A nice balance

This is my first quiet week.  Last week I surrounded myself with friends.  If I wasn't with one I was on the phone with one.  Learning to be alone is interesting.  I'm trying to focus more...listen to what's going on inside.  What I keep hearing over and over is be nice.  I have a tendency to push.  I'm a goal driven person.  I make lists.  And that's good.  It helps me accomplish things...feel good about myself.  But it can also feel strict and rigid.


So today instead of running with my heart thudding out of my chest I walked.  Do you know how nice that felt??  Instead of listening to my "butt sweat" music I turned it off and listened to all the critters in the weeds singing...birds chirping.  It was beautiful.  For lunch I didn't have a turkey and cheese sandwich for the millionth time, I had crackers and hummus with some greek yogurt.  And right now I'm going to go take a bath and then maybe read a book!  It feels good to be nice to myself. 

All this probably stems from a new series at church we just started.  Our pastor is challenging us to live like we only have one month left.  There's a book that goes along with it called One Month To Live...Thirty days to a no-regrets life by Kerry and Chris Shook.  I haven't read the book yet, but it's got me thinking. 

What if I did have only one month left?  Would I be watching tv, running, eating leftovers??  Heck no!  I would be soaking everything in.  Surrounding myself with everyone I loved.  Eating whatever sounded good.  Saying exactly what I think.  Blogging like a crazy person...wanting to get in every last thought.  Telling you all that the only thing that matters in this life is to love your people and to love the Lord with all your heart.  Living intentionally...focused on the important bigger picture and forgetting about all the unnecessary little distractions that consume so much time...THAT'S what I would do!

My Honey gets weighted down with this kind of talk.  It's just too much for him.  The death of his dad has made him extremely emotional and sentimental, and if he actually lived like he only had 30 days left...he'd quit his job in a heartbeat, scoop all of us up and take off.  So in reality it's not always productive to think this way.  I think finding a nice balance is key.  Learning to have goals, strive for success all the while still allowing yourself to appreciate and love life......now that's the ticket.  What do you think?

Have a blessed day.

God handpainted the sky for us on our way home from Duluth.  I couldn't put my camera down.  These pics are completely untouched.  It was an amazing show.