Well, guys, we’re on the downward slope for the year 2016. And though there have been some definite highs in the past 6 months, I think we can all agree that 2016 hasn’t been the world’s best.

It seems you can’t turn on the TV without hearing sad news. There’s so much brokenness around us—and truth be told, it can often seem too much to handle.

I mean, how many blows can we take?

But, for all these low points in humanity, it’s also been cool to hear stories of healing, love, and acceptance. It’s tempting to focus on the bad and completely miss the good.

When I need help remembering the good in life, I pull from my ol’ college days when I worked as a counselor at a summer camp.

It was there that I learned about something called “T5.” Now, for the life of me, I can’t remember who told me about T5, but it’s a great tool when trying to help little brains articulate things, places, and people. Here’s how it works, I could say “hey kid, T5 your experience at camp” and then he or she would have to tell me the top 5 best things from camp. Or, “T5 that Bible lesson” and, again, he/she would come up with a list of 5 things they found interesting from the study.

So today, I’m T5-ing life for me lately. Because sometimes, you just have to force yourself to focus on the good.

1. Mission Dallas

   

   In case you don’t know, I work full-time at my church in the youth department. And friends, it’s an awesome job. This past week, we took the 8th/9th graders on a mission trip to…DALLAS. I know, sounds lame since we already live in Dallas. But, we worked with refugee children for the week through an organization called For the Nations and it was such a joy. We taught ESL lessons to refugee students and it was an eye-opening, life changing experience for us all.

2. Acrylic painting
   I, Kat Williamson, can only draw one thing in life: a robot. Never have I been artistic; never will I be artistic. Yet, I do have a strong appreciation for art—particularly abstract paintings, such as…
   I mean, c’mon. Beauties, amiright? Well, a few weeks ago, something kind of tough happened in my life, and (as dumb as this sounds) I felt the need to express myself through art. Feel free to make fun of me for that last sentence…I totally deserve it. But, you know what? Painting really did make me feel better. It was surprisingly therapeutic and now I’m on a roll. I’m still unartistic, but WHO CARES I’m having so much fun.

   

3. 8pm runs
   I found my running sweet spot during these hot July days. Right when the sun sets and there’s about 40 minutes left of light, I hop into my running shoes and enjoy exploring my east Dallas hood in the “cool” nighttime weather (which is still typically around 90 degrees).
4. “Good” worship music
   I know, I know—all Christian music should be labeled as “good.” But honestly, some of it is just not my cup of tea. A student of mine recently introduced me to a few new songs that I genuinely love. The tunes below have been playing on repeat at my house lately…check ’em.
   
   

   

   

   “Rising Sun” by All Sons & Daughters
   “Pieces” by Amanda Cooke
   “King of Love” by I AM THEY

5. My happy, outdated apartment

   

   It’s no secret: I have a fierce, fierce love for my little 1920s apartment. Sure, it doesn’t have central air/heat, a washer/dryer, or a dishwasher, but what it lacks in modern conveniences, it makes up for in character. I’m just really thankful for the space.

So there you are. My T5 for life lately—as well as a silly little reminder to focus on the good.

KAT
Currently listening to “Devil in Me” by Anderson East