Damn Lion @damnlionblog - Tumblr Blog

What if it's both?

One of the hardest things about having kids is that you cannot guarantee their safety. It feels disabling when you really think about your lack of control. But we can do things that objectively make them safer. We do this all the time. Make logical decisions that work to remove some risk. That’s why we buckle our kids in the car seat or put locks on cabinets in the kitchen. It makes me wonder why it’s hard to do this when it comes to guns? We desperately need legislation that removes some risk. That makes buying a gun harder or more time intensive or requires background checks on all gun purchases. This is happening right now with the parents of the girls that died at Camp Mystic this summer. They’re working to make sure that laws are passed to make camps safer, like no cabins on floodplains. It’s not banning camps, it’s putting preventative measures in place for the protection of children. Why can’t we think this way with guns? I don’t get why it’s controversial. I don’t get why anyone would argue that guns in America aren’t a problem…that it’s just sinful, broken people. What if it’s both?!

#gun control

In love, the main thing is to admire, respect, celebrate, and take delight in the object of that love, to let it be itself, to want it to be gloriously and freely itself, not to snatch it or control it or squash it into another shape. That’s not love, but lust. Is love then the pursuit of objectivity? Of course not. Precisely at the moment when love is celebrating the radical otherness of the beloved – whether it be a star twenty million light-years away or a human being twenty millimeters away – love enters into a relationship with the beloved, a relationship that is defined by the nature of the beloved, but in which admiration is mixed with curiosity, a desire to discover more, respect with a longing for intimacy, a desire to know (so far as is possible) to be known.

N.T. Wright

Still Waiting To Hear Back

Written on 11/2/16 after reading this daily news subscription for over a year.

Hey! Love the Skimm – been reading it for a while every morning. And although I love the short, get-to-the-point messaging, it can feel as though you lack empathy - especially when talking about major issues like the Syrian war, ISIS, and the Refugee Crisis. In news where you mention “human shields” and “hundreds of thousands of people have been killed” for example, there is a certain sensitivity necessary, and I’m not sure your taglines/puns are the right fit – no matter how great they are. It comes across like you are lacking awareness when you say things like: “So, Syria is still a peace of work.” Yes, this is true, and nice pun – but although I have the luxury of reading from my cozy office, the reality is there are people absolutely devastated and suffering in Syria. And making something sound cool to make the Skimm relevant is the wrong approach. I can guarantee they wouldn’t find the pun as witty as you do, when peace is a matter of life and death. And the war has taken their family, home, dignity, power…. That is just one example of many since I’ve been reading. You are doing a good job making your readers aware of the top issues going on in the world, without having to feel anything for those who are suffering. And if that is your goal, then sadly, I’ll stop reading, and eventually all who are looking to read the news with an engaged mind AND engaged heart will stop, too. Please think about this. Katie

#theskimm #news #feedback

Worth every penny. 💰

Life Together

There’s a lot to love about NYC, but what I love most is how we do life together.

Cable is kind of a luxury, so instead of watching the debate at home, the bar down the street is packed full of people watching… together.

Nobody has washing machines, so we all take it to the laundry mat and wait for it… together.

Driving never makes any sense, so we take public transportation… together.

Kitchens are so small (and groceries are expensive), so every night of the week restaurants are full of people eating… together.

Parks and city views are few and far between, so we are out looking at the skyline or sitting on a park bench reading… together.

You could argue that nobody is actually “together” since you might only (slightly) make eye-contact with someone…

But, I think there is something special about seeing others in their lives - doing very normal things - on a regular basis. Even if it’s just a glimpse.

You come here to experience the city, which keeps you anywhere but home.

And it’s awesome.

#nyc #lifetogether #crowdedbars #crowdedrestaurants #crowdedparks #crowdedsubway #embracethecrowds #life

Duck out of water

#NYC #duck #jolly ranchers

Think about things differently

There’s this quote I really like, it goes something like… “Pay close attention to what breaks your heart.” I think about it a lot. Are the right things breaking my heart? Am I spending my emotions in a way that reflect what I say I believe? Am I more upset about how bad the guy next to me on the train smells or his accessibility to take a shower? The more I’ve thought about that, the more I’m convinced I should be paying close attention to anything that moves me, not just what breaks me. Every day I see and hear so much content. More than ever before. Whether it’s a conversation, my Twitter feed, a sermon from Church, an Instagram photo, walking the streets of NYC, watching a movie… you get the idea. I think most of it goes in one ear, out the other. “Oh that’s a cute haircut,” “That’s funny,” “What a sad story,” are things I say or think in the moment, but forget the next. So I’m trying to be very mindful of what means anything to me. The pictures I can’t get out of my head. The tweet I’m still thinking about. The quote I read that resonated with me. All of the content that doesn’t disappear from my memory. I think by being mindful I can actually take what moves me and be changed by it. Either by it challenging me to become better (which can look like a million different things), or helping me recognize more about who I am - what makes me laugh, what makes me sad, what brings me joy. The last thing I want is to move through life unaffected and unchanged.

"We cannot become what we want to be by remaining where we are.”

#mindfulness

Not so deep thoughts from today

1. I wish I could have a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast every morning.

2. When I see Mary Kate or Ashley Olsen, who’s name should I yell? I wish I could learn to tell them apart.

3. I wonder if she regrets the Chanel logo tattoo behind her ear?

4. What if Brad and Angelina’s breakup actually ruined your day?

5. I don’t think it’s fair to put a 2 year-old in a “I’m with Hillary" t-shirt. *

*this doesn’t mean I’m pro-Trump. I just think kids should be allowed to grow up before they get involved in politics

#thoughts #NYC #insidemymind

#mood

#nyc #rainyday

“It’s part of our human condition: We want to be known. We want to be great. And God is whispering it to our love-hungry hearts: You already are. You are known. You are loved. You are approved.  Look how much.”

#west village #NYC #BFF