Do you believe we can change our pace?

I am living proof that we can decide to purposefully change the pace of our lives.

I have been looking through old journals and realize there was a common theme in many of my entries...I needed to find a way to slow down!

I was often crying out from the stress of the rushing around and never feeling like I got everything done.  I was writing regularly for a season to then have gaps from over scheduling myself and letting the simple act of writing in a journal feel like I privilege I did not have time to engage in.

I created moments but they would often be swallowed by that monster of must do's that would strangle the life out of any breathing freedom from stress I would grasp at.

We went through difficult seasons as a family, we had pain, sorrow, loss...some events that were much more than any family should ever experience let alone all of them piled one after another like a mountain of suffocating trash in a heap.

In all of these several years of seeking some way to grab hold of some peaceful practice to regulate my time and my life I struggled.  I sought the correct answers; prayer, reading every idea or book or thoughts on time management and living stress free, new ideas for list making planning and goal setting your life, even ignoring the people who attempt to suck the life out of me and in so doing probably cause much harm and shame...

Well, you get the idea...

I feel like I see the way now, I have found that place.  I don't know how much of this has to do with age, or if all that cramming of knowledge into my brain over these years is finally sorted and ordered and coming to clear focus to be useful now.

I do know that I take time on the weekend, I plan out my week, I look at time as a gift that I need to use wisely and cherish- it is NOT unlimited!  I am careful how many shiny bright distractions of activity and tantalizing events attempt to sneak their way into stealing my time, energy and focus.
I make my time for the week set out as if I have appointments to keep- even appointed time to read, study, or pray.

I even schedule a good old soak in the tub on a somewhat regular basis- we all need to detoxify and there is no more blissful method than a good soak in an Epsom salt bubble bath with a clay mask on your face, a candle lit room and classical music playing from Pandora on your phone.

In all of these appointments I still allow for change, for moments of nothing, for surprises.  I claim my time and my week, but I let it breath as well.

So here I am, writing my thoughts because I have allotted myself the time to do that this morning.  And my grandest thought this morning is 'How can I help others find this place?'

Well, in the posts ahead I hope to help you all do just that.

I will try to post as I see the things I have learned that may actually help you the reader find your own gentle pace in your life.  Thank you for taking your time to read what I have to offer, I look forward to more chats with you.  Now go take a moment, breath deeply, and let it out slowly...and take claim to this day.  Don't let this day claim you!

I bid you peace,

BettyK

Looking over Albuquerque from the Sandia Peak