growing up, back in high school (still feels weird to say that), we’d go to other schools for baseball games, band competitions, or some other reason. i remember that even before we’d leave king, we knew the schools that had the best looking girls. ledford. north davidson. surry central. we just knew. we looked forward to those trips more than others just because of that. we thought the girls at those schools looked better than the girls at our school.

as high school went on, and i started meeting people from other schools through shows, sports, or whatever, i started hearing them talk about how the girls at our school were so much better looking than the ones at theirs.

wait, what?

are you kidding? our girls weren’t that great. the other schools were definitely better.

then, somewhere around my junior year, i finally realized something.

our girls were actually really really good looking. the problem was i saw them everyday. the problem was i had known them since i was five in some cases. the problem was they had become common to me. what i saw as hot at other schools was just common at mine.

tonight around dusk (8:30ish) i decided to go for a walk down the beach. when i left the condo i had every intention to go to the beach and walk towards the busier part of the island. i like people watching and walking on the beach at night is one of my favorite things to do.

there was a problem. the tide was in. when the tide is in here, there is absolutely no beach going that direction so i couldn’t walk that way. instead, i headed under the pier and walked out into the middle of nowhere.

it was me, the ocean, the sand, and that’s it. there were no condos or high rises. there were maybe 15 people spread out over a half mile of the beach.

if you follow me on twitter or facebook, and really everyone reading this does one of those two, you might know that i’m reading crazy love right now. the book has gotten me in a certain mindset and if you’ve read it, you kind of have an idea where i’m going with this.

it was here, with just me, the ocean, and the sand, that i realized that sometimes god becomes the girl from my high school. i forget how absolutely frickin awesome he is. i stopped for a minute and just looked around. the water went forever. the sand was untouched for the most part. the water felt amazing. a couple of thoughts went through my head:

how can anyone look at this scene and think it was just an accident and that someone didn’t make it?

how can i be so dumb that i forget about how awesome the guy that created all of this is?

i’ve been a lot better about it lately, but even now i forget how awesome god is. i just try to do my best and not screw up too much. but really, when i stop and look around and slow down and take everything in, it’s amazing how awesome this dude is.

stop and watch the sunset one day.

sit on a bench in a park or at the mall or something and watch the people that walk by and how different everyone is.

get away from town and look at all the random animals you see running around.

god made all of that. and it’s awesome.

yeah, it took a chapter in a book to remind me that sometimes i need to do this but it worked. it reminded me of how awesome god is. it reminded me of how awesome my life is that i get to live in this world. it reminded me how i really don’t deserve most of the stuff i have or how i don’t deserve to get to do the stuff that i get to do but yet god said here, have it anyways. it’s reminded me that i just need to stop and be thankful occasionally.

and in this crap called life, sometimes all we need is a reminder.

say your prayers and take your vitamins.

have a nice day.

-jonathan