Best Laid Plans

Even at this time of relative freedom, I find that life does get in the way of my plans; schedules are interrupted by anything from illness to last minute requests. I suppose that is what life is really about-not so much what we have planned, but the interruptions themselves. After all, life is really a series of interruptions, whether self-imposed or imposed by others. I suspect that many of us would use our time (at least some of it) differently than we do, but if we can not learn how to appreciate the way that it is being used, rather than how we would like to be using it, we will miss out on a great part of our lives. We can plan all we like, but the only plan we really need is to learn how to live, to appreciate the moment (or at least learn from it) and to allow each moment to bring us into another. When it comes right down to it, the important thing is what we are doing now. Past is past and the future is unknown (sometimes non-existent) and so to live as if past and future are the only periods of consequence is to miss out on this gift called life.

Learning to rest

It is fair to say that I am currently in a time of waiting. We tend to look at waiting as a waste of time in our culture, but I am finding it to be quite refreshing in some ways. Grant it, I had to come to grips with the fact that I was in a time of rest and transition and that it was okay for me to be there. Like most of us, I felt I should be "doing" something. As I struggled with family issues and health issues, I found myself in this place and it was a wonderful surprise to me when I realized that God was allowing me to be there; He was allowing me to take the time to be renewed through relaxation. This does not mean that my days are empty. I do have a mandate, even in rest. God has given me permission to focus on some simple things, things that are often left on the periphery. That mandate consists of 5 items: 1) to be available to my daughter (who is homeschooling) 2) to work on making my house a comfortable home 3) to read everything I can get my hands on (I really like this one!) 4) to experiment with gluten free cooking (I have celiac disease) and 5) to exercise and focus on healthy living. Although this is technically meant to be carried out within a certain period of time, I am happy to report that it has altered my way of looking at life in general and I know that I will take the lessons I am learning right now into the next phase of my life, as well.