The Lazy Days of Summer!
By: Debi Chapman
Summer holds a place of rest. Frantic schedules are no longer the rage. Slow mornings and late nights replace scribbled calendar pages and endless to-do lists. The beaming sunlight, crisp mornings, and soft evenings lure us outside and bring calm deep within the soul. I never want these lazy days of freestyle living to end.
To maximize this short oasis, I adjust my lifestyle by quitting the crazy busyness cycle. This also helps prepare me for a less cluttered school season.
“You have to decide what highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.” Stephen Covey
So, every summer I quit! In order to make room for what matters most. Almost every day I quit something in these areas and it feels so good…
- My Inbox – no longer rules. (at least for summer) I delete all past files from this school year. Coop agendas, class plans, tutor instructions – all have to go – to the virtual trash can – never to be seen again. Email total numbers decrease and I can breathe again! But this can’t be done all at one time – the job is too great. So I do a little bit every day and when I get a moment. Bit-by-bit the past is deleted and the future looks more open and bright.
- Unsubscribe – I update my preferences on those emails that I do not remember subscribing to or no longer need. Mostly, I prefer not to subscribe to newsletters and infomercials. Fewer advertisements make for a peaceful season.
- School Papers – recycling here we come!! The kids dump out their notebooks, I save a FEW items for keepsake or record keeping and the rest is history! School room cabinets are more spacious and I can think about the year to come with room to dream.
- Social Media – slows to a steady pace. Fewer ‘friends’ are followed closely. My newsfeed slows to a trickle of vital information. Now, life-giving and enjoyable news replaces endless chatter. I save important links to read at my discretion and the ‘Hide all from ____’ option is used liberally!! Few friends now forward articles to me via Facebook. Taking charge of my newsfeed brings peace and virtual order.
- Physical Priority – Now, I get up from my desk, go outside and enjoy the summer breeze or just soak up the sun. Personal needs, like rest, sleep, and exercise move to the top of my todo list! Now for that stack of books on my nightstand – I have room for you in my life.
As I QUIT the tyrannical needs that eat at my soul, I am making time for the parts that matter most- God’s word and my family.
This summer I am putting the 0nline clutter aside and pressing on to enjoy the last relaxing days of summer.
Hebrews 12:1 “… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us …”
Presently, they have a house full of teenagers in DFW and four sons in college. Debi’s desire is to leave footprints for those who follow, and to impart grace to mothers of all ages. Debi can be found at Fresh Grace for Mothers , @mother211, Instagram and Pinterest , but her favorite place on earth is home.
