I wanted to share something that has really made a huge difference in our lives recently. It's nothing ground breaking or new. It's as old as time itself, actually. It's a matter of rest.
For the first few months here, we were so excited and giddy to hit the ground running. We had anticipated and pursued this opportunity for so many years, we were more than ready when the door finally opened. We ran and ran and started wearing ourselves out quickly. Thankfully, before hitting a wall or having a breakdown of some kind, we decided to take seriously a day of rest. We taught, and met with students, and lesson planned, and kept up with family and friends, all the while trying to figure out life here. So a few weeks ago, we set aside a day to just be. To be at home, be who we were created to be- for me it is creating through sewing, for David it is contemplating through reading. We made hot chocolate and watched a movie. It was so refreshing and renewing to my heart that I just cried at the end of the day.
My mom always said that I love to live life so much that I suck every minute out of every day. I would stay outside playing when I was little as late as my parents would let me. I love people and experiences and a life full of the two. So living overseas and making intentional relationships...even better. I'm the one who will get up early and stay out late in a new city just to get in as much exploring as possible. For our first few months here, the average day was filled with two meals a day with students, classes, and planning or emails in between. I filled our schedule with people until our time was all used up. Preserving time with Him and with David, I figured that that was enough to keep me going. But I learned quickly that I need time to rest. To acknowledge my humanness and limited abilities.
So I made a list. I made a list of Do's and Don't's. Not obvious things like "I do time with Him" or "I do laundry." But things that I will prioritize with my time, when it feels like so many other things fight for it. I'll give you some examples. I do life in China. I do flexiblity, I do new foods, I do language learning. I do relationships with students. I do create. I do take time to keep up with those deep, long distance relationships with my inner circle that I need so desperately.
More importantly is the Don't list. This one is more important, because instead of making myself feel guilty or feeling thoughts of "I should do this..." or "I should try that sometime...", I just call out things that are not important to me personally and I will not spend my time on it. Here are a few: I do not bake. (I will never be one of those moms who make their kids birthday cakes..nope.) I do not spend a lot of time on social media. I do not compare my life with others. I do not follow TV shows. I do not pressure myself to cook at home (another thing that has changed since moving here).
Of course, these are tailored to me and my life. The lists are very extensive and specific. They really help me to make choices with using the time He has given me. Every day has so many choices. For a goer and a doer like me, clear options for how to spend my time has made such a huge difference and really improved our life here. I wanted to share this idea with you if you are like me or you have a hard time saying NO. (Been there, been that!) So here's to using the time He graciously given us to the best of our abilities!
-A
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