Category: choices

Simplify: Focus on faith, not fear

Simplify is a word that keeps coming up again and again. Right now, the world has turned upside down and we’re wrestling with the loss of freedom and control. This includes those who have lost their jobs or homes or loved ones.

For those who are trying to just make sense of world events or who are struggling with the confines of being at home, perhaps we need to look at sheltering at home as an opportunity.
Look, I’m not dismissing the seriousness of this pandemic, not at all. And it may not be easy to stay home. But I also refuse to run around with my hair on fire.

Right now, my husband and I are sequestered at home. We’re very thankful we both have jobs that allow us to work from home. So, while we’re here in this situation, I want to be productive, and instead of struggling with “can’t go to …dinner or go to the movies or go to church or whatever,” I want to focus on how to make the best of our current situation.

That goes back to “simplify.” Before the pandemic, my husband’s job kept him on the fast track, and when we did have time together, well, we both were distracted, and frankly, exhausted. Now that he’s working from home, he’s actually getting more done at his job – there are less interruptions!

Plus, like a lot families in our neighborhood, we’re out taking a walk most days. The TV isn’t on as much right now. And we’ve broken out our puzzle, which is currently spread (and finished since I first started writing this post) all over the dining room table.

While there is fear, uncertainty and restlessness right now, I’m doing my best to focus on the simpler things in life, like precious time with my husband.

For me, I try to pay attention to the simple day-to-day things. I feel closer to God, knowing I have to trust in him, that we have to be still. Be still and know that God is still here.

Follow-up Note: I wrote the above post over a week ago. I’m struggling with writing like I should be and struggle to get work done. I’m doing what I need to do, but I’m definitely not on top of my game. So, unless you think it’s easy to simplify and try to focus on just day-to-day stuff, it’s not. But I think it’s worthy to try.

I saw this quote attributed to C.S. Lewis recently, and it says, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” That inspires so much hope. Hope that things will be better once this pandemic is over. But also hope that we’ve reconnected with family and treasure our friendships, and have drawn closer to God with our faith and hope. So, while it’s a struggle some days, I still refuse to have fear overwhelm me. If I feel that happening, then it’s time to simplify again. Focus on day-to-day, on time with my husband, and knowing that God is still here and we’ll get through this.

Uncertainty

I’m not sure what to write these days. This post is a day late already.

Right now, the world is dealing with the Coronavirus, more formally known as Covid-19. And part of me wants to be cautious and not fall into panic mode. And part of me is nearly rolling my eyes at all of the hysteria out there. However, I don’t want to be stupid about this.

I know folks who have underlying health issues and this can be serious. So, please know, I’m not trying to underestimate the situation. However, panic accomplishes NOTHING. We don’t make smart decisions in panic mode.

So, since the theme on TalkingAmongFriends.com this week seems to be finding the balance, then that’s what we need to do when the world goes crazy (whether we’re right or wrong in the decisions being made right now).

It’s time to find the balance between caution and hysteria. This whole thing almost seems too surreal, like a bad Hollywood movie. Yet, here we are.

I have two pieces of advice:

First, take a breath. Slow down. Don’t get sucked in to media hysteria, but find as much factual information as you can, then make the best decisions you can make for you and your family. Do the best you can and leave the rest to God.

And that leads to advice item #2: Pray. God isn’t surprised by any of this. And no matter what happens, I have faith in him. I pray for the virus to stop. I pray that our economy stays strong or bounces back quickly. But mostly, I pray for family, friends and neighbors. Maybe through all of this craziness and uncertainty, we can find ways to connect with our family and friends. We can help our neighbors if they haven’t been able to get to the grocery store.

We can trust that God has this under control.

Finding the Balance (Video plus text)

The link below is about finding the balance between your to-do list and quiet time. Or you can just read the text of the video below.

See the video here. 

Hey everyone, the last couple of weeks on TalkingAmongFriends.com, I did a post on “Time’s a Wastin'”, about how I don’t like frittering the day away, having a drift day. And then the next post was “The Silence was Deafening”, where there could be so much noise in the world, that when silence happens it’s something you need to pay attention to. I referred back to my days in broadcasting, where at the radio station you always had the radio on in the background. But you could ignore it go about your day. You know, the phones are ringing and people were talking, whatever. But if the radio station went off the air for any reason, it’s like you heard that the silence was deafening. It was the only way I really understood that expression.

So now, last couple days I’ve been kind of buried under a to-do list of things to do. And sometimes when I get so busy or get so overwhelmed with things to do, I kind of freeze up and I don’t want to do that. That could lead to the “Times a-Wastin;” days.

What I’d like to do is: if I have a to do list is to attack it. Get things done and you always feel better. But sometimes you do need to stop and only stop for a brief time and have that moment of silence. Have that moment of quiet to where you can just breathe. Take a deep breath and soak things in. Have a little prayer time, meditation, whatever floats your boat. For me, it’s prayer time. And in a way that can refresh your soul.

Just stop, breathe, get refreshed, and then tackle that to do list. So, there’s always a balance between your to do list and a quiet time, and between wasting time, and just taking a pause to find refreshment. And, you know, sometimes I’m not a very good tightrope walker. It’s hard to find the balance. But it’s something we can always strive for, right?

So, here’s to quality quiet time and attacking that to do list. And I hope you can find the balance.

Take care. We’ll see you next time.

The Silence Is Deafening

Back in my younger days, I worked in radio broadcasting. In my office, the radio station was always playing in the background. No matter what we were doing, we always had one ear tuned in. So, even with the radio playing, phones ringing and conversations in the office, you know what the loudest sound was? You guessed it: silence.

If the radio station went off the air, everything stopped.  You had to pay attention to what was wrong. That silence was deafening. I finally understood what this phrase meant.

In today’s world, there’s a lot of noise… a lot! It’s rarely quiet with television, radio, social media, responsibilities from work and home. There doesn’t seem to be much silence.

Noise can be distracting. Recently, a friend of mind was counseling her son, who did not get a job he had applied for. He has applied for several jobs, and this particular one wasn’t his top choice. But he was still disappointed. His mom gave him good advice. She asked him if this was the job he really wanted, and he confirmed that it wasn’t his top choice. Then she reminded him that this was just noise. Yes, he probably was looking for validation by being accepted for a position, even though it wasn’t his first choice. But her advice was right one. It was just noise. He needed to put it aside and keep focused on his future goal.

This makes me wonder how many times I let noise get in the way and distract me from doing what I need to do.

I believe in having quiet time in the morning, where I do a daily devotional, but I know once I get going on my day, I’m really, really good at getting distracted. I fight the noise of procrastination, of worry, and sometimes even laziness.

Last fall, I wrote a post about taking four minutes a day for quiet time. You can read it here. https://talkingamongfriends.com/2019/10/03/do-you-have-four-minutes/.  It’s something I probably need to go back to when the noises get deafening, instead of the quiet. I need to pay attention to what’s most important.

By taking the time to silence the noise, you may not find all the answers. But you might find a little peace, a little less distraction, and perhaps a little more focus. Maybe it’s time to enjoy the deafening silence.