Discoveries

You know those helpful discoveries you make about yourself or how to make life simpler or how to address stresses that keep cropping up?

I feel like I've made a lot of those this year.

1. Waking up to an alarm starts my morning off all wrong.  I had a couple mornings last semester where my alarm woke me up right in the middle of a dream or a deeper part of my sleep cycle, and it made me feel groggy and out-of-sorts the entire morning.  Now, I've never been the type of person who can/will sleep for twelve hours straight; eight hours is pretty much the most I'll sleep in a single stretch.  This practically guarantees that as long as I go to bed at a fairly decent time, I can wake up on my own in plenty of time to be at work.  This realization has made mornings so much better.  I feel more rested and don't start off the day with a panicky feeling over the sound of an alarm.  (If there's a reason I have to get up significantly earlier than usual for something that can't be missed, I will still set an alarm.)

2. I have a love-hate relationship with running.  This summer I didn't have the gumption to push past the two-week hating stage to get to where I could actually enjoy it, but instead I found another daily workout that I've enjoyed.  Regular exercise really does make a difference.

3. Creativity takes me time and quiet (not always literal quiet, but mental quiet at least).  There were some projects to work on this summer that required a fair amount of creativity, and it took nearly the whole summer before my brain was at a good place for that.  Up until now, I've largely been frustrated when I can't churn something out at the drop of a hat.  In the future, I'll know to allow for time to let the noise of life settle down before attempting something that requires creativity.

4. Having routines helps me feel less stressed.  Breakfast means something toast-able (like English muffins or bagels) with butter and maybe fresh fruit.  Saturday is laundry-and-farmers-market day.  After church on Sunday is a quiet afternoon with coffee on the couch.   Friday night is family time (although I'm over plenty of other times too).  The last day of the month is when I take care of budget stuff.  I don't have to constantly decide when to do things or how to spend time; it's built into the rhythm of life already.  The fewer decisions that have to be made in a given time period, the calmer my mind can be.

5. Margin is glorious.  This summer taught me how much more I enjoy life, friendships, and my walk with the Lord when there is some blank space left on the calendar or in the day.

6. People time, especially with smaller groups and friends I'm closest to, recharges and encourages me.  If I go too long with mostly my own company...well, I start to feel out-of-sorts.

7. I don't have to try all the new things all the time.  This applies to hospitality, friends, food, ministry opportunities - you name it.  New things aren't always bad, but sometimes I've found myself slipping into the mentality of always searching for the best way to do something instead of being content with a perfectly good way.  One more unnecessary stress I was putting on myself.

8. I'm not a huge fiction fan.  I've tried several books this year, but I can't seem to get into them - so they just go back to the library unread.  Jan Karon's Shepherds Abiding was the only exception I can think of.

What discoveries have you been making lately?