agentlewhisper

[agentlewhisper]

Pho for the soul

This might be obvious to most, but I learned today that meeting a friend for lunch is good for the soul. I’m not exactly a social butterfly and usually limit my “social meetings” (usually one-on-ones) to a minimum except for special occasions.

Today was a sad day for me. My mom and brother, who were visiting us from New Jersey, left us after two weeks of eating together, talking together, watching TV together, and playing Settlers of Catan together. I’ve been dreading their departure starting about two nights ago. It wasn’t from fear of being sad, but from fear of emptiness. The time came anyway, and they had to go. My mom cried. I didn’t, until I was sure their car wouldn’t turn around for something they’ve forgotten.

If I were behaving like I normally do, I would’ve stayed home and absorbed the emptiness deeply into my soul. But I felt that such behavior during this particular phase of my life might put me down for a very long time, perhaps into something clinical. So I arranged to meet with a friend for lunch, first in a long time and something I don’t usually do. I’ve been learning that the feeling of emptiness is more dangerous than the feeling of sadness. Sadness eventually helps me rebound, but emptiness drags me down and immobilizes me. 

We didn’t talk about my miscarriage while eating pho. We didn’t talk about how I’ve been feeling since my pregnancy. We didn’t have a deep conversation, but we talked about families and k-dramas, husbands, and work. We laughed and enjoyed pho, a true soul-food transcending any Korean food I’ve eaten (except for my mom’s spicy pork bulgogi). 

There was a time when I used to think these superficial meetings with friends were pointless. I ask you to excuse the harshness of the language, because I used to be that stupid and anti-social. It shows that I still have a lot to learn about Christian life, because it was this “pointless” meeting that saved me today from sinking into a variety of hateful and sullen thoughts. If you’re reading this as a friend, and if you’ve had such lunches with me in the past, thank you for educating this cavewoman about life. Thank you.

[agentlewhisper]

The difficulty

Ever since I started social media (back in middle school), I had trouble putting my thoughts out there in the public sphere. I’m still afraid of putting my thoughts out there, because I take seriously the consequences of my words. The risk of misinterpretation and accusation, criticisms and misunderstandings virtually forbid my putting anything “out there”. I almost wondered if it’s better for me not to have a social media platform (fb, instagram, etc.). But I also want to connect with others, and perhaps even bring something positive to them because I know that the world needs it. Our social media is often flooded with negative, destructive words and visuals. But how can a sinner and a selfish person like me put anything good out there? I am often severely torn in my heart. Even though I believe that living the life of a Christ-follower has brought lots of positive changes to my life, I’m still not confident about the benefit of my words to others. This is why I decided to post Bible verses on social media. Not my own words, but the Word of God. Many people have Bible apps on their phones and I believe this is good. I have one too. But I want the Word of God to be reaching even more people, and without my (or any other) interpretation. Holy Spirit is real and works in the hearts of people. Believing this, I’m more confident about sharing the Word of God than my own. I will start with the book of Proverbs. The reason I start with this book is because this is my dad’s favorite chapter in the Bible. He often preached on the passages from this book when he was still a minister. In honor of this, I’d like to start with this book to start my project.

[agentlewhisper]

“The way we are with each other is the truest test of our faith. How I treat a brother or sister from day to day, how I react to the sin-scarred wino on the street, how I respond to interruptions from people I dislike, how I deal with normal people in their normal confusion on a normal day may be a better indication of my reverence for life than the antiabortion sticker on the bumper of my car.

We are not pro-life simply because we are warding off death. We are pro-life to the extent that we are men and women for others, all others; to the extent that no human flesh is a stranger to us; to the extent that we can touch the hand of another in love; to the extent that for us there are no ‘others.’”

- from The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

[agentlewhisper]

“The spirit of Caiaphas lives on in every century of religious bureaucrats who confidently condemn good people who have broken bad religious laws. Always for a good reason of course: for the good of the temple, for the good of the church. How many sincere people have been banished from the Christian community by religious power brokers as numb in spirit as Caiaphas!”

- from The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

[agentlewhisper]

Jesus said to her,

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

Do you believe this?

[agentlewhisper]

Your friendly neighborhood pharmacist’s travel medicine

I have been traveling a lot more this year than before. Some don’t like to take any medications period, but I am your typical type-A gal who likes to pack everything and anything in case of any natural disaster that may leave me stranded on an island. I would like to share my go-to-meds that I pack whenever I travel domestically or internationally.

1. Advil and/or Tylenol. 

I carry either of these everywhere. I have frequent headaches that leave me quite debilitated once started. I feel that Advil 400mg usually does the trick for me, however if I only have Tylenol I take the 500mg (extra strength) and it works just as well. There is some evidence that ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) works better for menstruation-related pain than acetaminophen (Tylenol), although I’ve never had to compare the two (thankfully).

2. Neosporin/Band-Aids.

I carry these around everywhere (2). I always cut myself on the most random things and have a thing for being a klutz. Of course I don’t want any possible infections and don’t want my blood smearing whatever I touch, therefore I make sure I have these on hand whenever the accidents happen.

3. Zyrtec/Benadryl.

Going to a new destination may mean a new climate and perhaps different types of trees with pollen, depending on time of the year. I find that having some antihistamines on hand helps alleviate any potential allergies that may interfere with my going on a spontaneous hiking trip. Benadryl is helpful if you accidentally ingest some food you might have an allergic reaction to.

4. My vitamins.

In addition to multivitamins, I also take a vitamin B-6 (also called pyridoxine) and zinc. I had these gifted by my brother and try to take them every day, because I find that these do help me feel more emotionally “alive” and less apathetic. 

Of course, you should consult your medical professionals (i.e. primary care provider) if you have any conditions requiring medications. Please feel free to share with me your own go-to travel medication list! Thanks for reading.