How to Save Your Sanity

Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.

Kendra Adachi, each week on her podcast

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Long time listener, first-time reader.

Somethings Special About July

Tags

binge worthy, books, covid-19, four somethings, international travel, july, library, link-up, plans, preparedness, reading, travel, tv, west highland way

Sometimes finding the beauty in the ordinary can be difficult. This year is certainly no exception. Sharing what I’ve loved, read, treasure, and what is ahead helps me reframe the month, to see the beauty I may have missed.  Heather hosts her Share Four Somethings link-up and I love the motivation to look back. Sometimes I have to dig deep to find the good, and those months I appreciate this discipline.  

Preparing for Our Scotland Adventure

Tags

books, cozy mysteries, non-fiction, reading, scotland, travel

Fresh off of Camp McFradd’s hop across the pond – Scotland in general and the West Highland Way specifically – I thought I’d share a bit of the homework that went into our journey.

31 Days: Starting to Finish

Every October, writers join together in a challenge “31 days of…” The idea is that every day, for 31 days, we will write on a specified topic. Each writer chooses something different, but stays true to that topic throughout the month. Today is the fourth day of the month as I write this (but not as I publish) and I haven’t even chosen a topic.

Books, Books, Books: A Three Things Thursday post

After focusing on what I haven’t been doing in Tuesday’s blog post, I thought I would switch it up and share something I’ve been stellar at these past few months. READING. Every year on Goodreads I set a yearly goal for myself.

In my first year of tracking (2012) I surpassed my book-a-week goal, reading 64 over 52 weeks. The next year I upped my goal to 75, and fell just 2 short. Last year started off slow, but then I picked it up and finished with a respectable 59.

This year, I set my goal at 60. By April I was over half way there (counting audiobooks). At this point, I’ve consumed 101 books, with 58 of those being actually read by me (either a print or ebook). Barring anything horribly tragic in the next couple of days, I think I’ve got this in the bag.

Currently Reading

1. I’ve been on a roll lately listening to autobiographies (in audiobook form, of course) of comedians as well as humor essay compilations. I mostly listen during my commute, or while doing mindless data entry at work. These lighthearted tales keep my mood upbeat despite the mundane.
   
   Photo credit: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25154938-neil-patrick-harris
   
   

   Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris, read by Neil Patrick Harris is no exception. He had to alter the Choose-Your-Own format for the audio structure, but his team did a good job with their workarounds. Of course having him perform the books, rather than just a straight read makes it enjoyable as well.
   

2. My current fiction read (Kindle loan from my library) is Sea of Monsters – Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Book 2 by Rick Riordan. I’m only a couple of chapters in, so I can’t really speak to this particular story, but I loved the first book.
   
3. On a more serious front, I’m also reading Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters by N.T. Wright. I try to always have a non-fiction Christian book in the stack. This is a bit weightier than I am accustom to, but I enjoy his writing style. Having never read Wright, I trust his words based off associations with others I’ve read including Scot McKnight and Timothy Keller.

What are you reading these days? Have you finished any must-reads which I need to add to my list?

God’s Gift

Words are my thing.  I love them so much, I truly believe they are God’s gift to me. When I don’t have time to read them, I try to make a way to at least listen to them. Right now I’m listening to the memoir of an author I’ve loved since I was a teenager. The following is a quote from one of HIS mentors:

All that is not the love of God has no meaning for me. I can truthfully say that I have no interest in anything but the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my words and witness. If he wants it to, it will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is his concern, not mine. It would be indecent for me to worry about that.

 -The final journal entry of Brother Domonique of The Little Brothers of Jesus
as quoted in All is Grace by Brennan Manning

{Emphasis added by me.} Sometimes I get so caught up in making a difference for God, I lose site of Him. Under a holy banner, the god of self creeps in. I want fruit – not to show how incredible my Lord is, but to serve as proof of my worth.

Little by little the Father is showing me my gift, while also keeping me humble. This past Sunday, I co-taught Bible study with a classmate because our regular teacher was out sick. I felt like I had so much information in my head to share, but I got tripped up on my most favoritest of things – words.
Thankfully, my sister-in-Christ was able to step in and speak eloquently about the topic at hand.

Confession: I’ve stopped the timer twice already to give myself a break from this post. Despite the quote above, I can’t stop wishing for my words to be powerful. Wanting something more from them, beyond just the freedom to put words to the page.

Okay I’ll just come out with it. I’ve been asked to start an off-shoot Bible Study class by my current teacher. Our class is about to outgrow the size of our room.

Part of me is excited. I love reading the word and dissecting it with others. But the other part of me is sad. I’ve really come to love our the community my current class has cultivated. As a unite, we are living the Christian life as it ought to be lived. Those are big shoes to fill, in taking a leadership position of my own.

In addition to that, I’m afraid of the vacuum in my life that it will create. A new class will take time to get established, the relationships will take work. This whole process will take work, and reliance on God every step of the way. Those are 2 things that, quite frankly, I suck at.

 
Linking up with Jaime today, despite having gone over the 5 minute rule several times over.

Rethinking: Reading + Running

Sometimes the doing of a particular project begins to overshadow the heart and motivation behind it. I’ve been bogged down with 2 specific goals for myself this year – read 75 books for the year and set new personal records at each race distance available to me.

Last year, I read 72 books, making me feel as if 75 wasn’t so crazy of a goal. I got behind early this year as I slogged through The Book Thief. I suppose the title is fitting, given it stole my desire to read for a few weeks following.

At this point in the year with only 26 books logged so far, I’d have to switch to short/quick reads if I have any hope of reading goal. When my aunt offered to loan me a 600 page hardback, I started to say “thanks but no thanks.”

I have a big race coming up this weekend – the only 8K I have on my radar this year. If I’m going to PR at every distance this year, Saturday night’s race is huge. The fear started a few weeks ago. The what-ifs nagging at my brain.

When I confessed my concern to a Facebook run group I’m a member of, one of the ladies responded:

You’re going to do great! Even if you don’t PR, you may have failed to reach that goal, but that does NOT make you a failure. You’ll likely have worked hard and made big gains in your fitness, while enjoying the sport you love. I’m excited for you!

So now its time for an even bigger confession. I’ve not been enjoying my runs these day. Whether it be checking on the dew point to see if an attempt outside at lunch can be made, or slogging through yet another workout on the treadmill, running has become a chore.

Same with reading – when the objective becomes getting through this book in order to tackle the next, all the enjoyment of savoring the story and characters has been removed.  Compromising the type of book I enjoy merely to get my numbers up is a colossal waste of time and effort.

My goal for the remainder of the year becomes to refocus. To find my joy again. Because, after all, these things I do are merely hobbies. Sure they stretch my mind and my lungs, but at the end of the day I do them for the fun of it.

If I fail at these goals I’ve set, there is no punishment, save the frustration I inflict upon myself. I will not be forced to surrender my book collection to the local library. I won’t be forced to take down all my race medals.

After my race this weekend, I think I’m going to take the month of August off from formal training. I trained for the Knoxville Marathon through April, then sprung straight into Expo 10K training. I gave myself a week off due to illness after that, then dove head first into this 8K training cycle. My body and mind are long overdue for a little R&R.

This doesn’t, however, mean I won’t run at all. Rather, I’ll be running without the constraints of a training schedule with specific paces. If I get bored of easy runs, I’ll throw in some strides or sprints. The point is not to slack, but rather release myself from the stress.

As for reading, I’ve officially given up hope on my goal. I originally set reading goals for myself so I wouldn’t be tempted to be lazy watch TV instead. Now that I’ve got a hammock on my front porch, I have no trouble taking a hour or three to kick back and enjoy a good book.

What are some of your personal goals? Do you have plans in place to help you reach them? Have you ever gotten so focused on a goal you missed the whole point?

Stop.

 When I first considered adding Deeping the Soul for Justice by Bethany Hoang to my reading list (and Marla’s read along to my bloggy list), I didn’t think I had the emotional energy. 

Turns out, Hoang agrees with me.  The first chapter is all about seeking God.  The second chapter?  Carving out time for a Sabbath.  These are both things I desperately need, and chronically neglect.

Life is busy, and going to church alone is hard.  I’ve found myself entering a church building only a handful of times since we moved to the new place.  I’ll watch church on TV from the comfort of my couch, coffee in hand.  I sometimes stream church on my laptop, on my front porch overlooking the stream in my front yard. 

The result is the same, I spend an hour or so singing God’s praises, and receive a message from the Lord (via His preacher) on a topic that always seems to nail me right in the heart.

Only its not the same.  Sometimes I find myself, phone-in-hand playing a quick word (with a friend of course).  I occasionally press pause to get more coffee or ask Jay a question about how the rest of our day is going to play out.

I need more than a Sabbath day, I need the spirit of the Sabbath. 

Designated phone-free time each day.  A church home. 

Why do such simple things sound so unattainable?

Seeking First Things First

I struggle with prayer.  As a Christian, I should pray.  I should want to pray, to open the communication channel with my Creator, to bring the petitions of others before Him.  My struggle isn’t with the intellection portion of prayer at all, but rather putting it into practice.

Sure I’ll offer up a prayer when someone puts a request on twitter.  I occasionally even use a prayer request app on my phone to keep track.  I’m even reading a book about putting away books and just sitting alone with God.  How’s that for irony?

I’ve tried praying in bed (I fall asleep).  I’ve tried praying while running (I see a squirrel and get distracted).   I’ve tried praying while driving down the road (then I get stuck behind a slow moving tourist and lose my religion).

Seeking God is a latch-ditch effort. 

I’ve grown weary.

He has told you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 HCSB

My friend Marla started another read along a couple of weeks ago, discussing the book(let) Deeping the Soul for Justice by Bethany Hoang.  I’m weary in life, and didn’t really want to take on one more thing on my plate.  The book promised to be a quick read, weighing in at just 48 pages.  The subject matter, however, is a weighty one.  The whole point of the book (as I understand) is to open our eyes to injustice surrounding us and to take action.

I joke that Marla prayer-pressured me to join up.  I enjoy reading, blogging, and making new friends.  Only God knew how badly I needed this.  The first chapter doesn’t deal with justice at all, but rather starts at the beginning.  Funny how I easily skip this step.

We cannot begin to change the world in Jesus’ name without consulting Him first.  We need His strength.  His direction.  Anything less with result in a worn and weary spirit. 

So today, I will follow the advice in the book on solitude.  I will follow the advice of the book about justice.  I will start this day – the day that will end with me attending my 2^nd funeral in a matter of 6 days –  seeking God.

*deep breath in*

Lord Jesus Christ

*deep breath out*

Have mercy on me

Finally!

 

 

I have no words.  Besides:

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeTHUD

 

and

 

#TEAMRANGER

 

What are you reading this month?