Final Friday of 2016

And I'm hoping that 2017 will bring some joy and contentment and...more fun.  We haven't had enough yet.

So I've been reading some articles.  Lots of thoughts going through my head.  Boyd C. Matheson wrote an article for our local newspaper (do we still call them newspapers when we read them online?  If not, then what do we call them--newsoutlet?  That sounds so cumbersome.)  If I remember right it was titled sacred idleness.  He says we need time to regroup, to absorb and refresh our spiritual selves in order to be more effective and happy at service.  At least that's what I took from the article.  I particularly liked this sentence: "It is true that more people run out of energy and hope than run out of opportunity."  I never ever want to run out of hope.  I think that is the universal motivator - if I have no hope, then what is the point of anything?

Beauty even in the cold and fog.

And another article I read was by a woman who has a hard time completing much of anything. She has good intentions but life gets away from her and she has difficulty finishing.  Her "life coach" told her that she shouldn't wait to do stuff until she can get it perfect. "Perfect is the enemy of done."  I've always heard it said that perfect is the enemy of good. Are good and done the same thing?  Not really. But in the context of tasks that need doing and prioritization that gets all muddled up, I like that thought.  It doesn't have to be perfect, just needs doing.  What a weight off our souls when stuff is done, whether it's perfectly done or not.  (I've long had a love-hate relationship with that word (perfect) and its concept. )  I remember years ago reading a little self help book where they said the same thing - do something well enough to get it done (when absolute perfection isn't really necessary) and move on, guilt free.  Funny that that thought has stuck with me for several decades. I like that it's resurfacing.

January will be my month in the rotation to play the organ in Sacrament meeting and the piano in Relief Society.  No more teaching Sunday School.  I'm feeling much less weighed down, though I have to wonder if Heavenly Father is disappointed in me because I gave up the teaching?  I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have if I'd had someone to teach with and didn't have to do it every week, it really burned me out.  And that's a discouragement that can spill over into other of life's areas.

It's been cold.  And while we're still technically December, I feel like we're fully into our usual January inversion.  Though the news said our morning air was filled with fog (and it didn't smell quite as bad as yesterday morning) there's still some definite smog/haze in the air.  My walk in 13 degrees was quiet, I got some good praying in and some thoughtful solitude that always fills me. The best part? The Husband walked out and met me just a bit from home and we strolled the last little bit together, watching the birds and chatting.  That's my very favorite activity - walking with those I love.

How grateful I am to have a bit of love in my life.  My childhood was quite lacking in that arena. I'm so aware (and thankful)  that I am the recipient of more love now and I need to work harder at showing that love to others.  I'm grateful for warm coats and earmuffs and gloves and hats.