I am going to try and type this post really quickly without re-reading it 10 times and editing it 5. Should be exciting! (And i've already failed on the first two sentences. sigh.)
Every day I have a choice to make. Let the piles of laundry consume my life and time, or choose my family instead.
Now, hear me out, I am not saying that it is okay to neglect your health and let your life get completely chaotic, but on the occasion when there are (what seems like) fifty million chores calling your name and your family sitting in the living room it is okay to choose family instead. Certainly the Lord has blessed us with belongings and possessions, and we are called to take care of what He has given us... but I don't think He meant for us to be anal and let the idea of a controlled, put-together house to be our focus and to come before opportunities to spend time with people. There is a balance and we must find it.
The Lord has blessed me with amazing parents who let their 22 (almost 23) year old daughter live at home while her flow of income (and uncertainty of next year) doesn't allow the option of her having her own place.
And so every day, every moment, I have a choice to make.
Lock myself in my bedroom and sort through the piles of laundry, dust, vacuum, clean toilets, sit on the computer, etc.. or choose to gather in the living room and enjoy the company of my family. I might as well enjoy where I am right now because who knows where I will be next year. And let's face it, the laundry and all of those chores will be there tomorrow. Waiting ever so patiently!
Granted, an organized life would probably not let the chores get out of hand, but i'm not a perfect individual and would never claim to be such. So since this is me and sometimes my laundry pile becomes more like a laundry mountain.... i'm choosing daily to look at my options and then decide where my time would be better spent; Taking in the relationships and opportunities around me.
(There's a difference in going out and looking for something other to do - that would be neglecting or ingoring. I'm saying when you are given an opportunity to go spend time with friends, family, or watch your sons baseball game and you must decide chores or relationships.)
Learning to rest can be hard. But it's worth it.
Over spring break I had big plans to go through my closet and dresser to get rid of winter and bring spring/summer clothing to the front. Organizing everything in my bedroom to where it worked for me and then cleaning my overdue bathroom. Rhonda had other spontaneous plans like deciding to go to Panama City on Friday evening. When we got back to Texas I had a few more days left to clean.
What did I do?
Let's take Friday for example - this was my first morning to sleep without having any plans or a place to be so I took advantage of it and slept in a little bit. When I woke up I spent time with the Lord and ate breakfast. Next, I was going to work out, tackle my bedroom/bathroom so that it would be nice and clean when my family from Mississippi came through that evening. Two other (engaged) friends were also coming over around 5:30 to talk about wedding plans and then all the girl's from Erin's wedding were arriving that night as well. Somehow I was supposed to squeeze in a shower in there as well.
As I was finishing up my breakfast I received a text message from a friend inviting me to come over and lay out.
I chose her.... and the conversation that I knew would be there.
Sure. Every single one of these following thoughts crossed my mind -
My family is coming in and staying in the room across the hall. How important is it to me that they see my room perfectly spotless? That messy room, it proves to my family that i'm normal and my room is lived in. No need to put on a mask.
The two friends who came over around 5:30 - they ended up seeing me without eye make up and in shorts and a t-shirt. Do you think they cared for one second? Nope.
The freedom in being real instead of coming across put together all the time... it's good.
Each night this week I slowly spent time tackling the tasks in my bedroom that needed to be done. So i'm choosing... choosing to rest... to decide what's more important.
And leaving the chores (and other tasks) for moments that won't keep me from family and friends. This is where I am... I want to take it in. Sometimes I fail miserably and choose the silly internet - but i'm working on that!
(PS - dad is fishing, Casie is helping with a d-now, and mom is cleaning.... so now i'm off to clean. Hopefully you were able to gather my thoughts and point to this post [I will not edit, I will not edit, I will not edit.] haha! There is a time for everything and when we're faced with options, such as relationships or chores, we have a choice to make! You should visit Emily's blog every Tuesday as she unwraps the little moments of life!)
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