Yep, it has been a while... A long while... I have watched friends around me blog and stop, blog and stop, blog and stop. I was questioned a while back as to the why I had stopped, and I replied with, "I haven't stopped, I still write them in my head, and when I feel I have something worthwhile enough to share then I will." It would be a lie, if I said, I didn't want to be very sure of not over spewing my life ups and downs all over cyber space, for all eternity to relive. People abuse this private privilege far to freely. Once the words are released, they remain forever.
Over the past few years, (cough, cough, yes I am aware it has been that long), life has had many turns and bends. A big move, to a new place, with new adventures and responsibilities. A new store, New friends, new people, and new opinions...all of which have challenged and grown me. Life seems to have gotten busier, not quieter, and I would be remised if I didn't confess that balance does not come naturally for me. Our lives seem to be jam packed with activities and commitments. In my younger days, I was happiest when I was going Mock-80 with my hair on fire. Involvement everywhere. I could spin plates in any direction and meet my own needs, and of those close to me! Now that I am rounding the other end of 30, I find plates crashing down around me or wobbling precariously. I have found that my happiness is interrupted by that same Mock-80 personality! What has changed, you ask? Life...and its demands. It is easy to become over committed and let life begin to steer my course. When the weight of things get heavy, I try to remember My happiness is more centered in my child's success, my husbands victories and the cultivation of my own hobbies, my sweet spots. Not what others believe I should be doing in that moment. How do I stop the spinning? What draws me to balance the most? The answer is simple.. My creator..My constant..My hiding place. In Him I can be who I was meant to be, free of Opinion, free of Judgment, and Free of conformity. In Him, I find a tether that allows me to steady myself once again. I find that if I start to spiral, I need to make sure I am, 1) finding quiet time with Him, 2) spending time in prayer, focused on God's desires from me, and 3) reviewing my current commitments and weighing them against balance and over-commitment. I believe that God is most happy when I am following His will, not trying to write my own stories...
So thought provoking question...How do you stop the spinning? What centers you most? What brings you into the center most part of your happiness bubble? What tethers you there when the wind blows? Do you have a evacuation plan to keep you from spiraling out of control?