Glorification of busy.

I have seen the sign a few different places and it simply reads "stop the glorification of busy." I am caught up in that glorification all too often, I feel a need to be busy, to have my days programmed to what feels like the minute allowing no time to stop, breathe, and be. I am guilty as charged some days. I have been convicted of this time and time again and yet I love to have days to myself with nothing planned. I love the chance to make a fresh cup of coffee, drink it from a real mug (not a travel mug - I drink from a travel mug 90% of the time due to being on the go), curl up on my chair with my dog in my lap, and either read a good book or crochet for the fun of it.

I have Fridays off, I don't try not to work on that day, I try to make plans with friends, clean my house, get caught up on laundry, go grocery shopping, go for a good run, and whatever else may tickle my fancy that day. I love my day off, usually I can avoid at least going into work. It is a gift for sure.

Post Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas always seems to me like the epitom of busy. There are Christmas presents to make/buy and wrap, there are parties to attend, advent to survive (extra services, bible studies, and an extra book study), on top of it seems unfortunately that we are going to have several funerals at church, get ready for my family to arrive, and send Marc off to a family wedding in Wisconsin (that I can't attend due to it being a couple days before Christmas). It is crazy and I refuse to buy into the glorification of busy and buying more, this Advent season. This advent season I am focusing on those things that matter, relationship, friends, family, training, and my sweet puppy. I refuse to get caught up in the chaos of the season and everything that can and does happen. I refuse to be over run by commercialism and the need to buy.

I am choosing this advent season to be more intentional about prayer, to spend time with family and friends, and to enjoy each day I have been given. I choose to enjoy the season and not get stressed out. I choose to love each and every day and love those who I get to interact with.


What are you finding filling your advent season with?
Are you making any gifts this Christmas?
Does your family have any fun Christmas traditions?

Confession

While the ticker on the right hand of my page continues to count down until the Tinkerbell half marathon (super super super jazzed about running this race), my training has slipped in the past couple of weeks for a number of reasons, mostly lame excuses. I have been getting in some runs but not quite the length I want or really I guess I should say need. I have committed to getting back to it, although I am fearing the winter months are going to involve many a long run on a treadmill (I HATE TREADMILLS) I tried to go out running this morning and ended up at the YMCA because everything had a nice layer of ice on it, which complicates running.

So I am back at the ymca trying to figure out how I can work the system and get more than a half hour on any given machine (dumb rules, which I understand but frustrate me when I want/need to run more than a half hour). I also don't love running in a confined public space because somehow people are confused, they don't get the subtle hints when I have my ear phones in, am on the corner treadmill facing the window outside that I don't want to talk to them while I run. Apparently this is a confusing concept. They mean well, they just annoy me.

Totally random unrelated note: last night I cleaned my kitchen [I am embarrassed to say how nasty it was] and for some reason I feel much better about life with a clean kitchen. I put my advent wreath on the table and am jazzed for advent to start Sunday.

Anything random you'd like to share?