Yesterday, the temp hovered in the upper 30's and lower 40's all day, with a good rain coming last night. Oddly, it warmed during the night, creating foggy and drippy conditions. By 3:00 pm, it had cleared to a sunny and warm afternoon. By this time tomorrow, though, an arctic front should pass through, dropping the temperature considerably and possibly bringing a wintry mix our way.
Although it was raining this morning, I decided to venture out to do a little Christmas shopping. The stores and mall were crowded, but it wasn't terribly bad. I covered a lot of ground and I would estimate that I am over halfway through with the shopping for this year. As for tomorrow, I fully intend to get everything that I have purchased so far wrapped and under the tree!
Eddie is working this evening, so I am here, alone with the dogs. When I got home this afternoon, I put a pot of chili on and the boys came over and had dinner with me. Now, they are gone and I am settled in - my warm pj's on and a Christmas movie playing for the dogs in the living room. And I am so thankful to be home.....
It is time to slow my thoughts and my body down. It feels like I have just been "running" all day. I zoomed from store to store, then battled my way through the aisles of the H-E-B. I unloaded the car and took the dogs out for a potty break; this necessitated a thorough cleaning of all twelve paws before they reentered the house. And still they tracked in mud from the all the rain we had last night. So, I ended up vacuuming and mopping before I started dinner. Now, that everything is cleaned up and put away, I can finally relax....
I tell myself.....
Be still.....breathe deeply.....and focus on being thankful.
Enjoy the "down time" and don't think about what needs to be done next.
Just turn that off and let it go, for the day is done.
There is nothing else that MUST be accomplished tonight,
Except to rest and recharge.
(This is a gift I am learning to give myself. To just stop. Not easy for this Type A personality. But, it is something that can be learned....and so now I suppose I am a student in the School of Learning to Chill.)
I am grateful that God led me to embark on this journey of 30 days of Thankfulness. I'm even more thankful that I didn't ignore the gentle nudge to undertake the project. For it is compelling me to slow down each day and focus on a particular blessing - to name it, specifically. And I find myself looking around at the world with eyes wide open....searching for and seeking out the little gifts that are all around me every single day. And that, my friends, is called "a change in attitude".....something I desperately needed. The project, itself, has become a blessing.
So, Day 10 passes and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.....
Good night to you, sweet friends......
Jane
Such a timely post for me and for all of us who are running around with our heads cut off at this time of year. I really need to curl up at the end of the day, give myself some relax time and recite your *Be still.....breathe deeply.....and focus on being thankful.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the "down time" and don't think about what needs to be done next. Just turn that off and let it go, for the day is done. There is nothing else that MUST be accomplished tonight,
Except to rest and recharge.*
Actually, I should type it out and put it on a piece of card stock and carry it around with me for those times I feel I can't get a breath! Great post.