I am currently waffling between two possible Lenten sacrifices. They are both a huge distraction in my life, especially as I've been tied to my home taking care of a new baby.
#1 - SUGAR and all sugary products, including cookies, cakes, brownies, chocolates, ice cream, syrup, jam, donuts, hot chocolate, soda, and anything else yet unlisted.
#2 - online TV shows. Many hours have been wasted waiting for the show to queue and getting sucked in to just one more episode (it never really is just one).
As I've been reflecting on how best to sacrifice for the next 40 days (not including Sundays, of course) I keep getting a little nagging thought in the back of my mind. Maybe I should go big and forgo both options. Perhaps I could even use my undistracted free time in prayer or spiritual reading. Heck, I might even make these sacrifices a habit and continue through the Easter season - and beyond!
The fact is that I feel the glut of too much sugar & TV. I am ready for a change. I am yearning for a change. I seriously need a change. Lent sprung up on me this year, but it couldn't have come at a better time. I am so ready to purge myself of distraction, to feel the burn of exercising my willpower against vices (and on the treadmill too). I have great expectations for the next six weeks. And now that I've made my pledge a public affair, I can count on you to keep me accountable.
Here's to a wonderful and fruitful Lent 2009!
Showing posts with label Resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resolutions. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
It's Been Awhile...
You might be wondering what's happened since my vacation time (over a month ago). Well, I know at least one person who was wondering - and she lives 5 minutes from me! Let's just say that it's been crazy for the last month. Life has been totally non-stop.
August was a whirlwind of my last full-time days at work, Ryan beginning his duties as Hall Director, guests visiting, friends moving to town, planning baby & bridal showers, and kicking it into high gear with our Christ Renews His Parish retreat preparations. I spent a good part of the month in a daze - and I'm still not sure where all of my time went!
Finally, there has been a shift in my daily schedule, like a breath of fresh air. As of yesterday I began working part-time (noon-5:00, wahoo!) and I feel like a whole new person. I'll be part-time for a total of 3 weeks and then I'm done with the corporate world for good. Wow. Freedom is so close I can taste it! But it's a little daunting too. How am I supposed to discipline myself with such a plethora of free time?
One the one hand, my ministries and social life are really perking up: CRHP, cantoring, scrapbooking evenings, women's book group, Colt's & ND football games, showers & weddings galore... But on the other hand I can actually do housework and errands between the hours of 8am and 5pm! I might even be able to squeeze in daily mass. I feel exhilarated and terrified at the same time.
That's why I grabbed a book from the shelf that has been on my mind for several weeks: A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot. The book details how to center your daily life around your vocational priorities. Just like religious groups have a "rule" to live by, a wife/mother can create a rule for her family - a pattern for living that focuses on prayer and daily duties. Essentially, it's the ability to create a schedule that puts God first and finds a time to do all the daily tasks that otherwise seem insurmountable.
Holly outlines the wife and mother's priorities as such:
So, if all goes well, I'll be back here on a more regular basis. And I'm excited to share with you how centering my life on a God-focused schedule brings "order to [my] home and peace to [my] soul." If you get a chance, pick up a copy of A Mother's Rule of Life. It has helped me in the past, and I am certain it will continue to help me in this newest stage of my life.
August was a whirlwind of my last full-time days at work, Ryan beginning his duties as Hall Director, guests visiting, friends moving to town, planning baby & bridal showers, and kicking it into high gear with our Christ Renews His Parish retreat preparations. I spent a good part of the month in a daze - and I'm still not sure where all of my time went!
Finally, there has been a shift in my daily schedule, like a breath of fresh air. As of yesterday I began working part-time (noon-5:00, wahoo!) and I feel like a whole new person. I'll be part-time for a total of 3 weeks and then I'm done with the corporate world for good. Wow. Freedom is so close I can taste it! But it's a little daunting too. How am I supposed to discipline myself with such a plethora of free time?
One the one hand, my ministries and social life are really perking up: CRHP, cantoring, scrapbooking evenings, women's book group, Colt's & ND football games, showers & weddings galore... But on the other hand I can actually do housework and errands between the hours of 8am and 5pm! I might even be able to squeeze in daily mass. I feel exhilarated and terrified at the same time.
That's why I grabbed a book from the shelf that has been on my mind for several weeks: A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot. The book details how to center your daily life around your vocational priorities. Just like religious groups have a "rule" to live by, a wife/mother can create a rule for her family - a pattern for living that focuses on prayer and daily duties. Essentially, it's the ability to create a schedule that puts God first and finds a time to do all the daily tasks that otherwise seem insurmountable.
Holly outlines the wife and mother's priorities as such:
- Prayer
- Person
- Partner
- Parent
- Provider
So, if all goes well, I'll be back here on a more regular basis. And I'm excited to share with you how centering my life on a God-focused schedule brings "order to [my] home and peace to [my] soul." If you get a chance, pick up a copy of A Mother's Rule of Life. It has helped me in the past, and I am certain it will continue to help me in this newest stage of my life.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Victorious! (in a Domestic Kind of Way)
This weekend was great. I finally feel balanced and disciplined in my life. And the sun was shining. That always helps too.
I decided to make the best possible use of my time and really tackle the housework that has piled up over the last month (or maybe two). My husband went to a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat over the weekend, so I gained a lot of undistracted time - not to mention motivation. I promised Ryan that the apartment would be spotless when he returned, and I am not one to make frivolous promises. I also wanted to give him a special gift for taking time out of his very busy graduate student schedule to go on retreat. One of Ryan's favorite delights is to return home to a clean and tidy apartment. I had from 8:30am Saturday to 5:oopm Sunday to make my gift to Ryan a reality.
Tackling the housework was just plain good for my soul. I put on some background talk radio for noise and spent a lot of alone time, clearing the cobwebs from my own mind as well as the apartment corners. I turned my work into a prayer for Ryan, that he would come away from the weekend spiritually refreshed. Praying through my work pulled me out of my usual weekend malaise (of which I spend a majority on the couch, in front of the computer) and seriously motivated me.
It felt so refreshing to work with my hands, to take disorder and turn it orderly. There was something soothing in the rhythm of cleaning. When I scrubbed the floors on my hands and knees I felt connected to my vocation as wife. It's not because a wife is supposed to clean, but because in my humility I was able to help recreate the world, one kitchen floor at a time. The work gave meaning to my life that I couldn't obtain living vicariously through a tv show or movie. I guess I just felt more real, if that makes any sense.
So, I worked like a crazy person all weekend and I was able to bring Ryan home to a sweet smelling, clean, and tidy apartment. The best part of the entire weekend was sitting with him at the (clutter-free) table, talking about our retreat experiences underneath a candlelight glow. It was the first time I have used our crystal candlesticks - and we received them as a wedding present two years ago! My husband and I were able to relax, peaceful at the knowledge that my hard work freed up an entire evening to enjoy each other's company.
I may have cleaned the apartment as a gift to Ryan, but my reward was a carefree timelessness with my husband that we haven't experienced in a really long time.
I decided to make the best possible use of my time and really tackle the housework that has piled up over the last month (or maybe two). My husband went to a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat over the weekend, so I gained a lot of undistracted time - not to mention motivation. I promised Ryan that the apartment would be spotless when he returned, and I am not one to make frivolous promises. I also wanted to give him a special gift for taking time out of his very busy graduate student schedule to go on retreat. One of Ryan's favorite delights is to return home to a clean and tidy apartment. I had from 8:30am Saturday to 5:oopm Sunday to make my gift to Ryan a reality.
Tackling the housework was just plain good for my soul. I put on some background talk radio for noise and spent a lot of alone time, clearing the cobwebs from my own mind as well as the apartment corners. I turned my work into a prayer for Ryan, that he would come away from the weekend spiritually refreshed. Praying through my work pulled me out of my usual weekend malaise (of which I spend a majority on the couch, in front of the computer) and seriously motivated me.
It felt so refreshing to work with my hands, to take disorder and turn it orderly. There was something soothing in the rhythm of cleaning. When I scrubbed the floors on my hands and knees I felt connected to my vocation as wife. It's not because a wife is supposed to clean, but because in my humility I was able to help recreate the world, one kitchen floor at a time. The work gave meaning to my life that I couldn't obtain living vicariously through a tv show or movie. I guess I just felt more real, if that makes any sense.
So, I worked like a crazy person all weekend and I was able to bring Ryan home to a sweet smelling, clean, and tidy apartment. The best part of the entire weekend was sitting with him at the (clutter-free) table, talking about our retreat experiences underneath a candlelight glow. It was the first time I have used our crystal candlesticks - and we received them as a wedding present two years ago! My husband and I were able to relax, peaceful at the knowledge that my hard work freed up an entire evening to enjoy each other's company.
I may have cleaned the apartment as a gift to Ryan, but my reward was a carefree timelessness with my husband that we haven't experienced in a really long time.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Time to Clean House
Do you ever return home from a trip, start to unpack, and then just leave it half-put-away for days on end? Or am I the only one?
It's always when I am stuck at work that my domestic tasks start to stress me out. My mind turns to thoughts of what I could be doing when we have a slow day in the office - when I'm actually doing nothing. (At this moment my task list is fairly long: laundry, dishes, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning, sorting, organizing, unpiling, entering finances, scrubbing, decluttering, and, oh, that one picture needs to be hung on the wall too). I start to get a little fidgety and excited to get home and put a dent in my household chores.
Then it rolls around to 5:00, I am tired from doing nothing all day and very hungry. Some days I can't even go straight home - errands, appointments, and groceries, oh my! When I finally return to the apartment dinner depends on how I feel. Some days I find it interesting and energizing to cook a nice meal, other days I grab the first thing I see in the fridge. Then I finally sink into the couch to relax and watch a movie or tv show online - or two.
Suddenly it's bedtime (I have to sleep now or I'll never wake up in time for work!) and I've succeeded in putting off all those domestic chores yet again. I go to bed stressed and more than a little ticked off at my lack of discipline. I vow that the next day will be different - you know, if I'm not too tired from barely making it to bed on time.
But seriously, I really will make tomorrow different.
It's always when I am stuck at work that my domestic tasks start to stress me out. My mind turns to thoughts of what I could be doing when we have a slow day in the office - when I'm actually doing nothing. (At this moment my task list is fairly long: laundry, dishes, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning, sorting, organizing, unpiling, entering finances, scrubbing, decluttering, and, oh, that one picture needs to be hung on the wall too). I start to get a little fidgety and excited to get home and put a dent in my household chores.
Then it rolls around to 5:00, I am tired from doing nothing all day and very hungry. Some days I can't even go straight home - errands, appointments, and groceries, oh my! When I finally return to the apartment dinner depends on how I feel. Some days I find it interesting and energizing to cook a nice meal, other days I grab the first thing I see in the fridge. Then I finally sink into the couch to relax and watch a movie or tv show online - or two.
Suddenly it's bedtime (I have to sleep now or I'll never wake up in time for work!) and I've succeeded in putting off all those domestic chores yet again. I go to bed stressed and more than a little ticked off at my lack of discipline. I vow that the next day will be different - you know, if I'm not too tired from barely making it to bed on time.
But seriously, I really will make tomorrow different.
*Note: This post was written on Thursday (the day it's posted under), but I didn't actually finish and post it until Sunday...
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