Living Intentionally

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

I feel like I should be writing this from an antique plush velvet lounge couch with a mink shawl draped luxuriously over my shoulders and a long cigarette holder from the 1920’s effortlessly dangling between my fingers, because people…I feel so stinkin’ cultured after this weekend.


Just call me Holly Golightly.


But before I get into that, just a quick announcement that is super exciting! I had been getting some feedback that the download process for my ebook, “My Blogging Tips” was a bit cumbersome. So — it is now available on iTunes! You can get your copy here.
OK – back to my Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

This weekend, my best friend and I went to The MET – The Metropolitan Museum of Art – in NYC. I’m going to be super honest with y’all. I live down in the village, and honestly, I never leave my little corner of Manhattan unless I absolutely have to. I just don’t want to deal with the tourists and the traffic. No thank you.

But, this weekend, I decided to just say yes to every opportunity that came my way.

And let me tell you…saying yes to the invitations literally led me all over the city. Brunch on the Upper East Side, seeing a Broadway musical, sunset on a rooftop bar in Midtown, a nightclub at 4am in Alphabet City, lunch in Harlem, chilling at a friend’s house in the Bronx, strolling through Central Park, and finally, spending the afternoon at The MET.


It was, in a word, marvelous.

And if you’re traveling to NYC, seriously, send me an email – I have so many fun suggestions of non-touristy places to go, and I’m not even joking.

But The MET.


The only other time I had been there was when I took the fifth grade boy I nannied, so we literally were in and out after just 15 minutes of looking at the Egyptian mummy installation.

The art was beautiful, obviously. There were impressionist paintings, and sculptures and textile art and different expressions of beauty and creativity.

And I loved it. But one of my favorite things we saw there, were the different trinkets and every-day life objects that had been preserved from the Greek and Roman time. Decorative drinking bowls, and intricate pieces of jewelry. Fascinating tools they used for bathing or grooming or eating. These old little ornaments and articles told a story of what life was like, way back in time. They offered a glimpse into how people lived their lives, and allowed us to imagine what a day in the life must have been like.


And it made me think…if someone were to capture my life, and put the trinkets and objects that were meaningful and important to me on display hundreds of years from now, what would they choose? What would they put in a glass case to preserve and display about how I lived my life?

I kept thinking about that question as I was falling asleep that night, and it kinda kept me up a bit. I mean, how dismal would it be if an iPhone and a subway MetroCard were all I had to show for myself?


And I invite you to take your own inventory – it is a bit eye opening, I’m not going to lie.

What would be displayed about how you live? Because if you’re anything like me, I think what I would like to be displayed, and what actually would be displayed, are perhaps a bit different.

I would like to be able to show that I was some fabulous, faith-filled, family-oriented, fashionista who spent her free time saving the whales and planting trees and solving world hunger.
A girl can dream, right?

But really, am I living my life the way that I would want to be depicted? How am I spending my time? What captures my attention all day? Who do I talk to regularly?

Because if I’m being honest, I can be guilty of devoting more time to reality TV than to worship. And that’s a problem.

They say that actions speak louder than words. But I’d like to tweak that a bit and say that actions speak louder than intentions.

I can intend all day until the cows come home, but when all is said and done, how I spend my time, how I treat people, how I speak, the media I allow in my home — those are a more accurate depiction of the person I am than simply my intent.

So I better start living the way I say I want to live. Because life is short. And fragile. And there’s no time like right now to start living intentionally.

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beautybeyondbones

BBB: Because we're all recovering from something. // For speaking/business inquiries: beautybeyondbones@yahoo.com

175 thoughts on “Living Intentionally”

  1. Hi, what a great hectic life you lead in Manhattan, Fabulous! My lifestyle is much less active then that because of money and circumstances constraints, however, instead of going to the ‘chippy’ or chip shop in England where I live, I went to supermarket and brought some plain flour, Macdougals mind you, I’ve got eggs in and fresh milk, made the batter which I’ve been meaning to do for the last three years! then fried a couple of fish for me and my brother I care for. Great! with some salt, vinegar and a bit of ‘jiffy’ (had no fresh) lemon. Hey, not to bad! I have settled down in my new Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints, and relatively speaking life for me is pretty hectic! in the church sense.
    Always a pleasure to read your blog, have a great week! Jesus loves you!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. “They say that actions speak louder than words. But I’d like to tweak that a bit and say that actions speak louder than intentions.” So powerful! Love it!

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  3. I did appreciate the message of your post; however, I loved the parts about going all over NYC. I wish I could visit the Big Apple soon and get your “places to go” list!

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  4. You hit the nail on the head with this one! I often find myself wasting hours away, instead of doing things that would glorify God and His kingdom. Definitely something that I want to work on as well!

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  5. Love the Holly Golightly reference – Audrey is my absolute favorite fashion icon of all time, but she was also an amazing person! Talk about a giver! She accomplished a lot in her short life – good role model for all of us. I imagine you could call her work with UNICEF and other non profits pretty darn “intentional” ;-D

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  6. Beautiful post. You got me at NYC. New York is one of my favourite cities to visit, it’s so vibrant and exciting with lots to discover. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and found it very profound and insightful. I love all the different graphics and the one that really hit me smack in the face is “The words you speak become the house you live in”. I will try to remember that phrase when I’m being negative about myself .
    I can also relate to doing other things as opposed to spending time with God or doing the things that would create the life that I want. Lots to think about.

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      1. I really like your blog and your writing style. I would like to ask you to do a guest post on my blog. Please think about it and let me know? Regards Sophia

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  7. What great insight and wonderful analogy! This has been on my mind as well. We, especially as Christians, have to live out our faith, and let our walk with God be evident in our lives. Thanks for this motivation and message!

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  10. “They say that actions speak louder than words. But I’d like to tweak that a bit and say that actions speak louder than intentions.” I love this! I too need to start living intentionally. xx

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  13. Excellent post and realization for yourself and anyone else, how we must “choose” daily what we intake and how the world will perceive us. You also hit on what “legacy” do you want to leave behind? You may enjoy John Maxwell’s book “Intentional Living”. Excellent read and great for small group book study!

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