Elementary, Mr. Watson

Today my husband and I attended our first Men on the Tor event. It's a group that enjoys the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, one of my husband's favorite authors.

Today's event was at a State Park called "Devil's Hopyard" but the devil seemed to be quite far. The sky was so clear that near the end of the event the coordinator pointed to the only wispy cloud that marred the blue dome overhead - the only cloud seen the whole time.

While we sat with the group at the picnic, I was prompted to look around and really take it all in. Sherlock Holmes was known for his keen observation, after all.

There were many people in the park: hiking, biking, playing catch, eating, running, playing, laughing... even romancing.

There was life all around, from giggling toddlers to smiling seniors. I even saw a middle-aged woman drawing with chalk on the pavement.

When Christ lived here, He was aware of all around Him; children brought Him delight.

I had a smile moment too, when one barged into the toilet with a broken lock. Without embarrassment, she simply closed the door and called to her mom that there was some lady in there. The sweetness of innocence. :D

On Monday I need to be in the office at 6:30 am to move all the furniture back and rewire the office after the painters came through this weekend. Then I have a long work day after that. 

All too quickly, this world with its responsibilities, schedules, requirements and demands intrudes into our Peace.

How do we deal with it all?

Elementary, my dear. Take the time to refresh ourselves. Even if we cannot visit distant parks between meetings, we can still take a five-minute break in prayer ~ anywhere.

God can deliver some of that refreshment to the place where we are ~ anytime.

And God doesn't expect tips.

~ ESA

Pride-Priorities

Today is part of a string of days filled with non-stop running from place-to-place and group-to-group as my husband and I make our annual multi-state run to visit family and friends.

We both lacked sleep and time to unwind from one gathering to the next. Plus, as we were staying with my mother this week, she had a long list of things she wanted us to do as well.

In addition, I've been trying to find a stretch of quiet time to myself so I can update my resume and initiate the job search before I returned to work on Monday. The week drew to a close quicker than I expected and I barely started my resume.

Then I sprained a muscle in my right hand; the pain made my temper even shorter while the list of those to see continued to grow longer. More people heard we were in the area and wanted us to drop by for a visit too.

Today, I snapped at my husband for no reason at all. The stress had taken its toll and I found myself on the verge of tears. :(

And it took that moment for me to pause, take a step back and look at what was going on in my life. I was being pulled in so many different directions, I felt I no longer had control of things. Every time another person wanted us to visit or help with something, I never said no, but tried to squeeze them in.

Essentially, they were in control of my life. I needed to take the reigns again or I would quickly be driven into the ground and no good to anyone.

What I needed to learn to do was to prioritize. What are the important things I need to accomplish today? What things really matter? What things would be nice to do, but can be missed?

Pride told me that I can do it all, that all I had to do was tackle it head on. It dawned on me today that "everything" wasn't an acceptable choice. I was exhausted, ineffective, and had become rude to people, snapping at the smallest annoyance. I had to focus on the important things and call the rest to say, "I'm sorry, maybe another time."

I also made sure to take time to listen to the quiet voice within. Letting myself be guided not by the chaotic noise of the multiple voices outside myself demanding my attention, but by something more. Something that will help me address the important things and let the little things slide by without too much "guilt" that the world lays at our doorsteps when we cannot keep up with the overburdened schedules of our lives.

Pause and Pray
Prioritize
Go

-ESA