Monday, May 28, 2018

3 ways to deal with WAITING

I feel as though I am always waiting for something.



Waiting to finish school, waiting for the next life stage, waiting to finish my book... I even spend a lot of time waiting for the weekend!

Look! for most of the world
is waiting
or remembering
Most of the world is time
when we're not here,
not born yet, or died - 
a slow fire 
under the earth ...

Mary Oliver* says that most of the world is waiting or remembering, longing for the past or hoping for the future. I am stuck in that trap just as much as anyone, but I don't want to be. There are beautiful things present Here, in my everyday life, little pieces of something sacred that I so often just miss altogether.
I think that wishing for the past or the future is a refusal to acknowledge everything that God is doing right now. I want to stop living so desperately, so stressed... if I think too far in the future, it rules my present life, too. So, without further ado ... my top 3 strategies for living a life rooted in the present!


1. NARROW YOUR FOCUS

Make a to-do list for the next 24 hours, and stick only to the things on that list. (It doesn't have to be written down or legalistic ... more the idea of only thinking about things that immediately need your attention.) Refuse to spend time worrying or planning for events that are far in the future and turn your attention to what is happening right NOW.


2. GET EXCITED TODAY

Find something worth getting excited about that is happening now! Plan a little adventure - do something you like (even if it's just buying yourself a coffee). When I'm waiting for something that is still some time away, it can make my daily life feel like filler ... very bland. Looking for ways to remind myself that all time is special and beautiful (and fun!) can help me to stay rooted in what's going on TODAY.


3. BE THANKFUL

Notice the good things that are going on around you! Don't let yourself get stuck in the "remember when ____" mentality (or the "I can't wait for ___") and remind yourself to be thankful for the way your life looks this year! Yes, I would love to be graduated and in a career and have 50 books published, but there are already so many good things in my life - so many dreams already coming true - and I'm trying harder to be thankful for those, instead of just looking at what I might be thankful for LATER.


 How good are you at waiting for things? What strategies do you use to stay focused on the present?

xx,
Olivia

*(in her poem "Hummingbird Pauses at the Trumpet Vine")

5 comments:

  1. These tips are great. I forget that I need to be excited in a moment when I am waiting for the next exciting moment to come. BUT life should be exciting in every moment even if it's a small excitement. You just have to find the trill. Needed this post!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Vanessa! It's a good reminder for me, too, and one I'm clinging to constantly these days! <3

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  2. I can relate. This is wonderful <3

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