Wow. Hello there, I apologize I haven't written since November. I suppose it's a classic sign of busyness, which I hate. I once heard busy stands for Buried Under Satan's Yoke. I suppose it's true, for when busyness happens, other things get dropped or neglected. Each time you say yes to something, you say no to something else. But, I digress.....
Do you like to be on hold? I don't. In fact, it drives me nuts. Nothing worse than calling customer service for somewhere to be placed on hold. What about waiting in line at the store? No thank you! Grrr.....I suppose it's because I'm a strong type A personality. {I took a quiz online that said if you got 12 or more yeses for answers to their questions, you were a strong type A. I think I got 100% on that quiz for being type A. Digressing, again.....} So, I am impatient. I don't like to wait. I don't like to be on hold. And, I don't like the process of waiting. I like closure. I like deadlines. I like defined dates, times, spaces. You get the picture, I think. But, ambiguousness, not my thing. Waiting, not so much.
I liked having planned c sections because I knew when the baby was coming. {Now, that I think about it, even knowing that the baby would likely come in 9-10 months would suffice now. Maturing, aren't I?} I like moving dates when you move, because you know when you are going from A to B. I like knowing when school breaks are so you can plan accordingly. {Control freak? No comment.} I like to know what is coming next & when it is coming, please.
However, I am learning to get better at being on hold. I don't like it, but I'm seeing the value in it. I like my meat well done. If I went to eat & ordered a well done steak that came to me red, I would send it back. The cooking process wouldn't have been complete for me to eat my steak the way I like it. My kids do crafts and when they rush the process of letting their craft dry, it ruins the craft. I'm seeing the value in waiting & letting things come to fruition. And so it is with us. One of my favorite verses is Philippians 1:6 ~ "he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." So I need to trust that He will complete my work. I can't rush it. I have to wait it out. Kind of like when I get a pedicure & am in a hurry, rush out the door with shoes on & what happens? Yup, I end up back at the salon because my impatience smudged my toes. Sigh.
I'm starting to see that letting things come to completion in their own time, not mine, is good. The process can be beautiful. The trick is to learn to enjoy it and be present in the moment. I have spent so much time thinking "when this happens, then __________." "When my kids are in school, I will have more free time," was a big one. However, thinking that way, caused me to miss out on some really sweet times with them not in school. Years I won't get back. Or, "when summer is here, we will have so much fun outside." Why can't we have fun outside in the spring, fall or winter {that last one is really dicey, here in SD though!} The key is learning to be content and seeing the beauty in the circumstance. It's easy to wish away the now focusing on the future. But, you don't get that now back once it's over. Being on hold has allowed me to be present in the moment and appreciate what I do have, not think about what is ahead.
It's easy to put things on hold & think, "when the kids are older, I will take better care of myself." {Guilty of that one too.} Or, Wwhen we know about the promotion, we will go on vacation." Why not take care of yourself now? Why not plan the vacation now? Get insurance & change it if you have to. Not the end of the world.
I'd like to close with a great quote that hopefully sticks with you - "today is a gift, that's why it's called the present." ~ Alice Morse Earle
What are you doing with your present, friends? Hopefully living to the FULL! Enjoy today!
