Why do you love what you love?

I used to be a part of an AMAZING church. Words cannot describe a more loving and accepting place. Not only do I credit my faith to the people that surrounded me there, but I also credit them with many of my other positive qualities. I went on many missions trips with them and built some of the most amazing friendships that still support me today. I rarely talk about my faith on here. There are a few reasons for that. First of all, I know everyone has their own belief system and that not all of you are Christians. Second, I don't want to shove my belifs down your throat when all you're here for is a cheerful story about a delicious burger. To each his own, right? Anyways, I'm bringing up religion today because one of the wonderful people who helped shape my life recently found me on facebook. He writes an incredible blog about navigating life and being a great person. He also talks about loving Jesus but...get this...not in a way that seems pushy or condescending AT ALL. It's amazing and I'm hooked. I'd highly recommend checking him out (you can find Jarrod right here).

Anyways, he posted yesterday about "why". He was in a situation where someone asked him why something was important, and even though this thing (Jesus' ressurection) was extremely important to him, he couldn't explain why. At the end of his post, he challenged his readers to write about why they love the important things in their lives. I thought this was a fantastic challenge so I jumped right on board. I wrote a few...

Work
I love working. I love applying myself and succeeding in what I’m doing. I love working as a leader because it gives me a chance to guide those around me and I love working for someone because it gives me a chance to learn. The feeling of accomplishment when you tackle a big project or win a seemingly impossible client is one of the best feelings there is. I like being able to tell people that I have everything in my life because I worked hard for it. It gives every aspect of my life meaning. My relationship with God is a lot of work because I’m a doubting girl but I don’t think it would mean much to me if it didn’t require any effort.

Blogging
I blog for accountability. Sometimes I fancy myself to be a fashion blogger, other times I'm a novice chef, and still others I try out my writing skills. I love that blogging allows me to pursue all of these avenues. Where else can you do that? I feel as though I've grown immensely since I started blogging. I have learned so much about myself, my work ethic, photography, crafting, and the wonderful people in my blog community. Sometimes, I'm embarrassed to admit that I blog because I feel like it has a negative or cliche stigma attached to it--especially for an art student. But at the end of the day, I keep coming back because I adore it. I need to man up and embrace my blog because it truly makes me happy and challenges me in ways I never thought possible.


Learning
I love to learn. I'm the girl in class who has read the chapter, typed up her notes, and is eager to ask a million questions. I love the challenge of not knowing anything about a particular subject. Each lesson you learn feels like such an accomplishment and opens up a whole world of opportunities and questions. I like learning because I feel like it makes me a better person. It enriches my conversations and allows me to connect with more people. I feel like the world is a huge place and learning is a great way to organize everything you see, feel, hear, touch, and taste. I hope to be a student for the rest of my life--long after I stop attending school.

And now its time for YOU! Why do you love that thing that you love? Can you sum it up? Or if someone asked you would you have no idea how to answer? I can't wait to see what you all do with this!

xoxo
Mal

P.S.

The photo for Day Two: is a photo of yourself at least one year ago. This one is from the summer before I started college...

And this one is from last summer...