Did you wonder if I would ever write another blog? I did….for a bit. You know how life just happens and all of the sudden things aren’t the same! That has been my life since fall of 2014. A wonderful man entered my life November 2013….this fall I resigned from being an Apple contractor, remodeled my home, got married, and I have been in the joyous process of combining our stuff, stuff and more stuff! (Men, I do believe you hold on to more stuff than us gals!)
I have a daily devotional that I read each year. Most days, I glean a new word…a new thought…a little peace, a bucket of hope, or simply the grace of God on the page that I’m reading. I sometimes record my thoughts: successes as well as fears and struggles on the pages to help bring perspective to my life when the next year comes around.
Like many, my life has not been free of challenges….sometimes I have felt that I had an over abundance, but over the years I have come to understand that those difficult times have strengthened my faith, taught me better strategies as well as given me courage to move through new problems as they arise. When the hard part of life happens…it often seems that things will never change. I think it has been easier for me to write and express myself when dealing with a difficulty because everyone can relate to the conversation.
A bird’s eye view of how life does eventually change:
Notes from October 2013: fear, despair, frustration as I had no work for 5 months…but life doesn’t stay the same and just when you decide to give up, something happens… fast forward to
Notes from October 2014: love, joy, peace. (that says it all…short and sweet)
I am off the road for the first time in 23 years. I am beginning to realize that my work had become my identity and my life…with that gone… who am I now and what do I have to say? I didn’t slow down gradually…I came to an immediate halt! The merry-go-round of planning a wedding and traveling with my new husband kept me from thinking about what would come next….until NEXT arrived. What were my options…did I want to do something different…did I have another career in me?
I know I’m not the only one to have a Next….many would say..”How lucky you are…I wish I could ha
ve a Next.” For the last two months my Next has consisted of daily chores…exercise for those delicious pounds I gained eating while traveling, napping (I have never been a napper, but I am finally getting over feeling guilty about doing it), trying to reorganize our house and dreading the decluttering of my office meanwhile always considering what I really want to do Next…thus no writing.
My husband has such a gift of loving me and gets a kick out of watching this process that I am going through as I try to figure out which direction to take. His support is encouraging me to simply have some fun so I can get my creative juices flowing. Imagine that! What a luxury this is for me! For years, I have not been to be able to just have fun and I’m beginning to discover there is something important in this process.
It hasn’t been easy (which sounds so silly)…last week I started small…I spent the morning reading my magazine collection (that would be a year’s worth of magazines) and the afternoon (yes, about 3 hours) creating new playlists for our music! Mark was delighted to see the broad smile on my face when he arrived home. Have you been working yourself into the ground…putting off some TLC for yourself? When was the last time you had fun doing something you never find time to do?
Are you so driven that you have forgotten how to energize yourself? Step out of the box you have put yourself into and wake up to smell the coffee…flowers…or whatever makes you healthier, happier, and more excited about living! Even if you aren’t in the midst of a Next, don’t let your job control your life…as we don’t all get a Next. I’ve got more stories to write…I’m sure of that…so stay tuned…I promise it won’t be so long!
Tip: Live your life…do something this week that you have missed not doing!
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