Self Discovery

First off, wow, can you believe that the month of September has already begun?!
In about a week, I will have been in Orlando for one month. Working for Disney has been great. The company is constantly looking for the best and most efficient way to accommodate their guests and to satisfy their cast members. I am beginning to feel very comfortable in the role I have been placed. Now the challenge is to continually find joy in what I am doing. Already there have been days when I have woken up tired and not felt like going into work. The first time I had this feeling I remember that I instantly thought, "oh great, this can't be happening already." Funny thing is that I honestly did not think I would ever have that mindset, or at least not this early in the game. It has been moments like this that began the ball rolling for me to start observing, learning, and self discovering once again. 
Let me re-phrase that last sentence, I have now begun an intensified time of observing, learning, and self discovering. Truth is that I never stop doing these three things. The intense part comes in whenever I spend time away from my home, or in other words, my comfort zone. After experiencing the move to Pennsylvania for college, I thought I had gotten used to being out of my comfort zone, however I have found that to be false. Living in Florida has brought with it a new group of challenges and discoveries. For one, I have decided that the use of colorful language is very unflattering. Not that I ever thought the opposite, but now that I am constantly surrounded by it, the decision is 100% set in stone. Our society has turned most words that were originally set aside to offend or get the attention of someone else, into acceptable vocabulary. As a result of this, people have become immune to what is actually being said. Even I am having to be extra attentive to not only what I say, but also the words I think. I find the use of colorful language very unattractive. The self discovery part comes in because I have decided I am to set the example. 
A second thing that I have observed is that a smile completely changes the appearance of an individual. A smile acts like magic in the sense that even the most unfriendly looking person, with a smile on their face, looks the most approachable and happy. I learned this while working in Animal Kingdom. Every time I say hello to the guests most all of them instantly became the happiest looking people. Since I have learned this, even on those days that I am most tired, I do my very best to bring smiles to everyone in the park. True, this may be part of my job description, but it also helps me as well. Not sure about you, but I have a difficult time smiling if I am not happy. Therefore, every morning I have to find something to be happy about. As a result of this, my days are much for enjoyable.

There is a larger life lesson in what I just wrote about. As a young Christian woman, I should daily find joy in life because my life is not my own but Christ's. However, like pretty much everyone, I tend to take life for granted. I forget what a blessing it is to be able to wake up in the morning and breath on my own. Having to be a happy person at work has challenged me to be purposeful in finding things to be thankful for. Even in my lonely moments, and I have a lot of those moments, I am learning to find joy in them. Being a Christian in the environment I am living in, is not simple. The longer I am here the more I am coming face to face with the differences between the choices I make and the ones that the general crowd makes. I am having to decided how I want others to view me and that is a difficult thing the do. It is next to impossible to fit in with every type of people group. I have pretty much always been comfortable in my own skin, but going through this is causing me to become even more solid in who I am. A song that goes through my head often is "Your Heart" by Chris Tomlin, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aWEhNqnjuY. There are many songs that I find encouraging, but this one is close to the top of my list.

Thank you very much to all those who have been praying for me! I greatly appreciate it. There has been a lot going through my brain since I have been here, so the above is just touching the surface.
Until next time,
Have a Magical evening ~