Sunday, April 12, 2015

My Big, Little Adventure


Over Spring Break, my friend and I went to hear one of my favorite authors and blogger, Gretchen Rubin, speak about her new book, "Better Than Before." I read her book, "The Happiness Project," a few years ago for book club and I’ve been following her blog ever since. Her latest book, Better Than Before, looks at the different aspects of peoples’ personality, specifically relating to our habits, and how we can take those tendencies and shape them to be better. I LOVE this kind of stuff!

First, I have to note about the process of getting there…

When I first heard about the event, I was excited about it and really wanted to go.  Talking about books is my jam. But, as I thought about it, I was fearful and anxiety-ridden about whether I could actually get there on my own. Then I wondered if it was worth even going. Let’s face it, any time Mom needs to go somewhere, it can be quite the process and requires an excess amount of coordination. (If both parents want to go out together at the same time, world-renowned chest players must be called upon to figure out the strategy and exit plan! At least that’s what it feels like at our house.) I’m realizing that it’s never going to be easy but I have to start taking time for myself anyway.  I have to start doing the things that fill “my love tank.” Otherwise, I become a not very happy person. Thankfully my husband was super supportive and basically pushed me out the door.

It was quite an adventure. Husbands had to come home early from work or work from home. My friend and I had to navigate the metro (with a transfer!) into the city and then find the venue. I’ll be honest, I was nervous to do it. I rarely venture out on my own and I wasn’t sure if I could still navigate the outside world. But, guess what?! I can still do it! I can still function as an adult human in the big, crazy world. Yay!

The humor of forcing myself out of my comfort zone to attend an event about changing our habits was not lost on me. 

Ok, back to Gretchen….

It was completely worth the time and effort. She’s so relatable and encouraging. It’s like having a heartfelt conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee. Hearing her speak about her book was the same way. She gave us great insight into peoples’ habits and tendencies but in such a light and fun way. We laughed, we learned, we were encouraged. It was great!

If you haven’t read any of her books, I highly recommend them. Her blog is great, too. She recently started a podcast with her sister, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, which I also highly recommend. It’s a fun discussion with interesting tips about life and people. Good, good stuff!!

Website: http://www.gretchenrubin.com/
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/happier-with-gretchen-rubin/id969519520?mt=2

So, that was the highlight of my Spring Break (which I think qualifies me for the hashtag: #nerdalert)! 


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Today's Lesson Will Be On Rest


“Mom,” my daughter says as she’s hitting a tennis ball on her Wii game at 9 am on a Monday morning, “I think this Spring Break will be good. You know, to rest our brains.”

Out of the mouth of babes comes perfect truth.

We are on Spring Break this week. I’m not sure who needed it more, the kids or me? During regular weeks, playing Wii at 9 am in the morning would be out of the question, even on Saturday and Sunday. It seems like we’re always rushing to start school, or to start our weekend chores and errands, or even rushing to get to church (sadly, we’re still usually late).

But, we need rest. We need relaxed schedules and time to play.

Last year was my first year homeschooling and we didn’t take a Spring Break until much too late in the spring semester. I felt like we couldn’t stop because it would break our momentum or derail all of our progress. Instead, the kids were cranky, frustrated and burnt out by mid April. That’s so like me, to push until we’re running on vapors.

This year I decided to take Spring Break when our local public school was on break. The break would be earlier in the semester, we’d be able to hang out with our friends that go to public school and I wouldn’t feel like I was going to be arrested when we were going places around town. I think it was a wise decision. I can already see how much we needed it and I’m certain we’ll start back next week feeling rejuvenated.

So, why is it so hard to take a break? Is it because of fear and anxiety? Maybe even a tiny bit of pride? I remember my Grandma telling me she’d feel guilty when she’d take a break, and I think I struggle in the same way.

Over the past two years, God has been bringing me back to this idea of a Sabbath rest. I feel like he’s rewiring my thought process on it. When the topic comes up over and over again, I start to take note that God might be trying to tell me something. A few things have stuck with me.

First, I keep thinking about this quote, “A wise woman knows when she needs rest.” I think I read that quote on Sally Clarkson’s blog about a year ago. It’s stuck with me. It isn’t foolish or lazy to rest. It can be wise to rest.

Second, if you ever get a chance to read Jen Hatmaker’s book, “Seven,” there is a funny-because-it’s-true chapter on Stress. In the chapter, she talks about how she started taking Sabbath rest seriously. I love what she says: “What if God understood our tendency to overwork and underrest, so He made it mandatory for believers to breathe…pause…pray…relax every week?” It encouraged me to try to do the same. (It isn’t easy! I’m still figuring it out.)

Finally, this verse stopped me in my tracks, enough so that I put it up in my kitchen and on my bathroom mirror: “For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.” – Hebrews 4:10-11

Gulp. That kind of makes all my rushing around sound a bit like sin.

It makes perfect sense, of course! When I refuse to rest, I’m cranky and irritable with my family. And, deep down inside, I’m resentful. Obviously, none of that is what God wants for my family, my life or me.

I had a long to-do list of things I wanted to accomplish over Spring Break. It was completely unrealistic. After my daughter made that comment about letting our brains rest, I decided to cross several things off my to-do list and enjoy a relaxed week. Isn’t it neat how God uses our children to encourage us?