On Being Full

I've decided to follow through with a conviction I had a while back: to stop using the word busy.

What does it mean when one says he or she is busy? For me, I find that I tend to use the word in the form of a complaint. For others, that might not be the case.

Busyness does not always indicate being productive. You can busily avoid things in life you need to deal with, people you need to talk to, or truly important things you need to accomplish.

Being busy simply means you are filling your time. But being busy in and of itself does not mean you are making a difference.

This post isn't about encouraging others to give up the word 'busy,' rather it's about my use of the word. Instead of saying, "I'm so busy this weekend!" which, for me, often has the underlying meaning of complaint about all I have to do I'd rather say, "I have a really full weekend ahead of me."

Does it really mean anything if you just substitute another word for busy? For me it does. By saying my life, schedule, day, etc. is full gets me to thinking about opportunity, not obligation. When I focus on being busy I feel that I am performing obligations. When I focus on life being full, I focus on the opportunity I have through doing the things I need to do.

This may not work for everyone, but I find for me that my thoughts have a strong influence on my mood and attitude. By doing something as simple as redirecting the nature of my thoughts I find myself naturally more optimistic, ambitious, and light-hearted.

I think there's a reason God's Word speaks so much about our thoughts. But that's another post for another day.

Simplicity

I'm sitting cross-legged on my couch with my laptop. My apartment is a mess, I'm eating microwaved oatmeal because my stove/oven died, and I'm listening to music I like. I'm trying to figure out how to make my paycheck stretch and cover my bills and I'm concerned about my car's ability to run for much longer without some costly repairs.

Yet, I'm content.

Even in the mist of financial insecurity I find myself in my own apartment with the lights on, fresh water available, and something to eat. I have enough money to have downloaded the songs I'm listening to on itunes. I have itunes. Kind of ridiculous to think I'm poor.

So much about my future is unknown to me. Where will I be in a year? For all I know, I could be in Wisconsin (seriously).

I really feel like I'm beginning to grow again in my relationship with God. For the past year someone else has been such a vital part of my life. So much so that I put most of my effort into that. When I finally gave it up to God, amazing things started to happen. Mainly, I started to move on.

Now that I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders, I feel content. I'm free to pursue the incredible possibilities God is laying before me without wondering how someone else will fit into the picture. That's not to say I wouldn't like for there to one day be someone else, but for now, I find where I'm at in life to be rather enjoyable.

There's something to be said about simplicity.