for the best.

Belle took a huge risk in giving the Beast her word that she would live in his palace forever. She had no idea what it was like in there or what her fate would hold. But she did it. She boldly stepped forward, knowing that she was giving up a life of security and predictability. I mean, you are probably familiar with the opening number in the movie—nothing truly unexpected happens very often for Belle.

Until she makes a choice.

Venturing into the unknown

There are moments in life when you have to be like Belle and decide that you are going to enter something with no idea what the results will be or how drastically it could change your life. One minute you’re reading next to a fountain, and the next you’re having a conversation with an armoire. While this might not be the exact scenario for all of us, it’s quite comparable on some levels.

I remember the summer after my high school year when I decided to go to LA for a day. I really had no logical reasoning. I was watching Live with Regis and Kelly one morning, and the show always promoted CheapTickets.com. I had saved up some money from working and found myself on the website ready to buy a ticket. I figured it would be neat to go to New York or LA, but it was supposed to rain in New York the next few days, and I didn’t want my hair to have to endure that. I purchased a ticket for LA for the following day, had my brother drive me to the airport and flew to an unknown area with no plan.

When I arrived, I seriously had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew I needed something different in my life—some type of new adventure. I ended up getting bored of the Hollywood area pretty quickly and walked to a place called Runyon Canyon Park. I went on a hike by myself and actually had a much more enjoyable time than I had expected once I landed from the plane. At first, everything was kind of intimidating—I mean, I had no transportation of my own, not a lot of money, no companions with me and a heart full of hope that didn’t want to be disappointed. But my time in the hills cleared my mind and gave me perspective as I sat at the top, looking down at a beautiful view and spending some time writing in my journal. It was just something I needed at the time.

The rest of the trip was pretty memorable: I had to short-change a cab driver, drank Gatorade from a can (which is still weird to me), slept in an airport and then had to see the face of my disappointed mom when I walked through the front door (oh, yeah, I hadn’t told my parents about my little day trip). It might have cost me a lot of money and only lasted for a short time, but I’m really glad I went on that escapade. I think it was a stepping stone in my life in learning to be more courageous and not always following such a predictable pattern.

I’m at a point in my life right now where I am really uncertain about a few things approaching in the days ahead. It’s kind of scary, but it’s also kind of exciting. I feel like I’m about to step from a place of comfort and familiarity into a land of the unknown. I feel kind of like Belle, minus the whole imprisonment and falling in love with a beast thing.

Life is full of chances to take, opportunities to seize, adventures to go on and people to love. But we have to be willing to take those leaps of faith every once in a while.

And you just might find something there that wasn’t there before.

A beautiful day, indeed

I've learned how important it is not to take people for granted.

Especially family.

I know I have talked about how wonderful my mom is before, but today is her birthday, so I'm doing it again—and I'm not sorry about it.

One thing I've realized about my mom is that she is one of the reasons I love love so much, because she is a true model of what real love is and what real love does. I didn't always pay attention like I should as a kid, because I was too busy worrying about the things I thought were the most important things in the world. And, sadly, none of those things even matter anymore.

Happy birthday, Mom!

When we were growing up, my mom worked at a preschool for many years. At one point, we only had one family car, and so my mom rode her bike to work almost every single day. During those years, she worked some part-time jobs, too, all to ensure that we could take part in all of the activities we wanted to and have everything we needed without having to worry about not being able to afford them. Then she went back to school and not only earned her bachelor's degree but got a master's, as well. (After I started teaching, I went back and took night classes to get my master's. I cannot even imagine doing that while also having to take care of three kids and be a wife. I have no idea how she did that—and never once complained.) I will always remember the smile on her face when she walked across that graduation stage, and I think her joy was found more in her family being there rather than a diploma she was receiving.

She's now a kindergarten teacher, and I truly believe it takes a very special person to be able to do that job every day. And my mom is the perfect person for it. Her patience is something I strive to achieve in my own life but usually fail. I mean, I've never seen her be mean to anyone. Ever. She just really gets what life is about, and she never lets pride get in the way of treating people kindly.

I'll never forget when I was a sophomore in college and had to go to the hospital for pancreatitis. I didn't let my roommate call my parents until I knew it was something serious, and I think she ended up calling them when I was drugged up with IV pain meds and not aware of anything that was going on around me. Before I knew it, my mom and sister were suddenly in my room at 2 a.m. or some ridiculous time like that. They had driven the three hours late at night simply because they cared. My sister ended up catching a ride home with a family friend the next day, because she had to go back to school, but my mom stayed with me for all four or five days that I was there. She always made sure the nurses were in my room the instant I needed them, and she even slept on some tiny, uncomfortable chair the first couple of nights until the hospital provided a bed for her. But she wasn't even worried about any of that, because I don't think she even knows how to put herself before anyone else—she always thinks of others first. Always.

I know moms often make sacrifices for their kids, but there were so many, and she never once acted like she was inconvenienced. And when she forgives, she forgives completely and never ever brings up the wrongs again. She also has so much strength and determination and never believes when people tell her something can't be done—she's full of too much hope for that.

She's also taught me so much about staying young at heart. She's the type of person who will climb trees with you, go on froyo dates with you, skydive with you (she did so with my brother), watch Gilmore Girls or One Tree Hill with you, dance with you (she owns the dance floor), be part of the Boot Scarf Club with you, take selfies with you, and wave dive in the ocean with you like you're little kids. She loves to enjoy life with the people she loves—and her genuine joy is contagious.

I could go on and on about this woman and her beautiful heart. There are so many things about her that I try to make sure are reflected in me. She makes it look so easy, though. How is it that in the 30 years I've been on this earth I've never heard her say one bad thing about anyone? It's because she always lets love win.

And, on her birthday, I can't help but quote this woman and mean it will all of my heart: "It's a beautiful day!"

Girl power (or something like that)

We should be thankful for women like Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Sally Ride, Florence Nightingale, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa, Billie Jean King, Oprah and so many more.

But we should also be thankful for the women whose names we don't know.

Yesterday was International Women's Day, a celebration that I didn't really know existed. Apparently it's been around since the beginning of the 1900s, though. While it is more of a recognition of the achievements women have made socially, politically and economically, it made me think more about why women should feel special simply for being the individuals they are rather than the things they've done over the years.

After all, not to pull the princess card, but we are daughters of the King.

There are two women in my life who have impacted me in more ways than I could ever actually explain: my mom and my sister. My mom is the most genuine and caring person you will ever meet. She is the epitome of what love is. She doesn't know how to say mean things about people, and she doesn't even have the desire to. And she's a fighter. She never gets discouraged when people shoot her down; instead, she just stands right back up and tries again. She never stops trying.

The best

My sister is a complete Godsend to the world. She is always there for me. She will drop everything when I need her—whether it's to drive with me to Tennessee, sit with me in a hospital room or wake up at a ridiculous time (for her, anyway) to come cheer me on at a race. And that is only a small list of things. She is more selfless than I've ever known how to be, and she never changes who she is for anyone or anything. She's a gem and the one person I can never stay upset with for long at all. I cherish every moment I get with her, because she makes absolutely every moment count.

I think women are so much more than many of them allow themselves to be. I wish I didn't see so many young women and even adult women trying to change who they are to try to please others. You were uniquely made to be you for a reason—so don't walk away from that. This is what I would like to say to all women if I were able to speak to all of them at once:

You are valued. Sometimes you will hear about lists that rank people's net worths—especially when they're in the billions. Guess what? None of that matters. And you are worth more than that—but not in a financial sense. Don't ever feel like you have to prove your worth to anyone, and don't ever settle for anyone or anything. You are too valued, and your heart is too valuable.

You are loved. There might be times in life when you feel all alone and not truly cared for in this world. Please don't listen to that voice telling you that you aren't good enough. There is One who loves you like no one ever can or will. Listen to His voice—it will never steer you wrong. And there are people who genuinely love you unconditionally. Your time line of love and what you originally thought would happen might not happen as you planned, and it might not happen at all—and that's OK. Your sufficiency and who you are cannot be found in other people. And you know what? If you stay single forever, you'll be fine. Your relationship status doesn't define you, and it certainly doesn't determine whether or not you're loved.

You matter. Every single person in this world has importance and has the ability to make an impact. And you are no exception. You are not frail; you are not the weaker gender; you shouldn't be used or treated as an object; you shouldn't be silenced; you don't deserve discouragement; you don't deserve abuse; you don't have to look a certain way or hang with a certain crowd; and you don't have to try to be anyone else but you. You were created with purpose—don't be afraid to embrace your uniqueness.

I'm glad women have a day to celebrate some major historical milestones, and I don't want to diminish any of those achievements, but I hope we don't forget to celebrate the everyday individuality of one another. No, we don't need to be egocentric or over-complimentary of each other, but we need to remember that who we are is even more important than what we accomplish.

Because what's in the heart is more powerful than what's in the bank.

Because we don't live in Neverland

No, we cannot live in an imaginary world with Peter Pan, win battles against Captain Hook, and never become real adults, but that doesn't mean we can't sometimes act like kids again.

I still color in coloring books—judge me all you want.

I recently gave my students a journal topic that had me thinking, as well. Are you afraid of growing up? Explain why or why not.

Of course it was interesting to get all of the different perspectives of teenagers, because they actually have a lot more wisdom and insight than people often give them credit for. As I anticipated, many of them are apprehensive because of that one thing that adults are supposed to have: responsibility. But one answer really stood out to me and made me think quite a bit: I'm afraid of getting so caught up in work and other real world stuff that I forget who I really am.

Wow.

Grow up, but don't grow up

To me, what's so scary about that statement is how easy it is for it to become true. Sometimes life becomes so full of tasks and goals and ambitions that we lose ourselves in "stuff" and forget how to enjoy just being us. When you're a kid, you don't have as many worries and concerns, and you just do what you want when you want. You play soccer at recess without stressing about the spelling test you just bombed; you climb trees in your neighbor's yard without worrying about the grumpy woman who lives there yelling at you to get down; you wear whatever you want without really caring about what it looks like to other people; you don't know the words "gluten" or "organic" and certainly don't care what they mean; you simply ask people for the things you want or need without concern about what responses they will give you; you tell people you love them and mean it, because you don't question the things you feel in your heart; you believe in things with an innocent faith without needing any scientific proof; you tell the truth more often than you probably will at any other point in your life; and you act like you all of the time (even when you're pretending to be a superhero), because that is the only person you know how to be.

And then you grow up, and things change.

But what if they didn't have to? I know that being an adult carries with it a lot more responsibilities and stresses that you don't have as a child, but what if we still let ourselves live a little? What if we still let ourselves have those moments when we throw all of our cares out the unwashed window to do the things we really want to do? Sing that song out loud; dance; splash in those puddles; eat that cookie; tell that guy you think he's cute; climb that tree in the middle of the park; take that art class you've been hearing so much about; say "I love you" with no hesitation or regrets; go out in public even if you think you look disheveled; have the fruit snacks with the high fructose corn syrup; be the you you want to be--and never forget who that person is.

I know there are bills to pay, I know there is work to be completed, and I know there are a countless amount of things I have to do in life that are necessary in this thing called adulthood. But I also know that there are relationships to build, joy to have, and love to spread.

And I hope we all remember which list is more important.