Slowly Falling

As I've been sitting at the computer for the last hour, I've had to adjust the chair three times. It slides down imperceptibly until suddenly I realize that I'm six inches lower than earlier. A similar thing happened to me last week. I was using a music stand and it would slowly drop lower and lower until it became too low to use, so I would have to raise it back up to a good height. It was hard to notice the descent until it became a significant enough amount to be unuseful.

I think many times in life, we find ourselves in a lower place than we thought we were, lower than where we want to be. It takes us by surprise because we thought we were higher than that. The change is gradual enough that we don't notice until it becomes too much of a change.

When it comes to the point of dissatisfaction with our lowness, we have to pull ourselves up. People can help pull us up, but ultimately we'll keep falling unless we consistently adjust ourselves.

It's easy to fall into bad habits and hard to pull out of bad habits. You can't just stop doing a bad habit and leave a void in your life. You have to replace it with something else, hopefully something good.

If you've lapsed to an unacceptable point, then pull yourself up. You'll probably have to do it multiple times. It takes work to stay on high ground, but it's better up there.

Fearless Heart

"Just give me a reason,

Just a little bit's enough

Just a second, we're not broken

Just bent and we can learn to love again.

It's in the stars, 

It's been written in the scars on our hearts

We're not broken

Just bent and we can learn to love again."

-Pink

How often do the forces of the universe, of nature, of people push relentlessly against us? Are you broken, or are you just bent? Most people don't actually break, but they are so bent, they don't realize they can fix themselves.

Most people's yards are covered in grass, a seemingly unimportant plant. But grass teaches us a good lesson. Grass looks better when it's been cut and trimmed, but if you wait too long to cut it and cut off more than half the blade, it hurts it. It's better to trim a little off at a time, even if you have to mow more often. Life lessons are best learned a little at a time, but more frequently than a huge blow to our soul.

Grass is also resilient. It gets sat on, walked on, played on, driven over, squashed flat, and it still pops right back up. It's not broken, just bent. The wind blows the grass till it's almost lying vertical, but as soon as the wind stops, it straightens itself and continues to thrive. Rain and hail pelt the grass flat, snow covers it for months, and it comes right back in the spring.

Finding a moment of introspection can happen easily while laying in the grass looking up at the vast blue sky while white clouds float lazily in the warm summer sun. The ground is a firm anchor to hold you while look into the unending blue space above you. Feelings of being grounded while having unlimited potential.

"Sometimes the best that you can do is just to jump back in

Cause I've got me a fearless heart

Strong enough to get you through the scary part

And it's been broken many times before

A fearless heart just comes back for more."

-Nancy Hanson

Introspection can often lead to healing. You will be able to unbend and untie the knots in your soul. It gives a feeling of power, peace, and a fearless heart. You'll be able to jump back in to the game of life. You'll be strong enough to get through the scary parts. Keep coming back for more!

Memorial Day

We went to a Memorial Day program focused on Veterans. It was sobering. My husband's brother is in the Navy, and our brother-in-law is in the Army. They spend so much time away protecting this country. Even if there is no actual war they are fighting in, they are still putting their lives on the line for us every day.

My husband had thought about joining the military, but decided it wasn't the lifestyle he wanted for himself and for his future family. He wanted to be able to watch his children grow up in person, to be there physically and mentally for them. He felt that for him, it would be better to not join.

I've always had a deep respect for those that are in the military, that sacrifice so much to protect us. Their lives and their families lives are greatly impacted, but for them, it's their duty, their call in life.

During the program I thought that if we had lived back in the day of World War I or II, that I probably would have met my husband, we'd have gotten married and pregnant quickly before he went off to war, like so many couples did back then. There's a good chance he would have died back then. I would have died in childbirth, him in war. We would have met each other up in Heaven with our baby. The three of us would have been together. It's hard to imagine us without our living daughter though, we wouldn't be complete.

At any time, another world war could break out and a draft called to enlist soldiers to fight. My husband could be called up to fight and we would have no way to say no. It wouldn't be right to say no. It's a scary thought.

But the pride of having a soldier would help a little. There's a good pride in being a soldier and in supporting one. It's a noble and honorable work they do to protect us. The sacrifice they give is worth paying grateful tribute on Memorial Day and every day.

Saturday Laughs

Cabbage Patch Doll Hats- adorably funny!

 

Procrastination

The above poster can definitely be the words coming out of my mouth at times. I can be very productive at other things when I'm avoiding dishes or vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom. I'm very productive on facebook and pinterest. Those matter, right?

Possible helps for procrastination: make a list of what you need to do, tell a friend what you need to do and when and to remind you, find an app that helps with procrastination, set some goals to accomplish your task, talk to others about their trouble with procrastination, read a book on the subject, look up the definition of procrastination to help you really understand what's going on.

Any of those will help you accomplish you're goal after you procrastinated the actual task and did the helper thing instead. :) I think Nike says it best. Just do it! Then treat yourself to a nice ice cream cone and some french fries afterward to reward yourself!