Author: Kim

Planning and Zoning

Published on by Kim

My husband loves to look at Planning & Zoning agendas and maps. He enjoys studying road maps and railroad maps to see the plan and reasoning behind it. He likes looking at a machine and figuring out how to make it work.

However, he does not enjoy planning his day. What looked good an hour ago is not where he’s headed now. So many projects, so little time.

As you may have picked up, I find planning my day a key to success! How does this work?

Well, planning is key, whether for the month, week, day, or next few hours. Re-planning is just as important, though. A change in my plans happens on a daily (or more) basis, but making the change is still planning.

How does this look?

My meal plan is usually about 2-3 days out. It also usually contains a meal needing more prep and a dish that is quick and easy. So, when he decides one morning to work late that evening, I don’t know how late that will be so I opt for the quick meal. If he gets home at 8, we don’t have to wait until 9 to eat. If I planned a productive day at home and a from-scratch dinner, but he wakes up with a list of errands, then I switch to the slow cooker recipe that will be ready whenever we are.

The meal plan for each day is not important, but the flexibility is. Meals lined up that can be quickly switched around is planning. Switching around meals at any point in the day is re-planning and flexibility. They work together.

And, yes, I have had meals in the oven that went straight to leftovers because of last-minute changes. It happens. Still a new plan.

Meals are just one example of planning and flexibility working together, but the principle applies in other areas. Plans are important, but they are not necessarily effective as first planned. How does that look in your life?

Principles and Practice

Published on by Kim

Often, when talking about the content of this blog site in different conversations, we tend to focus on the practical tips rather than the principles behind them. That’s easy to do — and rewarding. The practice is where we see the results. But it is important to not skip past the principles; they are the foundation for all the practicals. As we know, if the foundation is weak or non-existent, the house goes down.

One way we try to keep the balance on our Instagram page is to post principles on Mondays and practical tips for Wednesdays. (Fridays are just for fun.)

Practices vary, but principles are key. For example, in the story of the Good Samaritan, one principle we can see is the beauty of loving our neighbors in hands-on, generous, inconvenient ways.

Does this mean that we must stop for every hitchhiker we see while driving? No.

Does this mean that we must open our front yard for a block party every Tuesday night? No.

Does this mean we must fit every charity that asks into our monthly budget? No.

Does this mean we need to purposefully look for times when we can reach out and care for someone in our path, even at the cost of time or money? Absolutely YES.

Hear practicals and think principles. Your ways to care will likely be different from those used by other people. It’s helpful to share ideas, but those are not binding. Those ideas should sharpen our focus on loving our neighbor; they may also be a new way we demonstrate that love.

The principle is (hopefully) a shared priority, but the practice needs to flow from that — not just done because someone else is doing it. When you hear what someone else is doing and think it sounds great, make sure you are clear on the principle behind it before you decide if the practice fits that principle well in your life.