Take Time to be Joyful! Slow Down...

OK, so I am still going on and on about Monday and here it is Wednesday already...Sixty degrees Monday and ice responsible for a two hour delay today. To say that put a kibosh in my plans is an understatement! So instead of working today (too much ice to drive to the hinterlands, never mind a late start...) I tried to get errands done. Stress "tried." Long lines everywhere, desired items gone (could that have anything to do with the fact that today is December 17th?!?!?!) and multiple calls from Tianna on her friend's cellphone; apparently she found it necessary to keep me posted on her whereabouts moment by moment.

We have a Christmas party with Howie's department tonight. I decided to get dressed up.

And the highlight of my day was getting an email from a friend, fellow writer and blog reader who shares similar feelings and passions about community outreach. God is up to something...Oh, and a phone call from another writer friend who asked me if I would like to lead a teleconference/coaching session for beginner writers. Wow!

Tomorrow I put my nurse chart reviewer hat back on. Maybe I will wear the one I have on in the picture...

Cheers!

PS I know I am not the only insane one out there trying to get too much crammed into too little time. My readers have fallen off the face of the earth. They are probably stuck in a long line somewhere, which is OK as long as they aer having fun.

Christmas Spending

I have been dragging my feet with Christmas shopping this year. I don't want to enter into frenzied (or un-frenzied, for that matter) shopping. I have been slowly and deliberately choosing gifts that will bring delight to the recipient.

But I am really having a hard time as I review my girls' Christmas lists. They are pretty long and have some pretty expensive items on them. Images of people who don't have food or clean water keep invading my thoughts. On those lines I learned about a web site that hasn't made this thought process any easier. Go to www.adventconspiracy.org. Watch the video. I know I was provoked. Basically, it tells us we spend 450 billion dollars each year on gifts, and note that it would only require 10 million dollars to supply those who need it with clean water. Amazing.

I have to admit my philosophy has changed over the years related to gift giving. I love to honor requests, but I prefer delightful surprises, or a treasure that is so unique, or so clearly has someone's name written all over it that I can't resist. For far too many years I carried on my mother's gift giving traditions, which included sale and clearnace items with little thought or consideration to whether it was really something the person wanted or not. Or if I responded to an item on the list, that was it. It probably won't come as a surprise that I was a proficient re-gifter and hung out in the clearance sections of stores...But now I search for meaning and delight and believe strongly in the gift of self.

So I am not excited about venturing into stores over the next few days. It just seems so unnecessary and anticlimactic (to my way of thinking, my girls will NOT agree). But I will do some shopping tomorrow. I have the perfect idea for Howie, but technology is once again giving me fits. All I need to do is send a photo on my computer to CVS and the page won't load... It is probably the last day I will really have a chunk of time to ponder, contemplate and not respond to impulse or whim. I am going to spend the day with my writing friend Connie.

The rest of the week is full; and I don't want to race through my days at breakneck speed. I want to have time to admire beautiful trees. Strike up conversations and simply be aware of those around me. I am working three days and then wind down the week with a radio interview and Christmas party with Nicole. And then Matt will be home, he has surgery next week, and then the girls are off for two weeks and I just want to be. I want to enjoy my time with them (because relationships matter) and not be crazy and stressed.