Reflection & Procrastination

I run. Kind of. Sort of, maybe I guess. More like I jog. That's what I should say, I jog. I'm hoping to run one day, like truly run, run like the wind and all that. But for now, let's say, I jog. I'm training to run/jog a 5K. It's been 5 weeks now and I go down to the walking trails by the lake and I jog. There's this tiny little hill halfway, and I avoid having to run it at all costs. I time myself to walk it, to turn around before it, sometimes I even skip my run because of it. I'm enjoying running, but I hate that hill.

It's causing me a slight dilemma, because at the end of next week, I'm supposed to be able to run/jog 5K. That means I have to run over the hill twice. My procrastination in running over that hill, although it makes me life easier for a short time, actually hinders me from having trained well for the long-term.

My point is, procrastination, although comfortable, isn't really something that makes me or my life better.

I'm telling you this, because I'm supposed to be updating you on how my July challenge went. I challenged myself to be at rest, physically, emotionally, and in the presence of God. The month is over and I have been procrastinating the update. But finally, I am sitting here with coffee and a chocolate waffle, reflecting, how did I do?

I had a few basic goals:

• Regular quiet/devotional times
• Aiming for 8 hours of sleep a night
• Doing things just because I wanted to
• Experiencing new things

My journal challenge was:

100 Things That I Love

I challenged myself to rest because I am, quite honestly, a workaholic. I cram my life full of projects, people, and work. I love it. I love being busy. But I get overtired, I get cranky, I snap, and I'm realizing that I can't run forever.

I want my life to be centered around the presence of God. I want my doing to flow out of a deep well of time well-spent with Him. I want my actions and words to reflect my relationship with my heavenly Father.

And for me, that means slowing down, taking time to reflect, taking time to pause in the wonder of who He is; experience small and simple things that I would otherwise overlook. Life isn't meant to be hurried. Someone once told me, life is a marathon, not a sprint, so teach yourself to run accordingly.

So, how did I do?

My time with God, daily and growing. I'm learning to drink long and deep from His well, knowing that true worship and true intimacy stem from a place of humility and surrender before Him. Still need to practice more, still need to grow more, but I think that a relationship with God never stops growing or going deeper, so I'm okay with how far I've come.

Aiming for 8 hours of sleep a night. This is my epic fail for the month. I have not physically rested as much as I should have, and so I need to look at really setting some sort of schedule so that my body gets used to a certain amount of rest a night. If anyone has any suggestions...please send me a message or give me a call! I'd love to hear some suggestions.

The third challenge: doing things, not out of obligation or personal pressure, but simply for enjoyment. I'd say yes and no. I did it, but not as consistently as I would have liked. I made jam, for the sheer pleasure of making something useful and beautiful. I started to write a children's story (at 3am one night). I've gone for coffee and visited friends, had people over in my home. I went berry-picking. But I've also let the busyness of work and obligation hamper my enthusiasm for enjoyment. Work in progress.

The final challenge, the one of experiencing new things, I kinda scrapped. I wasn't sure what I could consider as new, so I focused more on experience. Slowing down enough to listen to the sounds of nature. Sipping coffee quietly. Savoring flavours. Laughing because, no other reason. Slowing down enough to experience things, not just do things, opens a whole new world, brings beauty and thankfulness into the everyday. It's been good.

And the journal challenge. So far, I have listed about 60 Things That I Love. In my head, I have a lot more. So once I've finished writing, I'll take a picture and post it here, if I can manage the technological aspects of doing that.

So July, a month at rest. More to grow in, but some definite life skills and lessons learned. It's been great.

August's challenge: to be thankful. I'll keep you posted. Also, looking to update in the near future of what may or may not be happening in my life the next few months, so stay tuned!