Let’s Tell Ourselves We are Busy…
BY : AVERI WHITMAN
These days have felt hurried. I think having a toddler will do that to you. The constant spark of a new development or another day of not enough sleep. The days carry on, and we keep trudging through.
I tell myself that I am drained, exhausted, done, and out of energy at the end of our day. I conjure up busyness in my mind to combat my fear of actual busyness. It is like “let’s tell ourselves we are busy so we don’t have to be busy”. Do you feel that way too?
The truth is, a full schedule does not always equal a busy schedule. Fullness can lead to connection and joy found in everyday moments, but connection is effort. Forming new friendships in a new city is effort. Effort that I don’t always want to give because I am “busy”.
Here’s the thing… “hurry” adds unnecessary pressure. It builds up walls in the name of small talk. Hurry hurts, because it doesn’t listen… it doesn’t stop to check in. That’s not the type of (read: lack of) connection we were made for.
We were made to take long walks and linger over a cup of coffee. We were made for hours of conversation following a good meal. For bonfires in the backyard and late summer nights. We were made for Jesus, and Jesus never hurries. He stops to help, He stops to pray, He stops to form connections. He walks slower, and He listens more.
So what if we changed our language?
Yes, the days are full, but fullness can be a gift. We take time to reconnect – with ourselves, our loved ones and with new friends too. The lines on our calendars become sacred and filled with joy. We drink our coffee, we spend time with our families, we organize our houses, we paint our rooms, we cook new recipes, we try new hobbies. “Full” and “rest” can be in the same sentence. We can decide to give time to hobbies that feel life-giving or to new connections that will become easy connections.
The art of changing one word in a sentence. The impact of an inspired mindset.
You can feel hurried with or without a full calendar.
We get to decide.
