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Let Your Heart Wander

Hello!
Do you ever feel like you’re strictly doing only what you have to do, just to get by?
I’ve been in that mode for a few weeks now.  I’ve been having a hard time saying “no” to the things I’m not super passionate about, because I’ve had the mentality of “yeah, I can squeeze it in”  or “that sounds ‘kind of’ fun”.  Along with
that, when I have said “no” people have been having a hard time hearing and accepting it.
Ordinarily I am a reliable person.  I do all that I can at home, & still show up to put in 110% at whatever I’ve signed up to do.
Now don’t get me wrong here.  I like that people can count on me.  The problem is, I’m also drowning in my have-to-do list (which is different than a typical ‘to-do list’).  I’m not kidding you- every square on my calendar is filled in, for as far as thee I can see!
I’m not getting any time to just let my heart, mind, and even my feet wander.
So this weekend we were supposed to go to a family reunion 3 hours away.  I love my extended family and miss them something terrible, but I had just hit a breaking point and couldn’t do it.  I went to bed thinking we were going, but I woke up with a change of heart (and the girls and I had that silly lingering cough, so I sort of felt justified.  But really we need a family day more than anything, and I needed to not feel guilty about that).
What my heart REALLY wants is to just wander and be unhurried.
So that’s what we did Saturday.  We slept in until 8am and then Mr. Awesome and I cooked a great big breakfast together.  It had been SO long since we had cooked a meal together.  I had really missed it, even though I occasionally whined that he was in my way or spraying water all over the place while he rinsed the dishes (that I believe can go straight into the dishwasher without rinsing, but that’s okay).  We sat down as a family to eat and we actually had time to listen to the kids tell stories, talk about conversations they had with their friends, and heard great big belly laughs from each of them at different times.
We took care of several errands, delivered hand-me-down clothes to a friend, returned plumbing pieces to the hardware store, took a van load of things to our favorite 2nd hand store to donate, and best of all we FINALLY delivered that wedding gift that had been sitting here for 3 months since we missed a wedding back in July.  Now these were “to-do” things, but we didn’t have to do them on anyone’s time but ours.  We didn’t have to show up at a certain time. which hasn’t happened for us in a very long time.
After that, we just wandered.
When we were headed to look for a new blog planner at Staples (which I didn’t find- so any and all suggestions are welcome!) we decided to take a detour and take the family mini-golfing.
MINI-GOLFING, People!
Do you know how fun that is?  It’s insanely fun.  Especially with a group of kids as fun as mine and a husband who is a great big goofball!  That makes me laugh the whole time.
Our mini-golf coupons were expired, but we took a chance and they let us use them anyway (Shout out
and THANK YOU to North Iowa Golf).  The course was quiet, and we got to take our sweet time.  And believe me, with three kids, one of them being a two year old carrying her own club, we really did take.our.time.
I left my phone in the van, which was a good thing; because when I got back I realized I would’ve had 7
interruptions while we were out enjoying family time.  They were all things that could wait, but if I had my phone on me, I would’ve felt obligated to respond back or take phone calls that didn’t have to happen right then.
What I’m saying is:
1.      Are you giving a gentle “no” in areas that you just can’t passionately serve right now?
2.      Are you taking time to let your heart, mind, and feet wander?
And when I say serve, I want you to know you can serve in absolutely any way, and this will look different for each of us.  Maybe you serve through babysitting for a friend, making meals, sitting on a committee, helping organize  an event, etc. 
I personally cannot serve by babysitting your kids right now, but I can be of service by making a meal.  Maybe you’re the other way around right now.  That’s okay!
The Answer Key would look like this:  1. YES 2. YES.
If you can’t answer both questions with a firm YES, then I encourage you to take a look at this next week, and see what changes you can make so that you can serve passionately.

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Comments

  1. Unknown says

    October 29, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    I love this! Fantastic words and sounds like a great day! (BTW…my husband too thinks everything has to be rinsed out before it's put in the dishwasher and it drives me nuts! LOL!)

    Reply

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Hey Friend! I am truly so glad that you’re here today!

At A Slightly Better Wife, I share about faith, homemaking, homeschooling, and marriage—along with my passion for creating a non-toxic, intentional home. Life isn’t about perfection, but I believe in making small, meaningful choices each day to do things slightly better than before.

My love for simple living and homemaking was deeply shaped by my grandparents. I have the best childhood memories of being in the kitchen with my Grandma Edna, learning the beauty of home-cooked meals and a well-tended home. My Grandpa Link’s storytelling and wisdom instilled in me the value of faith, family, and slowing down to listen during the little moments that make life rich. Their influence is woven into who I am today and I’m so grateful for that.

I’m a wife, a momma of 5, and a homemaker at heart. My husband and I met young, just days after my 18th birthday, and we quickly (like within a week) knew that forever was in our plans.

Together, we built our home on the edge of town, where we’re raising and homeschooling our children while embracing a simple, purposeful life in the city.

Here, you’ll find encouragement for your marriage, practical tips for homemaking, and inspiration to cultivate a home filled with faith and love. Whether you’re looking for a recipe, a fresh perspective, or just a place to feel understood, I hope you’ll stay awhile and explore.

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