Write What You Know

There's heart knowledge, and there's head knowledge, and sometime the two contradict one another...

One of our biggest desires is to know and be known. We were created for relationship, for community, and part of that is to be recognized.

But what does that mean? What does that look like? And how can we be known when sometimes we don't even know ourselves?

Can you relate? Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "I don't even know who that is, and I sure don't know how she got here."?

When I think about what I know, it seems like a short list for someone who has been in school the majority of her life. I mean, shouldn't the degrees on my wall (well, technically in a storage box in my living room waiting to be transported to my office to be hung on my wall) indicate that I do, indeed, know something?

In teaching nursing, we've often used a phrase to help our students prioritize their studying. "That's need to know... that's nice to know... that's nuts to know." The need to know stuff is what students absolutely have to know as practicing nurses. Things like CPR and how to start an IV and how to assess a patient. The nice to know is things they could possibly use, like if they are planning on working a specialty. And then the nuts to know are those minute, trivial details... they make good table conversation, but may not always be the most practical thing when caring for a patient... or knowledge of that fact may really impress someone.

Life's kind of like that, too.

There are things we need to know- how to treat other people. How to treat ourselves. How to turn on the washing machine. How to download books on the kindle.

There are things that are nice to know- how to cook a signature dish. Somebody with an inside connection.

And then there are lots of nuts to know things- and sometimes those are the ones we get hung up on.

If I were to try down to narrow what I know... here it is... this is what I know to be true.

God is good, even when things may not be. And He knows best.
Family is everything, even if you can't choose them and you sometimes question why God stuck y'all together. (See my first one...)
A good walk in the fresh air really is the cure to a lot of ailments... or at least gives one time to think about what the cure is.
Quiet time is good, even for extroverts, but is absolutely necessary for introverts.
It is truly better to give than to receive.
Laughter can make a difficult situation somewhat improved, even more so if you have no clue why you're laughing.
It's never good to hold anger in. It only makes you heart sick.
Same for bitterness.
Always err on the side of kindness.
Fear and regret are your two biggest enemies. Self-doubt is a close third.
Attitude is the defining characteristic of success.
Reading a good book is the solution to many of life's problems.
Idleness really does lead to trouble.
There are good people in this world; sometimes you just have to look long and hard to find them.
We can not be afraid of the success of others. Their success does not mean our failure.
Words can, in fact, hurt you.
A little music is good for the soul.
I'll never know everything... but that's a good reason to try to learn something new every day.