and so it begins.

Many times I have thought to myself, "I need to start a blog." My username, while stemming from a recent joke with my lovely roommates, is a testament to a core part of who I am. I spend an ample amount of time, perhaps much more than the average person, pondering the wonders of this life - like how we so easily fail to see the "big picture," or God's most holy will for our everyday living. Or how we can get so wrapped up in the small stressors of each day. And how oh so often we have our life planned to the smallest detail - yet nothing seems to work out how we intend...crazy isn't it?! (Insert air of sarcasm, if you did not catch it.)

And so it begins. A random compilation of my day's thoughts, an occasional rant,  a humorous story here and there, and a dash of thought provoking questions. The following is a Clairestotle taste-test, if you will:

Many friends know of the story of how I was kidnapped in kindergarten. It all began when I wandered from my parents sight at my brother's baseball game. They had taken two cars, and thought the other had me - classic mistake. Okay, okay...I wasn't actually kidnapped. But I coin it under such a title, because 1. I did not know the man who took me and 2. he offered me a piece of candy. All the pieces are there. What I don't usually tell is that the man was another parent on my brother's baseball team, and just happened to live two streets away from us. I was back with my parents in an hour and all was well. I have not seen the man since. And unfortunately I did NOT learn the lesson of straying from my parent's side... ("Claire Pohlen...please come to the customer service counter....Claire Pohlen your mother is waiting for you.......")

Fast forward to today- Since late August I have had the incredible opportunity to work for an elected official. A big component of the work is answering calls. Like many areas of profession, the office phones have caller ID. This generally works to my advantage, especially in the case of frequent callers -  there's just enough time to mentally prepare from the sight of the name to the vocal greeting. Today I received a particular call from whose name I immediately recognized - you (probably didn't) guessed it - my "kidnapper." For those of you who know me as Claire the Creeper, no I did not reveal my identity over the phone.

My thought for the day: Isn't it crazy how God puts people in your life, in strange ways nonetheless, and 14 years later you can come in contact with them again? It is marvelling to me how small the world can be, that is, if we take the time to pay attention to the beauty surrounding us.

Goal for the week: wish a stranger a Merry Christmas! Inspiration in case of awkward situations:

(Note: Please stop the video before :43!!! Hurtful and offensive language alert.)