Z is for Zzzzzzzz

In other words, rest.

The other day, we had little C for the afternoon, and we kept him pretty busy once he got up from his nap. A trip to the local park was in order. This included a longish walk down the hill to the soccer field, and back up again. This little guy loves to run around and climb up and down hills. I think we tired him out!

As we were driving him home after supper, I noticed him rubbing his eyes and yawning at least four times in a span of 10 minutes.  Usually he has a second wind after supper, but not this time!

When he arrived home 20 minutes later, he was quiet and his eyes looked to only be half open. His mommy asked him if he wanted a story and he nodded yes. His usual habit of hugging and kissing everyone good night wasn't going to happen this time. He took his mommy's hand and without so much as a look in our direction, he disappeared into his bedroom. Now, that's TIRED! 

We all need rest. 

What do we need rest from? We need rest from being hurt, rest from our heavy labors, and rest from our fast-paced world. We need rest from the speed of change, rest from our jobs, and rest from information overload. 

Sleeth, Matthew. 24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life (p. 75). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

And now that I've completed the A-Z Blogging Challenge for 2019, I might take a little rest from this blog! Thanks for reading!

Q is for Quiet Time

C is a good little napper. This makes things a lot easier for his mommy who has a newborn daughter to care for, as well. Having a nap time lets his body rest and he wakes up happy and ready for the remainder of the day.

As children outgrow their naps, it's common for them to have a daily quiet time. This is a time to do something alone in their own room, usually with some activities that aren't noisy and don't need adult supervision.

Quiet times allow time to for minds and bodies to be calmed.

Quiet times provide consistent rhythms to the days.

Quiet times don't have to be long, just effective.

Quiet times foster creativity. It's a time to think and imagine and even solve problems.

Photo by Johnny McClung on Unsplash

I don't think children should ever outgrow their quiet times, do you? I still appreciate mine!

~Pause~

Day 17 Pause

I can’t wait to put my feet up tonight. It’ll be the first time I really paused all day. The sitting on a chair and relaxing sort of pause. 

Well, actually I did pause today. I had the opportunity to meet a friend for a hike and lunch, and there were a few moments in our day where we just stopped talking and walking and simply drank in the scenery. It was one of those mornings where the fog was moving through and the view was constantly changing.  It was so beautiful and scenic. So, we just stood there for a minute or two. We paused. 

all photos property of anetac

In the book of Psalms in the Bible, there are some verses that are followed by the word 'Selah'. One word. It means ‘pause’. Instead of continuing to read, it’s an invitation to take a breath and ponder what’s just been encountered.

Sometimes we race through activities when really, pausing makes us appreciate them so much more.  It could be when reading a book and a sentence just grabs you. Or it could be listening rather than speaking in a conversation. It could be sitting quietly in a chair and just … sitting. No phone, no book, no knitting. No multi-tasking.  Just sitting. That’s a hard thing for me to do. I think it’s easy, until I attempt it and then I realize my brain is really buzzing! 

Have you had an opportunity to pause today?  What gave you cause to pause?

Listen

Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.
Simone Weil

I've been part of a study group for several weeks now where we are sharing our stories with each other. The rules are to sit, listen, and let each other share what we want to or need to. No judgments, no fixing, no advice, no interrupting. Then we thank each other for sharing the hard parts of our lives.

I wish I could transfer the way I pay attention in this group, to how I listen to my own family and other friends. It seems hard to simply listen. More often than not, I'm partly listening (it might LOOK like I am fully listening) and partly formulating my response to what I'm hearing. But what would it be like to really listen and then pause before I replied?  What would it be like to make it my goal to value the other's words and need to be heard more than valuing my need to be heard, to have my opinions validated, advice accepted, and my needs met?

I messed up again today. I caught myself and did my best to listen and validate.
 "It must be really hard", I said.
"Yes", she replied, "very hard".
I may not have agreed with how she was handling this difficult situation, but if she wasn't asking for advice, it was better for me to simply listen. To be generous by saying nothing.

Not so simple. But so important.

The Moving Pen

Henri Nouwen wrote his devotional book Bread For the Journey by simply writing one reflection a day, not really knowing what was going to emerge. Two things were needed: free time and quiet, peaceful space.  As he allowed his pen to move, the words came.

"I sat down each morning, whether I had any ideas or not, and waited until my pen started to move and pull words out of my mind and heart. I didn't plan to write about Jesus..but my pen told me differently.." 

I suppose it really matters what the writer has been reading, watching, and pondering. That's what's going to spill out.

Speaking of writing, do you have any big plans for your blog this year?  Changes? What keeps you blogging into 2016?