Easy does it...but it still is doing
Well Hello there! How have you been? Man have I ever missed writing. There is something satisfying about sorting through all the ribbons of thought that swirl through one's mind and concising it down to a theme of sorts, and then capturing it on "paper." In order to do that, one must have a semblance of normalcy to their lives in my opinion, and for the last couple of years, my life has been anything but. But long story short, I'm back! And I'm so very happy about that. :)
I hope my musings during this time of my life will reflect a deeper wisdom than I had before. I think that God takes us on journeys that we never in a million years would guess we'd be on. It's up to us to recognize his hand in our lives and to submit to the process, and to pass on to others the amazing things he's shown us along the way. That's what this blog has always been about. To share with you my trust walk that is available to each of us.
We will have plenty of time to catch up on all the unfolding details of my current state. What I wanted to bring to you with this post is the beauty of time. And slowing it waaaayyyyy down.
Do you find sometimes that you are rushing through your days in an effort to get to the next best, "gooder" experience?? Like Fridays?? And then that blessed weekend rolls around, or vacation, and you want to just slow the clock down to make that time last as long as possible. I find myself caught in such a cycle at times. What I'm learning is that each and every moment of our lives holds its own charm and needs to be given its due. True, Mondays aren't always full of grins and giggles, but it doesn't take too deep of a look to realize that Mondays are a very necessary part of cleansing our palate from action-packed weekends.
A week and a half ago, I had an occurrence which has completely taken away my freedom of choice in how fast or slow I speed through my day. Have you ever had a stress fracture in your foot? They are NOT FUN...even worse not fun than Mondays!! I went from being completely on purpose with my time, planning after work activities which included strolling with friends, hiking, working out, etc., to salivating from noon on about the nap I was going to take when I got home and could finally elevate and ice my poor flipper. Instead of checking my pack for bear spray before I leave the car and sprint up the hill, I'm checking my purse to make sure I have enough Advil to get me through the many steps that are necessary in my job. It's been awesome to say the least. And it was my very own fault, how it all started. Learn from me. Don't wear the wrong tight fitting, narrow-toed, 2-inch heels on a day when you wind up taking over 10,000 steps. ESPECIALLY when said shoes make a loud clacking noise on hard floors necessitating that you walk on tiptoes during the bulk of those 10,000 steps. It was a recipe for disaster and extremely poor planning on my part. I will be paying for that poor planning during most of this beautiful summer that is just getting into full swing. Oh no, never mind the tiny little pity party I allow myself from time to time. ;)
I am choosing to find the silver lining in this situation. I recently relocated to a beautiful mountainous environment where I can leave work and be up high on a mountain overlooking clear, crystalline lakes within 30 minutes. True story. And I've done that quite often since I moved here. Nature is the best therapy I know of and it is my life's blood. Not being able to engage in hiking during this time could easily throw me into a tailspin of pity. With only myself to blame.
Instead, I am forcing myself to give this situation to God with open palms, to let him take it from me and replace my restlessness with opportunities from life in the slow lane. I am not one who acquiesces easily to a slow anything. I tend to push myself hard when it comes to goals and skills. It's fun for me. Sitting on the sidelines is not fun. Even more not fun than Mondays. Oh, but I digress. ;)
One day this week as I was limping my way in to work from the parking lot, I was acutely aware of the rush my coworkers were in. True, it was nearing the top of the hour and many of them may have been close to being late, but car after car pulled into the parking lot and barely stopped before its operator bolted out of the door and race-walked towards the buildings. And there I was, being lapped, time and time again. My friends who know me well know how much irony is in that statement. I'm not one who allows myself to be lapped. I LEAD the lapping. But not right now. Nope - I am submitting to the process. I am choosing the slow lane.
I've identified many things I can do while my body heals. I am apologizing to it by adopting an anti-inflammatory eating plan. I've upped my Vitamin D and K consumption. I choke down steaming cups full of bone broth. I lovingly put my feet in epsom salt baths to hopefully decrease the persistent swelling. I wear comfortable (okay only one pair works) shoes EVEN THOUGH they are far from fashionable. I have crafted a workout plan that doesn't involve one leg, so I can stay in shape and heal more quickly. I am spending more time in my kitchen creating recipes and juicing delicious farmer's market vegetables to provide my body with what it needs to recover. I am.....wait for it....slowing down. And it's okay. This must be a time in my life that God wants me to spend more time diving into his word, leaning on him, being still. And I submit to that. That is not my usual bent. But here is the crux of this whole post. Submitting to the process which God allows in your life is not weakness. It is awareness of his eminence in your life. His 30,000 foot view over your circumstances. He alone knows our end from our beginning. And I want he alone to guide me along the best path for my life. I trust his heart, even when I don't necessarily see his hand. He and I have grown very close over the last couple of years. I don't ever want to go back to him being my 911 God. I much prefer him being my first stop when I encounter reasons for joy that he drops in my lap, or areas of concern that I need him to guide me through. He's all those things to me and more. He has urged me to see this season in my life as just that. Temporary. I know that by mid-summer I will likely be tentatively testing my newly healed hoof on mountain trails. I know that I will still be able to go camping. I know that I will need to rely on others to make some of this happen. Those are lessons I know I need to learn. Not always fun, but growth doesn't happen in our comfort zones.
Your area of challenge right now may not be physical. Maybe you have a loved one who is facing health challenges. Maybe your way of making a living is in jeopardy. Do you have a child who is making poor choices and you are tearing your hair out with KNOWING what lies ahead for them if they continue as is? Whatever the situation, I urge you to turn your face upward right now. Open your hands and lift them up and say this simple prayer, "God, I bring my concerns to you with open palms. I don't want to hold on to them anymore. I want you, in your infinite wisdom and tender love for me to handle my worries. And I praise you in my storm. Thank you."
God has led me down the path as outlined above. He has asked me to worship him in this way and to bring my concerns to him with open palms. And I obeyed. I will share with you in future posts exactly what has transpired since that groundbreaking conversation with him. I serve a God who blows my mind on a daily basis. And so can you.
I hope you all have a marvelous rest of your day, and guess what?? Tomorrow is Friday!! Slow this weekend down and live presently every single moment of it. And as always....
...make it a great day!
I hope my musings during this time of my life will reflect a deeper wisdom than I had before. I think that God takes us on journeys that we never in a million years would guess we'd be on. It's up to us to recognize his hand in our lives and to submit to the process, and to pass on to others the amazing things he's shown us along the way. That's what this blog has always been about. To share with you my trust walk that is available to each of us.
We will have plenty of time to catch up on all the unfolding details of my current state. What I wanted to bring to you with this post is the beauty of time. And slowing it waaaayyyyy down.
Do you find sometimes that you are rushing through your days in an effort to get to the next best, "gooder" experience?? Like Fridays?? And then that blessed weekend rolls around, or vacation, and you want to just slow the clock down to make that time last as long as possible. I find myself caught in such a cycle at times. What I'm learning is that each and every moment of our lives holds its own charm and needs to be given its due. True, Mondays aren't always full of grins and giggles, but it doesn't take too deep of a look to realize that Mondays are a very necessary part of cleansing our palate from action-packed weekends.
A week and a half ago, I had an occurrence which has completely taken away my freedom of choice in how fast or slow I speed through my day. Have you ever had a stress fracture in your foot? They are NOT FUN...even worse not fun than Mondays!! I went from being completely on purpose with my time, planning after work activities which included strolling with friends, hiking, working out, etc., to salivating from noon on about the nap I was going to take when I got home and could finally elevate and ice my poor flipper. Instead of checking my pack for bear spray before I leave the car and sprint up the hill, I'm checking my purse to make sure I have enough Advil to get me through the many steps that are necessary in my job. It's been awesome to say the least. And it was my very own fault, how it all started. Learn from me. Don't wear the wrong tight fitting, narrow-toed, 2-inch heels on a day when you wind up taking over 10,000 steps. ESPECIALLY when said shoes make a loud clacking noise on hard floors necessitating that you walk on tiptoes during the bulk of those 10,000 steps. It was a recipe for disaster and extremely poor planning on my part. I will be paying for that poor planning during most of this beautiful summer that is just getting into full swing. Oh no, never mind the tiny little pity party I allow myself from time to time. ;)
I am choosing to find the silver lining in this situation. I recently relocated to a beautiful mountainous environment where I can leave work and be up high on a mountain overlooking clear, crystalline lakes within 30 minutes. True story. And I've done that quite often since I moved here. Nature is the best therapy I know of and it is my life's blood. Not being able to engage in hiking during this time could easily throw me into a tailspin of pity. With only myself to blame.
Instead, I am forcing myself to give this situation to God with open palms, to let him take it from me and replace my restlessness with opportunities from life in the slow lane. I am not one who acquiesces easily to a slow anything. I tend to push myself hard when it comes to goals and skills. It's fun for me. Sitting on the sidelines is not fun. Even more not fun than Mondays. Oh, but I digress. ;)
One day this week as I was limping my way in to work from the parking lot, I was acutely aware of the rush my coworkers were in. True, it was nearing the top of the hour and many of them may have been close to being late, but car after car pulled into the parking lot and barely stopped before its operator bolted out of the door and race-walked towards the buildings. And there I was, being lapped, time and time again. My friends who know me well know how much irony is in that statement. I'm not one who allows myself to be lapped. I LEAD the lapping. But not right now. Nope - I am submitting to the process. I am choosing the slow lane.
I've identified many things I can do while my body heals. I am apologizing to it by adopting an anti-inflammatory eating plan. I've upped my Vitamin D and K consumption. I choke down steaming cups full of bone broth. I lovingly put my feet in epsom salt baths to hopefully decrease the persistent swelling. I wear comfortable (okay only one pair works) shoes EVEN THOUGH they are far from fashionable. I have crafted a workout plan that doesn't involve one leg, so I can stay in shape and heal more quickly. I am spending more time in my kitchen creating recipes and juicing delicious farmer's market vegetables to provide my body with what it needs to recover. I am.....wait for it....slowing down. And it's okay. This must be a time in my life that God wants me to spend more time diving into his word, leaning on him, being still. And I submit to that. That is not my usual bent. But here is the crux of this whole post. Submitting to the process which God allows in your life is not weakness. It is awareness of his eminence in your life. His 30,000 foot view over your circumstances. He alone knows our end from our beginning. And I want he alone to guide me along the best path for my life. I trust his heart, even when I don't necessarily see his hand. He and I have grown very close over the last couple of years. I don't ever want to go back to him being my 911 God. I much prefer him being my first stop when I encounter reasons for joy that he drops in my lap, or areas of concern that I need him to guide me through. He's all those things to me and more. He has urged me to see this season in my life as just that. Temporary. I know that by mid-summer I will likely be tentatively testing my newly healed hoof on mountain trails. I know that I will still be able to go camping. I know that I will need to rely on others to make some of this happen. Those are lessons I know I need to learn. Not always fun, but growth doesn't happen in our comfort zones.
Your area of challenge right now may not be physical. Maybe you have a loved one who is facing health challenges. Maybe your way of making a living is in jeopardy. Do you have a child who is making poor choices and you are tearing your hair out with KNOWING what lies ahead for them if they continue as is? Whatever the situation, I urge you to turn your face upward right now. Open your hands and lift them up and say this simple prayer, "God, I bring my concerns to you with open palms. I don't want to hold on to them anymore. I want you, in your infinite wisdom and tender love for me to handle my worries. And I praise you in my storm. Thank you."
God has led me down the path as outlined above. He has asked me to worship him in this way and to bring my concerns to him with open palms. And I obeyed. I will share with you in future posts exactly what has transpired since that groundbreaking conversation with him. I serve a God who blows my mind on a daily basis. And so can you.
I hope you all have a marvelous rest of your day, and guess what?? Tomorrow is Friday!! Slow this weekend down and live presently every single moment of it. And as always....
...make it a great day!
You are amazing!
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