My original plan for this blog was to respond publicly to my friend’s question: “I’m planning to keep my child home from school for another six weeks. What do I need to be doing for her so that we don’t all completely lose our minds with holidays, school, etc.?” My blog then morphed into things that maybe we ALL need to consider doing so that we don’t all lose our minds. I hope some of these things will be helpful to you. I know I’m going to try out a few of them for myself!
Quote #1:
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.”
--Stephen Covey
There are so many things that need our attention right now. There are so many things we would rather be doing than the things on our list. Many of us find ourselves procrastibaking, procrastinapping, procrasticleaning, procrasticrafting, procrastinetflixing. Yes, I made all that up, but I bet most of you have done at least one of those things lately. We, and our kids, need help remembering what the priorities are in the midst of these strange times. I’ve tanked on eating healthy, so much for that priority. I am at church almost every Sunday because I work there. I love the online worship experience and yet I wonder if I would let myself get distracted by other things and miss out if I weren’t there for work? I’m doing my best to keep up with doctor appointments, guide my teen through online learning, and stay connected to friends and family through phone calls and Zoom, but I’m not doing a great job at it.
I wonder what each of our priorities are? I wonder how we can schedule them in, instead of letting other things take over?
Quote #2:
“An object at rest will tend to stay at rest and an object in motion will tend to stay in motion.”
--Isaac Newton
Some people have done a great job at “balancing their brains” and/or “balancing their bodies” during quarantine. Others have struggled a bit. We, and our kids, need to spend some time keeping our brains in motion (schoolwork, puzzles, work, challenging hobby, etc.) and we need to also spend time relaxing our brains (listening to music, sitting quietly, etc.). We need to do the same thing for our bodies. We need time to go for walks and move and yet also have time for sitting and resting.
I wonder how we can better introduce some balance in our worlds and into our children’s worlds right now to help both our mind and our bodies?
Quote #3: See Quote #1
But this time let’s talk about connection to others as a priority. I know some of us love our alone time and quarantine has been good for us. However, introvert or not, we all still need time to connect with others. I wonder how we can better make this a priority and schedule it. Harry Potter or Star Wars Zoom trivia night with friends or extended family? Zoom Lego building for the kids? Family board games? Charades? Something that keeps you and your family away from a screen for a little while?
I wonder what cool new ways we can come up with to connect with others?
Quote #4:
“Expectations are just premeditated resentments.”
--Anne Lamott
Ok, yes, that quote is a little dark. Please let me explain. We need to be realistic and be open with our kids and families about how the holidays may look different this year. If we all go into Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with the expectation that things will be just as they have been the last few years, then we are likely setting ourselves (and our children) up for disappointment. Start the conversations now about how family gatherings, church, and friend events may look different this year. Start making a revised plan now. This might be a variation of the old traditions you’ve had for years, or it might be something completely new and different! Think out of the box and you might be surprised with the cool new tradition you end up creating!
I wonder what creative ideas we can share with one another? I haven’t made my revised plan yet, so I can’t wait to hear yours!
Quote #5:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
--Isaiah 43:19
This was our Bible verse for VBS this year. It’s been jumping out at me all during quarantine. I sit with it, ponder it, pray about it. I forget about it and then it shows up again a few weeks later as a reminder.
I wonder how our outlook of things might change if we embraced this verse right now and really spent time looking to see how God is at work in our world? What new thing do you see God creating?
