This past week has really flown by. Where did the time go? It seems I have been busy all week, but have very little to show for it. And for this results-oriented person, that is a problem.
There is no doubt that summer is here. The drought ending rain and the unseasonably cool weather is gone. Immediately, the temperatures returned to what is normal for this time of year. With daytime highs in the upper 90s, July and August look to be over 100 degrees.
We are still trying to catch up from all the rain we had causing an overgrowth of grass and weeds. If you can’t get outside first thing in the morning, the heat will just steal your strength and resolve for making a day of it outside.
Last Sunday was Father’s Day, and we had agreed to do no work; just spend family time together and watch movies. Our son sent his dad movies for Father’s Day, since he and his wife could not be with us. So, my husband, my daughter, and I watched movies all afternoon. It was really nice just spending time together. Oftentimes, on the weekend, we end up in different parts of the yard or house, and don’t really see or talk to each other.
What I didn’t tell you in last week’s blog is that I was feeling so behind on chores from being on vacation for a week that I stayed home from work on that Thursday and Friday to do some work around the house. Due to some appointments on Thursday I didn’t get much done on my to-do list. But Friday and Saturday I was outside all day.
I pulled weeds from the flowerbeds, pruned shrubs and roses, fixed the sprinkler system, trimmed limbs on trees that were too low or touching the house, dug up a dying shrub and put a new one in its place, and spread mulch. And in between all that I did the laundry. All the while, my husband was working on his own list of projects. I was actually ready to spend the day on Sunday in the house, on the couch.
As it happens every week, the undone projects on my list scoff at me and taunt me. Did I do as much as humanly possible? Did I push myself as hard as I should have? Oh yes, yes I did. One thing people will say about me is that I am a task master. Breaks are for when the job is complete. I get focused on something and want to finish it.
The front of the house is looking really nice. The trees are trimmed and the flowerbeds are coming along. But…not only do the unpulled weeds taunt me, but the places in the flowerbeds that still need mulch nag at me. The flowers on the front porch that are still waiting to be planted are suffering in the heat; they are starting to look pathetic.
Every day, after work, I think I will have time to do a little more, but dinner, dishes, and animals consume what little time there is. I used to stay up late trying to get more done; I am wiser now. Bedtime is sacred. Maybe I’m trying to find out if the saying is true, “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man/person healthy, wealthy, and wise.” I don’t know how long it is supposed to take to find out.
Here I am on the cusp of another weekend. What should I do first? New things have popped up on the list like: get new tires on the car, get hay for the next year, empty the flatbed trailer at the recycling place so I can get that hay, and install a sprinkler system for the fruit trees.
Sometimes, my inner voice is nice to me and says, “Look at all that you have accomplished. Look at how nice everything looks.” Mostly, though, it has rude and mean things to say to me. The voice gets so loud sometimes that I use vacation days from my fulltime job to give me more time to accomplish more things at home.
Finding the balance between work and play is hard for everyone, including health coaches. Learning to tell the inner voice to be nice and not blow things out of perspective can be very challenging. We must learn to embrace those things which are sacred, like family time, quiet time, and bedtime. Make time to take care of your relationships and your health. That is where the real joy in life lies. It is not the color of the walls, the fullness of the flowerbeds, or even the cleanliness of the house that puts a smile in my heart; it’s my relationship with God, my family, and my friends. I don’t ever want to be guilty of pushing aside my blessings to get a better look at my wants.
There will always be wants, but I can find blessings in that. If I could eat once and never be hungry then I would never know the pleasure of good food. And the hungrier I may be when I eat, the sweeter the taste is in my mouth and the more satisfied I will feel.
So I tell my inner voice to be nice or be quiet. My joy is way, way more than a completed to-do list. As busy as my life is, I really do love my life. It is in the quiet moments when I can appreciate all the blessings that I have. The best ones are eternal and not material. The best ones are built with love.
Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God!”
