My Top Ten for 2014
One of the best friends I've ever had in my life, is very keen on making top 10 lists. In our glory days (meaning our senior year of college and the 4 years that followed when we spent every waking second together and got in more cat fights then I care to mention), we made many a top ten lists for each other (top 10 reasons why I will miss you when I'm on vacation, top 10 reasons why I am glad it's your birthday, top 10 reasons why the guy who just dumped you is a jerk...ok, maybe that's stretching it, but you get the idea)
This sweet (and oh so blunt) friend texted me today and said "Is it bad that I think of you when I put deodorant on?" To which I replied "Do I stink?!?" (knowing full well why she was asking me that, and it was NOT because I stink!) And her reply? :) A smiley. Yep.
Whatever, Ashley.
So, as a tribute to more wonderful memories than I deserve to have with one friend...a top 10 list of things I want to do better (or improve upon) in 2014.
In backwards, but no significant order because that's how she did it...
10. Carve out more time in my school day to really invest in the personal lives of my students. The curriculum is so strenuous and things have changed so much in education, that I feel there's little time to truly get to know my students on a really personal level-at least the well behaved ones. There are others I know quite well. :) But, one motto I live by is that if I want to see the change, I have to be the change. I want to make this happen.
9. Stop biting my finger nails. I feel this needs no further explanation.
8. Text less. I text a lot. Since many I am closest to live so far away from me, it's a relationship saver in many ways. Texting is a good invention, and I am thankful for it...but I could stand to do it a little less.
7. Flipflop my "downtime" activities-typically I save my Bible reading for when the boys are asleep. They know I do it, and we talk constantly about the Bible and how it applies to our lives and situations we face, we read it together daily, but they don't often see me reading it outside of our family devotion time because they are asleep when I do. They do, however, see me texting when they are having their independent play time and I grab a second to respond or say hello. But it dawned on me, why not save the text messages for when they are asleep and let them catch glimpses of me delving into God's word here and there when I snag a free moment. (this is not to say I won't send a text while they are awake...just a positive change here and there)
6. Put more effort into my appearance. This is a big one. I've talked about it with a trusted few for a while. I'm a frumpy, frump, frump mom. I wear jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt on a good day. I have never been a fashion queen, and don't intend to start now. I don't find my worth in how well, or not well, I dress. But I do intend to make an effort to put things on my body that make me feel cuter, enhance my mood and look less frumpy. It's the small things, like washing my make up off before I go to bed each night, that I want to get back to. I simply love the tingle of Noxema....
5. Clean less. My house isn't spotless, (shocking, I know) and I wouldn't recommend eating anything you drop on our floor...not even with the 5 second rule. Unless you are my kid or the sitter's kid, and in that case it's totally ok. :) Seriously though, I asked Walker today if he thought I was a good mom. He said yes and I asked him what made me a good mom. He said "because you do stuff with me all the time." Then I asked him what he wishes I did less of, and he said without missing a beat "Clean." There you have it, folks. The child has spoken. He did follow up with "but you are a best mommy because you spend a lot of time with me." I've been convicted many times that I spend too much time fussing over this house. Too soon, the little ones will be gone, and I don't want to clean away their childhood. They don't care if the kitchen floor is swept every night, and neither does my dear friend, the sitter. I've got to let go. A clean house is not an indicator of a good mom, but time well spent with my kids is.
4. Follow through with the "long-term" prayers. God has really been faithful in increasing my desire to spend time in prayer like I shared a few weeks ago in a post. I'm loving being back in a place where I don't "have" to pray, rather I "get" to pray. But I tend to struggle with following through with the long-term prayers. For example, before our home was broken in to, I was praying that God would send us a buyer (mind you, our house wasn't even on the market) and that He would prepare a new place for us to live. The prayer died out when the answer didn't seem immediately forthcoming. Then when we had the break in, I began to pray the same prayer again, only to have it fizzle a few months later. But, moving is a desire we both really have and recognize can only happen through prayer for many reasons. This is just one example, but I really want to live out my belief that through prayer anything is possible.
3. Date more. I have a hotty husband whom I love more than anything on this planet. We are blessed with schedules that afford us a ton of time together, more than most couples. And we actually enjoy that time, unlike many couples. We invest in our relationship and have a solid foundation, but I don't want to settle for staying where we are. I want to continue to grow. Money is less tight and the kids are growing older. It's time to hit the town a little more often than we do. (or a cruise ship!)
2. Be less sensitive. I've grown by leaps and bounds in this area over the last year but there's always room for improvement. Not everything is about me, and it's selfish to think that it would be. An offhand comment is probably more reflective of a person's bad day or mood than it is their feelings or thoughts about me. And anyway, what does it matter?
1. Love people fully with no reservations. I've learned about myself the past few years that I tend to pull back. I don't allow myself to be as vulnerable as I have in the past if I know that it could end in heart break. I want to spare myself the hurt, but that's no way to live. Someone sent me this text message a month or so ago, and it really spoke to me... "I thought about what you said about losing friends to a move and noT wanting to get close to anyone again. I totally get that cause I used to feel that way too. We have gotten close to many people during our lives thinking we would always have them, only to lose them to different paths in life. Don't stop loving people. As you get older and your kids get older, friends become even more precious. They may be close to you only for a season or they may last a lifetime. But love in Christ, no matter how short lived here on Earth, lasts forever. They will always be a part of you. Keep loving, my friend! If you shield your heart to protect it, you may miss the blessings God has for you. Each friendship brings something unique to your life."
(Cue Garth Brook's "The Dance..." -I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance...)
So there you have it. My top 10 (in no significant order) list of things I hope to improve upon or do better in 2014!
This sweet (and oh so blunt) friend texted me today and said "Is it bad that I think of you when I put deodorant on?" To which I replied "Do I stink?!?" (knowing full well why she was asking me that, and it was NOT because I stink!) And her reply? :) A smiley. Yep.
Whatever, Ashley.
So, as a tribute to more wonderful memories than I deserve to have with one friend...a top 10 list of things I want to do better (or improve upon) in 2014.
In backwards, but no significant order because that's how she did it...
10. Carve out more time in my school day to really invest in the personal lives of my students. The curriculum is so strenuous and things have changed so much in education, that I feel there's little time to truly get to know my students on a really personal level-at least the well behaved ones. There are others I know quite well. :) But, one motto I live by is that if I want to see the change, I have to be the change. I want to make this happen.
9. Stop biting my finger nails. I feel this needs no further explanation.
8. Text less. I text a lot. Since many I am closest to live so far away from me, it's a relationship saver in many ways. Texting is a good invention, and I am thankful for it...but I could stand to do it a little less.
7. Flipflop my "downtime" activities-typically I save my Bible reading for when the boys are asleep. They know I do it, and we talk constantly about the Bible and how it applies to our lives and situations we face, we read it together daily, but they don't often see me reading it outside of our family devotion time because they are asleep when I do. They do, however, see me texting when they are having their independent play time and I grab a second to respond or say hello. But it dawned on me, why not save the text messages for when they are asleep and let them catch glimpses of me delving into God's word here and there when I snag a free moment. (this is not to say I won't send a text while they are awake...just a positive change here and there)
6. Put more effort into my appearance. This is a big one. I've talked about it with a trusted few for a while. I'm a frumpy, frump, frump mom. I wear jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt on a good day. I have never been a fashion queen, and don't intend to start now. I don't find my worth in how well, or not well, I dress. But I do intend to make an effort to put things on my body that make me feel cuter, enhance my mood and look less frumpy. It's the small things, like washing my make up off before I go to bed each night, that I want to get back to. I simply love the tingle of Noxema....
5. Clean less. My house isn't spotless, (shocking, I know) and I wouldn't recommend eating anything you drop on our floor...not even with the 5 second rule. Unless you are my kid or the sitter's kid, and in that case it's totally ok. :) Seriously though, I asked Walker today if he thought I was a good mom. He said yes and I asked him what made me a good mom. He said "because you do stuff with me all the time." Then I asked him what he wishes I did less of, and he said without missing a beat "Clean." There you have it, folks. The child has spoken. He did follow up with "but you are a best mommy because you spend a lot of time with me." I've been convicted many times that I spend too much time fussing over this house. Too soon, the little ones will be gone, and I don't want to clean away their childhood. They don't care if the kitchen floor is swept every night, and neither does my dear friend, the sitter. I've got to let go. A clean house is not an indicator of a good mom, but time well spent with my kids is.
4. Follow through with the "long-term" prayers. God has really been faithful in increasing my desire to spend time in prayer like I shared a few weeks ago in a post. I'm loving being back in a place where I don't "have" to pray, rather I "get" to pray. But I tend to struggle with following through with the long-term prayers. For example, before our home was broken in to, I was praying that God would send us a buyer (mind you, our house wasn't even on the market) and that He would prepare a new place for us to live. The prayer died out when the answer didn't seem immediately forthcoming. Then when we had the break in, I began to pray the same prayer again, only to have it fizzle a few months later. But, moving is a desire we both really have and recognize can only happen through prayer for many reasons. This is just one example, but I really want to live out my belief that through prayer anything is possible.
3. Date more. I have a hotty husband whom I love more than anything on this planet. We are blessed with schedules that afford us a ton of time together, more than most couples. And we actually enjoy that time, unlike many couples. We invest in our relationship and have a solid foundation, but I don't want to settle for staying where we are. I want to continue to grow. Money is less tight and the kids are growing older. It's time to hit the town a little more often than we do. (or a cruise ship!)
2. Be less sensitive. I've grown by leaps and bounds in this area over the last year but there's always room for improvement. Not everything is about me, and it's selfish to think that it would be. An offhand comment is probably more reflective of a person's bad day or mood than it is their feelings or thoughts about me. And anyway, what does it matter?
1. Love people fully with no reservations. I've learned about myself the past few years that I tend to pull back. I don't allow myself to be as vulnerable as I have in the past if I know that it could end in heart break. I want to spare myself the hurt, but that's no way to live. Someone sent me this text message a month or so ago, and it really spoke to me... "I thought about what you said about losing friends to a move and noT wanting to get close to anyone again. I totally get that cause I used to feel that way too. We have gotten close to many people during our lives thinking we would always have them, only to lose them to different paths in life. Don't stop loving people. As you get older and your kids get older, friends become even more precious. They may be close to you only for a season or they may last a lifetime. But love in Christ, no matter how short lived here on Earth, lasts forever. They will always be a part of you. Keep loving, my friend! If you shield your heart to protect it, you may miss the blessings God has for you. Each friendship brings something unique to your life."
(Cue Garth Brook's "The Dance..." -I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance...)
So there you have it. My top 10 (in no significant order) list of things I hope to improve upon or do better in 2014!
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