Home Sweet Hurt

Perhaps it’s too good to believe, but it appears Autumn has arrived and is, Lord willing, here to stay in Southern Mississippi. I can’t remember being so eager or giddy over cold fronts until I moved to Laurel. I began wearing scarves even when the weather didn’t match my heart’s desires for cool temperatures, hoping to will Autumn along. But all that really did was make me sweaty and slightly grumpy because only crazy people wear scarves while temperatures reached the mid-80s! Perhaps that means I’m transforming into a true Mississippian. What’s more is I used to laugh when folks here would say temperatures in the 40s and 50s were cold, but here I am at 6am, contently sitting in my sweatshirt while temperatures slowly creep up towards the 50s. Who’s laughing now, right?

Processed with VSCO with m5 preset

Processed with VSCO with m5 preset

Recently I’ve moved into a new position at Choices Clinic, taking on the role of Outreach Coordinator. Juggling new responsibilities and transitioning into a new role at work has been a combination of exciting and exhausting. Like I’ve said before, change is difficult for me, even if it’s good change. It still takes time to adjust and find your rhythm. So, consider me continuing on the journey to “hit my proverbial stride” at work, because I haven’t done so yet!

And that’s another thing. I think I’ve been saying I’ll do so-and-so “when life slows down” since January. It’s presently nearing the end of October. It’s taken me nearly a year to determine that life just doesn’t slow down. I suppose it’s best to learn that sooner rather than later. So, here I am, waltzing through life with a cup of coffee, my planner, and a slice of a lemon poppy-seed loaf. Ok, maybe that’s just been an exact depiction of me every day this week. All of this to say, I used to think that the older I became, the more I’d understand. Yet I feel that the older I become, the less capable I feel because there is so much to understand. There is so much to learn! Balance, relationships, boundaries, priorities, responsibilities, dedication, commitment, what to make for dinner tonight, how to clean my oven, how to wash my new sheets… see, this is what happens when my mind wanders. And while life may happen 100-miles-a-minute at times (or a majority of the time), I’m learning to stop and be intentional. I expressed my thoughts on rest and time in one of my previous Instagram posts here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaDSP7dAQ0G/?taken-by=kenzgothurt

This morning, I began my day early, seeking to be intentional about some household duties that may or may not have been put on the back burner recently. But I’m also taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures, too. Because, if I don’t, I will be continually exhausted from going-going-going and never stopping to take a minute for myself. Hope you can find comfort in that you don’t have to have it together friends, because in reality, none of us do. And the constant state of busyness doesn’t mean we have it together or we’re more significant, it really just means we’re busy and possibly overcommitted (ha!). Taking in the simple pleasures of a quiet morning filled with coffee, my cat and a fresh load of laundry, straight out of the dryer. It’s the little things, friends.