I'm not really one for making resolutions. I figure, the less things I resolve to do, the less guilt I feel when I inevitably don't get around to them. (Any other approach-avoidance-perfectionators out there??)
This year, though, I've resolved to have a focus word. One word that describes an attribute I want to attain more of or become better at throughout the year. So, my inaugural Focus Word of the Year is... Balance.
I have recently realized that I have very little joy in my life. I have so many commitments that I have to do, that I never get around to the things I want to do, and then the things I want to do become things I have to do, and then I don't enjoy any of it! And, in thinking about this dilemma, and trying to work through where this is coming from & how to fix it, I've realized that my life is out of balance. Work steals all my energy, the mess in our apartment steals my peace, the youth group steals my time, my creativity just flies right out the window on it's own accord (I do nothing to stop it...).
Now, all of these things are good things on their own. I like my job. Maybe not everyday, but at least on the days I don't like my job, I still really like the people I work with and the company I work for. I love being married, and I really want to be a great homemaker! And I love our work with the youth group! Those kids rock my life. I don't know where I'd be without them. They keep me centered on the Lord, and they don't even know it.
But I feel like my priorities are all out of whack, and I'm not finding real life-changing joy in any of it. This is not fair to me, nor is it fair to the people I care about. So. This year is going to be about finding Balance. This means shuffling said priorities. It might mean saying No to things here & there. I really don't know what it'll end up looking like. But hopefully, come next Holiday season, I'll be able to look back at my year & be truly thankful at Thanksgiving and joyful at Christmas, and I'll be able to say that I'm one year better at having a Balanced life.
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In the same vein, here are some of the things I want to do more in my effort to find and create deep-seated Joy in my life:
- Sew, quilt, create more. (already have a few projects in mind... More to come.)
- Take more pictures to document our life better.
- Organize my stuff! Beginning with my crafting supplies so that I can find what I need when I work on the aforementioned projects.
- Read the Chronological Bible daily. I've done this before, and I think I need to get back to the roots of what I believe. Begin at the beginning.
Peace, friends.
