The Weekly Ramble 9/10/23

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I’m finding myself so interested in life these days. It’s weird.

uhaul trailer in the driveway ready to be loaded.

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That sounds like a weird sentence in itself. Bear with me.

After reading Be Your Future Self Now and starting an independent study of the book of John, I have so much more enthusiasm for the future. Not that I know what the future will be, and not that I don’t think it will have hard things in it, but I feel like it’s so full of possibilities!

I’m inspired by the idea of having a big vision for your future self.

Dream Big.

Some of my excitement stems from what I explained last week about finding our new house and then comparing it to a wish list we’d made two months ago, a list that once-made, I never looked at again.

The new house matches up almost perfectly with the wishlist even though we never consulted the list again.

We’d prayed over it. We’d had a big ask. And I think God and our house-hunting subconscious worked together to make it happen.

I mean, I’d even forgotten that my wishlist had “backyard with growing things” on it, but lo and behold! The new house has raised beds with a drip system and herbs, strawberries, and fruit trees already growing!

plastic dinosaurs on concrete counter in backyard.

So, thinking and dreaming BIG is high on my list.

Especially with proof positive like that!

Couple that with my study of John and thinking about how BIG Jesus is. He was at Creation, and everything was created through Him. (Still meditating on these concepts….)

But a future with Christ in it cannot be anything but BIG. It’s very exciting, don’t you think?!

My kids are being treated to “TED talks” on these ideas, so you’re hereby warned that you will be, too. Dreaming big really is a solution to make stuff easier, so it’s definitely on brand. lol

The Past is a Draft.

Another idea I’m simmering is this: The past is a draft.

What we tell ourselves about the past can change based on new information and new insights we gain. I’m not advocating that we rewrite history, but that we can look at an experience and retell it in ways that help our present and future selves grow and evolve into healthier, happier human beings.

It’s not that we deny bad or hard things, but we can talk about them in ways that benefit us.

I watched this YouTube video that touches on some of the things I’ve been thinking about. I even took notes and it’s given me lots of good food for thought.

The Adam Project, a sci-fi film does a great job illustrating this idea as well. I can’t explain it without sharing spoilers. I’ve seen the film twice, though, so I highly recommend you watch it, too. Then we can talk. 😉

starbucks glass mug with steaming tea and a spoon.

The Past Week of Being Sick…?

We spent most of this week sick. By “we” I mean Bryan and I. I got sick last Friday, and he fell ill on Tuesday night. The kids were each sick for a week solid, so I’m on the mend and he should be getting there as the weekend closes.

We’re working on getting healthy and prepping to move, so I’m hoping this counts as having an illness this fall and we can all move on.

FishChick15 had her wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. It’s been years since I’ve seen her so sad and in pain. It was rough.

We watched four movies, including The Adam Project, two Hallmark Gourmet Detectives, and CB Strike.

Feeling poorly or seeing someone you love feel that way definitely makes you appreciate wellness on a whole new level!

Setting Priorities

Recently, I walked through the exercise of choosing three priorities. It’s a pretty common recommendation in goal-setting/productivity circles. It’s a business strategy that works in real life.

If you have more than three priorities, you have zero.

—Jim Colling, from Good to Great

I am focusing on 3 F-words: family, fitness, and finances

I spent a little time, articulating to myself what this looks like:

Family – to launch our kids into adulthood with the core memories, experiences, and resources to be happy, healthy, and holy.

Fitness – to be mentally, physically, and spiritually fit so that I can age strong and continue to be engaged with my children (and some-day grandchildren) well into my 90s.

Finances – to manage our finances and increase our earnings so that we are not only “not a burden” but also that we can be a blessing to our family and to others in need.

Then I spent some time brainstorming what particular actions and practices would help me achieve these priorities. (Yes, I’ll be systemating some of them and sharing soon!)

And then I highlighted one thing to focus on in the near future (in bold)

Family – Sunday dinners/family nights, meaningful talk time during commutes, family trips (overseas as well as domestic), daily/weekly check-ins, regular mom-kid dates, setting up new house to maximize our time together as well as their work/study/friend time.

Fitness – therapy, weight-lifting, 10k steps, nutrition for cholesterol/protein, Bible study.

Finances – trimming our expenses, increasing our income, investing regularly

It feels good to have a BIG big picture, but also to know the tiny steps that can help us get there and to have an idea of where to start.

baba coffee cup on table next to croissant.

Going Into a New Week

Tomorrow I’m hoping to get back to my regular schedule of taking Sundays off and having work time a couple days next week.

We get the keys on our new place on Thursday night which means Friday is cleaning day. I’m hoping the owners have hired cleaners since we last saw it, but I’m not holding my breath.

I’ve purchased one of those fancy spin mops with bucket and a lightweight vacuum for all the tile. A robot vacuum is going on my Christmas list. lol!

I’ll clean on Friday and then we’ll start moving things on Saturday. Things are getting real here!

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