| I got a snow day yesterday. In retail, that probably usually doesn't happen. My boss decided it wasn't worth risking going on the roads. I love my boss! So, what's been new and interesting in my life? Well, I went to Chile. For details on that, visit sunnyb64.  Becky pretty much covered it. It was a really great time though. I feel so fortunate to have travelled to Kenya and Chile! I have this goal to travel to all seven continents before I die. Three down. Perhaps another interesting thing in my life, which some of you already know, is after burning myself out this fall I have taken temporary leave from everything. Except for work. I make occasional short term commitments, like the Easter cantata, but nothing long term for now. It has been really...interesting. I realized I have no idea how to sit still and do nothing. I'm having to learn that its okay to not go out every night of the week. To not always have a commitment. Isn't that crazy? If I did this for the rest of my life, that would be crazy, but for now I really need it. I keep calling it "Be a Mary not a Martha." I'm sure God is teaching me something through this time. The first thing I think I have learned is that by being so busy, I had to be self centered. I didn't want to be self centered, but I had to be, because I was so tired I could barely get through my own life. I'm supposed to have time to invest in other people, but I didn't. There are people I've known for months, that I've just realized I know nothing about. I didn't have the energy to know anything. I'm sure they told me things, but I had to keep asking because I kept forgetting. No wonder its hard to have relationships. The point of that was not, "Oh poor me" or "Oh I'm so bad." The point is, I never realized how I allowed being busy to control my life. Recently, while meeting with several other singles at our church, we discovered that single people make themselves busy. They just 'don't have time'. Well, I'm starting to learn, and maybe this will help some other stressed out people out there, that we do have the time. It really is up to us what we spend our time doing. It may mean ending some commitments, or saying no to people on occasion, but we don't have to be stressed out. I'm sure that means different things for different people. I liked a quote from PB's last sermon (before he left for Florida) He said, "If you are too busy to spend time with God, then God never intended for you to be that busy." I extended that in my head to say, "If you are so busy that you are tired, miserable, unhealthy, stressed out... add in whatever you want, then God never intended for you to be that busy." Is this what it feels like to be on a soap box??? Anyway, that's what's been running through my head lately. I'm still on this journey of doing nothing (love the irony) and looking forward to seeing what else I'm going to learn. Maybe I'll post my pearls of wisdom occasionally. Any thoughts are welcome. |
