Reflections while blow-drying my hair…

 

I find some of my best reflecting happens while I am getting ready in the morning, in particular while I am blow-drying my hair.  Maybe it is because most of the rest of my day is filled with ongoing demands pulling at me or distractions like my cell phone or the TV keeping my mind occupied or maybe it is the clutter around my office and home that constantly remind me of one more thing that is on my to-do list but hasn’t gotten done yet.  But whatever the reason is there is something about the lull of the hair dryer that helps me tune out the rest of the distractions and my mind is free to wander and reflect.  Some people talk about the things that keep them up at night and using the tool of keeping a pad of paper by the bed to jot down the thought so they can drift off to sleep.  I have learned that it is better for me to keep the pad of paper in my bathroom because that is where I need to jot down things that come up while I am getting ready.  I know that as soon as I walk out of the bathroom and leave my room, these things don’t come to mind again until maybe the next morning if then.

Today has been one of my favorite kind of days at the end of a long weekend at home with only a few commitments on my schedule, I didn’t have to be anywhere special this morning so I was late getting ready for the day.  Today is the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday and I watched part of the Interfaith Prayer Breakfast on TV and it was no surprise that Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech was referenced.  I memorized this speech when I was in school and there is quite a bit that I still remember and can recite along with them as it was read.  This weekend has also been filled with little projects around the house, straightening up, putting up the final Christmas decorations, continue to de-clutter the “stuff” that weighs me down, preparing for the week ahead.   So it is no surprise to me that as I am blow-drying my hair, my mind wanders to “I have a Dream…”.  I pause and think about what is it that I dream of today.  It is January and a great time to think of goals, dreams, and reflections on where you are and where you want to be.  Not to diminish or take away from the powerful message of Dr. King but over the next few blog post, I will share a few of my dreams and goals that have come through my reflections while blow-drying my hair.

 

I dream of the day that I have…

  • A clutter free home & life!
  • Time to have regular & meaningful visits with my friends and family!
  • Energy to be helpful to and present for those around me where there is a need!

 

I know that God uses these times of reflection – to speak to me, to nudge me, to encourage me and to challenge me.  What are your dreams and reflections?  When and where do you find your moment to hear the thoughts that are deep inside of you, the dreams and needs that God is nudging you to do something about.  Are you like me and need to get that pad of paper to jot them down so you don’t forget?   I look forward to sharing more reflection from my mornings in future blogs.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It is clearly time for a new blog post.  This fall I have continue to work on simplifying my life and improving my health.  I have enjoyed traveling, catching up with friends, visiting with family and lots of fun in between.  I hope to have a few post after the fact on some of that fun.  I have also updated the theme on my website so I hope you find this format to be easier to navigate and enjoy.

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Gold Glitter Poinsettia

As December has approached, I have wanted to be intentional about my preparations for Christmas this year – enjoying both the big and little things of all that the season brings.  Last year, I was stressed-out and overwhelmed around this time of the season and ultimately ended up sick most of December so I feel that I missed out on a lot of this most special time of celebration.  This year, I have worked for months to try and manage the stress and find a better balance to life as well as stay healthy.  It is a work in progress as my work load increases (like it does at this point every year) and colds seem to be hard to completely avoid from the people around me. But, here I sit this morning in the quiet, looking at a beautiful Christmas tree up and ready to decorate pausing to write this post.

I have already enjoyed a few special traditions to help with preparations.  Years ago, my mom started going to Homewood Nursery in Raleigh, NC to see their vast amount of poinsettias, unique types and colors.  She has enjoyed picking up these beautiful flowers for family, friends and coworkers each year.  A few years ago my sister and I got to join mom for the first time and experience this tradition – one that we try not to miss going forward.   This is part of what makes Christmas special for Mom and has become a great treat for our entire family.  We were able to visit Homewood on the weekend of their Open House where they have the largest supply of poinsettias.  They are all so beautiful and fun to look through as we pick the perfect one for our needs.  I picked up one for the office and one for the house.

A new tradition that I am trying this year is what has been called Picture Advent.  I learned about it through a facebook post from a friend.  It is a way to capture the preparations for the Christmas season with a photo a day.  You can choose to tie the post to key words and scriptures that lead us through the preparation for Christ birth.  I may not hit every day but I am already enjoying posting photos and plan to post photos throughout the month of December.  They may be serious moments or silly moments but each image reflects my preparations for Christmas.  Follow me on Instagram to see all my posts of #pictureadvent .

What traditions are you enjoying this season?  I would love to see your comments!

Finding Joy & Blessings on the Journey

I started on this journey to find a greater purpose with my time, my stuff, my money – my life.  I knew when I started that God has so much more in store for me that getting stuck in the rut of everyday life and allowing the demands of obligations, commitments and expectations to bring me down and consume me.  I knew that I had become overwhelmed the demands on me at work, within my family as well as my own expectations of what I should be doing and I needed to take a timeout and regroup!

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A view from one of my walks around the lake…

I am thankful for posts on blogs and Facebook that I read back in the fall that gave tips on how to “Simplify Life”.  I am thankful that it planted the seed I needed to have a desire to do something about how I was using my days and work on clearing out the things that don’t matter or are weighing me down so I can make room in my schedule, in my budget and with my energy to do the things I am truly passionate about.  I have discovered that I am like many others that have gotten to the point of being overwhelmed through many years of taking on more than I should, trying to please those around me, and stretching myself too thin.  I have learned that it will not be something that is changed quickly or easily which is why the “A Simple Year” online course has been a perfect way to start tackling it.  It is amazing how each small part of my life that I clear away the clutter from, I am finding such joy and blessings.

I started with clearing clutter in the house.  I always have loved clear counters, clear floors, clear desk and other clear surfaces.  It creates a sense of accomplishment for me and provides the area I need to work when a project comes up.  I also tackled my closet.  I went through all of my Fall and Winter clothes and only kept the ones in the closet that fit and that I loved wearing.  It made it so much easier to get up and going in the morning and find something to wear.  I tackled my schedule – since I had been so sick as I started this project and didn’t have energy to do much more than go to work, come home, fix dinner and go to bed, I allowed this drastic change to be my catalyst .  I only allowed the items back in my schedule that I truly had energy and time to do.  I limited dinner with friends to only once a week.  I kept weekend plans to a minimum so I actually had time to recharge.  I now don’t have to say I am too busy to do something because as my energy came back and I am able to do more, I have the spaces still available in my schedule.   There are still times when multiple commitments creep back in too close and too fast but the good thing about this overall mindset is that my upcoming weeks and months are not so jammed packed that I can’t adjust when they do.  I also have started looking for new things to explore – blogging, changing my eating and finding a healthier lifestyle.  Each one is only possible because I have cleared away some of the clutter that previously occupied my time.

Two scriptures that have become very meaningful to me recently are:

1 Corinthians 10:23 – “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive.”

I know that I can do anything I want to do but doing everything at once is not beneficial or constructive, in fact it will wear me down and cause me not to be able to do the important things.

Hebrews 12:11 – “No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.  Later on however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Whether you are training for a big race or training for being better at this race of life, you need discipline to do what needs to be done each day and week so you can see the improvement along the way.  Each step of this journey may not be easy but staying the course and doing the little things along the way bring a great harvest in weeks and months to come.  Clearing the “clutter” months ago and keeping it clear have helped me be able to tackle new challenges today.  I wonder what fruit will come from the harvest in the next few months.

This morning I went for a walk  – part of my finding a healthier lifestyle and I love walking down by the lake in my neighborhood.  As I rounded the corner around the end of the lake, I realized that I had more bounce in my step and was not tired, so for the first time since moving here I decided to make a second lap and not just continue through the neighborhood streets.  I was overwhelmed with joy of what it meant to make a second lap around the lake – I had the time, the energy and the stamina to do it and loved the extra minutes on my walk.  It is moments like this that I know that the culmination of working on many areas of my life to find a simpler, more meaningful life this year are helping me see the fruits of that harvest.