Preparation
It's been too long. But I've had other things to do. I've had a lot of preparation to do. Material, Physical, Emotional and Spiritual (in no particular order).
Material Preparation. I officially hate shopping. Do you know how hard it is to find 8-10 cute missionary length skirts? (FYI missionary length does not mean knee length, it means PAST the knee length) Did you know NO ONE sells attractive raincoats with zip-out liners? Have you ever tried finding practical, sturdy, non-clunky shoes? On top of all that I had to put together a first-aid kit, buy and pack luggage, sort through my jewelry to see what was "simple" and finds some nice hair accessories. Believe you me, this is only the beginning (don't get me started on immunizations and official documents). So, basically, I've been shopping since May and I might cry the next time I walk into the mall or Wal-Mart. But it was worth it. I feel almost possibly slightly close to being materially prepared. Maybe...
The next purchase is a post-mission purchase. I bought a pair of bright purple pants (That's right. You heard me). They will be waiting for me while I'm gone and they serve 2 purposes.
1. Incentive to stay in shape (I've been wanting purple pants since before the Civil War and I can't wait to wear them so that may be my only motivation to get out of bed in the morning and do a little exercise and resist the temptation of eating lots of cookies).
2. A fabulous pair of pants to look forward to wearing. When I get back chances are I'll never want to wear a skirt again....until Sunday.
I don't know if the world is ready for me and my purple pants, but they've got 18 months to prepare.
Physical Preparation. Okay. I have exercise-induced asthma, a weak ankle, and the knees of an 80 year old can-can dancer. Exercise and I have regular duels at high noon. I have NO IDEA how I'm going to exercise every day at 6:30am. I might die a little. But all jokes aside, I've been doing my best. I go for short jogs, I stretch, I do Zumba, and I do Pilates. Don't be impressed. I never said I did any of these things well. But, I've learned how much better you feel and look with even the smallest amount of exercise and few added portions of fruits and veggies to your diet. I think I like this whole healthy living thing.
Emotional Preparation. This isn't really something that can be explained. It contains everything form pondering my future mission to saying goodbye to people to learning how to be patient. This preparation differs a lot from person to person. I don't think this preparation ever ends. Things are always changing and we must always be adapting. It is still weird to think about though. I say it in my head: "I'm going on a mission" and my brain gives a nervous chuckle and asks, "Really? Really?! Wow. This is big." I go through that process a couple times a day. But every day it gets closer, grows more real and it isn't as scary because I slowly realize, the beginning of my mission started a long time ago when I made the decision. Even more so, ever since I received my call I've been learning and growing like never before. And so far I love it.
Spiritual Preparation. This is more personal but I did want to share a couple things. Preach My Gospel is amazing. Whether you are serving a mission or not I encourage people to read it. It explains so much in such simple terms. It gives great ideas for scripture study and helps you in your daily life and goal setting and self improvement. It is a great book. Also, I continue to read the Book of Mormon. Sometimes I read the same passage every morning for a whole week and each time it speaks to me in a different way. There isn't a problem or question that the Book of Mormon can't answer. It is an amazing resource that I couldn't live without. I learn that more every day.
Well, there will be another post following soon, but there's the update on the mission.
Material Preparation. I officially hate shopping. Do you know how hard it is to find 8-10 cute missionary length skirts? (FYI missionary length does not mean knee length, it means PAST the knee length) Did you know NO ONE sells attractive raincoats with zip-out liners? Have you ever tried finding practical, sturdy, non-clunky shoes? On top of all that I had to put together a first-aid kit, buy and pack luggage, sort through my jewelry to see what was "simple" and finds some nice hair accessories. Believe you me, this is only the beginning (don't get me started on immunizations and official documents). So, basically, I've been shopping since May and I might cry the next time I walk into the mall or Wal-Mart. But it was worth it. I feel almost possibly slightly close to being materially prepared. Maybe...
The next purchase is a post-mission purchase. I bought a pair of bright purple pants (That's right. You heard me). They will be waiting for me while I'm gone and they serve 2 purposes.
1. Incentive to stay in shape (I've been wanting purple pants since before the Civil War and I can't wait to wear them so that may be my only motivation to get out of bed in the morning and do a little exercise and resist the temptation of eating lots of cookies).
2. A fabulous pair of pants to look forward to wearing. When I get back chances are I'll never want to wear a skirt again....until Sunday.
I don't know if the world is ready for me and my purple pants, but they've got 18 months to prepare.
Physical Preparation. Okay. I have exercise-induced asthma, a weak ankle, and the knees of an 80 year old can-can dancer. Exercise and I have regular duels at high noon. I have NO IDEA how I'm going to exercise every day at 6:30am. I might die a little. But all jokes aside, I've been doing my best. I go for short jogs, I stretch, I do Zumba, and I do Pilates. Don't be impressed. I never said I did any of these things well. But, I've learned how much better you feel and look with even the smallest amount of exercise and few added portions of fruits and veggies to your diet. I think I like this whole healthy living thing.
Emotional Preparation. This isn't really something that can be explained. It contains everything form pondering my future mission to saying goodbye to people to learning how to be patient. This preparation differs a lot from person to person. I don't think this preparation ever ends. Things are always changing and we must always be adapting. It is still weird to think about though. I say it in my head: "I'm going on a mission" and my brain gives a nervous chuckle and asks, "Really? Really?! Wow. This is big." I go through that process a couple times a day. But every day it gets closer, grows more real and it isn't as scary because I slowly realize, the beginning of my mission started a long time ago when I made the decision. Even more so, ever since I received my call I've been learning and growing like never before. And so far I love it.
Spiritual Preparation. This is more personal but I did want to share a couple things. Preach My Gospel is amazing. Whether you are serving a mission or not I encourage people to read it. It explains so much in such simple terms. It gives great ideas for scripture study and helps you in your daily life and goal setting and self improvement. It is a great book. Also, I continue to read the Book of Mormon. Sometimes I read the same passage every morning for a whole week and each time it speaks to me in a different way. There isn't a problem or question that the Book of Mormon can't answer. It is an amazing resource that I couldn't live without. I learn that more every day.
Well, there will be another post following soon, but there's the update on the mission.
I LOVED reading this, Mary! You are so funny! You have such a good way with putting my thoughts to words....believe me, you are not alone in the way you feel. Especially the emotional preparation.... I can't tell you how many times I think all those things! You may seem unprepared, but I think you are very prepared! You are going to touch lives as Sister Williams (not Elder Williams, haha). I love you!
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