Things I Learned This Month | July 2018

It's still July?

Normally at the end of the month I think "How can the month be over already?"

That is so not where I am right now. This month has been so jam-packed with good things that I have trouble believing it was just a month.

I spent two weeks in Switzerland with my dad's extended family, five days in Malaga with a dear MK friend from college, and the rest of the time hanging out with family at home, talking on the phone with friends, and trying to get through Brothers Karamazov. July has been so great, but I'm kind of ready for August.

As per usual, I'm following Emily Freeman's lead to share a handful of the things I learned this month.

1. Cowbell is a very different instrument from what we hear in the classic SNL skit. We went to a folk festival in Wengen, the tiny Swiss town that we stayed in, and their troupe of cowbell wielders was quite impressive. I can't describe it in words, but here's a youtube video of the same performance from several years ago.

2. Songs are great conversation starters. While I was in Malaga, my friend Karis and I took turns sharing songs with each other - and each new song usually sparked a 10 minute conversation.

3. On the Enneagram, I'm Type 3 Wing 2. What does that mean? I really don't know. For now it's just an interesting fact I can pull out at parties. I plan to do some more investigating to see how this information can be of practical use. (FYI I've never figured out my Meyers-Briggs type, and I'm Hufflepuff. There. All personality bases covered.)

4. A calling is something that follows you anywhere. So often I can think of "calling" and "career" as synonymous, but that's not the case. Someone recently said that a calling is something that would be manifested even in a concentration camp. That's been interesting to think about as I consider what the Lord is leading me to after my second year in Germany.

5. I'm a fan of Spain. Malaga, at least. I've not been anywhere else in Spain, though I'm dreaming of doing part of the Camino del Santiago with a friend next year. At first it felt very Italian to me - similar Mediterranean cultures - but the longer I was there the more distinctive Spain felt. There's a lot of Moroccan influence on the southern coast of Spain, which added a really cool flavor to the art and architecture. And there is some amazing pottery. Not to mention beaches with crystal-clear water. And fresh salmon. Who knew? Apparently they try to come through the strait of Gibraltar, which makes them easy to catch. 

6. War and Peace  is a musical. Except that the title of the musical is Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. That's quite a mouthful! I haven't had the chance to listen to the whole thing, but from the two songs I've heard I'm intrigued.

7. There is so much cool symbolism tied to pomegranates. I really love pomegranates. Eating a pomegranate is like consuming rubies. For fun I decided to look up their symbolism on my way back from Spain.

• Pomegranates featured prominently in the decor of the temple that Solomon built.
• In many different cultures, pomegranates symbolize life, fertility, abundance, and rebirth (think the myth of Persephone). 
• In Jewish traditions, the pomegranate calyx is the "model" for a crown. 
• In Christian art, broken or bursting pomegranates often symbolize the fullness of Jesus' suffering and resurrection.
• In the Eastern Orthodox church, the pomegranate is used in a dish that symbolizes the sweetness of the kingdom of heaven. 

I don't often draw, but I decided I needed a pomegranate on my wall, so I pulled out my old colored pencils to meet that need.