Are You Taking Time To Appreciate Life?

 

Today I'm just sharing some things on my heart. It will most likely be a rambling of some sort, but hopefully you can follow along.

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend...a very busy friend. We love our lunches together and sometimes we throw in some light shopping or a craft at her house. Yesterday we shared lunch and had some great conversation. But something she said stuck with me and later that day, as I was reading on the back porch, I had some thoughts about it and thought I'd share them, in case it's a question anyone else every ponders.

She and her husband have been very busy with projects over the past few years, but as we were talking, she mentioned being a little concerned about how their life would look after all the renovating and projects were over. She wondered what they would find to do. 

I could relate to the question, because I battled the same thoughts when my youngest son got married and all of a sudden, I found my house to be very quiet. Thankfully, I have always been content taking care of my home, the bills, cleaning and other interests around the house, so I quickly found that I had plenty to do, in spite of my empty nest. 

But after processing her question throughout the day, I realized that we are a society that doesn't know how to relax and not be busy. 

We are addicted to the hustle and bustle - I even see it in little children. Gone are the days of being home more than you're not. Gone are the days when kids have time to just play - and adults too.

We don't know how to enjoy our lives, our homes, our work, without cramming a bunch of other activities in between. 

So my answer to her fear, was this...

When the running and the doing is slowing down, THEN you can begin to live and enjoy.

Instead of squeezing in a dinner party, between other events, you can savor the planning and the execution of throwing one. 

Instead of squeezing in lunch, between errands and more DIY's, you can have lunch and linger over coffee or dessert. 

Instead of starting a craft project, but having to shelve it to move on to the next thing calling, you can actually finish what you've started and enjoy being creative.

Instead of speed reading a book, just to throw it down and pick up the next, maybe you can read and glean, while putting your feet up on the back porch. 

Life moves faster as the years go by. Or at least that's the way it seems to me.

I want to slow down. 

I want to enjoy my home and making it beautiful and cozy for myself, as well as family and friends. But if I'm cramming those family and friends in and out, like a revolving door because I'm too busy to really enjoy them, then what am I gaining? 

Is this really what God meant when he said he wants to give us an abundant life?

I guess it depends on what you want an abundance of...stress, consumption, material things or time to enjoy the abundance of people, the quiet of a sunny day or the beauty and satisfaction of cooking a homemade meal. 

It really does come down to making choices that move us toward our own personal dreams of what we want out of life. 

For me, I think I'll choose to slow down. To move through my days at a slower pace; savoring the work God has given me, whatever that may be. But not filling my life so full that I'm literally running from one thing to the next. I just don't see the point.

Even now, there are days when my house is quiet and I'm a little uneasy at the thought of hours of time stretching out before me. But I'm learning. 

I'm learning to be ok with the slower days.

I'm learning to be ok with sitting or soaking up the quiet.

I'm learning to love my home again and finding the value in investing in the cleaning and work that needs to be done here.

Projects will come and go. But we need to be ok with regular days too, I think. For those are the days when real life happens and you actually have time to appreciate it. 

And what's the point of life, if you're too busy to appreciate it?

Until Next Time...

Blessings!