Tuesday marked the end of my 24th year and the beginning of my 25th. Quite the year it has been. This is the second time I have spent March 22nd in Oaxaca, Mexico celebrating with the MK community here.
Benito Juarez day was Monday so there was no school. Hello 3-day weekend. Gotta love those. R and I set out for the city for a quick in and out and ended up spending the rest of the day. After doing the 1 errand we originally went in for, we ended up at a coffee shop and talked and talked and talked. Then walked to the movie theater and watched Unknown. There are times when Mexico stops feeling like a 3rd world country. Going to a movie theater is one of those times. Also sitting at a coffee shop. Don't get me wrong. I really really really LOVE living here. However, during those times of "Americanism" I realize how much I appreciate those times and how much I really do love Mexico AND the US. Monday really felt more like a day-off celebration of my birthday than Tuesday. Thanks R for a VERY memorable day.
Tuesday was crazier than ever. Can't wait till Friday (tomorrow) to take a day and rest and recover from really the past few weeks. My dad says I spent my birthday in true Conzatti fashion. Those of you who know my family know what exactly that means. I subbed the 7/8 Bible class, took a bus out to Tule for music lessons, came back to school and taught 1/2 music then Secondary music, then a guitar lesson. After that I drove everyone back to Mitla and had 10 min before WV class then a voice lesson before meeting everyone at 7 for tacos. After tacos the lovely B made an ice cream cake and so there were about 15 of us at our house for desert and scorch.
I don't know how many 24-year-old spend their birthdays with a bunch of High School students, eating ice cream cake and playing scorch (hide and seek in the dark, jail tag). I was holding onto the wall outside of our house. There is a little ledge right outside my window and it is possible to hold the bricks and stand on the edge as a good place to hide from the "it" person. I was on the ledge and M was standing next to me. I turned to him and said, "so wait, you have never played this game before?" His reply made me realize the silliness of the moment. "Well yes, but when I was a little kid in school. Haven't really played this game since then. " Who says you have to act your age? Where is that rule? Hide-and-seek is a great birthday party game. Who cares if you are turning 24. . . .
On the other hand. I have never spend much time with my actual peer group. Even growing up. My friends were my siblings for the most part. Yes there were us 3 musketeers in the neighborhood. By the time I was 10 both of those girls had moved away. As well as the homeschooled family of boys that lived across the street. By that time playing on a soccer team had ended as well due to orchestra on Saturday mornings. So, I spent time with my older and younger siblings. Peer group? What is that?
As we got older there was a new 3 musketeer group. Us three older girls. We were close and still are. Great relationships formed. Hanging out with High School students doesn't faze me. They are great. Young, but great.
I have started reading more. Shocker for those of you who know how much I read, I know. I was really convicted of the fact that I don't read much and need to up the time I spend reading. Yes, some of the reading is fluffy fiction novels but I have also been diving into the works of C.S. Lewis. Before I left in August one of my students gave me a book of all the "Signature Classics" of Lewis. Wow. That combined with what God has been teaching me is getting me thinking a lot. And I love it!
Last night I was able to take what I was have been thinking on for the past 4 weeks and talk to the youth at our weekly Youth Group. The discussion that came in our small group was exactly what has been happening with R and I at home. The back and forth, comparing, debating, offering Scripture for back-up has been such a great intellectual challenge. There are so many things that I don't and will never understand. There are also sometimes no right answers. However, I am getting even more convinced that it is more important than ever to work on YOUR OWN building. Where am I at? Don't look and compare other people's buildings. Work on your own. Build good quality things into my life.
Excited for the next adventure and the growth that God is doing in my heart and soul. I am more excited than ever to live for Him and keep going on this thing called life.
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