Byword

I recently discovered that I really enjoy writing. Like, I really enjoy it. It’s a great way for me to think things through and organize my thoughts. It also gives me a chance to express myself in a way that is constructive and healthy. Plus, when I’m done, I have something that I’ve work hard on, can be proud of, and can share with others if I choose to. Writing is great!

Like I said before, this is something I discovered recently. I used to think writing was lame. That’s because my only real experience with writing was with academic writing, something I still find to be lame most of the time. But I tried writing for myself instead of for an assignment, and I found that I really like it. The only problem was that the writing tools I was using were for academic writing, not for creative writing. And that’s when I discovered Byword.

Byword is a simple text editor for Mac and iOS. It allows you to edit rich text (like you would with TextEdit or Wordpad), but the coolest thing about Byword is that it also allows you to write in Markdown. More on that later. Byword syncs your documents between your devices through iCloud or Dropbox. That way, you can start something on your computer and revise it later on your iPhone or iPad. All of the apps are really beautiful. The UI does a good job of not getting the way so that I can just let my creative juices flow.

Another really cool thing about Byword is its publishing capabilities. These options cost a little more, but they are definitely worth it if you’re using Byword to write for a blog or if you want to sync your writings to Evernote. Whenever you’re done writing, you just hit the Publish button, tell Byword where you want to publish to, and it does all the back-end work for you. It’s really cool.

But my favorite thing about Byword, and the reason I chose it as my primary creative writing app, is that it is a Markdown editor. Markdown is a writing language that lets you do HTML-style formatting without having to actually write HTML. Instead, you use symbols to represent common HTML code. For example putting a # before a word or sentence makes it a header. The * symbol is used for italics, and ** is used for bold. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, Markdown is a powerful writing language. And I like it because it makes me feel like I’m doing a little bit of coding along with my creative writing, which is an awesome feeling.

Beautiful user interface on multiple devices. Excellent publishing options. And Markdown support. That’s why I love Byword. I use Byword to write everything for my website. I also use it for my Bible journal and for writing sermons. I once used it to write an email just for fun. Basically, any of my writing that isn’t for school is done in Byword because it’s the best way to write. I would highly suggest Byword to anyone interested in writing. Thank you guys for reading, and I hope you’ll try out Byword. I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Byword is available for $9.99 on the Mac App Store and for $4.99 on the iOS App Store. It’s definitely worth every penny.

Plans Change

This past Sunday (as on most days), I woke up with a plan for how my day was going to go. I was going to go to church, spend the day there, and drive back to school after watching the Super Bowl with my friends. It seemed like a pretty good plan to me. After all, I was the one who came up with it. But my day didn’t turn out that way.

When I woke up, it was sleeting. I didn’t think much of it. I got up, got ready, and headed to church. But I quickly realized that things were not going according to plan. The roads were slick, and just driving from my house to the church was a scary experience. Once I got to the church, I had no idea what I was going to do. I ended up going home after service because the roads were too dangerous for me to drive to school on.

My initial reaction was frustration. Why did my plans have to change? I had to email all of my professors and let them know I’d be missing class, which is not something I enjoy doing. I also had to cancel an allergy appointment, which meant having to rearrange even more plans. Plus, I had no guarantee that the weather would ease up for me to drive to school on Monday. In my head, it all seemed like a big mess, and it upset me.

I think this is a pretty typical reaction when plans get messed up. It is for me, at least. I like to think ahead. I like to know what I’ll be doing at any given time throughout the coming day. I don’t mind a bit of spontaneity every now and then, but for the most part, I’m a planner, and I think a lot of people can relate. Life is just easier when you go in with a plan. You can get more done that way, and there is less room for a wild card to come in and take up all your time. Planning things out just makes sense.

But I think problems arise when we get too attached to our plans, and this is something I really struggle with. Once I’ve got my day planned out, I don’t like it to change. If someone asks me to rearrange something, I am tempted to get annoyed or frustrated with him or her, and I start to feel like my whole plan is falling apart right before my eyes. I mean, we already had it all planned out. Why does it have to change?

That’s the thing, though. Plans do change. It can be for any number of reasons, good or bad. It might be something uncontrollable like the weather, or it might be human error like a friend waking up late on the day of an important meeting. But no matter what the reason, plans are going to change. You could create the most meticulous, beautiful, well-thought-out plan in the world, but by the time that plan comes to fruition, something about it will probably change. And for me (and I think others), that’s really hard to accept.

It’s one thing to accept that plans change when it comes to small things like a lunch meeting or when one leaves for school. Even I can usually talk myself into coming to terms with the fact that plans change on this level. But what about when it’s something bigger than that? What about when your whole life plan is changed? What about when something unexpected, like an illness or the loss of a job, comes in and just completely shatters everything you’ve planned for your life? What then?

I can’t say I know a whole lot about this level of change. But I imagine that you have to do the same thing with these big changes that you do with the small changes. You accept them. You adjust to them. Even if that’s hard, even if it seems impossible, there’s not much else you can do. Sure, you can get upset or try to live in denial, but that’s not going to get you very far. Because like I said before, plans will change. It’s inevitable, and often it’s something we cannot do anything about. So we have to accept it and do what we can with the situation we’re in.

I think life would be a lot easier for myself and the other planners out there if we could keep the simple truth that plans change in mind while we’re making them. If I take the approach that I have a plan, but it’s flexible to some change if need be, I’ll probably be a lot more open to change when it inevitably comes along. I think ultimately all of our plans should be considered temporary pending God’s approval. He has a master plan for our lives, and we should always try to conform our plans to His.

Because when it comes down to it, God knows what’s best for us. His plans are perfect, very much unlike ours. And sometimes, those curveballs that come our way and mess up our plans may just be God’s way of saying, “Hey, that’s not the direction I want you to go!” And not all curveballs are bad. So if you’re a planner like me and things don’t go according to plan, just try to go with it. And if you end up snowed in watching the Super Bowl with your family instead of driving to school, well, maybe that’s OK. After all, plans change. May as well make the most of it.

Agents of SHIELD

Agents of SHIELD is a new show on ABC that chronicles the adventures of Agent Phil Coulson and his team as they investigate very strange occurrences and battle with superhuman bad guys of all sorts. The team works for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (or SHIELD for short), which is a government division within the Marvel Cinematic Universe that deals with superheroes and supervillains. As the premise suggests, it’s a pretty exciting show.

Many of you may know Agent Coulson from several Marvel films. He has appeared in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers. He started off as a new character created just for the films, but he has turned out to be pretty important in the series. And if you’ve seen The Avengers (spoiler alert if you haven’t, just skip to the next paragraph), you know that Coulson is killed during the film. A big part of the show revolves around the mystery of how Coulson is alive, his journey to understand what happened to him, and the psychological implications of coming back from the dead. It’s a really interesting story, and they’re telling it in small pieces that are satisfying but still keep you guessing.

The other main characters in the show are new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. SHIELD is a pretty big operation, and we’ve only met a few agents personally, so the show gives us an opportunity to look at what it’s like for the people working within SHIELD. Each character has his or her own quirks, and they interact with each other in complicated, interesting ways that are sometimes simply hilarious.

You’ve got Agent May, the pilot who came out of retirement just to work with Coulson. Then there’s Ward, the young agent who does everything by the book. Fitz and Simmons are science experts, but they both end up spending a good deal of time outside the lab. And finally, there’s Skye, who isn’t officially a SHIELD agent but works with the team as a tech consultant. Each character has their own backstory that we learn little by little, and each of them has gone through a great deal of growth since the show began. It’s very cool to see the characters’ stories unfold as the series progresses.

What I think is really cool about Agents of SHIELD is that it takes place within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you’re a fan of the recent Marvel movies, then you’ll feel right at home with this show. There are plenty of references to the films, and some major characters even make cameos on the show. Events that happen within the films have an effect on the show, and I’m hoping that the show will eventually make an impact on the films, too.

I’ll finish by saying this: I almost gave up on Agents of SHIELD after watching the pilot. It was cheesy and awkward, and I didn’t really feel like it fit well with the rest of the MCU. Fortunately, I gave it a second chance and watched the next episode, and I was hooked. The show had a bit of a rocky start, but it’s really found itself. They’ve been working on an overarching storyline for this season that is just starting to emerge, and I can honestly say it’s very cool. I would suggest giving this show at least two episodes to grow on you. I think if you give it a chance, you’ll be hooked. I know I am.

Agents of SHIELD airs Tuesdays nights at 7:00 central on ABC. New episodes start back this Tuesday, February 4.

January in Review

Hello, friends! I hope all is well. Can you believe it’s already been 2014 for a month? It’s gone by so quickly. I’m still trying to break the habit of putting 2013 when I write the date. But even though it’s gone by quickly, January has been exciting. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

On January 1, I put my New Year’s Resolutions into effect, and I’m proud to say I’ve kept up with each of them. I thought now would be a good time to look back on each of them and see how they’re going.

I’ve been writing every day, and that’s been really good for me. I’ve found that taking a few minutes every day to express myself has been very energizing and inspiring. I’ve yet to experience writer’s block, although I’m sure it will come eventually. But I’m very pleased with what I’ve written thus far, and I look forward to writing more.

On top of my more creative writing, I’ve also been keeping a Bible journal every day. This has been amazing. My pastor suggested it to me a long time ago, and I wish I had heeded his advice sooner. After reading a passage of scripture, I take the time to think it through and write a response to it. This has helped me process my readings more and apply God’s word to my life in a way that simply reading through each day can’t do. I’m also creating a resource (37 pages already!) that I can use when I’m writing sermons to go back and look at my thoughts on passages in the past and apply them to my writings in the future. My expanded verse of the day has been a success, I think. It has helped me keep each day’s verse in the front of my mind, and I hope you guys enjoy my brief thoughts on a scripture daily. If not, let me know how I can improve!

1SE has kind of been a different story. I really like the idea of capturing a moment every day, but some days, I struggle to find something worth recording. And often when I do something that is worth recording, I’m too caught up in what I’m doing to remember to film! I’m still working through what I want my 1SE to be and how it fits in my life, but it at least gives me an excuse to share cute videos of Aiden anyhow.

Those of you who have been keeping up with my blog know that I have stayed faithful to the schedule I set out at the beginning of the year. I’ve posted a blog post every Tuesday and a Stuff Devon Likes article every Saturday this month, and I think this schedule is really working well. It pushes me to write and reflect often while not putting too much strain on my schedule. I had a mini-adventure this week when I woke up on Tuesday and realized I hadn’t pre-written something to publish. But I wrote up a post that I think is relatable and sticks to the level of quality I’m trying to uphold on my site. So blogging is going well, and I hope you enjoy reading them.

All in all, I’d say my New Year’s Resolutions are going strong. In non-resolution news, we launched the new Merge website, which I helped to create, this month. The launch was a huge success. I also spent a week sick in bed, which wasn’t fun. I’m sure many of you saw me complaining about it on Twitter. I got to babysit Aiden for a couple of days, and we had a great time. I’m really glad I got that quality time with him while I was home.

Now I’m back at school getting into the swing of things. I’m really happy with my class schedule this semester, and I’m excited to start working at Camp Beaverfork again soon. This semester is all about tying up loose ends before graduation: writing my thesis, taking the Psychology Major Field Test, and making sure I have fulfilled every last requirement so I can get that fancy diploma in May. So far, so good. Thank you guys for joining me on this journey. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little update, and I look forward to sharing more of my life with you in the coming months. To finish off my January update, here’s my 1 Second Everyday video for January 2014. Enjoy!

When You're Tired

We all know the feeling. It’s the end of January, the holidays are over, and you’re trying to get back into the swing of things. If you’re in school, you’re probably already drowning in homework. And if you’re not in school, well, you’re probably drowning in something else. Sometimes, life gets tiring. That’s just the way it is. It happens to all of us, probably more often than we’d like to admit. Honestly, that’s where I’m at right now, and that’s why I decided to write this blog post. Here are a few tips I’ve found to help me when I’m feeling tired, physically and otherwise.

1. Breathe

I don’t know about you, but when I’m fatigued, it stresses me out. I try to rush to get everything on my to-do list done so that I can sleep, and I end up tiring myself out even more. Plus, my work is always sub-par when I’m tired and rushing myself. I get to the point where all I want to do is get the bare minimum out the way so that I can collapse. But when I get this way, I find that finishing that to-do list seems to get harder and harder. It’s a vicious cycle that I struggle to get out of.

But I’ve found a pretty simple solution to this: Just breathe. Take a second. Put everything away. Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Take a few deep breathes. And then get back to whatever you’re doing. I’ve found that taking just a few seconds to breathe in the midst of all my stress and fatigue can do wonders. It gives me focus and energy to get through whatever it is I’m working on. Plus, it relieves some of the stress so that I can focus on the task at hand rather than on the pile of other things waiting for me when I finish this one.

2. Streamline

I think the number one cause of fatigue in my life is trying to spread myself too thin. I have a lot of things that I would like to do, like learning guitar and writing a book, but I can’t do everything at once. If I try, I get tired, and then I have trouble accomplishing anything at all. When you’re feeling tired, it may be a sign that it’s time to cut out some of the things in your life that are taking your energy but might not be worthwhile.

This will involve prioritizing. There are lots of good things out there for you to do and achieve. But you have to decide what’s most important in your life and build your goals around those core things. Maybe you enjoy playing tennis, but it’s keeping you from spending time with your family. There are only so many hours in the day, and trying to do both is exhausting, so it’s time to put the racquet up for a while until your schedule clears up a bit. There’s nothing wrong with trimming some things out of your life if you’re overwhelmed. In fact, you’ll find that in the long run, you’ll enjoy the things you do choose to do a lot more if you’re not spreading yourself too thin.

3. Pray

This one kind of goes along with breathing. When I give myself a really short break to just clear my head and breathe, I often say a short prayer. And it does wonders.

The truth is that we can’t do it all on our own. We’re not supposed to. It’s not the way we’re made. God made us with an innate need for communication with and reliance on Him. He wants us to come to Him when we’re feeling tired and stressed. He wants us to lay it all before Him and say, “I can’t do this on my own. I’m giving it to You. Do with it what You will because I can’t handle it.” When you’re honest with the Lord about how you’re feeling and you call on Him for help, He will come through for you, and you will feel so much better. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” We can find rest in our Savior if we just reach out to Him.

4. Rest

And that brings me to my last point: rest. This one is so important, and it’s one we often neglect, which is what leads to fatigue in the first place. When we have a lot on our plates, we often forget to take care of ourselves, and this has awful effects. And for me, at least, this gets worse when I’m tired. When things are good and I’m feeling fine, I’m usually pretty good about taking care of myself. But when I’m tired and stressed, making time for rest goes out the window. This is probably the worst thing I can do when I’m tired.

But how does one find rest in the midst of fatigue and stress? I think this is different for everyone. We all have an outlet that helps us relax and re-energize when we’re feeling tired. For some, it may be exercise. Other people people may rest by watching TV. For me, I’ve found the best ways of resting are spending time with my family and expressing myself through writing. I cannot put into words how energizing and relaxing these two activities are for me. Find your own way of resting, and make time for it on days you’re feeling tired.

These are just a few tips I have for when you’re tired. These aren’t full-proof or necessarily right for everyone. But this is what I’ve learned from my experience, and I do my best to incorporate these principles into my life when I feel like I’m letting myself get fatigued. I believe God desires for us to live healthy lives and to serve Him with clear minds. I hope these tips have been helpful, and if you have any others to add to the list, I’d love to hear them. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you guys on Friday for a special life update!